Random thoughts, organized and categorized for your consumption.
Flying
Some Flights, A Lot of Work
Aug 5th
It’s been a month and I’m still pounding out the daily work schedule and trying to sneak in some flying where and when I can. Along the way I’ve slowed down my corporate travel, but that ends this week, as I start hitting the road to see customers wherever they may be. That can only mean less GA flying and a lot more bad airport experiences.
At least I’m still employed, right? I could have ended up like these poor hosers.
Two for the money
Jun 30th
Today I soloed in the Citabria for a second time. It ended up being no small feat, thanks to the ever increasing winds. This puts me within just a few flights more of being able to fly regularly on my own, even if it is only around the airport and practice areas.
I’m glad to have hit this milestone but I sure wished it had come sooner.
Too Much Travel, Too Little Flying (GA)
Jun 24th
It seems that I’ve been on the road constantly, and that I’ve done very little general aviation flying. Upon looking back at my schedule since January, it does appear that most every week and weekend I’m in another city or country, talking to a different customer or partner, eating at a new or similar restaurant and staying at another hotel chain. I certainly have the flight miles (and nagging cough) to prove it.
I also have started lacking in my ability to get to the local airport and fly, and when I do get out to the airport these day my More >
Soloed, Finally
May 6th
After a lot of travel and very, very few continuous days at home I have managed to get the first solo process completed at Palo Alto Airport. This is, I’m told, a pretty important milestone in my flight training, and I’m glad to have finally done it.
However, as part of this process, I was nearly landed on, twice, by another student flying the pattern. The infraction was bad enough that the tower started asking planes in the pattern to land full stop and clear the traffic so that they could concentrate on the problem pilot. I was also asked a More >
Lessons 30, 31, and 32
Feb 27th
In between flights all over the US, I managed to sneak in a few more flight lessons. #30 was to get me back in the swing of things again, doing another flight over to Livermore and some pattern work. #31 was all about doing some ground school learning, something I don’t do often enough. #32 was a bunch of touch and goes in the strongest wind (nearly 18 knots) I’ve seen so far.
I’m told that I’m nearly ready to solo, again. Now I just need to study up and be in town long enough to actually do the check ride.
More >Bad Weather Lessons: 28 and 29
Feb 13th
I managed to sneak in a couple of hours of flying this weekend, between downpours and crazy work scheduling. The net-net of these flights were that I’ve now picked up a bad habit or two: flying the pattern too fast and loose at times, and under-rotating at touchdown. Needless to say both are bad and I am working to correct both.
What was really rough, however, was flying in 14+ knot winds with low clouds and crummy visibility. My instructor loved it as it pushed me about as far out of my comfort zone as I could be at the home More >
Lessons 26 and 27: Back on the Horse Again
Jan 21st
My two most recent flying lessons were proof of what happens when I spend a long time away from the cockpit. On lesson 26 I spent the entire time bobbling around, blowing landings, and generally being a mess while flying. It was as if I had erased several months worth of flying skills and had regressed to a much earlier phase of flight. I knew I’d be a bit rusty, but this was bad news.
On the 27th lesson, after around 5 touch and go’s, some of the old flying skills returned. It was truly maddening to think that the effort More >
Flight Lesson 25
Dec 24th
In a last ditch effort to squeeze in a bit more flying and learning time, I drove up to Palo Alto to fly one more hour in the Citabria, my last flight for the year. It involved more touch and goes, slow speed turns, stalls, spin recognition (scary) and slips. This is just what I need to help get me through the muck that is sure to be known as commercial air travel.
Lessons 23 and 24
Dec 19th
Another weekend, another couple of flights out of Palo Alto. This time around it was a series of landings and simulated emergencies on the way to and from Livermore Airport, with some decidedly better (if I may say so) landings than I had the last time. The instructor seems to think I’m getting a little bit better, so he’s ratcheting up the workload in the air.
On the 24th lesson I was swapped into a similar plane with 40 more horsepower. The difference was like driving my 4Runner around some cones and tight corners, then getting out and hopping into the More >
Lesson 22
Dec 11th
Today with all the wind, rain, and rough weather I headed out for another hour in the front seat of the Citabria. It ended up being not as bumpy a ride as I had first thought, and in general I made my way around the field in relatively good shape. Kudos to the instructor for keeping me flying right, even though the runway and pattern were now being flown from the left.
Landings proved to be tough again, as were my turns to base and final. The instructor snuck in a few extras, like a short field landing, forward slips, and More >