Personal Limits

Went up to do some practice work today. If you read enough of the rags and talk to enough pilots, you will hear a lot of talk about personal limits. Today I met one of mine. Wind and turbulance. As soon as I left the ground I was getting kicked around. It didn't get any better out in the practice area so I did what was prudent. I came back to the airport. Simple enough. Unnecessary risks are not a part of my flying M.O.

On another note, I did pass my FAA written test today. It wasn't that hard - 68 multiple choice questions. Basic stuff.

Flight time: 0.5

Total time: 65.5

Solo Cross Country

Today I had my first solo cross country. RC approved my flight plan and the weather checks out. What am I waiting for?

I planned for Ryan Field (KRYN) and was just going to go down and back. Its about 85nm each way. Since the airport at which I am based is underneath Phoenix Class B airspace, we spend a lot of time knowing where the shelves are located and at what altitudes they are located. The biggest concern about my flight today was to avoid the Class B airspace and I had to transition the Class D airspace at KIWA and KCHD.

The flight was uneventful. I had requested flight following and, as always, Phoenix Approach, Albuquerque Center, and Tucson Approach were all very accommodating. The winds were a little gusty when I got down to Ryan.

Funny how you're so focused on the task at hand, you forget to enjoy it sometimes...

Note to self: Have more fun on the next cross country.

Flight time: 1.4

Total time: 65.0

Practice Maneuvers

Today I went up to simply practice all of the maneuvers that will be required for the checkride.

Flight time: 0.9

Total time: 63.6

A Little More Practice

Had some time to kill today... Might as well fly. Practiced pattern work...

A little bumpy so I didn't stay out long.

Flight time: 0.5

Total time: 62.7

Fly to Fly

So, because I could, I flew from Falcon Field up to Scottsdale for my demo ride in the Twin Star...

Flight time: 0.9

Total time: 62.2

Multi-Engine Fun!

I had been reading a lot about Diamond Aircraft's Twinstar. This is a twin piston aircraft that burns either Jet A or Diesel fuel. It allegedly burns about 4gph in each engine at 65% power while making about 160kts.

This was something that I thought I had better checkout. Plus my buddy WH had flown it and, of course I have to keep up with the Jones'. So I made arrangements to fly it out of Scottsdale (KSDL). It's a pretty cool plane - doesn't require a lot of effort to fly though. FADEC controls all of the engine function and the Garmin G1000 avionics take care of everything else.

It really does sip gas though. We practiced engine out procedures and otherwise simply had fun. What's more, I was able to log some multi-engine time. I'll keep it in mind for after I get my instrument rating.

Flight time: 0.6

Total time: 59.7

Night Cross Country

I have been excited about this flight for a couple of weeks. The thought of flying at night is intriguing to me and I was incredibly awestruck by how different everything looks! We went down to Tucson International (KTUS).

This was also my first time requesting flight following. This was useful since KTUS is located in Class C airspace. When the approach controller handed us off to the tower, it was very difficult to see the runway. The tower then informed us that they were having problems with the runway lights. They had been out and after some work, they were able to get them to the dim setting. Anyhow, this was not the end of the world...

We landed in Tucson; however, since the runway lights had been out prior to our arrival, there were about 5 heavies in a hold southeast of the airport. We had to wait for all of these planes to come in. This took a bit more time that we had hoped. Part of the night qualification is to perform 10 takeoffs and landings to a full stop. This was still on the agenda for tonight and we really wanted to get back to Falcon Field to do this.

After they brought in all of the heavies, we were cleared to takeoff back to Mesa. It seemed like a long time but that is likely due to the fact that I was the one paying for all of the gas while we were sitting there waiting to go home. The landings and takeoffs back at Falcon Field went well. The depth perception is a little off at night and on the first couple of landings it seemed like we were higher than we actually were. Made for some "firm" landings. Still a lot of fun and the Phoenix and Tucson skylines are beautiful at night.

Flight time: 3.0

Total time: 60.7

Practice Makes Pretty Darn Good

Today for the first time, I nailed my steep turns. I did two in each direction that both met practical test standards. Very exciting. Now I have to go plan a night VFR flight to Tucson International...

Good day!

Flight time: 0.8

Total time: 57.7

Mother Nature Won

Today I decided to try some touch and gos. After taking off, the ATIS information changed and I came to learn that the winds were 17kts gusting to 22kts. Not good. Land and go home.

Flight time: 0.8

Total time: 56.9

Unusual Attitudes

Unusual attitude is not the way I react to tomatoes - though I hate them. Unusual attitudes are attitudes other than straight and level flight. To practice these maneuvers, you have to recover from the unusual attitude.

It should have been a warning sign when my instructor asked me if I had ever had motion sickness. The other part of unusual attitude training that I should mention is that it is a simulated instrument maneuver. Simulated instrument means under the hood.

These actually turned out to be quite fun. I think the RC was having fun putting the plane in the unusual attitude and I was having fun recovering. When we were finished he had me fly back to the airport under the hood. I got to remove the hood at 700 feet AGL on short final for landing. Today was a lot of fun.

No, I do not suffer from motion sickness...

Flight time: 1.1

Total time: 56.1

Another Cross Country

Yet another cross country. This time we practiced diversions and headed out to Phoenix Regional Airport (A36). Interestingly enough, when diverting to Phoenix Regional, it became quite awkward in the cockpit. An overwhelming smell entered the airplane and RC and I each shot each other accusatory looks. Finally we realized that we were flying over the largest dairy farm that I have ever seen!

Actually it is listed as privately owned (the airport - I'm not too sure about the dairy farm). Most of the buildings on the property are run down and the place looks deserted. We practiced a few emergency descents and some touch and gos. We were both ready to leave shortly after our arrival.

It is a nice place to leave...

Flight time: 1.9

Total time: 53.4

Quick Hop

Before today's lesson, I decided to head up for some touch and gos to kill time. RC was running late.

Flight time: 0.5

Total time: 53.1