Glad It Wasn't Me!!!

This was supposed to be a pretty busy week. I had scheduled myself to fly Tues, Thurs, Fri and Saturday. Well, you know what they say about best laid plans, right? So on Tuesday I had to cancel because of an appointment for the Air Force that went long. I could have perhaps made it, but I was tired, hot and just not feeling very well, so I think it was a wise idea to cancel. So, today rolls along and I am hyped up ready to fly. I took the day off, so I was well rested, well prepared and all in all, ready to rock and roll. I get to the airport and we review what we are going to cover...short field stuff. I have been looking forward to this since I know after this lesson, I will most likely be cut loose to go practice on my own (OK, within 25 nautical miles, but that's good enough for me!!!). So, after our pre-brief, I head out to preflight the airplane. All appears to be in good order. Fuel is good, windows are clean and winds are light and variable. Too good to be true, right? Yep, you guessed right. As I was waiting for my instructor to come out, I was watching a Cessna 152 come in on approach. As it turns out, this was his first solo...oh yes, I remember that. It seems so long ago!!! Anyway, there was another airplane on final (albeit a long straight-in) and the solo student essentially cut him off (not sure how to explain it real well...but he turned base and final too early and jumped in front of the airplane). Anyway, the "cut-off" airplane executed a go-around and flew to the right of the field. The instructor then radioed the solo student and told him what he did and to "go ahead and land and taxi back to the ramp." OK, so I know that there could be a lot of conjecture here, so I will let you decide if what the instructor did was in the best interest of his student. So the plane was coming in on a fairly stabilized approach, at first anyway. He drove it down a little fast and nose down and attempted to pull it out only to bounce the airplane...it wasn't a bad bounce, but he nosed it back down and it bounced again, this time pretty bad. Well, perhaps this would have been a good time to execute a go-around but instead he nosed it over and tried again, but this time, he hit the nose gear and it collapsed. Well as you can probably guess, collapsing any gear is a bad thing, but the nose is really bad. When you collapse the nose gear, the prop hits the ground bringing the engine to a rapid stop, usually with significant damage to the engine. I see plane come to rest and I start to run over towards the mishap. My instructor is just now coming out the door seeing me and the solo-guy's instructor running over to the scene. Well, I could really stretch out this story, but I told you the most interesting part. The student was fine, although a lot shaken up. To be honest, I think I would have shit my drawers if that had been me. The plane was banged up pretty good and there was a nice 100 foot ground scar from the prop and gear across the runway into the grass. We decided that we weren't going to move the airplane until the FAA got out there so my flight was canceled. The lesson was complete though...it is never a bad idea to execute a go-around whenever there is a doubt in your mind. I was going to post pictures, but my phone camera likes to add a nice green tint to pictures when it's nice and sunny out, so sorry, no pictures.

I am scheduled to fly Friday and Saturday, so hopefully that will go off without a hitch. Looking at the syllabus, I might be ready for my checkride by the end of June. Of course this is if EVERYTHING go just right, and well, I can almost guarantee that isn't going to happen. At this point, if I am done by mid-July, I will be pretty happy. If my no-good instructor wasn't going to be on vacation the last couple weeks of June, I'd have this thing wrapped up pretty quick. Hmmm...perhaps if we get all the cross country and night stuff done, then I can get with another instructor to get the practice stuff done...Well, I guess I will cross that bridge when I get to it!

Stage Check---PASSED!!!

So after my flight yesterday, I was told that I would have at least one more flight and then my stage check. For those who aren't aware, the stage check is a pseudo "checkride" to make sure you are progressing normally. It is a check of normal take-offs and landings, stalls, slow flight, all the ground reference maneuvers (turns around a point and s-turns across a road), radio procedures, pattern procedures and a emergency procedure or two. Anyway, it is quite a bit of stuff, but I figured since I'd have one more flight to practice, I didn't sweat it too much. OK, with that said, here's what happened: Stage check was today. It started with about an hour of oral questions on all sorts of crap...I didn't realize how much I have already learned. So, after that, we go on and do the flight portion of the check. It was a little different because my CFI didn't say a word (about airplane stuff, anyway) he let me do all the planning, the maneuvers, and the entire profile (including finding another airport and then coming back). The only thing he did was "fail" my engine for the simulated emergency with simulated emergency landing. Other than that, it was like he wasn't there. I think I did OK, and I passed. The only thing I need to work on is the crosswind landings. They weren't bad, just not the nicest landings. OK, so I get to move on. The next couple of lessons will be on short field landings and takeoffs and soft field landings and takeoffs as well as some crosswind landing practice. If that goes OK, then I will be signed of for solo flight within 25nm of the airport then onto the cross-country and night stuff. It actually looks like I am on track to finish up hopefully mid-July. I originally hoping that I would be done around the end of June, but my instructor feels the need to take a vacation at the end of June...what nerve!!! OK, I am not flying again until next Tuesday, so have a good weekend!!!

Oh yes, and for those curious. I have logged 21.2 hours, 67 landings and spent $3,316.00 so far.

It's ABOUT Freaking Time!!!

Well, sorry I haven't written lately. I was on vacation for the 1st couple of weeks in May, so flying wise, there just wasn't too much to write about. I really enjoyed the vacation...I had an absolute blast!!! Eventually my family will read this, but right now I am keeping it hush-hush just in case I can't finish up the training I am doing. I really don't see that being a factor, but I don't want the constant "are you done yet?" questions when things are so fluid. As it stands, the scheduling has worked out GREAT, but there is a possibility that I am going to have to go back to ground school for the AF to get certified in the glass cockpit version of the C-5. I really have no desire to do so, but eventually the training is going to move here, and since I am the subject matter expert for the course ware, simulators and ground school, I will have to do it sooner or later....I would just prefer to do it after I finish the private pilot stuff. After that, I am all about it. Dover has a great aeroclub and the rates are REALLY good, so that would be a bonus. I just would prefer to keep the continuity of training I have now.

OK, now the "little plane" flying stuff. I flew the day I left for vacation and I sucked REALLY bad. What a way to go out! OK, so I come back from vacation and I have flown and additional 3 lessons...I was really getting bummed out since it seemed like I couldn't knock off the rust and I was still f*ing up the landings. The "Gods of Aviation" must have thought that I have my pockets LINED with cash...but I really don't. OK, so we take off today and do a few ground reference maneuvers which were "OK" but nothing that would water your eyes. After that, we cruised to my primary airport (we flew out of another controlled field because of my instructor's schedule) and did a few around the pattern. Again, nothing REALLY bad, just not great....Then, what I wasn't expecting happened. My CFI told me to full stop and taxi over to the terminal...holy crap, he's not about to do what I think he is going to do is he?!? I haven't had my stage check yet and well, I still suck!!! Well, he actually opens his door and says what I have wanted to hear for MANY MANY MANY YEARS...."Go ahead and give me three take off and landings...and don't bend my airplane!!!" My God, has he gone mad!?!? By all accounts, almost all students think this, and I figure "na...I won't think this....I'll know when I am ready." Well, I did think that I still think he is crazy! I taxied to the runway and saw that his door was unlocked and promptly locked it...that would have been lots of fun on the 1st solo. So, I took the runway and off I went. Is was all what I expected...a little scary, much faster and yes, one of the most exciting things I have ever done in my life. I know now that I am seriously bitten by the flying bug...oh man this hobby is going to cost me A LOT of money!!! OK, back to the solo. It has also been said that everything is quite automatic and you'll hear the CFI's voice in your head yelling and smacking you around...well, that happened too and I had to chuckle when I "heard" the voices. As I was cruising along downwind, 3 more airplanes decided to decent on my little airport in West Texas. What the hell man?!? It's 100 degrees out here?!?! Who wants to fly in this heat?!? Well, I worked the 1st landing pretty good, but kinda messed up a Mooney that was inbound on the GPS approach. He had to abandon the approach and I felt a "little" guilty, but he didn't call in until he was 5 miles out. So, forget him. The second pattern was a little "different" as I wound up flying about a 5 mile downwind to let the Mooney get his approach in. When I turned base and then final, it looked like I was 50 miles from the runway!!! My instructor said that was the best landing he saw yet (from me) and I told him that I had LOTS of time to set up a nice approach. I bet if all my finals were 5 miles long, I'd do better too! The last one floated a little, but I put it down not too far from the numbers and RIGHT ON center line. I was fairly proud of myself. So, I taxied back, got my instructor and cruised back to the other airport. We debriefed and he told me a did really well. I think that is the first "that a boy" that I have gotten in a long time that I have really valued. We are scheduled to go back up tomorrow and again next Tuesday and Thursday. We will work a little more on the maneuvers stuff and I'll get a stage check from another instructor and then move along on my training. Hopefully after our lesson tomorrow, I'll get a little more solo time. It was quite fun, I must say. Oh yes...so total time to solo: 18.9 hours and 60 landings (good God man...that is a lot of landings!!!) OK, so I have rambled WAY to much, but I have one last thought for a few people in my life....perhaps a little bit of a regret:

Mom, Dad and Mommy...I am sorry you couldn't be there to see my mediocre landings. All of you have known how much I loved aviation from so long ago, and I would have loved to have you be part of this milestone. I have my crazy reasons for keeping you in the dark about all of this, but one day you will know all about it. Dad...I can see why you are a little envious about the things I do...I truly have a great life, I really, really do. I love all of you more than you will ever, ever, ever know!!!