Load's PPL Progress

[Captain_Bob]

Originally Posted by LoadMasterC141

Just need 2.6 Solo XC and 1.0 Hood and I have met all the requirements. My instructor is going to schedule my checkride as soon as he gets back on Tuesday!

Originally Posted by LoadMasterC141

My checkride has been scheduled for the 23rd of June.

Quick question...

1. You have the PTS...
2. The Written info is fresh on your mind...
3. You have the gouge...

The 23rd is almost a month a way... You should be ready for it in 3 flights max... why are you scheduling it so far off?

Bob
Your motivator...

[LoadMasterC141]

I don't have a choice unfortunately. That is one drawback I have just realized. There is ONE examiner in the area. Usually he is available a week out, but because of all the weather , he is backed up 3 weeks.

Though I do want to finish in a timely manner, I am not in a HUGE hurry. My timeline is more based on flying 40 hours per month to get to the magical 250 number for the Commercial. Extra hours practicing basic maneuvers is not going to hurt me any I don't believe.

[LoadMasterC141]

Went up for 1.6 tonight. I flew with the only one out of the three instructors I had yet to fly with. He is deifinately the just right porridge. Good thing too as he will be my instrument instructor.

Anyway, we finished off my last hour of hood. Tracked VOR's most of the time. Piece of cake, despite his best efforts to distract me with his new Garmin 196.

Then the fun began.....We practiced power-on stalls in a turn. I had yet to do these, but everyone knows they are a favorite of the local examiner.
I got the left turn stall quite easily, but because you have to have so much right rudder in to start, right turning stalls really got me edgy. By trying to keep the ball in, the more you stall, the more right rudder. The more right rudder, the more you turn as you stall. I weenied out at the first buffet several times. Finally, with encouragement, I pushed it to a full nose dropping stall. The plane really feels like it wants to spin and you have to be quick and somewhat forceful with the left rudder and down elevator to stop it. We did about 10 of those. I don't ever want to be in that situation 100 feet off the ground let me tell you.

If the weather cooperates (Iffy right now), I will finally get my second solo XC out of the way and complete all my prerequisites tonight.

[LoadMasterC141]

Finally knocked out my other Solo XC. Stupid me though; I needed 2.6 and ended up with 2.4! Going to New Braunsfels tomorrow to finish that off.

It was a good XC. Flight up to Stephenville I tracked a radial off the Temple VOR. Out of Stephenville, I had planned to use the Glen Rose VOR to the East to get a radial to Waco. Unfortunately, Fort Worth center asked me to turn south early because they had so many planes holding out there for DFW. I got a bit disoriented at first. There is not much on the ground to look at, and I was having a hard time with the GPS as this was a plane I had not flown before. It suddenly dawned on me that I could grab a different radial off the VOR and then I was fine. Flew down to Waco and did 3 stop'n'gos to get some experience with the tower.

Then the fun began! (Always happens towards the end of my flying doesnt it?). On the short 30 mile hop down to Temple, I got handed off to the Killeen controller. He was busy diverting regionals around a thunderstorm that was right around Temple. As I looked off in the distance, there it was; A big CB cloud casting lightning down onto the 3000 ft Cell/TV towers. I maintained 1900AGL to stay below the cloud layer. As I got closer, the storm looked quite ominous. I called the controller and mentioned I was going to divert to the executive Waco airport below me and wait it out. The controller said that the cell seemed stationary and he could easily vector me around it. I acknowledged and flew an east heading he specified, skirting the edge of the thunderstorm and flying in between the two mile gap between high cell tower farms. Lightning was whacking the towers under the storm and I started to get some good rain, but little turbulence. The sky to the east of me was crystal clear and it looked like I could almost see around the storm now. Eventually, I made it around and the controller gave me a west vector back to Temple. He also noted that the stationary cell had started moving back towards the airfield and I should expedite. I sped into a landing, dropped flaps and pwer and put it down quick. By the time I got back to the hangar, it was dumping huge rain. Very close call! Good experience though.

This week I have been flying after work here and there practicing maneuvers. Last night, the wind was 17G23, which made for a great day to practice ground reference maneuevers. I went up and down a perfect straight road for almost an hour working S-Turns. Some people in a pool below told me I was number one everytime I flew by. I waved.

Tomorrow a flight to New Braunsfels to finish off my Solo XC req's, a quick hour with my instructor to check my maneuvers, and some time on my own. After that I am off to Kentucky for Business until mid-week.

Next weekend I am doing a Mock checkride. Plenty of solo time in between and lots of studying! I borrowed the King checkride DVD's from an instructor as well; King is kind of annoying. Glad I got Sporty's.

TT now is 71.5. 34.1 is from 2007.

I am a bit alarmed as neither my budget nor my plan to fly 40 hours a month has been attained. We had some unexpected costs(A root canal, house fix, car fix). The weather killed my flying time. 34 hours in 7 weeks is way off. I hope I can make it up flying long XC's once I get my PPL. I also have someone who is willing to share time to do the safety pilot/hood thing during IFR training. That should help the budget.

[amorris311]

so are you not going to atp anymore?

[LoadMasterC141]

Not for the ACPP, but I will for the ME, MEI, MEC, CFI-I ratings and hopefully instruct there after.

I wrote about that in this thread:
http://forums.jetcareers.com/changin...ging-plan.html (My ever changing plan)

[amorris311]

you did, and i read that too. mind fart! best of luck and ill keep the fingers crossed so you get that time in with optimal weather.

[PGT]

I just want to say Thank-you again for writing this. I have about 19TT right now and my instructor said to learn how to plan for XC's this weekend.

[LoadMasterC141]

Checkride is 7 days away and the nerves are setting in. I never get nervous about written tests, but orals and such get me a little on edge.

I went flying with my instructor for a few hours last weekend to check all my maneuvers. He is content with them. I am content with them. I am a bit nervous about my knowledge still. I will be studying like crazy this week.

[GalaxyIFE]

Let me be the first...or ninth....to tell you "good luck"...have enjoyed reading your progress!!! i am sure you'll keep it up for the IR?

[LoadMasterC141]

Thanks Galaxy and everyone else. If you are getting something out of it all, then mission accomplished; I am paying it forward!

So I did a Mock Checkride with a different instructor Monday. We went out and did the cheater tour: Flew my first few legs of the planned XC and went to the airports the examiner always picks as divert points. One is a narrow 3000 foot runway with obstacles on either end. Did all landings and takeoffs there quite well. Surprising seeing as I am used to the 7000 footer at my local airport.

Yesterday I finished off the final .2 of Solo XC and returned to the airport and did an hour of Touch and Go's. I am feeling very relaxed and confident with any type landing or takeoff I must perform now. Forward Slips was the one that I tended to get a bit nervous on and consequently end the slip early and have to much speed over the numbers. Yesterday, I was in a slip until the flare everytime and felt very good about it.

Going to take the night off of flying tonight and continue to study. If I could skip the oral and just fly, I know I would be fine. The oral makes me a bit nervous.

I'll fly for a short period Thursday, just to practice turns, stalls, and ground ref. Then Friday I am off work to study and take one more mock checkride with my normal instructor. Friday night I go to church and pray! hehe.

TT 79.6


Half of this is from 1992.

[Chewie von Nubbins]

You are gonna ace the exam. I just wish I had prepared with the intensity that you are applying towards my PPL. It's kinda like starting a known hard course in college and not really knowing just how hard it is until the first major exam. Then you are able to gauge just the right amount of prep work in order to get that A or B. You are already there man.

I did my first real flight in IMC last night, and it was FUN! It rained all day hard here yesterday, and the storms moved off late afternoon. Perfect day for the introduction. Ceiling was 900-1000', then bkn at 5500'. We hit the clouds right at 800' and it was a solid 100% 0 vis outside the plane. Never did put on the hood, as I didn't need to. After we got through the low ceiling it was absolutely beautiful. Did the usual maneuvers (steep turns, stalls, slow flight, unusual attitudes) and the air was actually smooth. The better you are at the maneuvers now, the easier the IR is really going to be. Also, I would recommend really focusing on getting the plane perfectly trimmed where you never really have to touch the yoke. I have been paying very close attention to that and it is making my life so much easier when it comes to covering up various instruments and flying off the compass. But I hate flying off of the compass, as everything is backwards.

We shot a full ILS approach in IMC coming back in and it got BUSY. IMC flying is what being a pilot is all about...IMHO. We didn't spot the runway until about 700' AGL and it was instant gratification.

You are going to love the IR. Not harder than the PPL in my opinion, but really a master's degree on top of the BS degree.

Good luck on Saturday and I will say a prayer for you. My bet is that you are going to knock the socks off that Examiner.

[Chewie von Nubbins]

KTPL 231515Z 19006KT 10SM OVC095 24/21 A2997 RMK AO1 From the radar shots and wx reports, looks like it is going to happen today, barring nothing wrong with the paperwork or the plane. Good luck brother.

[Captain_Bob]

I think he's flying the plane up to PWG for it...

Forcast is about the same though. Chance of pop-ups all day... but overall not too bad.

Good luck!!

Bob

[LoadMasterC141]

Wow. I am whooped. It has been a long two days. I need to get this down while it is fresh though. If you don't want the gory details...I passed. There was one moment in the whole thing where I was literally seconds from disaster, I'll note that below.

The Day Before

Yesterday the weather was crud so the mock checkride was a no go. My instructor got me up long enough to do Slow Flight, Stalls, Steep Turns, and All landings. It all looked good.

Around 1830, I was just wrapping up my 8710 hours section before bed. My instructor and I had already checked the requirements were met so all I had to do......UT OH..NOOOooo.....Could it be? We missed that my night cross country of 3.1 was actually 2.8 dual and .3 solo, where my instructor got out at a controlled field for me to get 3 takeoffs and landings solo. The eve of the big day and I am .2 short on Night Instruction. I get a different instructor to meet me at the airport at 2130 and we do a few rounds in the patch. Home by 11. Asleep by midnight. Gotta be up at 5 to be back at the airport by 6 to get weather and finish up the flight planning. So much for a good nights' sleep.

Check Ride Day

0600, back at the field. Weather looks decent for the time being. OVC layers at 8-10k. However, the weather along my route to East Texas is supposed to crap out later. Local forecast at Waco called for afternoon rain and T-Storms. Not looking good. I finish my flight planning anyway. My instructor arrives and we decide 8-10k is still good and I should at least make the flight up. 3 of his other students have cancelled on this examiner now and he needs to have someone at least show.


1000 I have made the 28 mile trip North to PWG and meet the examiner right on time. I had heard from everyone that you could not ask for a nicer guy, and boy they were right. Just a really positive firendly person who managed to ease my nerves quickly while still staying with the business at hand.

Oral

We retired to a lounge and I produced all the neccesary paperwork. My personal paperwork was all neatly clipped into one folder. My Logbook had sticky notes with annotations of neccesary requirements and endorsements. The airplanes' info was all in a satchel. I had everything out the day prior and the schools mechanic gave me an hour tutorial on it all. Somehow today though, the most current airframe log was not in there. My blood pressur shot up as I fumbled around thinking it may be 28 miles away. The examiner took a look and found it in a small side zipper. Thank god.
Ok so everything looked good.

Next the examiner gave an overview of the day and broke into the oral. I am going to do a writeup of all the questions I can remember, but suffice to say it went pretty much how most have described previous orals. I had studied so hard that I was really nailing the questions.
He got to min equip list...
"No min equip list for the plane. There are 10 needed items for day VFR flight for this plane. If you need me to, I can recite them, but can I use the FAR to be sure for things like this?"
"Absolutely"
I whipped out my FAR, worn and covered with neatly placed page tabs for anything I might need. It is also highlighted in all shades of the rainbow. This impressed him and he said so.
The oral progressed and I was'nt missing a thing. In fact, there was really only one thing the whole hour and a half that got me....
"Tell me the emergency procedure if you see a discharge in the ammeter".
Dammit. I was mad at myself. I had studied Emergency procedures so I would not have to look them up. He must have sensed he got me because he immediately said,
"I am doing this for a reason. You can look this one up"
Chapter 3 of any flight manual I have ever known is Emergency Procedures. Turn to it and answered. He wanted to show how easy of a correction it usually is and that alot of new pilots miss that.
Finally, looked at the flight planning and maps. Of course, now comes all the Airspace, "What is this symbol", and lost procedures. I was on the ball.

And the final thing...
"Based on the weather, would you make this flight today"
"Nope"
"Good. I think we have the weather to get you through your checkride though"

The examiner said I did a fantastic job on the Oral. 10 minute break and meet out at the plane to start flying.

Confidence factor---High


The Flight

The examiner met me at the plane and I did a preflight, which I had forced 3 people to critique me on the day prior. He seemed largely disinterested and I even asked if I should talk out loud about what I was checking.
"Nope. Do your thing. I am not worried".
He was, however, a bit concerned over the weather. Beneath the 8-10k layer in the distance was a much lower layer of cumulus that had every intention of making its' presence known.
"This is not the ideal day for a checkride, but I think if we stay on track, we can get it done before it gets too bad".
I hopped in and fired the plane up. It was a long taxi through a cornfield to the runway. I had asked if he wanted me to keep the GPS off, mainly because I wanted to get it up to see the groundspeed; I like it better than the airspeed indicator for taxiing.
"You can bring up the nav screen, but i'll give you your choice: You can use it now or when I divert you."
I chose to use it at divert but got my speed indicator for the Taxi
We got to the runup. The old jalopy needed its' usual left mag blowout, and we were off on a Soft-Field takeoff, which I executed flawlessy; 10 feet off the ground in effect until flight speed.

I turned on course. The new cloud layer had set in around 4k so the examiner said amend cruise to 3500. 2 checkpoints in and he said divert.
We headed for a little 3000 footer with lots' of obstacles. I did a short field landing and takeoff. The cloud layer continued to drop. Flew off for S-Turns. In all sorts of bumpy, I pulled off the steep turns very well..perhaps the best of any maneuver. Then right into slow flight and into a power-off stall. Next he asked for a power-on stall.
"Make sure to do clearing turns for this".
"Crap! I forgot to do clearing turns for slow flight"
He didn't say anything. I did the clearing turns.
My mind started to think.....Ut oh..You didn't do clearing turns the first time.
This is the pre-emption for what became the closest to failing I would come...and it was damn close. In fact, it gets its' own heading

Power On Stalls are SIMPLE
So we are much lower than I have been in the past for a stall, but the cloud layer keeps dropping. The examiner asks for a power on stall and asks how I usually perform them.
"Power down and pitch for Vr, then full power to stall"
"Do this one at 2000 RPM"
Hah! I am getting off scott-free! I have practiced Power on stalls, full power, in turns, like crazy. I have no fear of them and have had no issues with any power-on stall...Until now.
I am determined to show a FULL stall. The plane stalls, nose starts to drop....NOPE not letting off the back pressure. The nose drops more and now to the right. I am coordinated but the wind helps drop me hard to the right. Stupid me cross controls the ailerons to the left instead of the rudder and WHAM! the plane is nose straight down and REALLY wanting to flip over to the left. Its' times like this that you leave reality and move into a sort of "slow motion on the TV" type world. Fractions of a second went by, but I clearly remember thinking several things....
"Boy that ground is close"
"I am going to spin this thing and fail my checkride"
"Hey this is kinda fun"
"Full opposite rudder, neutral aileron, brisk forward pressure."
So it was not the first thing I thought, but at least it was instinctual.
I recovered quickly. Stunned with greasy underwear, I looked over at my examiner: His arms were still crossed and he was smiling.
"That never happened before, but I bet you heard that."
"Yep. Were you in a spin?"
"Sorta, we did not actually make a full inverted rotation so it was a spin entry, or incipient"
The instructor went on to say he was extremely impressed that I recovered at that stage.
"Can I try that one more time?"
"Yes"
I repeated the procedure. As soon as the nose dropped, I recovered and completed a perfect performance of a power-on stall, as I had every time before that, except a few short sweaty minutes prior.
I was sure I bounced the ride after that fiasco.

Nerves still rattled, the foggles went on. We did some turns and then into unusual attitudes. I know you won't believe this, but I never practiced these. Down to the left...easy recovery. Up to the right and stall buzzer..Easy recovery!
Now I am feeling like I might be OK, but I could tell the stress of the whole thing was wearing me away from my "A" game.
"Take me 270 and keep 2000".
Now the weather has dropped more. I can see it out the corner of my eyes with the foggles on. It is bumpy as hell and I am focused on
270 2000
270 2000
270 2000
"Go ahead and take me to the Waco VOR".
Darn I need my map for that because it is not a VOR I know. Turning radio dials, tuning a VOR. HEY! He is trying to distract me! I'll be damned if he is!
270 2000
270 2000
270 2000
"Uh yeah. Go ahead and take me to the Waco VOR"
Huh? I got the VOR tune in. The needle is slowly moving right. Hey get back to staying focused!
270 2000
270 2000
"Ok you did the first part right"
CRAP! You gotta turn to the course you tuned in you knothead! I was so dang focused on that course I started to obliviate.
OK with that little faux paux out of the way and turned to the VOR, I am reliquished from intrument world.
Wow...it is looking crappy out.
"Lets' get back to PWG" He says.
I know the area so I turn right to it. Got about a 5 minute flight to the pattern.
I relax a little in what will be my only actual cruise phase and notice out of the corner of my eye he is checking off lots' of things. Nothing but checks. Is this good?

Finally on Final
Into PWG, ceilings dropping, light precip, a dark horizon coming our way, bumpy....
I did a soft-field landing quite well.
Slip to a landing. Apparently my instruction was a bit off: You DO NOT fly at pattern altitude to short final and slip down. Slips are for normal approach no flap landings NOT because you were not paying attention and got high. I wondered why he was looking at me funny as I flew through base to final at 1000AGL. I slipped down anway and landed, noting that I was confident I could make a normal landing or I would go around.
Final Landing - Do a NORMAL no flap landing, slip if you need to. He told me he had just watched me execute a flawless Slip, but wanted to see it in the right context.
Alrighty then....power back at the numbers, pitch for 70, 500 AGL on final. Slip to get down from there and keep approach speed. Nailed it.

And that was it. Thank god too because I was mentally drained and my shirt was soaking wet from the hot humid weather....I think it was the weather anyway

We taxied in........

And I got the handshake!

And now for the podium speech:

I'd like to thank everyone here at Jetcareers for the advice they have given or experiences they have shared that helped me prepare for this.

I'd also like to thank that really annoying guy by the last name of King, for scaring the study into me by watching his 2-DVD PPL Checkride course, and for the tabs in the FAR idea.

Finally, thanks for reading the novel if you got this far. Truly, I hope it helps someone down the road.

OK.....So 30 hours of logged "vacation" flying: Some XC trips with family and friends. Then, it is right into "Load's IFR Progress".

[Captain_Bob]

WooHoo!!! Congratulations!!!

Thanks for writing it down for others to see!!

Sounds like it's a day you will never... never... forget!

Bob

[Chewie von Nubbins]

Congrats brother! I told you that you were going to knock the socks off of the guy. Inducing a spin and then recovering from it (well, even though it wasn't a full-fledged spin) is a pretty nice cherry on top of the cake. If I were you, I would use this same guy for all of your checkrides. I am certain that he is impressed with your mad skillz.

Again, good job. Now let's start sharing some IR stories.

[killbilly]

Well done, brother. Well done.

I'm very happy for you.

[umd81]

Congrats!

Also, thanks for keeping a journal of all this. I'll be following your footsteps in a few months.

[ASpilot2be]

Congrats

[cignaguy]

Congrats! I'll hopefully be finishing up in July and have the same result as you! Thanks for all of the posting!

[sdfcvoh]

Good for you!

[ClearedForOption]

Congrats LM!!!

From a former LM to another it's great to see another moving up from the rack towards the right seat. (The hardest part is to overcome the natural reaction of your body... when you go wheels up that it's time to take a nap. Bad to do when you are one flying the plane)

The PPL is the hardest license to earn - they get easier from here till you get in to your 1st 121 training situation. Have fun with your license and try to go some interesting places (make little mini-missions out of the flights, take friends and family) when you are time building up to your 250. Don't just always think that you have to practice maneuvers. It makes it a whole heck of alot of fun rather than going to the same place over and over again and doing the same things over and over again. (and you actually end up learning more)

[FutrLftSeat82]

HUGE CONGRATS!! The write up was more exciting to me, than a lot of the "already there" type stories, for fact that I'm following closely in your foot steps and will get my turn soon. Seems more interesting to relate to someone semi-close to the same level (PPL) as yourself! Thanks for the intriguing write up...I'll see if I can't do something similar when it's my turn. A++! And again...congratulations!! Have fun with it!!