Weather Strikes Again but I won!

I spent a wonderful evening with Renee and Dale just chatting it was nice to relax " not having to study".  Unfortunately the weather forecast last night was correct.  When Dale and I got up this morning early, we found a nice overcast layer.  After a call to Whiteman's weather. I found an overcast layer at 2500 ft.  Digging further, I found a storm working its way south. If I didn't get going soon I wouldn't be able to fly up and see the parents.  Eventually I decided that if I went north I might get trapped up there for a day or two and not be able to get the hours I needed to start on Monday.  So I call the parents and ask for a rain check.  Afterwards I spent the remainder of the morning hanging out with the nephews as I waited for the weather to improve. It was nice hanging with them.

Soon we headed off  to a baseball game for Austin.  While at the game I called Whiteman and found the airport to be closed due to an accident on the runway.   I was beginning to think I was meant to spend day on the ground.   After Austin’s game we headed back and I checked the weather again. It was getting better!  I was concerned    If I stayed in LA the rain storm from the north, could trap me for a day or two. So I devised a plan to head back to San Diego this afternoon hoping from there I'd be able to get some time tomorrow.  Thankfully Renee had time to run me south to the airport before she took the boys to a Star Wars concert.  Soon I was pre-flighting, and within twenty minutes I was fueled up and airborne. As I turned to the north (taking the long way home) I saw the storm I was avoiding.  It was awesome seeing the family, and hope to see them soon.
The flight home took me over Palmdale, and Victorville again.  It was nice to be over the same area I'd been just a week ago. It was familiar making the trip fun!   Once over the LA basin, the controllers keep me out of traffic as I worked my way south.   Soon I was flying over  the Julian VOR, and headed back to Montgomery.   As I turned west, I was staring into the sun, I thought "here's my first sunset" landing.  Soon I was lined up on 28L.  The landing was smooth, but a ride with the cross wind.   As I taxied back I realized.. I'm a Pilot!   It felt great as I tied up the plane for the evening.  
As I headed home I started to think about flying tomorrow hoping I’d be able to get the hours I needed to start school on Monday.  I did the math, and I needed 8.4 hours after today’s flight.  As I checked the weather, I noticed the southeast had a spot that was clear of weather in tomorrow’s forecast. That pointed towards Tucson!  So I set to the planning.  To make things a little easier on myself I used the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s (AOPA) flight planner.  It worked well, and hoped that it would translate to success tomorrow.  I’m shooting for lunch at tomorrow.  Its 10 pm so I’m headed to bed. Hoping to be airborne by 8am tomorrow shooting for lunch Todd’s café at Ryan Airport near Tucson allowing me to get home by 4 pm ish tomorrow. 

Checkride Day --- Yikes.. I'm a Pilot!

Well today was a very stressful and a lot of fun at times. Brett and I met at the airport around 800 am and chatted as we waited for my designated pilot examiner (DPE) to show up for my 9am appointment.  After meeting Pat, we handled the paperwork first and inspected the airplane I was going to use for the check ride. Unfortunately we found some small problems with the plane, so I called the owner for some help.  Soon the issues were resolved.

As we proceeded thru the oral portion of the test, Pat very knowledgeable, and quickly found the things I didn't know well.  Over all I was happy, with my progress, feeling more confident.  The best part was Pat was passing on some wonderful tidbits of advice and knowledge from his years of experience.  FAA's examiners don't teach during a check ride, but I'd heard good examiners pass on their experience and I was learning a lot. 

Soon we were headed to the plane; my heart rate was going up. I knew could fly but was worried I'd make a mistake that couldn't be ignored.   Unfortunately I found the starter was broken again. And we couldn't "fix" it.  Luckily Pat was a patient man, allowing me to find and procure a substitute plane.  Thankfully I was prepped for that possibility and had flown the same plane yesterday. So it wasn't my first pick  but I was familiar with it.   The aircraft run up and take off went well. Soon we were headed to the east portion of the county.   Unfortunately Murphy struck again, I ran into some problems with airspace at Gillespie and Montgomery. After what seemed to be an eternity I sorted the issues out, but was left very rattled from the issues.  Pat was nice and told me to relax.  After thirty minutes of maneuvers we headed to Brown Field for the landings.  Those landings and takeoffs went well, so I was starting to relax as we headed back to Montgomery.   Pat was calm and cool the whole time.  He smiled and stated "only one more landing left!"  One the way back, I flew under the "hood" and did well.   All that was left was the landing. Again Murphy struck again as I was starting to relax.  The approach went well, but my last landing SUCKED!! Probably the worst I'd ever had but it was effective.  On top of it, the tower was upset with me for not getting off the runway quick enough.

I worried screwed up the check ride on the last landing, as  I shut down the plane, as the door opened.  Pat looked at me and shook my hand.. Telling me I had passed.   He explained my handling of the stress early in the ride showed good pilot skills. Pheww... I started to breather again!  As we tried to wrap up the paper work, that didn’t go smoothly but after a half hour we finished it and I received my first pilot's license.

It was weird, I was relieved but the joy wasn’t immediate.  I thanked Pat for his patience and wisdom.  After talking to Brett, and texting my family. I started working on my flight plan to fly up to Whiteman (By Burbank) airport for the evening to spend time with my sister and family (Wheelers).   The hour and half flight allowed me to relax and enjoy the new privileges of being a pilot.  Soon I was landing at Whiteman.

Whiteman Tower

 Being tired but happy I locked up the plane as I waited for Dale to pick me up.  As luck would have it, my nephew Cody graduated from kindergarden soon Dale and I headed off to meet the family for Cody’s graduation dinner.

The rest of the evening was spent relaxing with Renee and Dale, over a couple of beers.   Hopefully the weather tomorrow will be good. I’m hoping to see the parents in Santa Ynez and then go to Monterey for some cross country flight time. 

Practice Pre-Test & Chasing Maint records.

Eww.. the morning was early. With a 6am meeting I got up at 4:30.  I like getting up and relaxing a little before I head out and take tests.  San Diego mornings are great for flying, getting airborne before 7am and landing before 10am can be some great flying (before the marine layer blows in).   As I finished the preflight Jimmy jumped in, and we were airborne by 6:10.  Headed westbound, Jimmy ran me thru the drills, slow flight, power on / off stalls, etc.  Soon I was diverting to Ramona, we entered the pattern before the tower even opened up.  After a soft field landing, short field landing we headed back to Montgomery. We landed at 755..  As we taxied back, Jimmy gave me a few pointers of things I could do diffirent or better.  But told me I was ready to take the "ride" and stated he would sign me off.   Meaning he would stating he would put his professional licences on the line backing me.  That felt good.   I put the plane back and headed out.  Brett wanted me to relax today and not study.

So the only thing left on my to do list, was pick up the maintenance records from the owner of 57361, meet Brett to fill out my application for a pilots license.   After BSing with Brett I headed home to relax.   The remainder of my evening was spent going over flash cards and relaxing.  I retired early in attempt to get a good nights rest.

0 days left.. Check ride tomorrow!!!


 

Yikes getting closer and Practice checkride..

Today was suppose to be an easy day.. But it was not.   The morning was spent reviewing stuff and "cramming" I was looking for items I had forgotten or had missed.  I met Jimmy at 3pm, for my practice "check ride" Jimmy was suppose to test me and act as an evaluator looking for gaps in my knowledge.  Soon we were deep in the oral portion of the test. I did well, and soon we headed to the plane.  Unfortunately after getting to the plane I found a problem with the starter.  I called the owner and he told me it would be ok, and just "take her flying".  Well being the Pilot in Command (PIC) I did not like that answer. I knew that the starter's bendix drive was shot and doubted the ability of the starter to fix itself.  So I choose to cancel the flight.   Jimmy congratulated me for making the "decision".   He made the point being a pilot requires making decisions that aren't funny or convenient.   So we shook hands and headed home. After getting home Randy the owner of 57361 asked if I'd go try to start the plane and see if the starter "fixed" itself.  I told him I would if I wasn't held response if the starter was damaged.  I did as he asked and the starter did "fix" itself . But I had doubts so I scheduled a different plane for my flight tomorrow.

Brett called later to let me know I was "good to go" on the oral portion, and if I could meet Jimmy at 6am he'd be willing to give me a ride.  So I was happy.. and agreed.   Time to relax and get a good nights rest!

Two days left... 

More Practice and check ride test!

Well today was a great day.. looked at the weather last night and expected the weather to be good this morning and it was.  So I got up early and headed to the airport around 7am, hoping to be airborne by 8am.. giving me three hours to fly before I met Brett at 11.  It worked out and I lifted off at 745 headed to Hemet for some cross country time and practice.  The morning weather was great, the visibility was unrestricted so it made for a great flight up to Hemet.  Once there I worked the pattern and then parked over the local lake and worked on my maneuvers.   After about an hour and half, I pointed the plane south headed back to Montgomery.   Unfortunately the typical San Diego marine layer had blown in while I was gone.  My heart rate increased, as I pondered my options.  About the time I decided to go around the weather the front blew out allowing me to scout in to Montgomery. After landing I logged 2.9 more hours of cross country time!  

Soon I met Brett for my grilling, we headed out for my last flight with him before my check ride.  He ran me thru my paces, and was brutal.  It was obvious that I’d flown in the morning as I was getting tired and hungry so my flying wasn't up to par as the lesson was finishing.   Brett told me I was ready, but wanted another instructor to double check us for a final stamp of approval to look for any holes in my education before the evaluator did.  So tomorrow I’m going flying with Jimmy to show him my skills!  Not too bad of a day.. a total of 5.3 hrs of flight time.. I spent the remainder of the evening relaxing.. boy I’m tired. 

Wind, Wind... Darn Wind and Praying for those who gave all, for our country!!

Today was a huge bust for flying solo.  Brett and I met up and went over some more oral questions; we had one of his students sit in, to see what she could pick up from me being a few weeks ahead of her. After the ground questions, we headed to the pattern for some soft and short field practice. Unfortunately Memorial Day is not the day to do touch and go’s at Montgomery. The pattern was busy, so we headed south to Brown Field.  The cool part was we transitioned to Brown over the top of San Diego International, and flew over the Coronado Bridge.  That was pretty cool. 

Once at Brown we had time to complete the landing practice we needed. Despite being flustered I did ok, my soft field landings were good, the short field take offs and landings still needed some work But Brett was positive and said I wouldn’t have any issues with my upcoming check ride. Reminding me I’ve taken many tests in my life, this one is no different. 

A little note on Nerves…    I’m not sure if Brett was telling the truth or was trying to get me to relax.  I woke up this morning with a lot of anxiety about the test on Friday.   I’m not sure why I’m worried about this more than usual.  I know most who who fly professionally and if they are smart do have some nervousness before a “check ride” but this time feels different for me.  I’ve taken many check rides with the Navy over the past 19 years of flying. But this time its weird and worse.     I think it’s because I’ve never been thru one and it’s not just a “cool thing to do” this is the beginning of my future career as a pilot.  Being unemployed and wanting to make a living as a pilot before the end of the year may be some of the nerves.  Either case I’m pushing thru, luckily the flight today made me relax, I really love it. So I’ve decided to let the system work.  I’m flying with Brett tomorrow and flying with another instructor on Wednesday. I’m expecting that if they judege I’m not ready they will not let me take the “ride”. I’d rather wait another week then take a failure.   Phew…  

Back to the good stuff...  After finishing up at Brown  I took Brett back to Montgomery, on the way back we chatted about the young lady that joined us for the ground test, he informed me she was single...hmm .   Guys talking about girls happens all the time: ) . (it’s nice to be comfortable enough to relax while flying.)  

Unfortunately after landing the tower informed us the winds were 290/ 13 gusting 18…  Brett laughed and apologized knowing I wasn’t headed back out for some cross country work.  Learning patience with the weather is most definitely a lesson that is included for free during flight instruction… 

So I wrapped up the plane and headed home.   After lunch.. Frustrated with the great weather yet high winds I called to see it the winds had died off. And they had, so I scampered off to the airport, planning to take off at 3:30 hoping to get three hours in before sunset.   But it wasn’t meant to be,  before engine start I checked the winds, they had increased to above my approved limits. GRRRRR... so I had enough and packed it up for the day.    I spent the remainder of the afternoon and evening studying. 

It’s great to have a built in family “counselor” who’s been there and done it.  Thanks Dale!  Friday we are going to PARTY!!! 

The day wasn’t good for flying solo but it was Memorial Day, a day of honoring of those who gave some and those who gave all for our country’s freedom, additionally it’s my Dad’s birthday (a veteran as well)  so it was a great day!!    Happy Birthday and Memorial Day Dad…  Thank you for everything…

Weather Strikes again!

Well today was suppose to be dedicated to racking up the cross country hours, I planned on flying to Sedona, AZ  but it wasn't meant to be.  Below is the weather line  for Montgomery this morning..  

San Diego CA (Montgomery Field) [KMYF] hourly observation on the 29th at 8:53am PDT (1553Z)

wind 270° at 16 knots, visibility 10 miles, 2,200 feet few, 3,000 feet overcast, temperature 14°C (57°F), dewpoint 9°C (48°F), altimeter 29.83, automated station with precipitation discriminator, sea level pressure 29.82" Hg (1009.7 hPa), temperature 13.9°C (57.0°F), dewpoint 9.4°C (48.9°F), maintenance required.

In summary, overcast, raining, and windy.   So I studied, nothing too special going on today. I spent some time working thru in my mind, potential diversion sceanarios that I could be given for the check ride.  Still pretty frustrated I can't go out and practice on my own. But what can one do? I'm making the best of it and studying.

Hopefully tomorrow will better after I get done flying with Brett..