Before I forget all of them, I wanted to start a blog with some of the funny things that Andrew says or used to say. Here we go:
Andrew's Phrase . . . .Translation
----------------------------------
da-nella. . . . . . . .vanilla
mag-nick. . . . . . . .magnet
sweet tongue. . . . . .sweet tooth
spa-gat-ti-cal. . . . .sabbatical
too much fun. . . . . .very fun
here ya go. . . . . . .here you go
breck-fick. . . . . . .breakfast
over dare . . . . . . .over there
microphone. . . . . . .walkie talkie
shooter . . . . . . . .gun
slide conjector . . . .slide projector
miles of power. . . . .miles per hour
I noodle you. . . . . .not sure what it means
pasta creama beara. . .pasta primavera
temporary home. . . . .hotel room or condo
ding ding . . . . . . .railroad crossing signal
ma house. . . . . . . .my house
three teen. . . . . . .thirteen
five teen . . . . . . .fifteen
dudder. . . . . . . . .another
dahdun. . . . . . . . .another
Hopefully, we'll remember a few more.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Commercial Training - Day 5
Summary
Scheduled Time: 2PM - 5PM
Actual Hours Ground: 0
Actual Hours Flight: 0
Total Hours Flight: 2.6
Today was a complete no-go. The weather was - once again - completely miserable. It rained all morning and there is no sign of improvement today.
Scheduled Time: 2PM - 5PM
Actual Hours Ground: 0
Actual Hours Flight: 0
Total Hours Flight: 2.6
Today was a complete no-go. The weather was - once again - completely miserable. It rained all morning and there is no sign of improvement today.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Commercial Training - Day 4
Summary
Scheduled Time: 11AM - 2PM
Actual Hours Ground: 0.3
Actual Hours Flight: 1.2
Total Hours Flight: 2.6
Today, I went to the flight school an hour early to get in some uninterrupted study time. On the surface, this sounded like a good idea, but there are plenty distractions there, too. For instance, the King Air that pulled up to the gas pump - everyone at the school went to the window to get a closer look. Then there was the guy who just bought himself a brand new Cirrus SR-22G and was trying to get proficient on instruments again.
When the time to fly arrived, my instructor was still busy with another customer, so I reviewed some of the flight maneuvers from the last flight - steep turns and chandelles. I found the description of the chandelle to be a bit different than what I wrote last time. The actual description is a climbing constant-bank turn with increasing pitch for the first 90 degrees, followed by a constant pitch climbing turn with decreasing bank to the 180 degree point, ending within 10 knots of stall speed.
Mike returned and we went to the plane. We did the usual pre-flight, then headed West towards a large hole in the overcast. We were able to climb to 3000 feet, where we began working on steep turns again. For some reason, I had a difficult time with the left turns, but I had no problem with right turns.
Then we did a pair of stalls. I think I have stalls nearly perfected... nearly.
Then it was on to the chandelle. As earlier, I had a difficult time doing left turning chandelles. Right turning chandelles were better, but I still have a lot of work to do to perfect them.
We had another simulated engine failure, but this time we started much higher than last time, which provided more time to troubleshoot and setup the approach to the intended landing field. Since we were higher, we had time to head for the tiny Langley airstrip. I headed directly for the field, which is a very narrow strip cut into the trees on Whidbey Island, then turned 180 degrees to the downwind with gear down. Turning toward the runway again, I found myself too high and we decided to go around. In a real emergency, I could have slipped the plane and safely landed midfield with enough runway left to avoid the trees.
Then it was back to Paine Field. Again we practiced landings. Landings today were much more stable and smooth, so Mike went ahead and asked for a soft field landing followed by a soft field takeoff. On the final landing, Mike pulled the power and I did a dead stick landing. The approach was a little too high for Commercial standards, but not at all bad for my first try.
If the weather is good enough, we will do lazy eights next time, otherwise more of the same.
Scheduled Time: 11AM - 2PM
Actual Hours Ground: 0.3
Actual Hours Flight: 1.2
Total Hours Flight: 2.6
Today, I went to the flight school an hour early to get in some uninterrupted study time. On the surface, this sounded like a good idea, but there are plenty distractions there, too. For instance, the King Air that pulled up to the gas pump - everyone at the school went to the window to get a closer look. Then there was the guy who just bought himself a brand new Cirrus SR-22G and was trying to get proficient on instruments again.
When the time to fly arrived, my instructor was still busy with another customer, so I reviewed some of the flight maneuvers from the last flight - steep turns and chandelles. I found the description of the chandelle to be a bit different than what I wrote last time. The actual description is a climbing constant-bank turn with increasing pitch for the first 90 degrees, followed by a constant pitch climbing turn with decreasing bank to the 180 degree point, ending within 10 knots of stall speed.
Mike returned and we went to the plane. We did the usual pre-flight, then headed West towards a large hole in the overcast. We were able to climb to 3000 feet, where we began working on steep turns again. For some reason, I had a difficult time with the left turns, but I had no problem with right turns.
Then we did a pair of stalls. I think I have stalls nearly perfected... nearly.
Then it was on to the chandelle. As earlier, I had a difficult time doing left turning chandelles. Right turning chandelles were better, but I still have a lot of work to do to perfect them.
We had another simulated engine failure, but this time we started much higher than last time, which provided more time to troubleshoot and setup the approach to the intended landing field. Since we were higher, we had time to head for the tiny Langley airstrip. I headed directly for the field, which is a very narrow strip cut into the trees on Whidbey Island, then turned 180 degrees to the downwind with gear down. Turning toward the runway again, I found myself too high and we decided to go around. In a real emergency, I could have slipped the plane and safely landed midfield with enough runway left to avoid the trees.
Then it was back to Paine Field. Again we practiced landings. Landings today were much more stable and smooth, so Mike went ahead and asked for a soft field landing followed by a soft field takeoff. On the final landing, Mike pulled the power and I did a dead stick landing. The approach was a little too high for Commercial standards, but not at all bad for my first try.
If the weather is good enough, we will do lazy eights next time, otherwise more of the same.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Commercial Training - Day 3
Summary
Scheduled Time: 1PM - 4PM
Actual Hours Ground: 0.3
Actual Hours Flight: 1.4
Finally, the weather was good enough to go flying. We started with a full pre-flight, as usual, but since this was my first pre-flight of the Cessna 177RG Cardinal, I had lots of questions. Once complete, we climbed in, started the engine, and began the first flight lesson.
We departed Paine Field to the West and headed for the practice area. The first maneuver was Commercial steep turns. These are a little different from your standard steep turns in that the bank angle is 50 degrees rather than 45 degrees and you fly both full turns (left and right) back to back instead of one each way.
After the turns we did some slow flight and stalls. These are basically the same as what I've always done in the past, but the stall recovery is performed before the point of full stall.
Then we had a simulated engine failure. I hit the required speed and found my landing location, but would have come up short due to the extra drag brought on by putting the gear down too soon. We'll have to work on this area.
The final Commercial maneuver of the day was the chandelle. The chandelle is a 180 degree turn with a reducing speed climb. The objective is to turn around in a small space while simultaneously climbing. At the 90 degree point, you should be at the maximum pitch and half the final airspeed. This is quite interesting and will take a few hours to master.
With the maneuvers out of the way, we headed back to the airport for some landing practice. Landing a new plane well is a difficult task. After six tries, I still have some more practicing to do. The plane lands much harder than the Commander and seems to drop out of the sky the last foot or two. It also tends to bounce if you carry too much speed. Dropping the nose after a bounce causes it to porpoise down the runway. Not a pretty site.
Scheduled Time: 1PM - 4PM
Actual Hours Ground: 0.3
Actual Hours Flight: 1.4
Finally, the weather was good enough to go flying. We started with a full pre-flight, as usual, but since this was my first pre-flight of the Cessna 177RG Cardinal, I had lots of questions. Once complete, we climbed in, started the engine, and began the first flight lesson.
We departed Paine Field to the West and headed for the practice area. The first maneuver was Commercial steep turns. These are a little different from your standard steep turns in that the bank angle is 50 degrees rather than 45 degrees and you fly both full turns (left and right) back to back instead of one each way.
After the turns we did some slow flight and stalls. These are basically the same as what I've always done in the past, but the stall recovery is performed before the point of full stall.
Then we had a simulated engine failure. I hit the required speed and found my landing location, but would have come up short due to the extra drag brought on by putting the gear down too soon. We'll have to work on this area.
The final Commercial maneuver of the day was the chandelle. The chandelle is a 180 degree turn with a reducing speed climb. The objective is to turn around in a small space while simultaneously climbing. At the 90 degree point, you should be at the maximum pitch and half the final airspeed. This is quite interesting and will take a few hours to master.
With the maneuvers out of the way, we headed back to the airport for some landing practice. Landing a new plane well is a difficult task. After six tries, I still have some more practicing to do. The plane lands much harder than the Commander and seems to drop out of the sky the last foot or two. It also tends to bounce if you carry too much speed. Dropping the nose after a bounce causes it to porpoise down the runway. Not a pretty site.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Bellewood Talent Show
Andrew and Susan have practiced for weeks for the big talent show at the church. Andrew was part of the "Wee Ones". They performed two songs for the adoring crowd: The Lord's Army and Sing to the Lord (Psalm 96:2).
There were many other acts tonight, including piano solos by the Day kids, many songs by various individual/groups, and the Hess family bluegrass band.
Commercial Training - Day 2
Summary
Scheduled Time: 9AM - Noon
Actual Hours Ground: 0
Actual Hours Flight: 0
Today I went to Regal Air for my second lesson. When I arrived, the weather was low and foggy once again. So rather than fly, I grabbed the Jepessen DVD study guide and watched about two hours of videos covering areas from high performance aircraft, constant speed propellers, landing gear systems, anti- and de-icing systems, and performance maneuvers. Afterward, the weather had not improved in the slightest. Maybe next time...
Scheduled Time: 9AM - Noon
Actual Hours Ground: 0
Actual Hours Flight: 0
Today I went to Regal Air for my second lesson. When I arrived, the weather was low and foggy once again. So rather than fly, I grabbed the Jepessen DVD study guide and watched about two hours of videos covering areas from high performance aircraft, constant speed propellers, landing gear systems, anti- and de-icing systems, and performance maneuvers. Afterward, the weather had not improved in the slightest. Maybe next time...
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Commercial Training - Day 1
Summary
Scheduled Time: 9AM - Noon
Actual Hours Ground: 1
Actual Hours Flight: 0
Today I went to Regal Air at Paine Field in Everett, WA for my first commercial lesson. I arrived two hours early so I could complete the open book test on the Cessna 177 RG Cardinal. This is standard procedure for flying an unfamiliar airplane. When I arrived, I realized that I forgot all the paperwork - Regal Air rules and regulations - that I'd completed the night before. I called home and Susan said she'd bring them to the airport for me - how sweet is that!
The test took nearly the full two hours. Afterward, my instructor Mike reviewed the test with me and we started discussing the plan. I told him that I'd like to complete the written exam in two weeks and the practical exam in three to four weeks. He suggested I get on the schedule three to four times a week and we should be able to get it done in that time frame.
We then did about an hour's worth of ground review, covering weather services and charts. This is an area I consider myself weak in, due to the lack of severe weather in the Seattle area. We looked at the overall weather across the country, then drilled into some areas with severe weather, including Dallas, TX and Portsmouth, NH.
After that, we walked out to look at the Cardinal. It is a 1976 model with a 200 HP fuel injected engine, a three blade propeller, and retractable landing gear. Mike told me about some of its issues, specifically its tendency to drop out of the sky and land hard during approach. The 'land hard' part will be an unwelcome change from the soft landing Commander I've been flying lately.
The weather was not good enough to fly, so that wrapped up Day 1. Now I need to put in about two hours of ground school at home.
Scheduled Time: 9AM - Noon
Actual Hours Ground: 1
Actual Hours Flight: 0
Today I went to Regal Air at Paine Field in Everett, WA for my first commercial lesson. I arrived two hours early so I could complete the open book test on the Cessna 177 RG Cardinal. This is standard procedure for flying an unfamiliar airplane. When I arrived, I realized that I forgot all the paperwork - Regal Air rules and regulations - that I'd completed the night before. I called home and Susan said she'd bring them to the airport for me - how sweet is that!
The test took nearly the full two hours. Afterward, my instructor Mike reviewed the test with me and we started discussing the plan. I told him that I'd like to complete the written exam in two weeks and the practical exam in three to four weeks. He suggested I get on the schedule three to four times a week and we should be able to get it done in that time frame.
We then did about an hour's worth of ground review, covering weather services and charts. This is an area I consider myself weak in, due to the lack of severe weather in the Seattle area. We looked at the overall weather across the country, then drilled into some areas with severe weather, including Dallas, TX and Portsmouth, NH.
After that, we walked out to look at the Cardinal. It is a 1976 model with a 200 HP fuel injected engine, a three blade propeller, and retractable landing gear. Mike told me about some of its issues, specifically its tendency to drop out of the sky and land hard during approach. The 'land hard' part will be an unwelcome change from the soft landing Commander I've been flying lately.
The weather was not good enough to fly, so that wrapped up Day 1. Now I need to put in about two hours of ground school at home.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
