Beautiful Day to fly!!!

Saturday Morning I had the chance to go fly. My father-in-law wanted to get the 172 out and stretch it's legs. I REALLY Needed to brush up my Instrument Skills too! Once I got to the airport I noticed a T6II sitting on the ramp, along with a few other planes. I just recently got a new Phone so I figured I would try out the camera (since I forgot my digital camera at home)

Even an old Lockheed Jetstar, waiting for her new life in Mexico.

Which was next to a 601

So finally we are ready to go. So we figure we will head out from KSAT to Divine for an NDB approach, Return to KSSF Stinson
for the VOR 32 circle to land 14 (plus a hold over SSF vor). Stinson is an interesting Airport, A lot of History there. it i sthe second oldest GA airport in the country!, and then return to KSAT for an ILS12R.
The Air was incredibly smooth. Under the hood while climbing I had the feeling we were not even moving we felt like we where simply suspended. En route to Devine we could not pick up a signal from the NDB, so we broke off, and steered toward SSF VOR. Listening to KSAT approach it was a busy day at the SSF VOR with two in the hold, and one on the approach. Luckily once we got there it had cleaned out, for the most part. One lap around the hold, and then the VOR approach and we were done. Go missed turn heading 090 contact KSAT approach. SAT App. gave us 310 on the heading and 3500,vectors for the ILS12r. They were nice enough to send me out over my house so I could snap a couple pictures of our area (did not ask for it, just the way it worked out).
Of course just in front of us a small cloud bank is building up at 3500
...Right where we need to be, and of course app is suddenly very busy and doing his rapid fire routine. Had it not gotten so busy all of a sudden I would have simply asked for a local IFR clearance and pushed on, but he had a flight of 3 F16 somewhere right in front of us...also at 3500 so I decided to just ask for 3000 to clear the clouds and remain VFR.
Finally on the 12R ils app into KSAT things have settled down again, the rapid fire transmissions from atc were back to a more relaxed tone. Not the best Instrument approaches I have ever done, but they would have gotten me home if I had been in the clouds. All in all It was a great day. Great flying weather, and just plane fun! Flying the way it should be!!!

SOOOO SLOOOWWW!

It's so hard to believe we went from hiring 250hr wonder pilots into the right seat of a 70 passenger jet, to begging for a CFI job. Its the classic catch 22. You end up with 250hrs (ish) after receiving your commercial certificate, and there are NO jobs for pilots with 250 hours total time. So you get your CFI. Because you can always flight instruct to build time, right? Maybe, maybe not. So here we are a year and half later, even go jets is 1000tt min. Flight schools who were desperate for CFI's are now laying off. So what do you do? As a commercial pilot you have to stay proficient, but how do you do that when there is no flying to be had? The one thing you can do is learn to be flexible. I'm not flying much, but I am trying to adapt to our new strange situation. I have been working ON airplanes not in them. I know two A&P, IA's who are willing to put me to work working on airplanes. I do not have my A&P (aircraft mechanics license) but under their supervision I can work on planes. Its interesting. I am not a mechanic, I really do not like working on things, but being flexible helps keep me plugged in, For instance, I just installed a set of vortex generators on a Cessna 310. While working on the plane, I met the owner, he needs an Instrument Proficiency check. Flying work...oh yeah! Working with the other A&P has also afforded me a few flying opportunities. He was doing an annual on a Cessna P-210. I had never flown a 210 so I jumped at the chance to deliver this plane for maintenance, and of course test flights. A few more hours in the log book! I have also flown the pa23 twin Geronimo I mentioned a couple post back! It's great to get twin time, especially PIC solo multi time. So it's frustrating to not be flying full time, Sometimes it really is very frustrating. As a pilot All you want to do is fly. I'll keep plugging along! Something will happen, we just have to be ready for it!