SDFCVOH's Flight training thread.

[skidz]

That's awesome Scott, looks like everything is working out great for you.

[sdfcvoh]

holy poo batman. its been forever since i posted. here goes....

i 've decided to become a monk, living off wild herbs in outer mongolia, and have therefor stopped flying. we don't have much access to the internet here at the monkery. just kidding!

okay. seriously, i've been flying a ton. we had some problems with the school i'm training with getting a plane (complex that is) that works for all the commercial maneuvers, and because of that, several of us were on standby trying to learn commercial maneuvers in a non-complex aircraft. eventually the school got us the complex, but they neglected to tell us that the plane they were sending hadn't completed its engine break-in period, so we still couldn't do all the needed maneuvers. long story short - we're finally able to do those now. long story longer, thanks a ton to this place for sending us a plane that we could "break in" for them on our dollars while only performing a minimal amount of maneuvers. okay - back to positive... i'll wait to rag on this place properly once i'm done with my training.

i passed my commercial written back before xmas. that test was a bear for me, but i passed, and its done.

i took several long and cool flights to get up to the 250hrs required for the commercial cert., and this week i've been preparing for my checkride which is scheduled on monday.

commercial maneuvers are a blast. of course as a private, we've all put a plane through its paces. but, the commercial maneuvers allow us to do that on purpose with an FAA check airman in hock. sweet! some of the maneuvers; lazy eights, chandelles, are pretty boring. but power off 180's, steeper steep turns, and steep spirals into emergency landings are more fun than naked coed twister.

right now i'm finishing up studying for the oral portion of the test monday, and hoping that i don't do anything really really dumb on monday, either. until then..... thanks for reading!

[sdfcvoh]

Today was a great day. Actually, monday and today were both great days.

On monday, I took the verbal (i can't bring myself to say "oral") portion of my commercial check, and I've got to say that this is the most prepared I've felt to date for the oral (dang i said it!) part. A lot of the stuff thats just memorized for the private, like airspace, have finally clicked, and they aren't hard to remember - its like when another language finally kicks in (for those of you who've lived abroad) and you stop translating and it just rolls out. So, that portion went great.

The weather, although, wasn't great! and instead of going through with a checkride in winds gusting to 35kts, we decided to wait until today. the weather in tucson the last week has been a bit unnormal, and i've actually spent the days practicing most of my commercial maneuvers in 35kts gusting winds! but I was happy to pass on them for the ride.

anyhoo, this morning i met with the examiner, and we went out for the ride. i don't know why, but i have felt extremely flustered the last two times i've had checkrides. maybe its normal, but i thought i was really rough. most of the maneuvers were smooth, but i really felt like i could do a couple of them better. but, i kept them within pts, and that is the real decider i guess!

so..... commercial handshake, baby! i'm excited. left the school with books to start studying for my CFI course. i am REALLY looking forward to being done with the CFI course. i've been dreading that checkout since the first time i heard about it! but, all of that said, i'm excited about learning even more, and really can't wait until i'm able to pass the controls off to students. the thought of instructing really gets me grinning.

almost there! thanks for reading ...

[skidz]

Dangit Scott, you're killing me Anyway...congratulations!
And don't worry about saying "oral" it's just your inner gay rebelling against the FAA terminology.

[sdfcvoh]

Originally Posted by skidz

don't worry about saying "oral" it's just your inner gay rebelling against the FAA terminology.

so THAT'S why most pilots are men .

[skidz]

Originally Posted by sdfcvoh

so THAT'S why most pilots are men .

Don't worry Scott, It's all gonna change one day when female activists decide to point out how that term is actually sexist and derogatory to female pilots
FAA is going down baby

[Stinger]

Dude, going from 0 time all the way to starting the CFI course in 5 months is unbelievable!!! Keep it up.

[sdfcvoh]

Over a MONTH! since my last post.... Just to update:

I haven't flown in over a month now. The school (CFII in 4 months!!!!!) which I started in July is dragging their feet getting me started on my CFI course stating lack of instructors. I've spent the last month studying alone for it, but I'm at the point that I really am mentally done with that, and craving some structured classroom question/answer sessions....

I decided about a month ago to get some legal advice on the situation, and it looks like it would go my way if we pressed them. As many of you may have read, a recent lawsuit brought against IATA in Tucson has been in the news. I am not attending that school. But that lawsuit will set a legal precedent for the rest of us who have been on the short end of false advertising and more. If that goes in the direction it appears it will, for the plaintiffs, I think some of the executive board members and owners of these flight schools will be getting a rude awakening. I plan to be one of the first in line....

I promise that the remainder of posts in this thread will be more positive and include mention of flight time!

[bunghole]

Keep up the good work mang! Ohhh....to kill time look up some ground school programs at a community college. They may have some inexpensive ground trainers for you to use.

[GalaxyIFE]

Dude you are rocking through the training! Good job on the posts too...it has been an interesting read. Good luck on getting started on the CFI stuff, I know you have hated "being grounded"

[LoadMasterC141]

You are really kicking some butt dude! Congrats!

I have not flown in around 2.5 weeks. Feels like forever. Gonna go up and do some commercial maneuvers in a week.

Sorry to hear about the school dragging.

[sdfcvoh]

Thanks a ton for the PM's some of you sent and posts of support after my last post. This place does feel like home.....

Decided to go ahead and call up CATS at the last minute to take my FOI today. It went well - so that's passed.

[sdfcvoh]

FIA passed!

After spending some serious time studying at home over the last couple weeks, I took my FIA this morning.... and passed!

Looking forward to climbing into the right seat for some training for the CFI now. Woohoo!

[sdfcvoh]

Another bit of time between posts, and I felt it was a good time to do a short update:

I was lucky enough that the original place I was training decided that it would be better to release me from my training contract, and have been training with a new CFI in preparation for the biggie checkout. It was a gift from the gods. It is truly amazing what training with a "real" CFI is like.

Basically the last 2 months+ has been nothing but studying, preparing for both the written's (passed!) and now getting ready for the great, unknown, CFI checkout at the FSDO. The more I learn with my new CFI, the more I realize just how wrong it was to think I could squeeze through a "pilot factory" as a safe, knowledgeable pilot. FBO it, dude and ladies, otherwise be careful.

I am enjoying this portion of my learning curve. Getting deeper into the reasons that I have memorized "xyz" and starting to work on lesson plans, instructional theory, getting deep into aerodynamics, etc. As those of you who have made this journey know, this portion is quite a challenge. I've got to add that this is a labor of love, and I feel renewed and rejuvenated each time I take home a new true understanding (or should I say, "correlation?!") of subject matter that before I only knew as words from a book.

I do believe that I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel (at least for the very start of my airplane career.)

[tarfin]

Appreciate reading through your ups and downs. I'm considering a mid-life career change and am at the gathering information stage. I'm curious though as I must have missed it....which school were you attending that couldn't live up to their end of the contract?

Regards,
Tim

[sdfcvoh]

PM sent...

Originally Posted by tarfin

Appreciate reading through your ups and downs. I'm considering a mid-life career change and am at the gathering information stage. I'm curious though as I must have missed it....which school were you attending that couldn't live up to their end of the contract?

Regards,
Tim

[number_twelve]

Dude, I could really use your help. I'm really hoping to move to Tucson in July or August to find work as a CFI. I'm really starting to wonder though, are there any reputable places to find work in that area????? Would it be worth it to relocate there just for a CFI gig???

I'd appreciate your help.

[sdfcvoh]

Originally Posted by number_twelve

Dude, I could really use your help. I'm really hoping to move to Tucson in July or August to find work as a CFI. I'm really starting to wonder though, are there any reputable places to find work in that area????? Would it be worth it to relocate there just for a CFI gig???

I'd appreciate your help.

There are a few FBO type schools in the area. I would recommend taking a look in Phoenix, also. If you are looking for FBO work, I think Tucson is a good choice. But, if you are thinking about trying to work for a larger school, you really should take a look at Phoenix. Not to mention, Phoenix has about a dozen airports.... More FBO's, too.

I'm hoping to stay in Tucson to do the more one-on-one FBO style setup. But you can probably build more hours in Phoenix.

Good luck! PM me if you have any other questions.... Both Phoenix and Tucson are awesome towns. Plus, since Doug and Kristie live in Phoenix I think they'll buy you dinner if you show up at their door.

Knock Knock !!!

[number_twelve]

Well, a large flight school would be nice. I had my hopes up when I stumbled across IATA, but then found out how the owners are and heard different stories from past instructors, so I'm not so sure about them. They do want my resume, and say they're willing to hire me with just a commercial rating. Then train me for the CFI with $2500 towards rental costs. Sounds very enticing, but I'm not sold on it. If they're so short of instructors, how long would they take to "work" me into their schedule??? 2, 3 months??

Now, if instructors at the FBO's make decent money, say similar to the big schools of somewhere between 35k and 40K, I'd be game for that too. Gotta pay bills while building time, you know!

[sdfcvoh]

Just be careful about anyone who wants you to sign a training contract. No one who has a worthwhile product needs to tie you down. A school should be good enough to just know you wont want to leave.

Also, no upfront paying. Ditto the reason above. Anyone with a worthwhile product will be happy to let you will pay them as you go. They know you're not going to go anywhere else, since they will provide you with quality.

Originally Posted by number_twelve

Well, a large flight school would be nice. I had my hopes up when I stumbled across IATA, but then found out how the owners are and heard different stories from past instructors, so I'm not so sure about them. They do want my resume, and say they're willing to hire me with just a commercial rating. Then train me for the CFI with $2500 towards rental costs. Sounds very enticing, but I'm not sold on it. If they're so short of instructors, how long would they take to "work" me into their schedule??? 2, 3 months??

Now, if instructors at the FBO's make decent money, say similar to the big schools of somewhere between 35k and 40K, I'd be game for that too. Gotta pay bills while building time, you know!

[sdfcvoh]

Looking back, I really intended to post more regularly as I proceeded throughout this process. I remember a quote from one of the other members here that was along the lines of, "like a virgin getting his first piece..." and honestly I have to admit that the reality of that has sunk in over the past 10 months.....

In the beginning those first flights were like magic. The amazing feeling of soaring in the sky, accompanied with the knowledge that I was living some dream life I'd only been able to see other people doing before was more powerful than a drug. I don't want to make it seem like flying became anything less than the amazing feeling and experience it is every single time that you go wheels up.... but I would be amiss to not acknowledge that we do, as pilots, become creatures of habit when we get used to flying.

That said, we all know that the experience of flying is like no other. Throttling up on the runway once we're cleared, climbing away from the earth, soaring with the birds, and ultimately coming back to touch the ground again. What a gift we have to be able to experience flight!

What I guess I'm getting at here is simply that although I've betrayed my promise of keeping up with these posts over the last few weeks, as well as over the past several months, the fever for flight has never left me.

(Eventually you knew I'd get to the update!)

I've been busy and quite a studious dude recently. Studying and preparing to become a CFI is quite the responsibility. Of course, its easy to gain the rote knowledge required for most certs... but that said... why would anyone do that in order to become a teacher? Its that question which prompted me several months ago to start looking toward better ways to learn more than I was afforded within the confines of the place I'd originally decided to train.

So as far as a general update, I am preparing full time to become a CFI. I can't WAIT to have that title. But, I also feel I owe it to my future students to be as prepared as reasonably feasible in order to take on that great responsibility. I hope that I can finish out this task of becoming a CFI before June gets rolling. At least that is my goal.

Thanks for reading! Sorry it wasn't more exciting the last few months