Change in Plans - Part 61

To all my fellow followers I would like to announce I am switching from part 141 to Part 61 to obtain my private pilots lisence. The reason being is school is requiring more hours than I was told and more money for instruction (almost 2000 more $$) which I had no idea they where going to charge me so much for oral practive, an enormous fee for the written, and twice as much for the FAA Practival. So I have met the requirements to get my pilots license however I will continue it through part 61 because it will be cheaper. I am scheduling my flight test with the FAA in my home town for my sports license so I can practice and fly for fun again while I obtain my private. So I got what I wanted, to return home, take care of business, and get my license (and without an oral exam!) lol. To the Sky! So Ill only be allowed to carry one passenger for a while no biggie, Ill finish soon! See you soon mom and dad!

Day 12 - The Waiting Game

I decided I needed complete silence before the testing. I staying at a friends house she is not using.It has a pool. The first thing I did this morning, when I woke up was jump in it and do laps. I cannot tell you how much that help when you study. To exercise and keep you body active for the air and your mind. I only need a couple more hours before I can take my test; however the weather has not been good enough for me to take my final cross countries to Oscala and Crystal River. So...I play the waiting game, I take this time to study, but I know my material and now its a matter of patience...and Im getting ever so anxious. You know my goal after this Private Pilot Certificate is to continue my school and obtain my commercial lisence so I can do Aerial Photography and Banner Towing...My degree has been in Fine Arts and Marking as well as my work background. I figure not only is it something I will enjoy doing; but something Ill be passionate about and make good money not slaving away in a cubical like so many unhappy people I see every day. It will take work, It will take time, but I will do it. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, I believe at some point in your life you figure our who you really are; and you live with that decision. Well I did and I have.
There is so much going on in my life, and I cannot wait to return to restore to normal; but this I must finished my eyes focused on only one thing. Passing this test; failure not an option. Nor will I. I have studied enough to know I am ready. And I can do this.

Day Eleven - Ground School

So the weather was bad today, so I took two hours of ground school instead. I went over hyperventalation and emergency situations. I decided to move in with a friend with a quiet house and a pool since this is getting so serious until I return home! Wish me luck! STUDY~

Day Ten - Nervous Break Down

I took the day off, I didn't study, I didn't fly. I think it was healthy. A good Pilot in Command knows when not to fly.

Day Niner - Flashbacks & Day 9

Did a lot of power off and on stalls today, I think that I did pretty well its been a month since I think Ive done them so considering I did well, I also did a bit slow flight as well. And played with the VOR too. After playing in the pattern so much you have readjust to outside airspace ya know? I bought my instructor a 50 dollar gift card he likes to play golf so I figure he can use that to play a round or two, or hell go out drinkin lol. I have decided to go back to North Carolina for 4days I have business to attend to there and it will be a good excuse to study as as well as take some time off and see my family. Its so close to the end its like the last day of of school. Well I am REALLY tired so Im gonna end this short! Ill catch you later and leave you some more detail later on my fellow pilots! Fly High!

Okay, this should make your studies even easier - Digital FAR

Okay we all know the FAR is literally over a MILLION PAGES LONG!!! I think we spend half of flight school looking up answers! I have found a digital copy online and you can download it here.
I hope it saves everyone a lot of trouble looking up the answers for their stage exams. Just leave a comment or two if you find it to be useful I would appreciate it! Good luck to you all fly safe and high :)

Day 9 - Studying

Today was bad day. I went into school and announced that I was just going to review for my oral. One thing you learn is that if your not having a good day you most certainly should not fly for your safety particularly solo. So I went over airspace for about an hour (give or take a few cigarettes) and learned a lot I didn't know. I only have about 2.9 hours of flight left so if the weather well I will be able to return and and take care of matters financially and with business. It weird to go home its almost like I've been in the military being away so long but I wouldnt have traded it for anything in the world. I thoroughly believe it's make me a better person inside and out.
I organzied all of my notes today to ready for my final studies and review for the FAA. I think I am going to be ready and I will not accept failure because I will not walk into any part of this test un prepared weather means extra time or not.
This has been the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life. And with this comes a sense of achievement that not even college can compare to. After this is over, Im going to take a short brake find a job I really want and continue on to my commercial license.
"I believe that somehow you figure who you really are and you live with that decision" ~Eleanor Roosevelt.
My finances are slim, I live off of ramen noodles and boston market, but thats okay the food I feed my brain is enough to get me by. Wish me luck Ill need it, but the best luck you can bring yourself comes from within, friends and family.

Day Six and Seven - Flashbacks & Day 9

After speeking to my father; he said that he has been following my blog as a book, so let me keep this a little more detailed so my family can always know what is going on. I am currently at 30 hours of flight time the FAA requires a minumum of 35 hours to be accepted to take the final test by the flight examiner; however, nobody hardly ever does it in 35 hours it's more like 40 (considering the extra practice and review before the test).
So allow me to answer some questions since everyone seems to keep asking them over and over and over:

1. What was your first solo flight like?
- During your first solo you are actually not nervous at first. I selected the wrong frequency 3 times trying to contact ground control. It was then I realized umm, calm down and think. So after I slowed down everything else went more smoothly. I never had a moment of panic taking off or landing. I think that it only hit me on the taxiing. Though the airport is familiar to me its a little different when you do it on your own. I second guessed every direction I went even though the signs where everywhere grass was grown over half of them and I had directives I wasn't to land and hold short as a student pilot; however they gave me directives to do it anyway. But can't argue with the tower rather listen to them then get hit by an incoming jet! I was instructed to do three take offs three landings and taxi to a new runway each time, then return back to point of departure. I did well. All of my landings where pretty good the first one was a bit rough for my first solo landing they gave me the directive to make short approach and land. A stupid order for a first time solo student. It should have been a normal landing or they should have continued my downwind. So I made a VERY steep landing and landed pretty fast and took the liberty of passing my exit and going down Juliet, better safe than flip! The Academy I attend has a ritual the shirt you fly in comes off you back...literally they cut it off your back and you have to turn it into a piece of artwork!
Anyway afterward you kinda feel like your in a fraternity, they (the school and your instructor) cut the back of your shirt off and you paint it; they then hang it on the wall with the mural of first time solo shirts :) So besides looking like a retard I was a proud retard lol.
Today it is in my syllabus to do some solo work above the practice area and practive power on and off stalls.

2. What if you get lost...Climb Circle and Freakin Call for help, the same thing you should do on the road duh.

3. What if you are not able to land on the runway? Punch in the power and go around, you don't have to land.

4. Whats the highest you've gone? 5500 ft

5. Is it scary? No.

6. What is it expensive, how much? Yes. 8500+

I really want to finish school I only have a few days of flight left and a LOT of studying to do, I feel like my nose is always in the book. Hopefully the weather will hold up for the rest of the month and I can schedule my appt. with the FAA!

Below I have posted a video of our Airfield that I practice on the main planes I fly are the C-152 25244 and C-162-6602D

It was a a hot day that day, I was told by a highly expierience Senior Pilot with over 50 years of flight experience, the disregard the check-list until you check the fuel because most likely your gonna have to wait forever for them to fuel it. And this is the case on this 110 Degree Day as Josh and I wait for the the fuel truck to lolligag over in thesweltering heat.

AIRMAN KNOWLEDGE QUESTION BANK - Digital Flash Cards

I have completed my digital note cards for the Jeppesen Private Pilot Airman Knowledge Exam. These answer where extracted directly from the FAA 141 Test Question and Answer Bank. According to my instructor these are the questions they will pull the 2009 FAA Written Exam from. The only question not on the digital cards are the ones that reference the figure 1-30 (about 50 out of the 800 questions) so your on your own for those, but you have chart to look at you should already know it anyway. You can download the file here PRIVATE PILOT AIRMAN KNOWLEDGE TEST and the program can be downloaded here it is called CUECARD. You also print and study with this program and save yourself a lot of time, I hope it helps a lot of people out there ready for their exam and save money not having to buy the study flash cards for 75 bucks. Good Luck!

Day Six and Seven - Same Old & Dreams

So I had a dream last night. You know you have a lot on your mind when you start to dream about it. I dreamt that even though I knew how to fly a plane I had so much trouble flying it I could barely get it it above 1200 feet lol. It's weird because before this all started I used to have dreams that I could fly and then I couldn't do it anymore (without an airplane) and since I started school these dreams stopped (of course). I was reading about the FAA Examination on webster dictionary online and I read this should help me and everyone taking a check flight.

The FAA does not expect perfection during a check flight; what they are looking for is immediate correction.

Angle of turns are allowed 10 degrees of error

Airspeed is allowed 100 Feet of Error in each direction

All FAA inspectors have taken theses tests before at one point in their life

One of the primary jobs of FAA inspectors is to shake off your nervousness so that your true cababilities and talent can come out.

So from this if you still can't pass the Flight Check I don't really thing you should fly when I think about it. What they look for is very basic; something that should be obtained before you even go solo anyway. I mean I would agree if I couldn't accomplish these tasks I shouldn't be allowed to fly either! So I will simply have to practive and keep it second nature; and turn my focus to the oral -because in all honest they written is just memorization, the flight is you have it or you don't and the oral is what definantly is the unexpected!

Day Five - Crosswind Landings

Landed in several crosswinds today, wind was so strong I actually had to stop after my fourth landing. The runway they gave me was right on the edge of the water. Decided it was best to stop before I went for a swim with the plane!! It's kinda crazy in about ten more hours of flight
I will be testing for the F.A.A.! Yikes; I think I've got the written about down and the oral - Just nervous and who isn't about the Check Flight!

Day Four (Part II) - Final Stages of Flight School Part 141

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."

~Leonardo Da'Vinci

Day Four - Final Stages of Flight School Part 141

So today I have decided not to fly, I have to finish the tests my CFI has given me and study some for my oral and written exam. I am making a flash card database of all the questions in the Private Pilot Airman Knowledge Test Question Bank. I am sick of seeing you have to pay for it everywhere so I am making it myself and posting it on-line for everyone who needs to study both at my school and out in cyberspace can enjoy rather than give so much money away to Jeppesen etc...I will post it when I am finished its about seven hundred and something questions; I want to get finished today so I can just study from here on out. Wish me luck :)

Day Three - Final Stages of Flight School Part 141

So today I flew in the pattern all day again making sure I had my landings and radio's working right preparing for the FAA. You wouldn't believe it, remember how I was saying the guy barked at me the whole time I was flying and everything? Well today as I was filling out my logs he poked me in the back and was extremely friendly, I guess I will take that as an apology; for someone as stiff as he was the other day he seemed really up and happy, why couldn't my check flight have been today?

Day Two - Final Stages of Flight School Part 141

So today I did nothing but take off and land in the pattern for an hour, over and over and over, for some reason I have this fear that during my FAA examination Im going to land really crappily (is that a word?) no matter how well I land now, besides who couldnt brush up their short and soft field landings, because you KNOW they are going to make you do them.

Day One - Final Stages of Flight School Part 141

I have worked really hard to make it to stage three of three in my part 141 Pilot School. I took today off the last check ride I had was a really tough one...the guy who did my check ride was ex miliary, and though I do respect the military one must remember I am civilian and I intend on being taught this way (AKA no yelling). So there I was doing my check list, and after 25 hours of flying in school so far I made two really stupid mistakes in the beginning of this check ride, the first was I didn't put in my altimiter correctly from the ATIS and the second I didn't retract my flaps all the way before take off. After over a hundred take offs how could this possibly be my worst! I get really bad test anxiety I suppose. Anyway, as part of this check ride I had to take the instructor to a new airport and back. My biggest fear was getting lost though I was good at navigating. So this took my focus off flying the plane as well as I normally do.Now this instructor did not like a lot of things I did, dispite my excellent navigation he barked at me the whole time which to some degree I can take as constructive critisizm; however, I don't like to be yelled at and as you will find I tell him so.This man actually fell asleep during the ride (something that he was renowned for) only to wake up on the 20 minute flight and tell me that I didn't know where I was. On the other hand I didn know where I was and I explained to him the exact location and pointed out the destination airport. He actually sounded upset because I knew where I was and diverted me to an airport really far away. To his dismay I found that one too. When it came time to land (after landing a plane over a hundred times) he did not like how I landed one bit. He began barking at me during the whole process. Taking a wide base is something I normally do and will always do because it gives me time to think and to lower my flaps etc. His barking was so agrivating I told him to stop yelling or I wasn't going to land the plane. Well, no surprise he did not like this at all. No sir. Let me ask you something though, as pilot in command I always view my self as in a car. If someone is doing something disturbing that is going to indanger myself or the passenger I am going to tell them to stop right? I mean I'd tell the Pope to take off his ring there was too much glare and I couldn't see the run way if that bothered me. So the whole thing was a mess (according to him) Im sure he reported I couldn't fly to my instructor which I have to face today. But my instructor knows better he has been in the air with me for three months and knows my skill, though not perfect not nearly as bad as the check ride instructor portrayed it. Well I passed, somehow, so now I am in my final stage of school my last 7-10 hours before my tests witht he FAA. I will keep document of every day so hopefully it will be some insight for those nearing their Final Check Ride, Oral exam, and Written.