Multiengine Training - Check Ride

Today was the big day, the big test, the big demonstration of my knowledge and ability to handle a multiengine airplane. It started very early, as I had to stop at an ATM to withdraw a huge chunk of cash to pay the examiner. At 8:00 AM, the process got started. We finished the FAA forms, then moved on to the oral. The oral was pretty basic, covering the concept of critical engine and aerodynamics. We talked about forward and aft centers of gravity and their negative effects.

And then it was time to fly. My CFI training led me to make a plan for the flight. I listed each maneuver in the order I expected it to occur. We chose an airport with an ILS approach and headed for the ramp. We flew out to the southwest past Chesterfield Airport (KFCI) and started going through my plan. All the maneuvers went as smoothly as I could hope. During Slow Flight, the examiner pulled a fast one on me by telling me to fly at 75 knots. I've always practiced Slow Flight at the slowest possible airspeed, so this threw me off for a moment. Once I slowed to knots, the maneuver was performed the same as always, but with a lower pitch attitude and no stall horn blaring.

Next up was the instrument flying. We asked Potomac Approach for two ILS approaches into KFCI. The first approach was normal - both engines running properly. The approach went OK, but it was sure hard to hold the needles steady due to the high thermal activity at the lower altitudes. We flew the missed approach and were vectored back for the second approach. This time, the examiner pulled the throttle on the right engine outside the final approach fix. For some reason, I could not determine which engine was neutralized because the plane was yawing back and forth from the turbulence. In my confusion, I skipped a mental checklist item. She had to correct my mistake. In addition to this, I let the glide slope go full scale deflection. The check ride was officially over at this point; but I still had a few items to wrap up. We landed at KFCI and taxied back to the runway. During takeoff, the examiner pulled the throttle on one engine. I pulled the other and stopped on the runway. Then we took off normally and returned to Richmond Int'l.

Back on the ground, I had to face the reality that the check ride was a bust. The examiner offered to stick around and let me redo the single-engine instrument approach later. I thought that was a generous offer. We talked to my instructor and we worked out a plan. The Haksch family was at the airport to meet me after the flight, so I went to lunch with them and tried to shake off the disappointment of the mental mistake.

After lunch, I met my instructor and we headed for the ramp. We took off and performed three single-engine ILS approaches into KRIC in an hour. He re-endorsed my logbook and I created a new FAA certificate request. I was ready to retry the check ride. The examiner was out on another check ride, so I relaxed in the lounge for an hour, then walked around outside to clear my head.

When she returned, we headed back to the ramp for my third flight of the day. It was now late afternoon and the cumulus clouds had moved on. The sky was clear and the temperature was beginning to drop. All of this promised smoother air. To my relief, the air was as smooth as I'd hoped. After taking off and turning east, I was able to configure the airplane to fly hands off with all needles appearing to be glued in place. Approach vectored me around to intercept the ILS. The examiner neutralized the left engine. I properly identified it, corrected for it, and flew the approach right on the glide slope. I was two dots left of centerline and the examiner told me to get on the centerline. I corrected this and held the needles centered all the way to the decision height. At that point, I removed my hood and landed the plane visually.

Back on the ground, the examiner congratulated me on the flight. She told me that my earlier mistake was an easy one to fix because it was obvious that I could fly the plane and had good procedures, it was just a mental error due to fatigue, heat, and turbulence. She told me not to feel bad about it at all.

Finally, the wave of relief crashed over me. One more step complete on the road to my aviation career. During my week here, I got to put about 12 hours of multiengine time in my logbook, bring my total to over 16 hours. I got to spend time with my family. I got to enjoy being in Virginia - I love driving down country roads with the windows open and the smell of fresh cut hay filling my nostrils. It's been a great week. Now it's time to head back to Florida and start working on the next step on the path.

Multiengine Training - Day 4

Today was the final day of training for the multiengine rating. Next up is the check ride, scheduled for 8:00AM tomorrow. Today started with a flight and ended with a mock oral exam.

The flight today had us flying north towards Hanover County Airport (KOFP). On the way, we did the (now typical) routine of Steep Turns, Slow Flight, Stalls, and Vmc Demonstration. Then we circled down from 5,000 feet to do a Normal Approach, followed by a Short Field Takeoff, then a Short Field Approach. Then it was back to Richmond Int'l Airport (KRIC) for two ILS approaches under the hood. The first approach was setting up perfectly. I even commented on how trimmed the plane was - it was practically flying itself with no intervention from me. A couple minutes and a couple turns later, I found myself misjudging the turn to final and missing the localizer, then overlooking the glide slope altogether. With a little prodding, I caught back up to the airplane and got us stabilized at around 1,000 feet. The next approach was going well, too, but then I had a simulated vacuum system failure, which took out my Attitude Indicator and Horizontal Situation Indicator. Then, of course, my instructor neutralized my left engine. And finally, he called for a glide slope failure. So all I was left with was the Turn Coordinator and the NAV2 display, oh yeah, and an analog clock to time for the missed approach. It was challenging, but I held it together down to the 520 foot Minimum Descent Altitude. From there, I easily cruised on in with one operating engine.

After the flight, we had a mock oral exam. My instructor pretended to be the examiner while I pretended to know the answers. :-) He stumped me pretty good for a couple minutes with one question, then the light bulb flashed in my head and the answer magically appeared.

Once I complete this blog, I need to do my online rating application form on the FAA web page, which involves summarizing all of my flight hours; including solo, dual, cross country, night, simulator, etc. After that, I'll review the aerodynamic issues again and the maneuver procedures. That should leave me ready to go tomorrow morning.

Multiengine Training - Day 3

Today I came one step closer to completing my rating. I spent two hours in the simulator and two hours in the airplane.

The simulator time was harder than usual. After doing all the manuevers, my instructor dropped the ceiling and visibility to about 500 feet and 1 mile. He then cleared me direct to the Hopewell VOR in preparation for the ILS approach into Richmond Int'l Airport (KRIC). Since I'm past the midpoint now, he also went ahead and killed my left engine. As if that wasn't enough balls to juggle, I was having difficulties figuring out how to properly setup the Garmin GNS-430 GPS unit. I did not have KRIC set as my waypoint, so I couldn't pull up the ILS 34 approach. I also couldn't find KRIC on the 'Nearest Airport' page, so I couldn't quickly set it as my waypoint. The only option I had was to dial in a waypoint into the destination field and enter it. This is very easy to do under some circumstances, but not in a simulator running on one engine in the simulated clouds. It takes a fair amount of attention to reach across to the GPS, select the proper dial to highlight the destination field, then move the cursor one letter forward, then twist the dial to the next letter and so on. To do this and fly the plane safely, you must limit each block of GPS time to just a second or two, else the plane will quickly diverge from the path you wish to follow. I ended up just entering the frequency of the Hopewell VOR into the navigation radio and calling it good. My instructor paused the simulator and I told him my problem. He showed me a trick that I hadn't seen before on the 430; with an ILS procedure activated in the GPS, you can set the Course Deviation Indicator (CDI) mode to 'VLOC' (which means, use the navigation radio for course information) and the GPS will still track the approach points on its own CDI display. That's a handy feature. With the simulator un-paused, I managed to work my way safely to the runway, but it sure was a challenge.

With just a quick break, we headed down to the flight line. At this point in the program, my instructor was very quiet. He was now acting more like an examiner than an instructor. He told me what to do, but not how to do it. I was now doing 100% of the radio calls along with the flying. We started with Steep Turns, Slow Flight, and Stalls, then moved into the Vmc demonstration. I did it twice because the first was a little too 'yawwy'. In other words, the plane swung back and forth, left to right and back, more than desired. The trick is to coordinate rudder input with anticipated yawwing forces from the engines. Next up was a complete shutdown, secure, and air restart of the left engine. Then we did a couple landings and takeoffs at Dinwiddie County Airport (KPTB). And finally, we headed back to KRIC and requested two ILS approaches. I donned my hood and my instructor neutralized the left engine (balanced thrust and drag). I followed air traffic control instructions and flew the approach, using the cool new GPS trick I learned earlier. At 361 feet above the runway, I announced that I was going missed and was vectored away from the airport, and back for another approach. This time, my instructor neutralized the right engine. That was a first, and was quite disorienting. Banking slightly left felt natural, but I was confused by what I saw on the slip/skid indicator. The ball should have been split on the left side, but it was actually centered. I tried to center it by adding more pressure to the left rudder pedal, but that moved the ball right. Doh! I was putting too much pressure on the left pedal. Once I figured that out, the approach was very similar to the previous approach - just opposite inputs.

When the flight started, I had this slight nagging feeling that I wasn't quite 100% on my game. It started in the simulator and was still in my system. I wasn't concerned about it, though. Every flight, I work on setting my mindset to where I need it to be. In the past, I've been known to dwell on my mistakes to the point of distraction. My new mindset is to be more aware of the big picture, and if mistakes happen, fix them and continue, and not beat myself up over it. Sure enough, I made a few mistakes during this flight. Oddly, I forgot to put the gear up three different times. I caught it once, but my instructor told me about the others. Weird. Better than forgetting to put the gear down, for sure, but still weird.

Tomorrow is the last day of instruction, with the check ride scheduled for Saturday. I think I'm 90% of where I need to be and will easily polish up my performance during the next lesson. I still need to see and handle some emergency situations in the simulator and crunch some performance numbers for various scenarios.

Multiengine Training - Day 2

Today, class started at 10:00 AM. It was nice to sleep in a little bit and avoid most of the rush hour traffic. We did two hours in the simulator and two hours in the airplane. In the simulator, I went through every checklist, maneuver, and procedure; with exception of the Emergency Descent and Landings. The most difficult maneuver was the Vmc demonstration. It has a 16-step procedure (although some of the steps are setup or cleanup). The more interesting steps include:

• Slowly close the left throttle
• Bank 2 to 5 degrees into the operating engine
• Rudder to maintain directional control
• Slowly increase right throttle to full throttle
• Slowly pitch up to lose 1 knot per second
• Recover at the first indication of stall - horn, buffet, or loss of directional control
• Reduce pitch and power simultaneously
• Reapply full power on right engine and add rudder to maintain directional control
• Maintain 88 KIAS - blueline
• Bring throttles together slowly

This maneuver can be intimidating, when you think about it. Basically, it is a power-on stall with some serious yawing force - the exact formula for putting an airplane into a spin. Not surprisingly, the recovery is very similar to a spin recovery. The reason for the difficulty is the amount of pressure one must apply to the rudder throughout the maneuver. The springs on the simulator are very heavy and after a while, my leg started to tremble from the effort.

After two hours, we grabbed our flight bags and headed for the flight line. The flight today started with a departure towards Chesterfield County Airport (KFCI). Along the way, we climbed to 7,500 feet to get above most of the scattered clouds and turbulence, and to find some cooler tempertures. We went through all the required maneuvers, then setup for the Vmc demo. I think I did at least four of them - each getting better than the previous, but not quite right. It's hard to remember to keep rudder pressure in when pulling the power to idle. It is just a natural reaction to remove all yawing forces during a stall recovery. As in the simulator, my leg started to get tired from holding right rudder pressure. At one point, I couldn't discern whether the tremble I was feeling was stall buffet or just my leg twitching. :-)

And then we did the ultimate procedure in a twin-engine airplane - we shut down the left engine. Not only did we shut it down, we feathered the propeller, which streamlines it, allows it to stop rotating, and reduces the drag from the spinning blades. It is a very odd sensation to look out the window and see the propeller just sitting there quietly. Then we went through the air start procedure and brought the engine back to life. Unfeathering the propeller is pretty cool. The blades slowly begin to twist from the streamlined position to a higher pitch. Then they start to spin - slowly at first - as the wind catches them. To increase their speed, I pitched down and accelerated to 120 knots. Once they started spinning rapidly, the engine came back to life on its own and that nice, comfortable feeling returned.

After one more Vmc demonstration, we descended to 2,500 feet and I went under the hood for some instrument practice. My instructor vectored me for the ILS approach at KFCI and I flew it to the missed approach point, then continued into the published hold.

The flight wrapped up with a full ILS approach back into KRIC, with direction from Potomac Approach. Just to keep things challenging, my instructor set the throttle on the left engine to a "neutral" setting (no thrust, no drag) to simulate a dead engine with the propeller feathered. As I struggled to configure the plane properly and stay on the localizer, I completely lost track of the glide slope. My instuctor pointed this out to me and I added full throttle on the right engine to climb back to the glide slope. At decision height, I removed the hood and landed the plane. The landing got easier as the power was removed from the operating engine, eliminating the yawing factor and the need for right rudder pressure.

Back on the ground, my instructor filled in my logbook and we called it a day. Tomorrow, I start early at 8:00 AM with more simulator and airplane time.

Multiengine Training - Day 1

Today I started training for my multiengine add-on to my commercial pilot certificate. Class started at 8:00 AM at Richmond International Airport in Richmond, Virginia. Day 1 consisted of two hours of ground review, a two hour flight in a 2008 Piper Seminole, and two hours in a Frasca simulator.

Ground school covered the aerodynamics of losing an engine - specifically the critical engine - in a multiengine airplane. We also discussed all the systems of the Seminole. I liked the way my instructor worked the class time: he had me up at the whiteboard explaining things to him. He wasn't aware that that's what I've been doing for the past six months during my CFI training.

The flight was much more fun. :) We left Richmond (KRIC) and flew south to Petersburg (KPTB). Once there, we did three landings and takeoffs. Landing the Seminole was more of a slow descent until contacting the runway than the flare/stall landing done in lighter airplanes. Then it was off to the practice area for Steep Turns, Stalls, and Slow Flight. Finally, we returned to KRIC and landed.

In the simulator, we practiced procedures and maneuvers. The simulator has a couple advantages over the airplane: It is cheaper, it is harder (which makes the airplane easy to fly by comparison), and it has a pause button (allowing immediate discussion of a detail or omission).

During lunch, I walked next door to Martinair. I met a couple pilots and we talked for 30 minutes about life as a charter jet pilot. Both seemed very happy with their career choice. I asked if they had any suggestions about paying for a type rating in a jet. They suggested that I let someone else pay for it! Then they suggested to hold off with the type rating until an employer makes a job offer. Otherwise the rating without the time to go with it isn't worth much.

Tomorrow, school starts at 10:00. I'll be flying and simming once again.

A Short Visit at Disney World

Continuing our trip north, we left Vero Beach - again - headed towards Disney World. The plan was to meet the Days again, this time at their room at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort. But the first stop was the C&D B&B. We needed to quickly stop and grab our swimming stuff.

At the resort, we met Lorri and decided to find something to eat before going to the pool. She said that the resort food was too expensive, so we decided to catch the bus to Downtown Disney.

One of the three pools at Coronado Springs Resort

At Downtown Disney, we looked at the map and pinpointed the cheap-eats. There were only two places listed: McDonalds and Earl of Sandwich - we chose the sandwich shop. After eating, we headed for the water taxi. Along the way, we passed the Rainforest Café. It had a giant rock outcropping with a waterfall running down the sides and animals standing in the pool at the bottom. We rode the water taxi to the other side, then walked back through the marketplace. We heard some good live music and enjoyed watching all the people. I got the feeling that the younger crowd was just standing around waiting for the parents of the youngest crowd to go home so the party could get started on Pleasure Island.

Before finding the bus stop, we had to peek inside the T-Rex restaurant. Outside, there were fossilized dinosaurs, but inside, there were fully autmated dinosaurs - how cool.

Susan and Andrew outside T-Rex in Downtown Disney

It was after 8:00 when we got back on the bus. According to Lorri, the resort pool closed at 9:00. We gave Andrew the choice of the monorail or the pool - he surprisingly chose the pool. When we got back to the resort, we changed into our swimwear and went to the pool. At 9:30, a resort employee informed us that the pool closed at 9:00, but he'd let us stay until 10:00. At 10:30, the pool was still not officially closed, but we told Andrew it was time to go. We changed our clothes and headed back to the B&B. In a few hours, we'd be on our way north again...

A Little Change Of Plan

Plans changed a little bit today. Instead of continuing north, or even staying north, we ended up turning around and driving back to Vero Beach. We both left stuff we needed at home, and we didn't have plans for Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, so we came back home.

Before we left, we went to the Sanford Airport. Part of my goal on our northern journey was to get instrument current once again. Looking at my logbook, I found that a year had passed since my last approaches, so I needed to take an Instrument Proficiency Check. A little FBO set me up and even invited Susan and Andrew to come along. That's something you don't get at a formal Part 141 school.

We rented a Cessna 172SP - something I am quite fond of, but haven't flown in several years. It was fun flying in an old friend. We took off VFR and requested approaches while airborne. First up was the VOR approach into Orlando Executive, followed by the Localizer Back Course into Executive, then the published hold northwest of the Orlando VOR, and finally a partial panel ILS into Sanford. For the hold, we requested higher altitude and got 3,000 feet. It was a pleasant 77 degrees up there; just cool enough to stop the sweat from running down my nose.

After the flight, my instructor endorsed my logbook and we headed back to the C&D B&B. We ate a late lunch, absorbed some nice air conditioned air, and headed south to Sebastian and Vero Beach. There was a free, outdoor concert in the park by the river in Sebastian. Susan wanted to meet a friend, but was unable to find her. Andrew played in the playground, then on the rocky shoreline (those massive erosion blockers, not the nice, throwable pebbles).

At dusk, we hit the road one final time and went home. After dinner, Andrew was able to squeeze in another episode of Star Trek, then it was time for bed. Susan is on the phone now making plans for tomorrow. Hopefully her plans don't start too early.

Heading North Again

Today we began our multi-purpose trip north, with the first stop in Cape Canaveral. We stopped at the beach just north of Cocoa Beach to watch the launch of the NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. In addition to the launch, we planned to meet our former neighbors from Bothell, WA - the Day family.

Driving north on I-95, we started to wonder if the launch would be delayed; a large storm was sitting on the horizon. As we approached, we saw lightning and could tell that the rain was coming down hard up ahead. We turned off the interstate and headed for the beach. The skies to the east were completely clear. We arrived at the beach about an hour and a half before the launch. My goal was to stay clean and dry until after the launch - I didn't want sand and crud on my camera. That goal went out the window when Andrew started playing in the water. I couldn't resist, so in I went. Meanwhile, Susan waited on the beach for progress reports from the Days as they headed east from Orlando.



Launch time came and went without a launch and no sign of the Days. The Days decided to head for Space View Park in Titusville, since they couldn't find our park on the Blackberry version of Google Maps. About 15 minutes after launch time, Andrew and I saw a small speck of light in the northwest sky. After a few seconds, it disappeared in the overcast. The sound soon followed and the rumble continued for about a minute.

The Day family arrived and surprised us about an hour later. By now, it was getting late and Andrew and I were hungry. We walked to the car to grab some snacks while Susan and the Days jumped in the ocean - clothes and all.

By 8:30, the sun was gone and it was starting to get dark. The Days were still playing in the water. It was fun watching them have fun as a family. We made plans to meet again later this week, then went our separate ways.

We continued north to the Rollinitis Bed & Breakfast. It was about 10:30 when we arrived and the lights were out. We found our way in and plan to call the B&B home for a couple days, then continue our journey north.

First Flight in Light Sport Aircraft

Today I took my first flight in a Light Sport Aircraft (LSA). An LSA is like any other plane in most regards, but there are a few important limitations:

• Maximum gross takeoff weight of 1320 pounds
• Maximum airspeed of 120 knots
• Maximum stall speed of 45 knots
• Either one or two seats
• Fixed gear
• Fixed pitch propeller
• Single engine

The flight was in a Gobosh 700s, which is made in Poland. My friend Jeremy invited me to fly with him. He is a long-time private pilot just getting back into aviation after a long break. He asked me along as a second set of eyes. It's always nice to have another pilot in the plane. Here's a picture of the plane.

The flight started and ended in Fort Pierce - a few miles south of Vero Beach. The first odd thing I noticed was the gas. This plane can use automobile gas or aviation fuel. We added an additional 4 gallons of high-octane automobile gas and pushed it out of the hangar. With the small Rotax engine, it only burns 4 gallons per hour, so we had over three hours of fuel on board.

The next odd thing was the castoring nose wheel. "Normal" airplanes have steerable nosewheels. To turn this plane, the pilot has to ride the brakes; something I've been taught NOT to do since day one. On the runway, I was surprised at how abruptly it turned left when power was added - so much so that rudder control was not enough to correct it. Jeremy had to apply a bit of right brake to straighten it out. The takeoff roll was very short and we were airborne in well less than 1000 feet.

We flew south down to Witham Field (KSUA) in Stuart. I didn't realize it was Stuart until I saw the name on a hangar. We were down there last November for an air show. I saw the golf course where we parked while on departure. I noticed another odd thing on descent - the Gobosh does not have a mixture control. The GUMP check is pretty easy, too. "Gas" is all there is to do - fuel pump on. There is no Undercarriage, Mixture, or Prop settings to deal with. Here's some birds that caught our attention on downwind.

Then we flew east to Okeechobee. Along the way, Jeremy asked me to take the controls so he could get a drink of water. Without thinking about what he was doing, I started banking and pitching the plane to get a feel for the maneuverability. I think I may have caused him to dump half his water on his shirt. Oops. When we got to the airport, it was pretty busy, so we flew over at 2,500 feet, then turned back to the northeast towards Fort Pierce.

What a fun flight; especially after my last grueling flight. Sometime in the future, I'd like to get checked out in a few LSAs and start teaching in them. There are a lot of fun, easy to fly, and much more affordable than a "normal" airplane.

UPDATE: Jeremy reminded me of something we heard on the radio. A guy, with a strangely British accent, called in on the Fort Pierce ground control frequency from 12,500 feet and asked for flight following to Orlando. I think the Florida heat affects everyone in the cockpit.

Andrew's 'New' Toy

Last night before bed, we were talking and the subject "Things Andrew Used to Say" came up. I mentioned that I bought a Sansa Express (SE) years ago with the idea that I would use it to record Andrew from time to time; like when he was strapped in his car seat on road trips. Even though it was late, I decided to get it out and show Andrew. After showing him how to use it, he got very excited and started making recordings one after another, and sure enough, the bedtime rule was broken once again, thanks to me. :)

He'd run into his bedroom, talk into the SE for about a minute, then run back into our room so we could play his recording on the laptop. One time I went with him and we watched lightning flash in the western sky. He made about a dozen recordings before we finally calmed him back down and got him in bed.

This morning, after the shuttle launch was scrubbed, I tried removing the songs from the SE to make more room for Andrew's recordings. Somehow, his recordings were also removed in the process. Note to self - never use the Windows Media Player Sync option for removing items from the SE.

When Andrew got up, he quickly picked up where he left off last night and started making new recordings. He was up to another dozen before I left to go fly - that's another story - and was up to seventeen when I returned.

While we were listening to number seventeen, something went wrong. The laptop no longer recognized the SE as either a music player or a storage device. I was unable to get it to respond at all, other than a quick SanDisk message followed by a blank screen. The techno-geek in me would not be defeated by bad software without a fight, so I went to Google and started searching for a solution. Sure enough, many people experienced similar behavior. I tried several solutions before hitting on one that actually made the situation slightly better. From this point, I was able to install a newer firmware onto the SE. Unfortunately, installing firmware wipes the memory clean in the process.

With new firmware installed, the Sansa Updater program, which now worked properly, informed me that there was an even newer version of firmware available, so I tried installing it. The update hung and refused to budge. Back to square two again (in square one, nothing worked). So, I repeated some of my earlier steps and managed to get the latest firmware installed. Finally, everything was working as it should.

But then I had to break the news on Andrew; that all of his recordings were gone, deleted. He was heartbroken. Between sobs, I heard, "Where did they go? Can't we just play them from there again? I don't want them to be gone!" Oh, how he wailed. He told me that he'd rather have it broken WITH the recordings than fixed WITHOUT them. I explained to him that with it broken, the recordings were stuck on the SE and we had no way of copying them to the computer. He finally calmed down and and moved onto something more appealing: he started watching Star Wars Episode 3.

Hopefully, later today, I can get him excited about making recordings again. I really wanted to post a few here. I did manage to save one and here it is:

Andrew's New Behavior

Out of the blue, this weekend, Andrew decided that he now wants to take a shower every day. Prior to this, he would only take a bath. Bath day was sometimes a hassle because he didn't like getting water on his head. So the switch from no water on the head to shower came as a pretty big surprise to us.

This morning, he came into our room and announced that he wanted to take a shower. We told him to go ahead. He left and we heard the shower start. He even washed and rinsed his hair, although Susan had to help him rinse it a second time to get all the shampoo out.

In other new behavior, Andrew has recently started swimming in the pool with his swim trainer rather than his life vest. And, at the beach last weekend, he preferred playing in the deeper water beyond the breakers rather than in the sandy surf.

With all these changes, let's hope his parents are able to change as well to keep up with his growing responsibilities.

Catching A Movie

Today we did something that we haven't done in a very long time - we saw a movie at the cinema. The triple play combination of 1) the new Pixar movie Up, 2) a pass for one free admission, and 3) discounted matinee tickets was enough to pull us in. Another factor was the thought of sitting in a nice, air conditioned room for an hour and a half.

It was fun doing something "normal" families might take for granted. Still waiting to make that first dollar in aviation.

CFI-A Stage Check (Flight)

Today was the day I've been anticipating for a very long time. I've dreamed about it, thought about it, feared it. On one hand, the stage check is a great opportunity to prove your knowledge and skill to your peers. On the other hand, it can remove the mask that carefully hides your true inner inadequacies and reveals you as a fraud. It's all in your attitude and confidence; well, mostly. You DO still have to have the knowledge and the skill to succeed.

In the past, I've had three check rides (Part 141 schools, like FlightSafety Academy call them stage checks). The first was for my private certificate, way back in 1999. The second was for my instrument rating back in 2005. And the third was for my commercial certificate in 2008. Each was challenging and stressful - especially preparing for the oral exam. This was no different, in that regard. But by splitting the oral from the flight, I was hopeful that the flight would be like nearly all the others and go pretty much as planned.

Originally, I was scheduled to fly yesterday, but the check pilot wasn't feeling good, so she asked to delay it until today. I accepted, then took Andrew to the pool.

Everything was a go today; even the weather, surprisingly. There were some thunderstorms to the northeast and west, but nothing within 50 miles. For those not familiar with Florida summertime weather, there's normally an afternoon thunderstorm daily, starting sometime between 1:00 and 4:00.

We started by flying east over the coast. While over the ocean, I demonstrated and/or taught Straight & Level Flight, Level Turns, Turns To Headings, and Chandelles. Then we headed west and discussed a Simulated Gear Failure and Spins, and did a Power-Off Stall, a Cross-Control Stall, and a Simulated Engine Failure. Then we dropped down and did Turns Around A Point and Eights On Pylons.

Then it was back to the airport. The controller switched arrivals to Runway 4 - my first indication of impending trouble. The airport runs much more smoothly when there are two active runways rather than just one. We joined the line of arriving planes and I demonstrated a Short Field Approach. It was nice and stabilized, but I forgot to mention the 50 foot obstacle that we were simulating crossing. We taxied back and I taught the Soft Field Takeoff. I caught two mistakes that she made and pointed them out at the appropriate time. Then I did a Soft Field Landing, but the the plane settle hard onto the runway. Somehow, I have a difficult time finessing the Arrow close to the ground. Finally, we rejoined the parade for the last maneuver; the Power-Off 180 Degree Approach. Due to traffic, we were forced to do a left 360 degree turn for spacing. Once back on the downwind, I did the maneuver and landed well within the tolerances allowed. And the best part was that all three landings were right on the centerline.

During the entire pattern, I was really struggling. I think my lack of lunch and dehydration were working hard against me. It was like juggling five balls: I could easily handle four, but I was completely oblivious when someone tried to add the fifth. I started to miss radio calls. I didn't hear the check pilot talking to me. I showed some poor judgment by not leaving the pattern and regaining my composure. I was determined to finish the check ride today and deal with the consequences - pass or fail.

Taxiing back to the ramp, I continued covering the special emphasis areas as I taxied back to our parking spot. When we shut down the engine and secured the plane, I was preparing myself for the inevitable bombshell. The check pilot told me that she was very concerned with my partial mental freeze-up. She stressed how important it is for a pilot to be able to put emotions to the side and perform as required by the situation. She also stressed the responsibility that all instructors have when flying with a student.

And then she told me that I passed, but would be given a low score. I was relieved, but highly disappointed. It's never rewarding just scraping by. I'm happy I'm done with this stage of training. It is now my personal goal to work on handling stressful situations better.

CFI-A Stage Check (Oral)

Today marked the third time I went to the flight line ready for the oral part of my stage check. This time, however, I was truly prepared. All of my 'ducks' were in a row, all of my paperwork was in order, and I had my license and logbook handy.

The exam started a bit after 1:00 and continued until about 4:30. The very first question was on a subject that I had quickly skimmed earlier. Doh, why didn't I read that closer? I worked my way through it, stumbling now and again, but came up with a decent answer. After that shot of terror-to-triumph confidence, the rest went pretty smooth. Most questions were scenario-based, which I prefer to pure, raw, regurgitation of facts. One particular example was a student being transferred to me with various entries in his logbook. I had to figure out exactly what he needed to complete his training for the private pilot certificate. It took about 15 minutes to come up with all the missing-or expired-items. He was missing ALL of his endorsements, plus his medical and written exam had both expired. He pretty much had to start over from zero time.

At the end, I was asked to present a ground brief on my favorite maneuver. Wow, what a bone I was given. I was totally expecting to have a task assigned. The first thing that popped into my head was Steep Turns, so that's what I presented. I made one pretty noteworthy mistake while discussing how disorientation can affect the maneuver. I said something like, "While in the 45 degree banked turn, the load factor will be nearly 2 Gs, so you will feel heavy in the seat, and when you look out the window, it will appear that you are diving towards the ground." Ouch. I must retract that comment-and any other similar dooseys-completely from my vocabulary.

Next up-flight test.

Andrew Graduates VPK

Our little guy has taken his first big educational step-he graduated from Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten! Doesn't he look all grown up?

Aunt Cathy and Uncle David drove down to attend the big event. I was busy making chocolate chip cookies when they arrived-I'm quickly turning into Mr. Mom-and they were bearing presents. Andrew opened the first box and found a Star Trek control room. We made an extra lasagna a few days ago, so we heated it up and made a salad and some garlic toast for dinner. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to sit down and enjoy it properly. Susan wanted to leave for the ceremony at 5:50, and we didn't start eating until 5:30.

The ceremony was held at a church in town. When we arrived, we put Andrew in his cap and gown and dropped him off with his classmates in the staging room; along with the cookies. We went into the sanctuary and found seats right up front. Susan-the informed volunteer at Andrew's school-picked a spot where we'd have a clear view of Andrew.

After a quick prayer, the ceremony began. The kids-about twenty-five in all-started filing in. It wasn't the most organized precession I've ever seen. One boy ran to the front, another talked to his parents, and another wouldn't walk at all. Andrew brought up the rear. Based on their entry order and where they were placed, Andrew ended up at the far end of the line, almost completely hidden from view. So much for Susan's insider information.

The kids sang a couple songs, then received their cute little diplomas. They started filing out, single file, but that quickly dissolved into a mad dash for the door. Remember, there were cookies and drinks waiting in the staging room.

The parents and relatives soon joined the kids and staff in the staging room. The adults were busy trying to get pictures of their kid with other kids and teachers, while the kids were attacking the cookie table and the drinks. It was a madhouse. To make things more challenging, one of the parents asked me to take pictures of her kid, too. Wow, I had my hands full trying to keep up with him.

Eventually, the families started to leave and quickly we found ourselves alone in the courtyard. We took a few family photos and said good-bye to Aunt Cathy and Uncle Dave. When we got home, we had to open the other box. In it, we found the Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise.

Andrew now has the summer off. I will likely continue in my role of Mr. Mom while getting more flight training. And Susan-hopefully-will continue doing her part-time job.

The Unexpected Things Bring Such Joy

The general rule in our house is to have Andrew in bed - preferably asleep - by 9:00PM. I say this is the 'general' rule because either Andrew or I find a way to break this rule quite often. Tonight was no exception.

Around 8:00, everyone was downstairs putting away toys. The plan was for Andrew to spend 15 minutes working on the clean-up goal, then go upstairs, brush his teeth, and get ready for bed. I went upstairs first and discovered a cool video on the computer showing the making of Jelly Beans. It was short and I knew Andrew would love it, since he was recently introduced to Starburst Jelly Beans. I came downstairs to tell him I had something fun to show him, but he would have to brush his teeth first. Then I challenged him by telling him I could get my teeth brushed first - a good challenge goes a long way with Andrew.

We both brushed teeth, then watched the video on the computer. With extreme hesitation, Andrew finally stopped resisting our command that it was time for bed. I joined him in his room and we talked about things while I tried to get him relaxed enough to sleep. Andrew was fidgety and was crawling under his sheet. I made the mistake of pretending that the sheet was a tent - something we used to do a lot when he was younger. We pretended that we were on the beach and the tide was coming in - Andrew's idea. Oh no! We had to quickly move the tent up to the top of the dune, else we would get hit by waves. The little charade went on for at least 10 minutes, then an additional 10 minutes was required to bring the energy level down to sleeping level. Oops. We were almost there when I noticed something strange with the blinds.

Every so often, I thought I saw a faint flash on the blinds. At first I thought it was a reflection from Andrew's Thomas nightlight. I walked to the computer room and looked outside, but didn't see anything unusual. I went back into Andrew's room and saw it again. Andrew saw it, too. I dared to peak outside the window, hoping NOT to find anything interesting and send Andrew's energy level back up. Unfortunately, what I found was something amazing.

In the far western sky, Mother Nature was putting on an incredible light show. Lightning was illuminating the sky and various layers of clouds with purple and orange light. Occasionally, we'd see a bolt of lightning jump across a gap in the clouds. Before long, Susan - the enforcer - came in to see what the fuss was about. Once she saw it, she too was in awe of the spectacle and dropped her guard. Andrew was sitting near the windowsill on his Thomas couch, I was leaning against it, and Susan leaned against me. We stayed this way for at least 30 minutes, enjoying the show and Andrew's ratings. He graded the glows as Small, Medium, Large, and Huge, based on things like sky coverage, brightness, duration, and if bolts of lightning were included. It was a family moment that I will not quickly forget.

Firm bed times and rules are very important in a growing child's life, but sometimes they need to be broken for the greater good.

CFI-A Lesson (refresher)

It's been a while since my last CFI-related post. A couple weeks ago, I went to my stage check without my flight gear, since I knew I wasn't flying that day. Turns out I needed my flight credentials for the stage check, so they sent me home. The next day, I tried again, but realized that I wasn't fully prepared with my lesson plans, so I cancelled the stage check. Zero for two in two days. Needless to say, I wasn't feeling all that good about myself.

Today, I got back in the saddle and went flying with my instructor. We covered nearly everything I expect to see during the stage check. The flight went pretty good, but my landings were up to 10 feet right of the centerline. I'm not sure why that is, but I certainly need to put an end to it before the stage check.