In Flight

Starting on instruments2 hour) flights, so I can get up in the air for as little as $40/hr in a 152. --JPW

Today I met Larry Perryman, whoi flew his RV-9A to CLL so I could have a ride. We went down to Brenham for lunch, while JMR brought his boys and also took my son Ben. The RV flew very nicely, though more slowly than I expected (130 KIAS, or 150 mph in cruise). He had his Quinti prop set to fixed pitch because of some hub malfunction, so there may have been 10 kts left in the system. The

Flew a couple of times recently...played tag with JMR at Brenham and Caldwell, then took Chris on a night flight. I'd still like an excuse for a longer cross-country, one that required some planning. Went and looked at kit helicopters last night: rotorway and helicycle are two name brands. The Rotorway is $65K complete (except avionics) and takes 300-400 hours to assemble. Not sure

Flew JohnR and Gary out to Brenham (11R) for lunch on Tuesday. While they ate, I did 8 touch-n-goes with various practice approaches: full flaps, no flaps, shadowing the centerline abouit 3 feet up, short final, normal final, high approach, low approach... It was fun.

I needed to practice today, so went out in 15M for touch-n-goes at CLL. Did seven, one of them pretty good, the rest drifting to the left and putting a sideload on the gear. Did a simulated engine out on the last one and handled it well, but taxiied too fast up 34 and had to nearly emergency brake once I reached taxiway B. Felt good to fly, though. I'll have to do more early morning

So last Friday I call it a day a little early and head out to Easterwood. 93124's been sitting on the ramp and wants to be flown. She needs at least an hour between landings, at 2450 RPM no less (which is kinda boring), but we're only charging $30/hr and it's a truly beautiful evening, so... Shortly before takeoff JMR arrives, we jump in and head for Rockdale or somewhere generally west. Air

Today, Ben and I flew to Montgomery County (CXO) to attend the EAA chapter 302 flyin. Ben flew about half of the 1.8 hours I logged, had a great time! (The pancakes and hamburger didn't hurt, either!) We maintained about 2000' there, and 2500' on the way back. Winds were about 11 kt from 340, with CXO using runway 1. Saw Larry Perryman's RV-9A with Eggenfellner Subaru...the engine looked

Went to visit the new diner at Brenham (11R) airport today, with JohnR and Pat Castenson. The food was very good, even if the service was crazy slow...they've only been open for four days, so I expect that the logisitics of running a restaurant will get worked out soon. John flew there, so it was left to me to do the return trip. Well, that was some of the poorest flying I've done. It was

Sometimes the sky calls... Di, Ben and Mick were in Katy today for a soccer tournament, which left Chris and me to ourselves. After church, we talked about flying over the fields in Katy, but without knowing which exact fields they were at, and with my GPS having been sent back to Magellan for the crystal to be replaced, I convinced myself that it might be a bad idea. So we had all but

Learning, learning...it never ends! I had the chance to fly to Pleasanton today to pick up 4 Millenium cylinders for 124. JMR was planning to go, but he spent all afternoon yesterday flying with Eric, so he cancelled. Eric (the grad student!) was free, as usual and took John's spot. The plan was to leave CLL, climb to 8500 through scattered cumulus and fly VFR on top for about 1:40 to PEZ.

I wish I had better words to describe the frustration and enjoyment I've felt in the last three weeks. Frustration at having very limited funds with which to fly. Lots of bills have been due lately, which has put a pinch on my wallet. I really hope that I find some new cash soon and can get back on a regular schedule for planes. On the other hand, I had the opportunity to fly two new

What a beautiful night for flying! Went to Livingston (00R) at dusk via VOR alone (i.e. no GPS), then to CXO, then back to Easterwood. 2.1 hours cross country under a full moon and clear skies...VFR flight following the whole way. It doesn't get any better. Oh, yeah. It could have been a little better; I had a go-around at Livingston when my final approach was too high and short. I

Another day, another new experience. This time it was solo to AUS to pick up JMR. Lost my GPS for the first ten minutes of the flight, so I wandered around to establish a VOR heading, then fiddled with Anywheremap and the GPS to get both working. Got 'em going, then had to avoid several storm cells on the way to Austin that I had hoped had already passed. They hadn't. To make a long story

Time to write about the latest flight to give me butterflies in my stomach...VFR to Hobby (HOU) in class B airspace. June 17 was the date, and we left about 6:30 pm. John R, Andy and I planned to take 5400J direct to Hobby, then to Houston Southwest (AXH), then back to Easterwood. Preflight was pretty routine. Gas was full, John did much of the outside work while I checked weather and fussed

I've had a couple of interesting flights recently...none long, but all remarkable, at least a little. Flew to Giddings with Chris and Mick a few weeks ago. The skies were low (<2000) but winds were fairly calm, so off we went! We had trouble finding the airport once at Giddings, but caught sight of some RV's in the air and sniffed after them to the field. The folks there were great! Filled

The last few flights have been for fun: another lunch at Carl's (Weiser), Hilltop Lakes, a couple of trips with the kids... I had hoped to go to the Georgetown Tamale breakfast on Saturday (4/13) but couldn't get VFR weather until 11AM. The plane had to be back by 1, so Chris and Ben and I flew high (up to 6000') around Caldwell, did a couple of landings at Hearne for practice, and then back to

"I don't know if I want anybody to walk away from the movie thinking about me specifically," he said. "I do want them to walk away asking themselves, 'Well, if I get a second opportunity at something, I should walk through that door.'" Jim Morris, Devil Ray rookie pitcher at age 35 On reflection, that quote referring to the new movie, The Rookie, sums up the past seven months. I've made two

Yesterday, I became a certificated pilot. Took off from work around 1:15 pm to go the airport, grab the keys, and complete my x-c prep to Del Rio. Fortunately(!) due to the previous two flying portion cancellations, this was the third time I was going through this, so the only significant change was to drop from 8500' planned altitude to 4500'. Save some time and gas, and maybe not wear the

Is it really March 19th already? Since my last posting (after the cross-country to Waco) six weeks have passed. 5452D has pranged. I've passed my written test (with a 92) and the oral portion of my checkride (4 1/2 hours, of which maybe 2 1/2 was direct dialog, Q & A. There were times when I felt pretty good about my understanding of flight and flying, and times when I felt like an idiot. My

Well, my second cross-country solo is history. This one was comparatively short, CLL-ACT-T15 (Marlin)-CLL. The route was

The last two weeks have seen my first two cross-country flights. Today's was my first solo x-c, while last week's was a long dual (actually, a trio since John R and I split time with Andy. Here's today's path, courtesy of my new GPS: It looks crummy in only 640 pixels. but if you open it in its own window it's a little more readable. I'll write up some details as I find time, but

Well, well. It's been a while! I've put in about 8 hours since the last entry, and all in all have been pretty pleased with my progress. I've made numerous landings and they've mostly been OK...practicing slipping to a landing is challenging. I've also been working on my stalls and ground reference, navigation (day and night), some crosswind practice, steep turns and 45-degree ones. All to

Someday I'll read these notes and laugh. Right now, though, I'm frustrated. The Club's liability insurance lapsed, which means: (1) we're grounded for a week while new insurance is put into place, and (2) it's gonna cost more. Cat thinks the monthly dues will increase to cover, which is fine I guess. We'll see. Meanwhile, I've got to go nearly two weeks without a fix! Damn!

A few flights to catch up with. Back on Tuesday I went up a couple of times. The first was a dusky practice between CLL and Navasota. Two touch and back-taxi and go's in Navasota and one at Easterwood were great if only because they were uneventful. Later, John R and I made a run to Coulter under low skies. Technically the clouds were broken at 1300' with a ceiling much higher. Trouble was,

My last two flights have been as uneventful as they were different from each other. Wednesday I took a late time to do some night flying in 49785...it ended up .2 hours! I did one pattern and landing and parked it; the tenths digit of the radio was burnt out and I didn't feel comfortable. Now I feel like I could've done more, but it was the right decision at the time. Friday afternoon John R

Nice. Tonight I wanted to practice (1) pattern flying [1300', square turns, precise speed control], (2) tower communications, and (3) landings. And guess what? Everything fell into place just fine! I knew on arrival at CLL that I had 75 minutes from preflight to tie-down, so I could pick up Mick from running chains at his school's football game. It was 6:15p. 6:15 --->The plane needs

It's better to be lucky than good. Yesterday was a good day of flying. And, coupled with some wonderful weather and lucky coincidence, it became memorable. I flew for a half-hour at about 1:30, basically having time for a single T&L in 785 before coming in to share a lesson in 5452D with John R. 785 has been a pain lately because the radio is intermittent, and yesterday was no exception.

Seems like each flight lately has been one of firsts. Today brought two firsts: First unsupervised solo, and first radio failure! Actually, radio failure overstates things a little. Here's the scoop: I reached the airport at 4:40. Paid for gas to top it off, and went through a routine preflight on 49785. Had some trouble with the radio, though. I could never get it so that I could hear

"Come to the edge." "It's too high!" "COME TO THE EDGE!" And they came, and he pushed. And they flew. � Christopher Logue. Today was my third supervised solo. I wanted to combine it with some cross-country practice and tick off a few more airports. The day started auspiciously when John R successfully soloed at Coulter. He came out to wish me well after his flight, and was

"The three best things in life are a good landing, a good orgasm, and a good shit. A first solo at night is one of the few opportunities to experience all three at the same time." -Author unknown Have a look at the map of my world. I hope to keep it growing!

Went to Navasota (60R) Thursday night. Did a touch it's often leveling out about 15' over the runway instead of 3-5' where I'd like it. But Easterwood is very forgiving--just hold the flare and eventually you return to earth. And so we did. Two supervised solos down, one to go!

I'll run my hand gently over the wing of a small airplane and say to him, "This plane can teach you more things and give you more gifts than I ever could. It won't get you a better job, a faster car, or a bigger house. But if you treat it with respect and keep your eyes open, it may remind you of some things you used to know -- that life is in the moment, joy matters more than money, the world is

"They can because they think they can."Virgil

I've been sitting here at the keyboard for fifteen minutes trying to think of something to say. No, that's not quite right. I can't choose the words to adequately express my thoughts, my emotion. Seven weeks ago, on August 10, I sat behind a yoke for the first time with more questions than answers.Is this the right thing for a 43-year old husband and father of three to be trying? How badly do I

Wednesday was exhilarating! Late afternoon saw 1.1 hours of touch-and-go's, seven in all. All of them were, er, not bad. A couple were really pretty good, IMHO. Mainly I learned to relax during the process. Carb heat. Cut throttle back. Flaps at 10. Speed at 65 KIAS. Nose down at numbers. Couple of fingers on yoke. Flaps at 20. Fairly steep descent. Flare. Pause 1..2..3. Touch. Rudder. Then

Ouch! That was...interesting. We did touch-and-goes today. The wind continued to be out of the North, today at 15 kt gusting to 18 (heading 010), so we used 34. I practiced taxi maneuvers on my feet before we took off. Climb into, dive away. Still don't coordinate my nosewheel (feet) with the wings (yoke) on the ground. That needs work. Downwind was fast, and I frequently found myself with a

Yesterday was a trip. 1.8 hours. Total: 12.5 hrs. Preflight felt new again, since it had been a couple of weeks since the plane was flown. Everything checked out fine, though. I was out of practice with my radio also. Tower and Ground were both 118.5, so that made it a little easier. Taxiing is becoming a piece of cake. Runup was a little nervous (as has become very typical for me...when will

Tomorrow I fly (knock on wood). Thanks FAA.

For many of us, life is returning to its normal flow. For VFR pilots (and at least one frustrated student) "normal" remains in the future. Fly!2k will have to do for now... "The propeller is just a big fan in front of the plane to keep the pilot cool. Want proof? Make it stop; then watch the pilot break out in sweat."

Numerous broadcasts over the last two days refer to September 11, 2001 as the day that "everything changed." This is not true. Four flights were hijacked Tuesday of the many thousands that proceeded, or would have proceeded, normally. The perpetrators of the crimes used those four incidents to cause unimaginable damage. Thousands of families have felt the tremendous loss of one or more loved

No flying today. Say a prayer. Give blood. Hug your kids.

My Month as a Student Week1MondayRainTuesdayRainWednesdayNo rain; no visibility either. ThursdayTake instructor to lunch. Discover I don't know enough to take instructor to lunch.FridayFLY! Do first stall and second stall during same maneuver, cover instructor with lunch.Week 2MondayLearned not to scrape frost off Plexiglas with ice-scraper. Used big scratches on windshield as marker to set

"You are brave. Not brave because you are going to be facing any physical dangers; you are not really going to. I mean brave in another, deeper sense. By being on this flight you have shown that you are willing to explore your own identity to discover what might lie within you. Your human clay has not hardened, and you are also willing to explore your own perceptions of the universe, knowing that

Today was better. Used Coulter Field because all the planes at Easterwood were tied up. Take off on runway 14 with slight crosswind from the south. I still am not to good at cross-wind taxi and take-off, in particular managing wind across the wings, but am working on it. I think an hour of FlightSim would help. Did 4 approaches today, including 1 touch and go and a full landing. One of the

Have you ever wanted something so badly that the "wanting" gets in the way of the "having" and the entire situation becomes nothing more than an exercise in frustration? Maybe that's what happened today. In rough order of mind-farts, here is how my flying (and I use that description of what I did advisedly) went today: Keys to 785 were missing Preflighted 15Mike. Ordered gas. Keys to 785

Well, today defined frustration. On and off, the rains came and went over B/CS...finally, late in the day it became clear that the skies would brighten and I would be flyin'. Got to the airport ten minutes early to preflight the plane and it (N49785) was still out! To a solo student prepping for his check ride. He landed fifteen minutes late, and I hustled out to preflight. The reason I'm in a

Thunderstorms this morning...will we fly today?

Today, for something completely different...a note from a young passenger to an aircraft pilot.

Today brought something new: ground reference maneuvers. Weather was good: at 1730 CDT partly cloudy and warm (35 C) winds at 7 out of 130...as it turns out, winds aloft were more southerly and stronger (as per ATIS on 126.85 , 'Yankee'). We took off from 16. I did the radio (128.70): "Easterwood Ground Cessna 49785 at the Flying Club with Yankee" (then something I don't remember right now like

Yay! Today, finally we flew again! Took off on runway 16 into partly cloudy skies. Winds 3 kt, and (first time) all radios were on 118.5. Climbing turn left after takeoff to a NE heading, then north and flew through a hole in the cumulus to beautiful, open blue skies at 5300 ASL. Went into slow flight mode at headings between 300 and 060, with various slow turns and a couple of stalls, one with

Doggoneit! Screwed by the weather again! I'm getting pretty sick of FlightSim!

Rained out again!! This sucks! Oh, well...perhaps a review. When I started, I wanted to solo before the end of September and be certified by the end of the year. Here's where I stand w/r/t soloing: Flight preparation procedures check Taxiing + surface ops Takeoffs check and landings not yet Straight and level flight, turns in both directions check Climbs and climbing turns

John Gillespie Magee, killed in action at the age of 19 was serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force, some days before his death wrote: Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds, � and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of � wheeled and soared and

August 22 * * * * * .8 hours today...great time! Took off from runway 16 and headed east, over south CS, then north over Coulter Field. Practiced precise turns. Nearly landed (within 20 feet or so) but did the base leg and final with Andy's guidance. August 27 * * * * * No flying today...rained in. We talked about weather and spent an hour or more trying to get MS FS2000 to work in the