IFR Lesson

HOT!

KFFZ 091947Z 22006KT 40SM FEW100 BKN200 38/13 A2977

According to the METAR above the air temperature is nearly 101 degrees Fahrenheit according to the thermometer in plane (that had been sitting on the ramp), the OAT (outside air temperature) was pushing 128 degrees.

With the high temperatures, there was a lot of heat radiating off of the ground making for some moderate turbulence close to the ground. We began today’s lesson by intercepting and flying VOR radials. This was a refresher from our last flight. And even though it had been nearly three weeks, it all came back fairly easily. N4182L has a HSI and a CDI so it was good to practice this flying using both instruments.

We next started working on DME arcs. A DME arc is simply flying in a circle or an arc that keeps you a specific distance from the fix. We were flying a 10 mile DME from the IWA VOR. Our flight path was curved so that we were always 10 miles from the VOR. The process to fly it was fairly straight forward and would have been a lot easier had the air been smooth. This is great practice for developing good scanning techniques too.

The flight today was a lot of fun but it started to get REAL hot! We called it a day and agreed to fly again soon. Next meeting would be for simulator training though.

Flying time: 1.2

Total time: 93.5

Texas Aerobatic Show

Well, other than commercial, I have done no flying in the last week or two and I'm starting to get the itch. First, I have a gripe. We went to the airport last week and I dropped my wife, my three daughters, and our luggage at the curbside check-in. I left the luggage checking to them and I was off to park the car in the long-term parking and take the shuttle back to meet them at the gate. This process seems to yield the best results for us. Being the only male in my family offers a different perspective on packing... My "stuff" for a week of vacation fits into a duffel bag. The balance of the U-Haul needed to bring our luggage to the airport belongs to the estrogen faction in my family...

Neither here nor there... I parked, took the shuttle bus to the terminal, went through security and went directly to the gate printed on my boarding pass. Shame on me for not checking the screen! The gate changed and I had to huff it to the other side of the terminal and was one of the last people on my flight. My question is this: With all of the nickel and diming the airline is doing to us passengers, what's in it for us? Would printing the correct gate on my boarding pass be asking too much? Or is there an extra fee for that too????

Now that I got that off of my chest. We had an uneventful B737 flight to DFW for a 5-day trip at my sister-in-law's place. It was a great trip. On Saturday the 5th, there was a ho-down at the local country club (Pecan Plantation) and guests were treated to an aerobatic demonstration by someone flying what looked like a super cub. It's only a guess though. The flying was spectacular. Plus there were scattered clouds at 5,000 and a beautiful sunset for a backdrop.

The development of Pecan Plantation has a private airstrip and looking around the crowd, it was easy to spot the pilots in the crowd. We were the folks with our heads fixed on the sky for about a half hour. It was a geat show and we were treated to good ol' southern hospitality for our entire stay.

Plus I should mention that I was pleased that flying US Airways, we were treated to rides on B737-300s. All of the press releases I read these days are about US Airways purchasing more and more Airbus A3XX aircraft. I'm partial to the Made in America Boeing products myself...

On another note I got my official Pilot Certificat in the mail today. Exactly 77 days after being issued a temporary certificate. Now I have a piece of plastic with Orville and Wilbur Wright on the back. It feels cool in my wallet. In case you're wondering, we (my CFI, DPE, and I) used IACRA. From talking to people and reading about other experiences, it doesn't seem to be any faster than the old paper process.

I hope to be in the air tomorrow. I'll post on that experience tomorrow.