Next up...MEI

Well I got my first hour in N125RJ today. I like flying the twin comanche, aka the twinkie. Its a fun plane to fly! The plan is for me to fly monday and tuesday, and hopefully a checkride on wednesday...I just hope and pray to be done by then! It has been a good experience, and even though it is 100 in San Antonio, I'm ready to go home! So for now its study time again. It is amazing I have been studying for months and I still feel like I dont know much of anything! Things are starting to come together though I look forward to instructing! Ok, study break is over, time to get busy!

CFII OH YEAH!

It has been a busy week since passing my CFI initial. I was not real current on my Instrument, so I had to spend a little time getting some basic instrument skills back! Not to mention, my instrument skills never were really all that great. Anyway, after a lot of study and about 13 hours in the air I took my CFII ride yesterday and passed! Oh yeah! WHAT A RELIEF! On the way to the airport I was so nervous I was actually happy that I was driving in a thunderstorm! I figured maybe it was my out for getting out of taking the ride I didn't feel I was ready for! Once Again I had to lean on my faith, and put it in His hands. So the DPE says well, let just do the oral and we can fly another day(the day was forecast to be thunderstorms all day!). About 2 hours later we get done with the oral, we look out side and the rain had stopped the clouds pulled out to 12K and it was suddenly flyable! Aside from the winds aloft 230 at 46 kts at 3000 it was clear and unlimited visibility. Despite the winds I decided to just fly, I figured it was made available to me so I had better take it. Two hours later I was a CFII! What an experience...Now just one more ride my MEI and I get to go home...I am so ready to go!

CFI!!!!

YES I AM NOW A CFI!!!! Wow, All I can say is what a relief! I stressed so much over this one, and have crammed so much into my head over the last two weeks that I think I have a permanent head ache! But I passed today and that's all that matters!

I had to fly to KGHP Midwest National In Mosbey Missouri to meet the KC FSDO examiner. It was an uneventful flight direct through Downtown Airport airspace. The air was smooth, there was a light fog over the river. I flew probably the best Pattern I have ever flown, by the numbers all the way to touch down which was picture perfect! Of course NO ONE SEEN IT! which is always the case when you grease one on! We started the Oral about 8:45 went to about 12 then broke for lunch! Came back got in the airplane! flew about 1.5 my flying left something to be desired, but hey, I passed! came back finished up at 5pm. It was a long day! I am just thankful it is over! I am thankful that I have a God who gives me the strength and ability to do this, there is no way I could do it on my own!

Now I am on to do the CFII and MEI, all within the next two weeks! OH GEEZ, the stress just came back!!!

Congratulations Trevor

Well, one of our class members took the CFI-A ride today and Passed!!! Trevor was the first to go, and he did very well! Congratulations!
My ride is scheduled for Tuesday! The nerves are starting to kick into high gear. Its been almost two weeks since arriving, we have learned a lot, but it just does not seem like enough! Sometimes you are so tired from studying it hurts! Tomorrow I start a mad rush to get the flying done. I only have about 2 hours so far for this course, so I have a lot to catch up! I hope the weather holds. It has been pretty bad around here, very strong thunderstorms, tornado not to far away. I talked with Michael today, he says I should still be on schedule to finish all three CFI, II, MEI by around the 28th. again weather permitting!
I hope so, Its been two weeks since I have seen my Family and i miss them and Home! This has been a very good experience so far, I do not regret coming back to flat land (KS) to finish my training up! Well, Its Study time!

GEAR UP!!!!

What a day! I went for my spin training today with Tyler another CFI student. Just after he got back I loaded up, strapped on a parachute, and strapped into the Super Decathlon.


So after getting ready to go, engine started and requesting taxi from ground, I hear "gear up" coming from my CFI I am a bit puzzled until I look out the right window and there about 200 feet away is a Mooney 3ft off the deck with his gear up!
Man I just felt helpless, I wanted to do something but there was nothing to do! I watched as he bobbed the nose up and down a little "looking" for the runway and then he settled in, it was all over. He slid about 30 yards turned about 30deg to the left and stopped. We were not going anywhere! The airport was closed!

I had ever witnessed anything like that so close, it seemed like it was happening in slow motion.

So anyway, after lunch and a couple hours pass we are finally strapped back in and ready for departure! We head out, climb to 6000(agl) and start our spin training. WOW, I had never done a spin before. I was amazed how fast you roll over and next thing you know the earth is just a blur! If you are a pilot or a student pilot and have never done a spin, find a GOOD spin instructor and go do one. I don't think an average pilot could get out of one without having some spin training! I think your average pilot would get Killed if inadvertently getting into a spin!

After the spin training we did a few basic aerobatic maneuvers. It was fun. Some aileron rolls, a loop, inverted flight. It was very cool!
Well, I'm a little over a week into the CFI-A training and The check ride is scheduled for a week from today. So, I better get busy studying!

Doom and Gloom

It's so sad to hear people almost daily talk about how bad the aviation industry has become how terrible the economy is...blah blah blah! There is a popular aviation website/forum I like to participate in, but lately it has become so negative it just makes you sick to look at it! Yeah, high gas prices are kicking our butt right now, but I think a lot of our poor economy is self professing prophecy! If you believe it, it will start to come true! Yes the airline industry is taking a hit with high fuel prices. Yes there have been some smaller operations go down. But really what Major airline has gone out of business? at least which one that was not ALREADY on the way out, like skybus??? that was a terrible operation with an even worse operating plan that was losing money! I know the Legacy's are all crying the blues making threat of domestic reduction (i.e. stop service to small town USA), but why are they making these "threats"? Look no further than you local politician! They are already ringing the subsidies for the airline bell. This is exactly what the airlines want!

Aviation will continue, it will recover from this oil situation and it will continue to grow as is forecast! I for one plan on being there, and ready when the hiring starts again, and if I plan it just right I will be there with just the right time and experience when hiring kicks in!

The Tornados are coming!

You just have to love the weather! We had really really bad storm in the forcast last night, everyone thought we would have tornado, I heard some thunder for a little while, but that was about it! Which is good, Today is day 5 of training! I dont need a weather set back right now! Its been a really fast 5 days! It feels like I have not learned anything, but I'm sure I have! I feel pretty confident so far actually. I like Michael (the owner of the school) who is teaching us! Things are pretty laid back, but he seems pretty good at teaching us! I'm just over a week before taking a check ride for the CFI! It doesnt seem posssible.

How?

Day three is now behind us. We have been writing and teaching ground lesson plans. I don't mind the teaching part, but I really don't know how you get all this information into your head! There is just so much to know! Sometimes it seems impossible. The nerves have finally settles down, it's not easy to pack up drive half way across the country leave your family behind for a month, and spend a LOT of money doing it. Like anything, you just have to jump in and do it, if you let the fear control you, you will never get anywhere! I met one of the DPE's yesterday. Ron, will also be giving us our spin training in a super decathlon

The Decathlon is an aerobatic airplane, and we will be learning some basic aerobatic maneuvers. This will be on Monday! I'm excited about that!
Well, back to study time!

Im Here!

Well day two is in the can. I made into town (new century ks.) on Sunday. We just finished up day two of FOI (fundamentals of Instruction). Things are going well so far, it has just been class room training. Tomorrow we might be doing spin training! a spin is when you stall an airplane and a wing falls over and you enter a nose down spiral! Not sure how that will go, I will update later!
I must go study now!!! My Brain hurts!