Another mid-lifer story

justplanecrazy September 27th, 2007

Well after another lost training day yesterday, it’s now Thursday morning and I’m on the schedule for a mid-day IR training flight! I guess it wasn’t such a bad thing I did not fly yesterday. I was sick on Monday and thought i was over it, but ended up feeling pretty bad yesterday! I did get some sim time and john and martha time in! Now I’m ready to go practice in the real plane, what i did on the sim. I know MSFS is not the best “tool” but unfortunately I do not have a full motion sim around. I will say this though, get as realistic flight control and rudder pedals and you will be amazed at how much more “realistic” it gets! I plan on going out before my lesson so i can get the numbers on the plane again. Just make sure I have them right! Probably need to practice descents too. Descending on the approach I still on occasion allow myself to descend below mda…which of course is bad! Lets just hope today goes well!

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justplanecrazy September 26th, 2007

Ok, since I did not get an IR lesson in I figured i better get some studies done. The only problem is how much Martha can you stand? I know you guys out there think Martha King is hot…don’t you!

You really can take only so much though. Or how about Rob and Richard at sporty’s! Now that stuff is instant sleep. Pop it in hit the play on the remote, and BAMB you’re out like a light.  I wonder though, sometimes it seems like there is just to much to know, how will you ever have all this stuff in your head? Obviously i must know it a little. I already took the written made a 97, not sure how, but i wont argue! The IR training is fun. How cool is it to know that you can takeoff, and navigate to another point without ever seeing the ground, or outside the plane! Then when you get to your dest. you begin your approach. That word just doesn’t do it justice. Lets take a vor approach. Your flying along watching a single needle on a gauge in your panel. Waiting…waiting for the “flag” to flip from a to/from indication. then the little dance begins. note the change, make a turn fly this heading for 1 min, then turn to this heading fly another min make another turn wait for your “needle” to center up again and then start a decent wait for that to/from change again start another descent and start a timer once you reach the new altitude you hope you will see the airport somewhere in front of you. I will say the more i get use to the instrument flying, the more I desire a flying career! Dont get me wrong, a short hop for a hundred dollar hamburger is great! Or what about a lazy Sunday afternoon watching a taildragger flying the pattern at a grass strip! Sometimes vfr flight is fun, but the thrill of mastering the operation of taking this big hunk of metal making it fly precisely from one point to another, and making it fit into a system of other hunks of metal all doing this big dance in the sky. Maybe I’m weird, but it is very cool stuff…to me!     

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justplanecrazy September 26th, 2007

I’m only 7 training days away from my oct 18 IR check ride. I get a call this morning from my cfi…”I have a sinus headache”… “i need to cancel”

Lets back up again to the beginning. I was at 10 hours tt. I had just solo’ed and my very first cfi says, sorry but its time for me to go! That one was not a surprise. Young guy just out of SLU’s aviation program, and was offered a gig flying the beech b58 barron…ok so thats a no brainer (I heard it wasn’t long after that a commuter in the NE flying dash-8’s picked him up). So i bounce around trying out a couple cfi’s…why is it so hard to find a good one. Finally…I find a guy, Lou…72 y/o been flying for 55 years. Lou was good, unfortunately Lou is no longer with us. what over 30,000 hours in GA couldnt do, it seems a bout with cancer did. If you ever flew into K02 Perryville MO prior to 6/02 you probably met him. He is missed! fast forward to 3/3/06 nearly four years out of the left seat, thanks to my new wife, and father-in-law I take to the sky’s again. The guy I buy my share of the C150/150 from introduces me to my next CFI. He is a nice guy, very knowledgeable, but after too much wasted time i realize this guy is more of a passenger then an instructor. I find myself walking away from the lesson saying…what did i just learn??? lets move up 9 more months. DEC 06. I sell out of the C!%) and Buy into a share of a Mooney M20j! WOW, talk about an airplane. I loved it! only problem I still had not finished my IR and now I’m learning how to fly a complex 200mph airplane…that was a handful. the change finally made me realize i need to find a new instructor. My “training” in the m20j consisted of a few flight with no real objective. So here i go on the cfi hunt again. I bounced through a couple. One guy was pretty good, but he up a left due to a health issue in the family.

 THEN, it happends One of the partners goes out and  does a gear up in the mooney. 70 hours on a new engine, and prop! been over 3 months and the *&^%^*$^%plane is still bent and sitting  and waiting!

So, Off i go on another search for a CFI and a Plane. I find an archer ll for an unbelievable deal. also find a cfi at the same fbo. great! Im back in business, or  am I?

First flight with MR. new cfi. well, not what i hoped for. He’s green, very green. Not that that is a problem all by itself. I know we all have to start somewhere. So i decided to give the guy a chance. Beside Im so close!  the next week rolls around and we have some low clouds woohoo, I have 10 hours actual and try to get as much as possible. So i show up to the fbo, he’s there…Lets go!!! Well, he says, the clouds are to low…ok, so lets file and go. “i’m not current right now” he says…..WHAT? this guy is “teaching” me instruments, but he cannot fly on them…ok. I can kinda understand that. I know what cfi’s make. Its not a lot and its not cheap to rent a plane these days. So i gently prompt this guy to start on it! I missed to good soft ifr days. the next week rolls. show up and same as last week, really great low soft IFR. Did CFI get current? NO! ok, another great flying day gone. next day, same thing. after sitting around for about 3 hours the clouds finally lift. I tell mr. cfi ok we are going up now. your flying and your getting current! 1.5 later he has a hold, nav, and 3 approaches. Ok all he has to do is get three more before next week Which was my planned long IR cross country. I informed him we needed to do this regardless of the weather vmc or imc. Its planned for next thursday. wednesday, the day before, the weather is nasty, i ask him if he is current, and i hear no! On the phone i go, Looking for yet another cfi. I really try to be understanding and giving, but sometimes you have to cut your losses and move on. Finally get another guy on the phone make some arrangments tell him i will schedule with him next week! No sooner then i get off the phone with him, i get a phone call from my cfi…I”M CURRENT, he tells me. ok, fine back on track i guess for the long CC scheduled for tomorrow…

Well, I wish i could say the long cross country was perfect, but it wasnt. It showed a lot of my weaknesses. I did walk away with about 2 more hours actual!

BUT, now after him cancelling today I have 6 more training day’s before check ride! oh my, what to do?  

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justplanecrazy September 25th, 2007

Wow, a blog. who would have thought it. After reading a few I thought why not, what a great way to remember where i have been and also to share with others who might be thinking about this same path of travel! Who is “justplanecrazy “? My name is Tim. Im 39. I have a beautiful wife, two great daughters and step daughter. I have been in the transportation business (i.e. I drive semi-truck’s) for longer then i care to admit. I have always been fascinated with airplanes (ask my family and the word you here will probably be obsessed). Before i could even talk i could spot a plane flying over head. 1999 after a divorce I finally decided to do something for myself. I took up flying lesson. I loved it! 40 hours later (more like a year in real time) I was a private pilot single engine land. I started taking instrument lesson but my ex flared up again and off i go moving 1000 miles across the country. 4 years after the move i finally got back into the air. I bought a share of a cessna 150/150. I also stated up my instrument lesson….oh let me back up here a bit. so why did i start flying flying again? I met my beautiful new bride of almost two years now. Her dad low and behold is also a pilot. He owns a c172 and a beech barron. so a couple flights with him and im hooked AGAIN! I fly out of class charlie airspace, and I realized I like the fast paced nature of busy towered airports. I started talking with S (my wife) about my desires to become a  professional pilot, and lucky me she has been very supportive. So here I am to document my “mid-life” journey. I’m not the best at this stuff, and I spend a lot of time at work (trying to pay for this habit) and studying, but will do my best to keep it updated! 

So, where am i at right now? I am still ASEL but with @250 hours, high perf and complex endors. 60 hours in a Mooney M20J man do i love the mooney’s Im about three weeks away from my instrument practical ride. I scheduled it for OCT 18.  I’m not sure if i’m ready, i have such issues with cfi’s (i will get into that later) I just want to get this done so i can start on my commercial and multi! 

Well off to work i go, Thank you for stopping by!

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