We had quite a feast this morning; everyone slept in, then wandered down and started working on the Brunch to end Brunches. Homemade waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy, fruit, etc. We weren't hungry for dinner until after 7 pm and I didn't even catch Kaylee snacking, and that's unusual for her. ;) After everyone had an hour to digest or so, we all gathered around and opened gifts after Tanner read the Christmas story from the Bible. Even Boomer the dog got a gift, although I think the cats were all out of luck. I see Kaylee every once in awhile as she races by, and this morning she stopped in my room long enough to snuggle and talk for a few minutes before she was back on her mission of playing.
Tonight after dinner, Lon & Cathy took Steve and I to a concert in Franklin for New Year's Eve. If the Nashville area knows how to do one thing, it's music. The concert started at 9:30 with a new, small group just putting their 2nd record out. Young kids, two brothers and two sisters together. One of the singer sisters graduated with my niece Alonna, and they're not doing too bad, as an opening act at the Live Theater of Franklin. :) The main act was Mike Farris, a rock, blues, traditional gospel and soul singer. He's got three African-American backup singers, several guitarists, a sax player, a trumpet player, a drummer and a keyboard player, and these guys are good. I mean, that guy can SING, and he brings a whole lot of energy to every song. When we first got there at 9:30, midnight seemed a long way away, but the time just flew by, and before you knew it we were getting our free glass of champagne and counting down to the new year with the band on stage. It was a great concert, and my ears were ringing by the time we left. There was so much energy that it's 3 a.m. my time and we're mostly all still awake and going from it. Pretty neat, and a better way to spend New Year's Eve than watching Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve. ;)
Again, I have photos, but it'll have to wait until we get back.
Hope you all had the enjoyable New Year's Eve of your choice. :)
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
New Year's Eve Eve
It was one of those days that are mentally a little tiring even if physically you aren't doing much. I was up at 6 a.m., looked at the weather and saw the Dreaded Dragon of Winter Flying--ice, and lots of it. I spent so much time trying to find the right path and the right altitude to get to St. Louis that I was almost late to the airport. It was dark and lightly raining and plenty windy, cloudy and turbulent. Not a real pretty morning, but doable. I stayed low for awhile to stay out of the ice, and once I passed a front I climbed on up and above the mess. We watched the sun rise over the cloud deck, and had a nice smooth flight for awhile there. About 2/3 of the way there, approach called and told me there was an area of moderate to severe precip right in front of us that we were aimed right at. I pulled up radar, and I didn't see any such thing. I told him I had radar and we were okay for now. Ten minutes later he gives me another update and says "You're headed right for it, extreme precip." I look again and I've got...nuthin'. I keep going a little more and he says "You'll be in it within two minutes, right off your nose." I still only have light rain showing up on my radar. Not NEXRAD, but real radar. But after all those warnings, I've decided that it can't hurt to deviate around what only he can see. I'd hate to be wrong, ya know. So I deviate to the north, run into the light rain I can see on my radar, and see nothing else. Finally he tells me I'm clear, so I turn back on course, and my right-seater said "I don't think anything was there." Me neither, but if a controller is that insistent, he's trying to be helpful, and like I said, I'd hate to be wrong. It was a gusty, turbulent crosswind landing in, 50 degrees off, 12 knot gust factor up to 30 knots. I had been acting like a flight attendant throughout the flight, making announcements of weather, seat belts, outside views, etc. After I landed, fortunately making it a rather nice one somehow, the guy to my right said "And ladies and gentleman, that was not as easy as it looked." Made me laugh.
I was on the ground until about 3 pm, and I spent the time messing with the weather again. The icing was actually getting worse throughout the day, not better. There was rain along the route and hovering over Kokomo, and that rain was turning into moderate ice/freezing rain/SLD up at altitudes. I was trying to find a path of appropriate altitudes again. I could get out of St. Louis, but getting down out of altitude by Kokomo was posing a problem. Finally I had a plan, and it got a little better when it was time to depart. As we took off out of St. Louis, the controller said "Be advised that we've had reports of severe to extreme turbulence between such and such altitudes." Oh, that's fantastic. ;) Fortunately, while it was indeed pretty bumpy, we never hit any of that severe or extreme. A nice ride home was followed by an ILS back into Kokomo. I stayed high until close in, then pretty much dropped down through the icing layers asap, got down quickly into the warmer air and had a nice uneventful 30 knot gusting landing again.
Got the fuel truck out there, topped off, refiled, and was on my way to Tennessee. I got into a little bit more weather on the way south, even at 12,000', but soon the clouds fell away and the sun was going down right out my windshield on top of the cloud deck. I watched both the sun rise and the sun set above a cloud deck from the seat of the twin cessna. Kind of a long day, but now and then the view was pretty nice. I do have some photos, but I can't post them from here, so after the new year I'll get them up.
I arrived in Tennessee in the dark, and the winds were calm and the skies were clear and it was...nice! The only out of the ordinary thing there was that approach dropped me onto the airport REALLY high. I was about 8000' up not very many miles out, they started bringing me down to three, and I canceled IFR with them, looked down at the end of my runway and thought "no way". But being alone and being me, I figured I'd see what it would do. ;) So I deployed the spoilers for the first time, which slowed me down enough for flap speed, got flaps in which slowed me enough for gear speed, got everything hanging out, finished pulling the power back, and...it dropped like a manhole cover. I was pointed down at an interesting angle, looked over and saw my airspeed was at short final speed even with the nose that far down. Cool. I had to take off the spoilers and add power back in early to get to the runway. Good to know, man--if you need to get down, that thing will go down with some serious giddy-up. Or giddy-down.
Okay, Mom, done with the flying. Lon picked me up at the airport and we met up with the family at a Texan Restaurant in town. They had a live band playing, and we had some good food and good tunes. Welcome to Nashville! There were 10 of us there, so we took up a couple of tables, and the music was so loud it vibrated through your body, making conversation more about hand gestures than words. :) It was good, we enjoyed, and it was nice to see everybody again. By the time we got back to the house, I was so wiped out that I was the first person out of 11 now to go to bed. I'm usually the last (wo)man standing at night, but I just crawled in bed, pulled the covers up, and fell asleep to the sounds of Kaylee laughing and having fun with her cousins in the room next door. Works for me...
I was on the ground until about 3 pm, and I spent the time messing with the weather again. The icing was actually getting worse throughout the day, not better. There was rain along the route and hovering over Kokomo, and that rain was turning into moderate ice/freezing rain/SLD up at altitudes. I was trying to find a path of appropriate altitudes again. I could get out of St. Louis, but getting down out of altitude by Kokomo was posing a problem. Finally I had a plan, and it got a little better when it was time to depart. As we took off out of St. Louis, the controller said "Be advised that we've had reports of severe to extreme turbulence between such and such altitudes." Oh, that's fantastic. ;) Fortunately, while it was indeed pretty bumpy, we never hit any of that severe or extreme. A nice ride home was followed by an ILS back into Kokomo. I stayed high until close in, then pretty much dropped down through the icing layers asap, got down quickly into the warmer air and had a nice uneventful 30 knot gusting landing again.
Got the fuel truck out there, topped off, refiled, and was on my way to Tennessee. I got into a little bit more weather on the way south, even at 12,000', but soon the clouds fell away and the sun was going down right out my windshield on top of the cloud deck. I watched both the sun rise and the sun set above a cloud deck from the seat of the twin cessna. Kind of a long day, but now and then the view was pretty nice. I do have some photos, but I can't post them from here, so after the new year I'll get them up.
I arrived in Tennessee in the dark, and the winds were calm and the skies were clear and it was...nice! The only out of the ordinary thing there was that approach dropped me onto the airport REALLY high. I was about 8000' up not very many miles out, they started bringing me down to three, and I canceled IFR with them, looked down at the end of my runway and thought "no way". But being alone and being me, I figured I'd see what it would do. ;) So I deployed the spoilers for the first time, which slowed me down enough for flap speed, got flaps in which slowed me enough for gear speed, got everything hanging out, finished pulling the power back, and...it dropped like a manhole cover. I was pointed down at an interesting angle, looked over and saw my airspeed was at short final speed even with the nose that far down. Cool. I had to take off the spoilers and add power back in early to get to the runway. Good to know, man--if you need to get down, that thing will go down with some serious giddy-up. Or giddy-down.
Okay, Mom, done with the flying. Lon picked me up at the airport and we met up with the family at a Texan Restaurant in town. They had a live band playing, and we had some good food and good tunes. Welcome to Nashville! There were 10 of us there, so we took up a couple of tables, and the music was so loud it vibrated through your body, making conversation more about hand gestures than words. :) It was good, we enjoyed, and it was nice to see everybody again. By the time we got back to the house, I was so wiped out that I was the first person out of 11 now to go to bed. I'm usually the last (wo)man standing at night, but I just crawled in bed, pulled the covers up, and fell asleep to the sounds of Kaylee laughing and having fun with her cousins in the room next door. Works for me...
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Round Two
So, today was the beginning of Christmas II, at least for some of us. :) We took the RG down to Tennessee just after lunch, and had a nice, smooth, sunny flight. I dropped off the family, then turned around and flew back home, arriving just as the sun was getting low. 4.7 hours total time for today, but it was a relaxing flight. Kaylee sat in the back and sang songs or played with her Kindle or half-napped. On the way home, I didn't have my iPod, and the 396 in the plane (with XM tunes) isn't working, and I didn't have headphones with me to listen on my phone, so I pulled up the iPad to read a book. Unfortunately it wouldn't upload the little book I'd gotten the other night (mental note to self-do that on the ground first). So I pulled out my phone and opened the Kindle app on IT, where I'd already uploaded the book the other night. Success. Stephen King had a little short novel made for Kindle only that I'd just gotten for $2, so I read that one on the way home (yes, while monitoring the airplane, weather, radio and traffic). I finished it up just as I was ready to come down on the other side of Indianapolis to land. Nice timing. ;) I took quite a few photos, because it was nice to be in such a pretty, sunny day. I got a little Vitamin D today, and I liked it.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Potpourri
I have a purchase coming that originally wasn't going to be delivered until mid-January, so I quit thinking about it. Then, at 1:27 p.m. on Tuesday I got an email that it was shipped, along with tracking info. Of course I attempt to see what the delivery date should be, only to be foiled by "No Information Available At This Time." Finally, late last night, it said "A label was created for this package, the shipping info will be updated blah blah." So now it's Wednesday night, and there's STILL no info on my package, when it should be delivered, nothing. Even worse, I am supposed to leave town Thursday and not be back until Monday or Tuesday. Don't you hate that? ;)
Speaking of "hating that", Kaylee has been reading books on her Kindle quite voraciously. She is currently reading a "Warrior Cats" series, and finished up Book 5 last night, and asked about getting Book 6. We said okay, so she's standing there and she reads off "It doesn't say 'Buy Now', it just says 'Pre-Order'." Both Steve and I said "Uh-oh." Then she read off "Release date April 10, 2012. What does that mean?" And Steve and I said "Uh-oh" again, right before getting to tell her that she is going to have to wait four months in order to read about the Big Battle that they have built up for the last five books. She was...furious. And I don't blame her! I can't stand that either. In fact, I quit reading the Stephen King series where he'd release one book every several months to a year, like the "Dark Tower" and the "Green Mile" series, because I couldn't stand it either. I just waited until they were all out, and then read them at once. So, Kaylee got introducted to the downside of bookworm reading--outreading your favorite author's production rates. ;)
I bought a $2 Stephen King book made only for Kindle that I'm going to read tonight. It's not the same as holding a book, but it sure takes up a lot less room in the house, and is cheaper, too. Yes, even counting the cost of the e-reader device. Do you know how many books we get around here typically? Wait...did I say "we". Er, "me"...
Flew (rode) for the first time in quite awhile (for me) today, got in a whopping .6 in the 172. Nice smooth day. Gave me the itch. I have so much to work on, and so little 100LL in which to do it. ;) Aerobatics proficiency in the Super D, making sure everything still feels good in the Six, going up and getting some maneuvers and practice in on the 340 (I want do some stalls, some single engine stuff-simulated probably so as to not be too hard on it-, a couple tols, and do an approach or two without my main PDF to see how that would go and what I'd use/look at the most should that occur, etc.). I may have a trip Friday, and if I do, the plane will have three other passengers, so I guess I won't start in on stalls, single-engine stuff and avionics "failures" with them along, considering I'd like them to get back in the plane with me. ;) But soon...
Kaylee & Steve had a little Nerf Gun Shoot-out last night. There are two vests in there where the "bullets" will stick to it if they hit it. So they put that up on the couch to start with and did some target practice, which degenerated a little bit into aiming at my feet. About 40 rounds worth. *sigh* ;)
Well, it's been a good break, a good few days off and nice to regenerate a little bit. Looking forward to a few days in a warmer climate, too...
Speaking of "hating that", Kaylee has been reading books on her Kindle quite voraciously. She is currently reading a "Warrior Cats" series, and finished up Book 5 last night, and asked about getting Book 6. We said okay, so she's standing there and she reads off "It doesn't say 'Buy Now', it just says 'Pre-Order'." Both Steve and I said "Uh-oh." Then she read off "Release date April 10, 2012. What does that mean?" And Steve and I said "Uh-oh" again, right before getting to tell her that she is going to have to wait four months in order to read about the Big Battle that they have built up for the last five books. She was...furious. And I don't blame her! I can't stand that either. In fact, I quit reading the Stephen King series where he'd release one book every several months to a year, like the "Dark Tower" and the "Green Mile" series, because I couldn't stand it either. I just waited until they were all out, and then read them at once. So, Kaylee got introducted to the downside of bookworm reading--outreading your favorite author's production rates. ;)
I bought a $2 Stephen King book made only for Kindle that I'm going to read tonight. It's not the same as holding a book, but it sure takes up a lot less room in the house, and is cheaper, too. Yes, even counting the cost of the e-reader device. Do you know how many books we get around here typically? Wait...did I say "we". Er, "me"...
Flew (rode) for the first time in quite awhile (for me) today, got in a whopping .6 in the 172. Nice smooth day. Gave me the itch. I have so much to work on, and so little 100LL in which to do it. ;) Aerobatics proficiency in the Super D, making sure everything still feels good in the Six, going up and getting some maneuvers and practice in on the 340 (I want do some stalls, some single engine stuff-simulated probably so as to not be too hard on it-, a couple tols, and do an approach or two without my main PDF to see how that would go and what I'd use/look at the most should that occur, etc.). I may have a trip Friday, and if I do, the plane will have three other passengers, so I guess I won't start in on stalls, single-engine stuff and avionics "failures" with them along, considering I'd like them to get back in the plane with me. ;) But soon...
Kaylee & Steve had a little Nerf Gun Shoot-out last night. There are two vests in there where the "bullets" will stick to it if they hit it. So they put that up on the couch to start with and did some target practice, which degenerated a little bit into aiming at my feet. About 40 rounds worth. *sigh* ;)
Well, it's been a good break, a good few days off and nice to regenerate a little bit. Looking forward to a few days in a warmer climate, too...
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
The Day After
Everyone slept in this morning, and awoke to a light snow falling. The dryer is running, and every once in awhile you hear someone cough or turn a page or hit a computer key, but the house is quiet, and still, and peaceful, with snow drifting past the windows. Steve's working quietly from home, and Kaylee is halfway through her second book on the Kindle. She declared that it's a little harder to get "into" the book on there as opposed to having a real book in your hands, something I noticed when I tried reading a book off the Kindle app on my laptop, but that may get easier the more you do it. She's still hooked on it. She's looking forward to taking her Nerf guns out for a spin soon with a friend, and she wants to play a game of Yahtzee too...but maybe after she reads this book...
Monday, December 26, 2011
Christmas
There is something soothing about having what is a "typical" Christmas. Being woken up on Christmas morning by my daughter in her pink sparkly flannel snowflake pajamas and her red Santa hat, clutching Deenie, kissing me on the cheek and saying "Wake up--it's Christmas, Mama!" is a pretty great way to start a day. Originally we had talked about having a big breakfast before we opened presents, and Kaylee claimed not to care one way or the other, but once she woke up Christmas morning and saw stuff in a stocking and several new gifts under the tree, her 10-year-old self won out and it was "on".
Kaylee likes to hand out gifts, and she made sure everybody else had opened one before she took one of her own. We told her which ones of hers to open in what order so that we could save the big gift we'd gotten for her until the end, and we thoroughly enjoyed her face as she opened her presents. The last present she opened was a Kindle Fire, which I stayed up until 2 a.m. the night before charging, setting it up with an Amazon and Kindle account, setting up her Facebook page, a Pandora account, all that fun stuff for her so it would be ready for her to play right away. I'm not sure she's fully enjoyed the scope of her other gifts yet as she's pretty much focused on this one right now. In fact, right now she is reading a "Warrior Cats" book on it, and we've lost her. ;)
We followed gifts with breakfast that Steve whipped up of cheesy eggs, biscuits and gravy, hashbrowns, OJ, and bacon (extra crispy, just the way I like it). The day passed as holidays do, hanging around, eating, drinking, talking, playing, napping, relaxing. We finished off Christmas Day watching a football game until 11:30 p.m., then watching "Cowboys and Aliens" until almost 2 a.m. (Not Kaylee). What? Isn't that a normal Christmas? :)
I would post a few pictures, but my new computer doesn't have Photoshop on it yet. Soon. I didn't take a lot of photos so far this Christmas, but I'll work on getting the ones I do have up as soon as I can...
Mom & Ernie took off this afternoon, Kaylee's reading, I'm listening to music and working on organizing my photos and other files on the new computer, and all is right with the world. God bless us, every one. :)
Saturday, December 24, 2011
The Eve
Kaylee made pancakes for all of us this morning, doing the mixing, measuring, cooking and flipping, even adding chocolate chips for us ladies. She's getting pretty good. :)
We went out to the airport for a few minutes, showed Mom & Ernie the 340, thought about taking it up for lunch, but the main suspects of fly-in lunches were closed, and while taking it out just to fly around locally for a minute was tempting, it just didn't push far enough into the interest level to get done. So we hung out for a little while before going to Grindstone Charlie's for lunch and stopping at Lowe's to pick up some quick things for the house.
When we got back, I immediately turned around and headed back out to get a few last minute things for a stocking. The stores were surprisingly not all that bad. Of course I avoided Wal-Mart like the plague, but where I did go was fine. The shelves were pretty bare too. :) I got back around 5 or 6, and we started fixing a big dinner with a whole filet and the works. Got done with dinner and got it all cleaned up, and Mom, me and Kaylee made a few Christmas cookies, decorated them, all that good stuff. She wasn't happy at the thought of using someone else's cookies to leave out for Santa, and I know how breaking tradition is hard for her, so I just had a small batch of dough and did about 10 cookies. Got that cleaned up and got the kiddo to bed, late, and it was time to wrap a few presents and get the stockings stuffed. I even got the cats something, because I knew Kaylee would be sad if I, er, Santa, forgot. I had gotten all the way home today before realizing I had forgotten the cats, so I drove past my driveway and went right back out into the mayhem to get two cats some mice and cat nip. And they won't even appreciate it. ;) But Kaylee will at least..
She's funny--she knows we are Santa, but she still wants to play. She still puts Deenie out, knowing I move her. She still sprinkles her with Deenie Dust. She still wrote a letter to Santa and insisted on putting cookies and milk out. She knows it's me writing a letter back to her, and that the stocking is from us. But for this year anyway, she still wants to play along. Even after having flat out told us she's quite aware of the whole Santa thing. I don't understand that too much, but I'm okay with it. She's our only child, and this is probably the last year Christmas will be quite like that. If she wants to go with it, then she can by george go with it, and we'll go with it too. Her presents are wrapped, her gift from Santa has a pretty bow and tag, and she'll be a happy kid tomorrow. :)
Meanwhile, my desktop computer took a full-on dive, and was DOA several days ago. Fortunately I have this laptop to work off of, and in the meantime Steve had a computer built up for us. It's pretty impressive, actually, and he just brought it home yesterday and started setting it up. Tonight he got my email set up over there, and is busy organizing files and folders and how to back it up and making photos play on the tv with music and all that fun stuff. It's nice to not see a big red bar on my hard drive telling me I'm Out Of Space every time I go to save off some photos. I take too many pictures--but I'm not going to quit anytime soon. ;)
Well, it's 2 a.m., and I'm a little wound up, but need to get to bed. Kaylee had a great day of playing, we got a lot done, and tomorrow it's show time.
Merry Christmas. :)
Friday, December 23, 2011
Christmas Eve Eve
Woke up with a headache that took me until evening to kick, taking me off my game a little today, but finally after dinner it went away. This morning three of us went over to Illinois, and brought home the 340. Got back from that and went around the pattern a few times in the RG, grabbed some lunch and made it to a couple places I needed to go, then came home and crawled in bed to try to beat the headache. Kaylee was out with Steve and playing with the kids at the airport. Around 5, Mom & Ernie made it in, I ordered in pizza for dinner, and we're almost ready for the holidays. :)
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Crunch
It's been crunch time. Worked around the house this morning, flew after lunch for an hour in the 172, and then....a whole lot of shopping. I got food, I got cleaning supplies, more food, some Christmas presents, glitter for Kaylee's project, dinner, I hit five different stores. I was supposed to hit Lowe's too, but I ran out of steam and still had to come home, unload everything, and work on some things in the house.
I have some presents to wrap, another present or two to think of and go get, and tomorrow I'm going to Illinois (and back, of course).
I had gotten some stocking stuffers for Kaylee tonight--I found and hid most of them, but she found the little candy things I had gotten for her and was squealing and opening them, and I couldn't very well say "Those are for your stocking!" So...now I have to come up with something more. Bugger. ;)
Steve was up working on a computer problem until 4 a.m. His phone went off just after 6 a.m. with more computer problems. So he got less than two hours of sleep last night, and has declared he is too old for that. He's still up now, at 11:30 p.m., cleaning up things, organizing things, and trying to get stuff ready on the work and home front...
Oh--and my mom is only 58, not 59. I am a year off, and she is still a young chick. ;)
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Short -n- Sweet
I am surprised at how few things hurt on me today. Two hours of exercise and one impressive wipe-out later and I'm not doing bad at all. ;)
Our main computer is completely fried, and we're going to have to start from scratch, basically. Not scratch as in "lose everything on it", though, at least. It's a hassle, but this computer has lasted us a long time, and when it's all said and done, we'll be in good shape.
Got a lot done today, both work and personal. Still not caught up, but working on it. Except for tonight, when I am not doing anything of any importance at all, because I don't feel like it. ;)
So, for an exercise in ideas: this March I turn 40, and my mom turns 60. Maybe we ought to do a photo together like we did when I hit 21 and she was 40, a different set of milestones. :) But what do you think I ought to do to end the 30s? Anything interesting, an adventure of some sort to kick off the 40s? A present to get myself? What? Or shall we just roll past it like any other day, which it is? Maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to do something different and that's as good as any. ;)
Monday, December 19, 2011
Rollin'
It was a little busy today, and it feels good to sit down. The weather was supposed to just get worse as the day went on, and we had two airplanes to retrieve/drop off. We had one plane stranded down in southern Indiana, and I needed to get the 340 to Illinois, before the weather moved in. So Steve C. and Bryce took off in a 172 to go fetch the other 172, Trey took off in the RG, and Dustin and I took off in the 340, all about at the same time this morning. They headed south, we headed northwest.
I had 2.3 hours of flight time today, and nothing went wrong. My faith in aviation is almost restored. ;)
When we got back to Kokomo, Dustin and I shot several instrument approaches. I stopped to get some food around 4 pm, because I hadn't eaten since the night before, picked up Kaylee at the house, took her to get a birthday card, and drove her an hour away to Marion to attend a skate party for a boy in her class.
Kaylee's friends were faster skaters than she was, so she was left holding onto the railing and basically walking around the rink. That will never do, so I went out and rented some skates too, and went out on the rink to teach her, help her out, and make sure she was having fun too. You should have seen her face when she saw me strapping on skates. One girl said "Is that your MOM?" Heh. I was quite a skater when I was a kid, only I had metal skates with a key most of my childhood, and I'd go up and down my driveway forever, or out on the street, you know, places where a wrongly placed pebble would give you good road rash. When I moved up to rinks, they were so fast I felt like I was flying. I loved it. Well, that was a "few" years ago. I was a little wobbly to start, but it didn't take long to come back, and pretty soon I was flying around the rink again, crossing over your feet in the turns, and I was having fun too. Mostly I'd skate with Kaylee, give her pointers, give her someone to skate with until she caught on. Once she got going, she'd hook up with a friend and skate around with them, and I'd go off and do a few laps on my own. Then she might fall, or be alone, so I'd go skate with her some more until her friends got back around. She had a blast, and was picking it up pretty well. Me, I was one of a few women my age there on the rink, and it made me smile, because we were obviously 80s ladies who were former "skaters", skating circles around the kids out there, even the teens. We grew up with this stuff, man.
I only wiped out once, but that once was a reminder that I'm not 16 any more; I'm pretty sure I heard something snap inside my neck/skull, and I'm also pretty sure I felt the earth move. Or I made the earth move. I tried to get fancy and spin around and skate backwards. I landed on my elbow and hip with enough force to twist the ole back and snap my head back too. I hopped right back up and pretended like it didn't hurt so those little punks wouldn't have a chance to laugh at the 39-year-old chubby chick on her butt on the floor, but it was a decidedly solid strike and left a mark or two. I decided that backwards thing needed to come with practice, including padding on a few places, and that I would stick with going fast and smooth, frontwards. ;)
We didn't get home until 9 pm or so, which kind of starts a school night late when you have homework and stuff, but it was worth it--she had such a great time...
I had 2.3 hours of flight time today, and nothing went wrong. My faith in aviation is almost restored. ;)
When we got back to Kokomo, Dustin and I shot several instrument approaches. I stopped to get some food around 4 pm, because I hadn't eaten since the night before, picked up Kaylee at the house, took her to get a birthday card, and drove her an hour away to Marion to attend a skate party for a boy in her class.
Kaylee's friends were faster skaters than she was, so she was left holding onto the railing and basically walking around the rink. That will never do, so I went out and rented some skates too, and went out on the rink to teach her, help her out, and make sure she was having fun too. You should have seen her face when she saw me strapping on skates. One girl said "Is that your MOM?" Heh. I was quite a skater when I was a kid, only I had metal skates with a key most of my childhood, and I'd go up and down my driveway forever, or out on the street, you know, places where a wrongly placed pebble would give you good road rash. When I moved up to rinks, they were so fast I felt like I was flying. I loved it. Well, that was a "few" years ago. I was a little wobbly to start, but it didn't take long to come back, and pretty soon I was flying around the rink again, crossing over your feet in the turns, and I was having fun too. Mostly I'd skate with Kaylee, give her pointers, give her someone to skate with until she caught on. Once she got going, she'd hook up with a friend and skate around with them, and I'd go off and do a few laps on my own. Then she might fall, or be alone, so I'd go skate with her some more until her friends got back around. She had a blast, and was picking it up pretty well. Me, I was one of a few women my age there on the rink, and it made me smile, because we were obviously 80s ladies who were former "skaters", skating circles around the kids out there, even the teens. We grew up with this stuff, man.
I only wiped out once, but that once was a reminder that I'm not 16 any more; I'm pretty sure I heard something snap inside my neck/skull, and I'm also pretty sure I felt the earth move. Or I made the earth move. I tried to get fancy and spin around and skate backwards. I landed on my elbow and hip with enough force to twist the ole back and snap my head back too. I hopped right back up and pretended like it didn't hurt so those little punks wouldn't have a chance to laugh at the 39-year-old chubby chick on her butt on the floor, but it was a decidedly solid strike and left a mark or two. I decided that backwards thing needed to come with practice, including padding on a few places, and that I would stick with going fast and smooth, frontwards. ;)
We didn't get home until 9 pm or so, which kind of starts a school night late when you have homework and stuff, but it was worth it--she had such a great time...
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Sisyphus
I wouldn't really call this a day of rest. Kaylee had to do her homework, clean up her bathroom, start in on her bedroom, and work on Christmas decorations. Steve had 3.5 hours of flight time, shooting approaches until dark, then came home to work on billing only to have our main computer give the frozen black screen of death, which he's been working on for a few hours now. And I started picking up the house, doing dishes and laundry, finishing up the tree decorations, moving boxes out, and taking two different trips out to Kokomo for various things, one of which was a total waste of a couple hours. It seems like for the last several weeks, everything has been push, push, push, every task like rolling a boulder up hill, as if every single thing you try to get accomplished is pushing hard back at you. Starting with trying to get the 340 here, checkouts, weather killing off this and that, maintenance(s), the Trip That Must Be Made. Trying to get ready for this, and that, checkride and student flights that can't be done, plans made that keep falling through left and right, going to Plan B, C, D, and E. Upcoming events that you're always two or three steps behind on. Like Thanksgiving. And programs. And birthdays. And Christmas. Then, of the last five flights I've taken in four different airplanes, something unusual and not pleasant has happened on four out of the five flights. Most of them requiring, again, Plan B and C. Who would have guessed that having your gear leg fold up under you after landing would be about the least interesting thing to happen in an airplane all week? Today was a beautiful, warmer, sunny day, and out of reflex the thought popped into my head "should go fly something", and my next thought was a dismissive "Nah". I don't feel like it. It doesn't sound fun. At all. I have had about all the aviation excitement I can stand for a little while. Won't see that too many times on this blog. ;) But enough of that.
At least the Colts won today--finally. :)
Kaylee has dug hard into the kid book series of "Left Behind". There are like 30 of the things, and she is plowing through them like nobody's business, even though it doesn't give her any "points" for her Accelerated Reading courses. While she's reading the book, she'll pull out her Bible and read the corresponding chapter in Revelations. Today she laid by me and read her Bible to us, the verses that pertain to the story she's reading now. She's fascinated by it, is asking a lot of questions, and of course is very curious about it all. It's funny, because Revelations is probably the most contested and unexplainable book of the Bible, but she's chewing on it. I remember doing the same thing as a kid--without the Left Behind series, which didn't exist, but just reading Revelations over and over and trying to get reference books and figure out what exactly was really being told. Steve and I thought it was pretty cool that she was digging into that, and told her she ought to talk to her Grandpa about it, as that's something he's spent a lot of time on as well. :)
Well, our tree is up and decorated, and I would post a picture of it, but our computer with all my photos on it is still dead in the water, so I will put it up whenever I can get to it. And just think, tomorrow is Monday. ;)
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Is Christmas Getting Close Yet?
We woke up a little slowly today, having had a busy week, a busy life lately, but once we got rolling we drove out west of Burlington to the "Cruise In Trees" to pick out our Christmas tree--since, you know, this is about the last weekend to do it and all. ;)
They drove us down to the tree lot on a wagon, and the Hunt for The Tree began. It was Kaylee's choice, and she has the hardest time picking something like that. We pointed out tree after tree and she'd just frown and keep looking. Finally she yelled "This is the one!" She was waiting for a tree to speak to her, and that tree did, something about it clicked for her, so we called over the guys with the saw, who chopped it down while we took a wagon ride back up to the shop with hot chocolate and cider waiting. They wrapped up the tree for us and took it to the Jeep, Steve strapped it down, and we brought our tree home.
A quick stop for lunch, and we went out to the airport. Steve was supposed to have lessons all day, but the weather and the fellow's schedule canceled that. So Steve, Nathan and I went into the 340, pulled out the POH, looked up a few things, tried to get the charts to work on the 500 (they couldn't either, so at least it wasn't just me. :D), and just spent some time in there pushing buttons and talking about how things worked. I was going to take Steve up flying in the 340 so he could do some real button-pushing, but 1) lower clouds, and 2) it was COLD out there. Bleh. So we just stayed in the hangar with an APU and got some stuff done.
Around 5:30 we left to go grab some dinner with a large motley crew before getting home and working on The Tree. Getting it in the house, in the stand, out of the netting, watered, lighted, and the beginnings of the ornaments put on. We hauled in a ton of boxes from the garage, and Kaylee went through and Christmas-ified the house wearing her reindeer antlers blasting Christmas tunes on the cd player. We watched a Christmas music special on TV, and the Christmas spirit hit the littlest of us. The bigger two are still working on it, but she doesn't need to know that. ;)
They drove us down to the tree lot on a wagon, and the Hunt for The Tree began. It was Kaylee's choice, and she has the hardest time picking something like that. We pointed out tree after tree and she'd just frown and keep looking. Finally she yelled "This is the one!" She was waiting for a tree to speak to her, and that tree did, something about it clicked for her, so we called over the guys with the saw, who chopped it down while we took a wagon ride back up to the shop with hot chocolate and cider waiting. They wrapped up the tree for us and took it to the Jeep, Steve strapped it down, and we brought our tree home.
A quick stop for lunch, and we went out to the airport. Steve was supposed to have lessons all day, but the weather and the fellow's schedule canceled that. So Steve, Nathan and I went into the 340, pulled out the POH, looked up a few things, tried to get the charts to work on the 500 (they couldn't either, so at least it wasn't just me. :D), and just spent some time in there pushing buttons and talking about how things worked. I was going to take Steve up flying in the 340 so he could do some real button-pushing, but 1) lower clouds, and 2) it was COLD out there. Bleh. So we just stayed in the hangar with an APU and got some stuff done.Around 5:30 we left to go grab some dinner with a large motley crew before getting home and working on The Tree. Getting it in the house, in the stand, out of the netting, watered, lighted, and the beginnings of the ornaments put on. We hauled in a ton of boxes from the garage, and Kaylee went through and Christmas-ified the house wearing her reindeer antlers blasting Christmas tunes on the cd player. We watched a Christmas music special on TV, and the Christmas spirit hit the littlest of us. The bigger two are still working on it, but she doesn't need to know that. ;)
Friday, December 16, 2011
Flyday
Yesterday we had one more mission: we had to get the C-340 back from Illinois for a trip to Michigan today. The problem was the weather. Because of Kaylee's program, we had to leave by one if we were going to make it back in time, and there was no option to not be back in time! Unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating. So the next time we could go was after Kaylee's program, and that's what I did. At 9 pm, Dustin, myself and our 3rd pilot got in the RG and went over to Illinois, just VFR under the cloud deck which had raised enough to allow us to do that. Due to some circumstances beyond our control we didn't get back to Kokomo until 1 a.m. and pushed it into the hangar, where Justin was waiting to do the upgrade on all the avionics. The charts and such had all expired on Wednesday, and with this trip this morning, I needed them updated, and this was the only time to do it. We were there until 1:30 am or so finishing that up, and finally it was time to get home. I got to bed sometime after 2 a.m., and was back up at 7 a.m. this morning, checking weather and heading right back out to the airport.
There was a layer of clouds, and it was clear and sunny above, just the way I like it on a winter day. :) This was the first official trip I'd taken the plane on beyond on a maintenance flight, and I took a picture out the window of the nice view from 17,000' somewhere over Michigan...
The trip home was at night, in a light snow shower at first until we got on top, then had a nice, quiet ride home, arriving a bit after 8 p.m. I didn't stop for dinner, I just drove home in the dark, sat on the deck for a few minutes and had a drink and hung out with a few fellows, then came inside and passed out on the couch. I woke up at 2:30 a.m., stumbled on into bed, and slept until 9:30 a.m. straight. I was beat...
There was a layer of clouds, and it was clear and sunny above, just the way I like it on a winter day. :) This was the first official trip I'd taken the plane on beyond on a maintenance flight, and I took a picture out the window of the nice view from 17,000' somewhere over Michigan...
The trip home was at night, in a light snow shower at first until we got on top, then had a nice, quiet ride home, arriving a bit after 8 p.m. I didn't stop for dinner, I just drove home in the dark, sat on the deck for a few minutes and had a drink and hung out with a few fellows, then came inside and passed out on the couch. I woke up at 2:30 a.m., stumbled on into bed, and slept until 9:30 a.m. straight. I was beat...
Thursday, December 15, 2011
School Program
Tonight was Kaylee's school Christmas program. I really enjoyed it, and was pleasantly surprised when her public school had everyone in the audience stand and sing Christian Christmas carols. They didn't try to pretend it was a vague, androgynous "holiday", they named it for what they were celebrating, "Christmas", and they said "Merry Christmas" and they sang "Silent Night" and all manner of hymnal Christmas songs. Go Eastern. You have guts to do that in this day and age.
Kaylee's program lasted just over an hour. She had a great time, wore her crazy socks that I found for her, along with a sparkly black skirt that she ended up liking (these days it's a crap shoot as to whether she'll like clothes I pick out or not--she liked this one. ;)) The program was very professional and well done, with three kid elves who "em ceed" the event, a Santa, and the works. The songs were well done, and the kids did great. So all in all, I have to give Eastern's Christmas program two thumbs up. And Kaylee's performance in it, too. ;) She did start off shy on the first song, but after that she loosened up and had fun. Steve got video and I took pictures, of course! I don't have them ready yet, I don't have a lot as she was up on stage, but I did get some. Here she is on stage, and at home on the deck in her get-up...It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. :)
Kaylee's program lasted just over an hour. She had a great time, wore her crazy socks that I found for her, along with a sparkly black skirt that she ended up liking (these days it's a crap shoot as to whether she'll like clothes I pick out or not--she liked this one. ;)) The program was very professional and well done, with three kid elves who "em ceed" the event, a Santa, and the works. The songs were well done, and the kids did great. So all in all, I have to give Eastern's Christmas program two thumbs up. And Kaylee's performance in it, too. ;) She did start off shy on the first song, but after that she loosened up and had fun. Steve got video and I took pictures, of course! I don't have them ready yet, I don't have a lot as she was up on stage, but I did get some. Here she is on stage, and at home on the deck in her get-up...It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. :)
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Snapshot
Kaylee's school Christmas program is tomorrow, and she's supposed to wear crazy socks, a brightly-colored shirt, and elf/reindeer/Santa headgear for her singing/dancing part in the program. So tonight I broke out a needle and thread and sewed shut two holes in her "comfortable" bright hot pink shirt. I had to get Steve to put the thread through the needle, because I couldn't see that, even with glasses, to save my life. But I sewed a shirt. Mark it on your calendars. "Dec. 14, 2011, Laura attempted a domestic skill, and met with moderate success, including neither stabbing herself nor sewing her finger to the shirt."
Thank you, and good night...
Thank you, and good night...
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Mini Adventures
This morning, bright and early, Steve and I met with our friendly FAA inspector. The first thing he said is that he's been doing this since the 90s and he thought that every incident was reportable, but we basically taught him otherwise, and that he now concurs, this was not a reportable incident. We walked him down to the Viking hangar, he walked in and said "Which gear collapsed?" I told him "Right", and he walked around the right wing, looked around, and didn't see a bit of damage. We had to point it out to him. He said "Well, I brought my camera to take photos of the damage, but there's nothing here even worth taking photos of!" Exactly. He took pictures of the N# of the airplane, looked around, and came back and asked to see the plane's logbooks. Logbooks were in order, naturally, so then he asked to see my medical and pilot certificates. That didn't thrill me a lot, but I provided them. He asked for the name of the left seat pilot, and I gave that to him. Honestly, what I wanted to ask him but did not was this: We both agree that this is a non-reportable incident. Stipulating that, 1) why are you here, and 2) why are you writing a report on a non-reportable incident? But that seemed antagonistic for someone who was just writing down facts and leaving, and honking off the FAA is not on my list of things to do anytime soon, considering I would like to keep flying. He had brought an accident filing form, just in case we were "wrong" about the damage to the airplane, which of course we were not, and later said we could toss the form. He was polite, he was "doing his job", he left on good terms, he's not doing anything. Except filing some sort of report with the FAA with my info on, did I mention, a non-reportable incident. I'm just not very fond of that, I can't help it. He said he'd like know when we find out the cause, to close his file, and I understand that, and I get that he may even want to put that info out there for other Viking owners, to hopefully prevent a gear failure down the line... We have a good relationship with our Indy FSDO people, who know that we play by the rules, and that comes in handy. He was nice and friendly enough, seemed a decent fellow, I just would rather have not met him, you know?
After lunch, we needed to run to Illinois to pick up the 340. Dustin and I flew up front in the RG, with a fellow in the back to fly the RG home while we took the 340 home. We're IFR on the way over, and Grissom gives me the darned weirdest clearance I've ever gotten. They cleared me to a specific radial and specific DME distance, from two different VORs, and neither one was on an airway or an intersection. "210 degree radial from xxx VOR, 24.5 DME, 240 degree radial from xxx VOR, 12.2 DME", etc. I have NO idea where that came from, and it took me a good 60 seconds to get the radios set up to do it. We were on our way, and I got on the radio and said "Grissom, is there any chance for direct?" They gave it to me, and within 20 minutes Chicago Center had rerouted me again anyway, but at least it was a normal routing, to VORs.
When we arrived, the plane was supposed to be ready to go. It wasn't, so they said to give them another 30 minutes. So while they were putting it all back together, I did a preflight. Any time an airplane comes out of maintenance, you always do a good walk around, particularly when they start hurrying because you're standing there waiting for them. So I walked around, tested screws and fasteners and just took my time. I spotted an issue, frowned, pointed it out, the main mechanic hadn't seen it as it wasn't the area on which they were working, took off some plates, and basically found something that meant we weren't bringing the plane home with us today. However, the RG had already departed an hour ago to head home, because we'd said "go ahead and go, no need to wait". I probably wouldn't have done it differently-no need to make the guy sit there an hour while they button up the plane, only for us to leave him in our dust on the way home. This was an unusual circumstance.
This is where the rest of the story got funny. The shop offered to take us home, which was very kind of them. They were going to send us home with a pilot and a C-172, but a young mechanic/pilot said the C-310 hadn't been flown in about 6 weeks and needed exercised, so he'd take us home in that. When we got out to the plane, they had a power unit hooked up to it in order to get it started, due to run down batteries. There was no intercom in there, so he just had a hand held mic to talk on, and no headsets of course. There was an RNAV in there too. Very retro, but it works and it's much faster than a 172, and Dustin was late, so we were glad for the flight home. The pilot starts the plane up, and I'm sitting right seat, and I look at the fuel gauges, and they're on 10 gallons a side. I figure...surely the aux tanks are full, and he's just going to do the start up /taxi/takeoff on the mains, then switch right to aux. He called up ground and got his IFR clearance. I keep staring at the fuel gauges, and finally I can't stand it any more and I flip the switch myself to see what's in the aux tanks. Nothing. Empty. We have ten gallons of gas a side total. He looks over and says "Don't tell me we don't have gas." I just shook my head. Nope. No gas. He shut it down, told tower to hold his clearance, and called for the fuel truck. That was not an auspicious start to the flight. If I hadn't just had a C-340 checkout, I wouldn't have known that fuel gauge, wouldn't have know how to check the aux tanks. If Dustin had been up front, I doubt he'd have known to look or say anything. And we could have launched in IFR conditions on minimal fuel that would not have lasted long. Yikes.
Anyway, we get gas, and we're on our way. Paper maps, hand held mic, no headphones, an RNAV in the plane, just like the good old days, man. ;) We're IFR at about 3000' on. I learn the old GPS in the plane had quit working a few months back, and same with the weather radar and the prop sync. No biggies. He was using the RNAV, and knew how to use it, too. He's got to be the youngest person I know who knows how to use an RNAV! Anyway, about halfway home, suddenly the VOR quits working. I said "How about the HSI over there?" He said "Nope". It was inop too. We now had no nav aids working in the plane as we cruised along in the clouds. The only thing that did work was the digital display on the RNAV, so he could cross reference which radials he was on and how far away from them, even if the VOR head/OBS wasn't working. I actually started laughing, which was probably impolite, but man, c'mon! This is when I pulled out the iPad, which for today, pretty much saved the day. The last problem was that we were going to have to shoot an instrument approach into Kokomo and neither of the two nav sources were working. I pulled up the approach on the ipad, but it was the ipad that doesn't have georeferenced plates. We were sent off on our first vector for this approach, and...suddenly the 2nd VOR started working again. We were able to shoot the ILS23 into Kokomo, breaking out high enough, pattern altitude or so, and finally we were home. Dustin was late, it was dark, and I was tired. I didn't even stop for dinner on the way home--I just came home and got comfy and relaxed. And I checked to make sure that airplane got back to where it came from in one piece, too. ;)
Nice guy, and he was good on radios and calm, quickly figured out a way to keep track of his position even without a working VOR, etc. He was obviously familiar with the plane, with flying IFR, etc. I was glad for a ride home, and hey, it made for a little adventure for the day, right? ;)
After lunch, we needed to run to Illinois to pick up the 340. Dustin and I flew up front in the RG, with a fellow in the back to fly the RG home while we took the 340 home. We're IFR on the way over, and Grissom gives me the darned weirdest clearance I've ever gotten. They cleared me to a specific radial and specific DME distance, from two different VORs, and neither one was on an airway or an intersection. "210 degree radial from xxx VOR, 24.5 DME, 240 degree radial from xxx VOR, 12.2 DME", etc. I have NO idea where that came from, and it took me a good 60 seconds to get the radios set up to do it. We were on our way, and I got on the radio and said "Grissom, is there any chance for direct?" They gave it to me, and within 20 minutes Chicago Center had rerouted me again anyway, but at least it was a normal routing, to VORs.
When we arrived, the plane was supposed to be ready to go. It wasn't, so they said to give them another 30 minutes. So while they were putting it all back together, I did a preflight. Any time an airplane comes out of maintenance, you always do a good walk around, particularly when they start hurrying because you're standing there waiting for them. So I walked around, tested screws and fasteners and just took my time. I spotted an issue, frowned, pointed it out, the main mechanic hadn't seen it as it wasn't the area on which they were working, took off some plates, and basically found something that meant we weren't bringing the plane home with us today. However, the RG had already departed an hour ago to head home, because we'd said "go ahead and go, no need to wait". I probably wouldn't have done it differently-no need to make the guy sit there an hour while they button up the plane, only for us to leave him in our dust on the way home. This was an unusual circumstance.
This is where the rest of the story got funny. The shop offered to take us home, which was very kind of them. They were going to send us home with a pilot and a C-172, but a young mechanic/pilot said the C-310 hadn't been flown in about 6 weeks and needed exercised, so he'd take us home in that. When we got out to the plane, they had a power unit hooked up to it in order to get it started, due to run down batteries. There was no intercom in there, so he just had a hand held mic to talk on, and no headsets of course. There was an RNAV in there too. Very retro, but it works and it's much faster than a 172, and Dustin was late, so we were glad for the flight home. The pilot starts the plane up, and I'm sitting right seat, and I look at the fuel gauges, and they're on 10 gallons a side. I figure...surely the aux tanks are full, and he's just going to do the start up /taxi/takeoff on the mains, then switch right to aux. He called up ground and got his IFR clearance. I keep staring at the fuel gauges, and finally I can't stand it any more and I flip the switch myself to see what's in the aux tanks. Nothing. Empty. We have ten gallons of gas a side total. He looks over and says "Don't tell me we don't have gas." I just shook my head. Nope. No gas. He shut it down, told tower to hold his clearance, and called for the fuel truck. That was not an auspicious start to the flight. If I hadn't just had a C-340 checkout, I wouldn't have known that fuel gauge, wouldn't have know how to check the aux tanks. If Dustin had been up front, I doubt he'd have known to look or say anything. And we could have launched in IFR conditions on minimal fuel that would not have lasted long. Yikes.
Anyway, we get gas, and we're on our way. Paper maps, hand held mic, no headphones, an RNAV in the plane, just like the good old days, man. ;) We're IFR at about 3000' on. I learn the old GPS in the plane had quit working a few months back, and same with the weather radar and the prop sync. No biggies. He was using the RNAV, and knew how to use it, too. He's got to be the youngest person I know who knows how to use an RNAV! Anyway, about halfway home, suddenly the VOR quits working. I said "How about the HSI over there?" He said "Nope". It was inop too. We now had no nav aids working in the plane as we cruised along in the clouds. The only thing that did work was the digital display on the RNAV, so he could cross reference which radials he was on and how far away from them, even if the VOR head/OBS wasn't working. I actually started laughing, which was probably impolite, but man, c'mon! This is when I pulled out the iPad, which for today, pretty much saved the day. The last problem was that we were going to have to shoot an instrument approach into Kokomo and neither of the two nav sources were working. I pulled up the approach on the ipad, but it was the ipad that doesn't have georeferenced plates. We were sent off on our first vector for this approach, and...suddenly the 2nd VOR started working again. We were able to shoot the ILS23 into Kokomo, breaking out high enough, pattern altitude or so, and finally we were home. Dustin was late, it was dark, and I was tired. I didn't even stop for dinner on the way home--I just came home and got comfy and relaxed. And I checked to make sure that airplane got back to where it came from in one piece, too. ;)
Nice guy, and he was good on radios and calm, quickly figured out a way to keep track of his position even without a working VOR, etc. He was obviously familiar with the plane, with flying IFR, etc. I was glad for a ride home, and hey, it made for a little adventure for the day, right? ;)
Monday, December 12, 2011
The Day
For being 'winter' it was nice and sunny, and I ended up with 2.2 hours in the 172 with two different folks. It's funny how that one line pretty much takes up your entire day, but that's how it works. Drive time to and from, twice, pre-flight, post-flight, putting stuff away, lunch, pulling it back out, going over some ground stuff, fueling up, and so forth. We got some good stuff done today, so it was a day well accomplished even if it won't make me independently wealthy. ;)
We did get a call from the FAA today, so tomorrow morning bright and early Steve and I are meeting with an Indianapolis FSDO inspector fellow regarding the Bellanca incident. It's a non-reportable event with very minimal damage and no pilot error, and they should have no issue. I'd like to know who called the FAA on me, but I am guessing it was probably an innocent mistake by maybe the line guy who was out at the airport that night and followed a checklist for "If there's a crash, call here here and here". He wasn't in today to ask, but I'm going to ask him just so I know for sure what I'm dealing with. I'm always 'thrilled' to deal with government officials, but we have a good relationship with the Indy FSDO, the guys down there know we play by the rules, and like I said, it should be a non-event.
A random quote I enjoyed from today:
“The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget.” - Thomas Szasz
We did get a call from the FAA today, so tomorrow morning bright and early Steve and I are meeting with an Indianapolis FSDO inspector fellow regarding the Bellanca incident. It's a non-reportable event with very minimal damage and no pilot error, and they should have no issue. I'd like to know who called the FAA on me, but I am guessing it was probably an innocent mistake by maybe the line guy who was out at the airport that night and followed a checklist for "If there's a crash, call here here and here". He wasn't in today to ask, but I'm going to ask him just so I know for sure what I'm dealing with. I'm always 'thrilled' to deal with government officials, but we have a good relationship with the Indy FSDO, the guys down there know we play by the rules, and like I said, it should be a non-event.
A random quote I enjoyed from today:
“The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget.” - Thomas Szasz
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Hills
Originally I thought it would be a perfectly lovely day to go do some aerobatics. After all, I was already going to be out there for a ground lesson, it was a bright and sunshiny day, so might as well go fly too. Then the lesson canceled, and I woke up and just didn't feel like going out. It was 19 degrees out there. I was tired. So I stayed on my couch and I read a book. I ordered in Chinese for lunch, I read, I hung out with Kaylee. And I liked it.
This evening about 20 of us went out to Indian Hills for a pitch-in dinner and grilled pork chops. The hangar was closed up and heated, with two taildraggers and three tables in there, all warm and cozy. They broke out a couple board games too. I was still full from lunch, but there was too much good homemade food for me to ignore. Baked potato, pork chops, fresh fruit salad, corn, brownies, cheesecake, deviled eggs, veggie tray, banana pudding dessert, all home made. It's now almost 11 p.m. and I'm STILL full...
I'm glad it's the weekend and I have nothing on tap for tomorrow. :)
Friday, December 09, 2011
Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This...
Today was a typical Friday. An attempted student flight killed off by low ceilings, burgers on the grill at Glenndale for lunch, chit chat, and my usual duties for the day, both domestic and entrepreneurial.
A good portion of today several of our guys were spending time trying to figure out what went wrong with the Bellanca last night. I flew the 340 to Illinois, and Steve C. came and got me and Dustin in Illinois in the Viking. Dustin flew home, me right seat, Steve back seat. As we landed, we had three in the green (which indicates that all three wheels were down and "locked"). Unfortunately one of them didn't stay that way, for reasons yet undetermined, and our right main landing gear folded up under us, causing us to skid to an inglorious stop on the runway. Nobody hurt, minimal damage to the airplane. I killed the engine and raised the flaps, but didn't get to the flaps fast enough to prevent all damage to the right one. Fortunately any other damage was cosmetic-paint scrapes on the wingtip, etc. It took a while to get the airplane back on its "feet" and tugged back to a hangar, and it was really cold and dark out there, but mostly we're grateful that it failed at home and not over in Illinois, and that the prop and engine didn't take a hit, saving a whole lot of time and money...
A good portion of today several of our guys were spending time trying to figure out what went wrong with the Bellanca last night. I flew the 340 to Illinois, and Steve C. came and got me and Dustin in Illinois in the Viking. Dustin flew home, me right seat, Steve back seat. As we landed, we had three in the green (which indicates that all three wheels were down and "locked"). Unfortunately one of them didn't stay that way, for reasons yet undetermined, and our right main landing gear folded up under us, causing us to skid to an inglorious stop on the runway. Nobody hurt, minimal damage to the airplane. I killed the engine and raised the flaps, but didn't get to the flaps fast enough to prevent all damage to the right one. Fortunately any other damage was cosmetic-paint scrapes on the wingtip, etc. It took a while to get the airplane back on its "feet" and tugged back to a hangar, and it was really cold and dark out there, but mostly we're grateful that it failed at home and not over in Illinois, and that the prop and engine didn't take a hit, saving a whole lot of time and money...
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Events
I started this sitting at a nice fast computer in an FBO in Aurora, Illinois, with a view of their control tower literally right outside my window. I can see the 
controllers up there, what they're wearing and even what they're drinking, every time they stand up and move around. I'd be tempted to call up, walk a few feet over there and see if I could get a tour--if this was pre 9/11. Last I heard they'd gotten rid of tower tours for the most part.
Dustin and I flew over here in the 340, his first flight up front. I'm still going to fly left seat for awhile and get more proficient in the plane before putting him left seat, besides needing 3 more hours to meet the 5 hour minimum required time in make/model to be able to give instruction legally anyway. I did have him fly much of it, and I did the take off and landing. It performed well, no problems, and we're both getting pretty pleased with all the info in there pretty fast. I'm looking at wind vectors, setting up an approach while I had a safety pilot there and practicing another of those, which with that green vector thingy (whatever it's called) on the 500 is like playing a video game. After just a couple, it's become pretty easy, and feels like IFR cheating. Power settings just right, and Nathan was right-put the green circle on your synthetic vision runway, gear down at the outer marker, and it just...holds, all the way down. The first approach I did I was trying to look at the glide slope off to the right, the altimeter off to the left, and the localizer in the middle. I wobbled around. Instead, one thing to look at-the green circle where you want it, the rest of the info in your peripheral a bit, altitude preselect set to missed approach point, you'll get a 200' warning ding, and...butter. ;) After I get some more time with that, I'm going to do a couple failures in there and see about shooting an approach with the backup unit over there...
The other day Kaylee got off the bus pretty upset. You may recall she'd made a shadow box project for the Tlingit Indians for school. That day they were allowed to bring their boxes home, and when Kaylee got off the bus she was mad, then burst into tears. Apparently a girl in her class had grabbed her box and deliberately mashed it down, breaking some things. Kaylee is like her dad-her stuff is her stuff and she'll freak out if you mess with it. So Steve being Steve started asking questions. Yes, Kaylee had tried to tell her teacher about the destruction, but the teacher misheard and sort of blew her off, and she didn't pursue it because everyone was late and rushing around to go. This girl was frequently doing things like that, not just to Kaylee, but to about everybody, slamming lockers to knock things down, destroying things, tripping people, knocking things out of their hands, etc. At home that night we discussed appropriate and inappropriate ways to handle it. Kaylee decided that her next step was going to be to calmly approach and tell the girl to never lay another hand on her stuff again. Steve and I waited to see how that was going to go, because you know it can go one of two ways. Instead, Kaylee comes home and says that the girl was nice enough today and she never got a chance to talk to her alone. Then, the point of this long story, Kaylee said "You know, she picks on everybody. But I think she does it because a lot of people pick on her all the time too. I think she's trying to make up for being picked on herself." I thought that was pretty wise for a kid, and I told her that I'm sure she's right, that people who are torn down a lot and/or don't feel very good about themselves will often try to tear other people down to try to make themselves feel bigger, feel like they have some power when they feel otherwise powerless...
We stayed at Aurora while they looked at some things in the maintenance department, and Dustin hit a meeting. Steve C. flew over in the Viking to pick us up, we hit lunch at the "Fireside Grill" first (really tasty), and then headed on home after we found we'd need to leave the plane there for a couple things.
The trip home was uneventful, the actual returning to earth not quite so uneventful, but that's a story for another day...
controllers up there, what they're wearing and even what they're drinking, every time they stand up and move around. I'd be tempted to call up, walk a few feet over there and see if I could get a tour--if this was pre 9/11. Last I heard they'd gotten rid of tower tours for the most part.Dustin and I flew over here in the 340, his first flight up front. I'm still going to fly left seat for awhile and get more proficient in the plane before putting him left seat, besides needing 3 more hours to meet the 5 hour minimum required time in make/model to be able to give instruction legally anyway. I did have him fly much of it, and I did the take off and landing. It performed well, no problems, and we're both getting pretty pleased with all the info in there pretty fast. I'm looking at wind vectors, setting up an approach while I had a safety pilot there and practicing another of those, which with that green vector thingy (whatever it's called) on the 500 is like playing a video game. After just a couple, it's become pretty easy, and feels like IFR cheating. Power settings just right, and Nathan was right-put the green circle on your synthetic vision runway, gear down at the outer marker, and it just...holds, all the way down. The first approach I did I was trying to look at the glide slope off to the right, the altimeter off to the left, and the localizer in the middle. I wobbled around. Instead, one thing to look at-the green circle where you want it, the rest of the info in your peripheral a bit, altitude preselect set to missed approach point, you'll get a 200' warning ding, and...butter. ;) After I get some more time with that, I'm going to do a couple failures in there and see about shooting an approach with the backup unit over there...
The other day Kaylee got off the bus pretty upset. You may recall she'd made a shadow box project for the Tlingit Indians for school. That day they were allowed to bring their boxes home, and when Kaylee got off the bus she was mad, then burst into tears. Apparently a girl in her class had grabbed her box and deliberately mashed it down, breaking some things. Kaylee is like her dad-her stuff is her stuff and she'll freak out if you mess with it. So Steve being Steve started asking questions. Yes, Kaylee had tried to tell her teacher about the destruction, but the teacher misheard and sort of blew her off, and she didn't pursue it because everyone was late and rushing around to go. This girl was frequently doing things like that, not just to Kaylee, but to about everybody, slamming lockers to knock things down, destroying things, tripping people, knocking things out of their hands, etc. At home that night we discussed appropriate and inappropriate ways to handle it. Kaylee decided that her next step was going to be to calmly approach and tell the girl to never lay another hand on her stuff again. Steve and I waited to see how that was going to go, because you know it can go one of two ways. Instead, Kaylee comes home and says that the girl was nice enough today and she never got a chance to talk to her alone. Then, the point of this long story, Kaylee said "You know, she picks on everybody. But I think she does it because a lot of people pick on her all the time too. I think she's trying to make up for being picked on herself." I thought that was pretty wise for a kid, and I told her that I'm sure she's right, that people who are torn down a lot and/or don't feel very good about themselves will often try to tear other people down to try to make themselves feel bigger, feel like they have some power when they feel otherwise powerless...
We stayed at Aurora while they looked at some things in the maintenance department, and Dustin hit a meeting. Steve C. flew over in the Viking to pick us up, we hit lunch at the "Fireside Grill" first (really tasty), and then headed on home after we found we'd need to leave the plane there for a couple things.
The trip home was uneventful, the actual returning to earth not quite so uneventful, but that's a story for another day...
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Colorful
I was originally scheduled off today to do more 340 training, so with that over, even with myself back on the schedule, I instead had the day to finish some billing things, do two loads of dishes and laundry, pick up some clutter that had amazingly accumulated in the last three days, and get some stuff transported around to where it needed to go, along with the usual daily chores. I needed that day!
Kaylee told me today that her teacher had a picture of herself in front of an airplane cockpit, and was talking to the kids about flying. She said that she learned at Grissom this summer that you can get your license at any age, even 10. And she talked about Jessica, the 9-year-old girl who was flying "all by herself" and was trying to break a record and crashed and died. And about rudder pedals being brakes for the air too. Kaylee said she just about couldn't stand it, but she knew she couldn't say anything without sounding like a smart-aleck know-it-all, so she didn't. She also said "She wouldn't believe me anyway, because I'm just a kid, but she's got all this flying stuff all messed up and it BUGS ME." Made me laugh. I told her to get used to hearing aviation myths and inaccuracies, because most of the general public doesn't have any idea, news reports are usually off, and movies and tv shows are even worse. :)
Richard and Ann departed the area to the south today, for warmer temps and bluer skies. My little red rose bush outside the back door still has six roses on it. Those are hardy little buggers, considering how cold it's been getting at night. They are a nice splash of color on a lot of gray days lately...
Kaylee told me today that her teacher had a picture of herself in front of an airplane cockpit, and was talking to the kids about flying. She said that she learned at Grissom this summer that you can get your license at any age, even 10. And she talked about Jessica, the 9-year-old girl who was flying "all by herself" and was trying to break a record and crashed and died. And about rudder pedals being brakes for the air too. Kaylee said she just about couldn't stand it, but she knew she couldn't say anything without sounding like a smart-aleck know-it-all, so she didn't. She also said "She wouldn't believe me anyway, because I'm just a kid, but she's got all this flying stuff all messed up and it BUGS ME." Made me laugh. I told her to get used to hearing aviation myths and inaccuracies, because most of the general public doesn't have any idea, news reports are usually off, and movies and tv shows are even worse. :)
Richard and Ann departed the area to the south today, for warmer temps and bluer skies. My little red rose bush outside the back door still has six roses on it. Those are hardy little buggers, considering how cold it's been getting at night. They are a nice splash of color on a lot of gray days lately...
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Done.
That about says it, but that would be too short of me, wouldn't it? ;)
This morning we did a bit more ground, for about an hour, and then rounded up Nathan, Dustin, me and the CFI, Luis, and off we went into the wild gray yonder. We had "beautiful" ceilings of around 2100-2500 depending on where you went, which at least was better than the last two days, and Nathan flew first. We were up for about two hours before coming back down to eat, hit bathroom, wake up, stretch, all that good stuff. I was next up. Luis needed taken back to Indianapolis International Airport to catch his airline flight home, so he put all his bags in the plane, and the four of us went back up. I flew around for awhile doing some maneuvers, whatever Luis wanted to see/do, and then I opened up my IFR flight plan with Grissom that was on file, and flew Luis back to Indy. The part that surprises me a little bit is that Luis sat in the back the whole time with Dustin, and put Nathan, whom he'd just checked out, and me, with whom he'd never flown, and this was our second ever flight in the plane, up front, for an actual IFR flight into Indianapolis. Neither of us have flown IFR on a glass panel before. I appreciate his confidence in the two of us, because I wouldn't have done that if I were him. ;)
We were in the clouds most of the flight, I think. I mostly stayed on the gauges (or should I say "screens" now) for both the practice and the practicality. The FBO there got Luis to his flight via a shuttle, Dustin, Nathan and I grabbed some drinks and a moment, and headed on home.
We ended up with the ILS 5L at Indy, the GPS 5 back into Kokomo, and a little bit of ice. There are still some things to get comfortable with, to get faster at getting to/doing, a few bugs in the system to get fixed or figured out, but it's a nice and pretty easy airplane. I have in my logbook a fresh Instrument Proficiency Check, Flight Review, and a High Altitude Endorsement. I also have an insurance certificate for completion of a safety course for aircraft familiarization for the C-340. It could have been a lot harder, and the ground part was only tiring for me because mechanical systems can be a nemesis. I can comprehend what I'm being told, and it seems simple and makes sense. But ask me to explain it later, and I probably have to look it back up. I didn't do too bad this time. That part's not as easy for me as it is for everyone else around here. Does that make me mentally disabled? (Insert other people saying "Yes, you're mentally disabled, but that's not why". There. Got it in first. ;))
This is the first flight review and IPC that I've had in my logbook from anyone outside of our little circle, for years now. From now on I have to do this annual training for the C-340, so that's the way it'll be. It's good practice.
Richard & Ann are headed to Florida today, where they will be warm and toasty while we start (keep) freezing up here. Safe travels to them!
Kaylee gave me a sign and a "Required for Flight" bracelet as a party gift for finishing up this course. She's a sweetie.
Life can get back to its normal level of strange now. :)
This morning we did a bit more ground, for about an hour, and then rounded up Nathan, Dustin, me and the CFI, Luis, and off we went into the wild gray yonder. We had "beautiful" ceilings of around 2100-2500 depending on where you went, which at least was better than the last two days, and Nathan flew first. We were up for about two hours before coming back down to eat, hit bathroom, wake up, stretch, all that good stuff. I was next up. Luis needed taken back to Indianapolis International Airport to catch his airline flight home, so he put all his bags in the plane, and the four of us went back up. I flew around for awhile doing some maneuvers, whatever Luis wanted to see/do, and then I opened up my IFR flight plan with Grissom that was on file, and flew Luis back to Indy. The part that surprises me a little bit is that Luis sat in the back the whole time with Dustin, and put Nathan, whom he'd just checked out, and me, with whom he'd never flown, and this was our second ever flight in the plane, up front, for an actual IFR flight into Indianapolis. Neither of us have flown IFR on a glass panel before. I appreciate his confidence in the two of us, because I wouldn't have done that if I were him. ;)
We were in the clouds most of the flight, I think. I mostly stayed on the gauges (or should I say "screens" now) for both the practice and the practicality. The FBO there got Luis to his flight via a shuttle, Dustin, Nathan and I grabbed some drinks and a moment, and headed on home.
We ended up with the ILS 5L at Indy, the GPS 5 back into Kokomo, and a little bit of ice. There are still some things to get comfortable with, to get faster at getting to/doing, a few bugs in the system to get fixed or figured out, but it's a nice and pretty easy airplane. I have in my logbook a fresh Instrument Proficiency Check, Flight Review, and a High Altitude Endorsement. I also have an insurance certificate for completion of a safety course for aircraft familiarization for the C-340. It could have been a lot harder, and the ground part was only tiring for me because mechanical systems can be a nemesis. I can comprehend what I'm being told, and it seems simple and makes sense. But ask me to explain it later, and I probably have to look it back up. I didn't do too bad this time. That part's not as easy for me as it is for everyone else around here. Does that make me mentally disabled? (Insert other people saying "Yes, you're mentally disabled, but that's not why". There. Got it in first. ;))
This is the first flight review and IPC that I've had in my logbook from anyone outside of our little circle, for years now. From now on I have to do this annual training for the C-340, so that's the way it'll be. It's good practice.
Richard & Ann are headed to Florida today, where they will be warm and toasty while we start (keep) freezing up here. Safe travels to them!
Kaylee gave me a sign and a "Required for Flight" bracelet as a party gift for finishing up this course. She's a sweetie.
Life can get back to its normal level of strange now. :)
Monday, December 05, 2011
Job
Weather grounded us all day today, so we did ground stuff again. He went over everything again with Dustin, while I listened in and chipped in now and then, then went over the airplane a bit with Nathan. Tomorrow we've got a lot of flying to get in, and the instructor is then going back to Florida and Nathan and I get our insurance certificates, Flight Reviews,and Instrument Proficiency Checks. Now, if the weather will hold out long enough to let us do that...
Tonight after dropping off the CFI at his hotel, I stopped at CVS, got home and started working on my homework right away. Another quiz over the pressurization system (this one was only 2 pages long), then working on various weight and balance scenarios (mucho thanks to Justin who set up an easy excel calculator for me so I didn't have to paper/pencil it). I still have a couple things to look up before bed, if my head isn't too full. ;)
I was supposed to have a school board meeting tonight, but that wasn't going to happen this time. Fortunately there wasn't any critical business at hand for tonight--I asked when I warned them I wouldn't make it. There are a few things falling through the cracks, a few things we'll have to catch up on after tomorrow, but not bad.
Tonight after dropping off the CFI at his hotel, I stopped at CVS, got home and started working on my homework right away. Another quiz over the pressurization system (this one was only 2 pages long), then working on various weight and balance scenarios (mucho thanks to Justin who set up an easy excel calculator for me so I didn't have to paper/pencil it). I still have a couple things to look up before bed, if my head isn't too full. ;)
I was supposed to have a school board meeting tonight, but that wasn't going to happen this time. Fortunately there wasn't any critical business at hand for tonight--I asked when I warned them I wouldn't make it. There are a few things falling through the cracks, a few things we'll have to catch up on after tomorrow, but not bad.
Sunday, December 04, 2011
Whew
Whew, I'm pooped. I had to go back and look at my own schedule to see what I did yesterday. I spent the day at Kokomo, making phone calls and sending texts and looking at weather and all that stuff, then going over cross country info until late afternoon. We made it home kind of late, changed clothes, cleaned up and went right out to the Wild's Christmas party while Kaylee stayed home with Grandma & Grandpa, watched a movie, made hot chocolate, and had a nice evening at home. We enjoyed ourselves at the party--I hadn't been in a party mood when I left the airport, but it's always nice to see and be with people whose company you enjoy. It ended up being a fun evening-even if I was wearing heels. ;)
Today was a long day. I had to drive down to Indianapolis International Airport to pick up my C-340 insurance checkout instructor. From the moment we were in the car, the checkout was on, and we started discussing systems. I'm trying to figure out where I'm going, in the traffic, and construction, and rain, and trying to concentrate on what I'm being told, too. I was tired before we got back to Kokomo. ;) A stop for a late lunch, check in at his hotel, and then we went out to Kokomo Airport, sat in the hangar at a table and went over a bunch of stuff. Crawled from there into the plane and set up the APU and turned on the avionics and went over what we had in the plane. Dial by dial. I've already learned a lot, and I've learned a few things I didn't really want to know, which means it may or may not be dumped out of my brain when I go to sleep tonight.
He's a very nice, personable fellow, but it is possible for pilots to be polar opposites as far as flying...let's go with philosophies...and we are that. He doesn't make a turn in the airplane without doing a math problem in his head. Literally. The number of degrees you are turning, knock off the zero, then add 5. That is the angle of bank to use in order to have a proper turn. So if you're turning 180 degrees around, 18+5= 23 degree bank. But what if you're turning 360 degrees around? Are you going to have a 41 degree bank? Naw. Hmm. Obviously I'm missing something in this formula. But there's a formula. To make a turn. So you know that you're at the exact right and proper bank for each and every turn you make. Take off is holding an exact, 7 degree pitch attitude. There is a formula and a procedure for every thing you do in an airplane, including the ILS, etc. Flying should be done by the autopilot from shortly after takeoff on through to breaking out of the clouds and coming in to land. But you must know how everything works so that you can monitor properly and know what is wrong asap if anything is (which is good). He teaches students all in simulators and on the ground, and doesn't believe flight time itself is very important. His goal is to take any guessing out of flying, to make it all precision. I can't say that's a bad thing in and of itself. He's a jet pilot, does a lot of jet flying, and is trying to translate that into 340 flying, including V1 and V2 cut (engine out) info, for now so that it'll be there when I move up into jets. 1. I'm not sure-to doubt-I'm going to be doing that, and 2. thank God I didn't go for airline pilot, because this kind of flying is not very much fun. ;) I wink, but I'm sort of serious too. Turn on an autopilot, do math formulas for everything I do, then let the gizmos do all the work? I like to open the window on the Citabria and turn however I feel like it at the moment. When flying IFR, that's more precision, but you follow the needles and have proper power settings, and it's not that hard. At least I didn't think it was.
To be honest, I don't mind learning something new here. I don't mind learning some new tricks and seeing if I can translate some of them into something that will be helpful for instructing, or helpful for flying. I'm easy that way, willing to listen to anything, willing to learn something new from someone new. But by the same token, this is making my life a little difficult. Not being in one, I don't care how jets fly. I just need somebody to sign off the fact that I can fly the 340. But I've now got a 348 page book and dvd to go through, and a 16 page, 85 question written exam/study guide to go through, fill out, and answer questions on before I'm done. Flying something new with new instrumentation that I'm not used to and trying to do it his way instead of the way I've always done it will be a little bit of a challenge--or maybe I'll just do it my way anyway, fly the plane just fine even in this old haphazard and imprecise way, and hopefully be done and okay shortly. ;)
I'm tired, but I'd better start pounding out some of these 16 pages of questions. :O
Today was a long day. I had to drive down to Indianapolis International Airport to pick up my C-340 insurance checkout instructor. From the moment we were in the car, the checkout was on, and we started discussing systems. I'm trying to figure out where I'm going, in the traffic, and construction, and rain, and trying to concentrate on what I'm being told, too. I was tired before we got back to Kokomo. ;) A stop for a late lunch, check in at his hotel, and then we went out to Kokomo Airport, sat in the hangar at a table and went over a bunch of stuff. Crawled from there into the plane and set up the APU and turned on the avionics and went over what we had in the plane. Dial by dial. I've already learned a lot, and I've learned a few things I didn't really want to know, which means it may or may not be dumped out of my brain when I go to sleep tonight.
He's a very nice, personable fellow, but it is possible for pilots to be polar opposites as far as flying...let's go with philosophies...and we are that. He doesn't make a turn in the airplane without doing a math problem in his head. Literally. The number of degrees you are turning, knock off the zero, then add 5. That is the angle of bank to use in order to have a proper turn. So if you're turning 180 degrees around, 18+5= 23 degree bank. But what if you're turning 360 degrees around? Are you going to have a 41 degree bank? Naw. Hmm. Obviously I'm missing something in this formula. But there's a formula. To make a turn. So you know that you're at the exact right and proper bank for each and every turn you make. Take off is holding an exact, 7 degree pitch attitude. There is a formula and a procedure for every thing you do in an airplane, including the ILS, etc. Flying should be done by the autopilot from shortly after takeoff on through to breaking out of the clouds and coming in to land. But you must know how everything works so that you can monitor properly and know what is wrong asap if anything is (which is good). He teaches students all in simulators and on the ground, and doesn't believe flight time itself is very important. His goal is to take any guessing out of flying, to make it all precision. I can't say that's a bad thing in and of itself. He's a jet pilot, does a lot of jet flying, and is trying to translate that into 340 flying, including V1 and V2 cut (engine out) info, for now so that it'll be there when I move up into jets. 1. I'm not sure-to doubt-I'm going to be doing that, and 2. thank God I didn't go for airline pilot, because this kind of flying is not very much fun. ;) I wink, but I'm sort of serious too. Turn on an autopilot, do math formulas for everything I do, then let the gizmos do all the work? I like to open the window on the Citabria and turn however I feel like it at the moment. When flying IFR, that's more precision, but you follow the needles and have proper power settings, and it's not that hard. At least I didn't think it was.
To be honest, I don't mind learning something new here. I don't mind learning some new tricks and seeing if I can translate some of them into something that will be helpful for instructing, or helpful for flying. I'm easy that way, willing to listen to anything, willing to learn something new from someone new. But by the same token, this is making my life a little difficult. Not being in one, I don't care how jets fly. I just need somebody to sign off the fact that I can fly the 340. But I've now got a 348 page book and dvd to go through, and a 16 page, 85 question written exam/study guide to go through, fill out, and answer questions on before I'm done. Flying something new with new instrumentation that I'm not used to and trying to do it his way instead of the way I've always done it will be a little bit of a challenge--or maybe I'll just do it my way anyway, fly the plane just fine even in this old haphazard and imprecise way, and hopefully be done and okay shortly. ;)
I'm tired, but I'd better start pounding out some of these 16 pages of questions. :O
Friday, December 02, 2011
Sweet
I was supposed to do checkride prep at 9:30 this morning, but when I got up this morning it was IFR. I pushed her back an hour, and we met up at 10:30, which is when we found out the right main tire was flat. Jon and Steve got that fixed by 11:30, so I skipped Glenndale lunch to fly. We got in, went to prime the plane, and the primer didn't make any sound going in--it didn't sound like it was pushing fuel--and then it stopped, and she couldn't get it back in and locked. She got out and pushed with two hands, and still no luck. I got out and on a whim decided to try it myself. I pushed with all my body weight against that primer, standing outside the plane, and finally did get it in and locked. (Two hours later I still had the circular imprint of the primer on the heel of my hand, I pushed so hard.) So we finally got to fly. Unusual attitudes, power off stalls in a turn, power on stalls, emergencies, all the tougher stuff.
When I picked Kaylee up, she needed to go do "Secret Santa" at her school. So I drove her to that, and she spent $30 and bought Christmas presents for 11 people. And they're nice, too. :) She's good. She walked around and in 15 minutes had these gifts for each person picked out and selected. I saw what she got most folks, and I thought she did well with it.
From there I ran out to Kokomo to get something for Steve and try to find the doggoned exterior power source for the 340. It needed hooked up to a power unit, and we could NOT find where to do that earlier. So I got the POH out and got directions as best I could, unscrewed several rectangular plates which ended up not being it, although I found the battery itself that way, and finally stumbled upon it almost by accident. Not the most intuitive place for it, but by George I've got it. I hooked up the APU and left, starving and tired. I got about 3 miles away and realized I'd left behind what Steve wanted me to get out there, so I turned around and got it. When I walked back in the hangar, the lights were on, and I thought "Man, did I forget the lights?! Sheesh." I switched them off, looked around to see if I heard or saw anyone, and drove of. Found out later I hadn't forgotten the lights, someone WAS in there, and I shut the place down on them. Oops. ;)
When Kaylee walked into the hangar, the first thing she saw was the new 340, and she said "Hey! Sweet Plane!" She asked if she could get in it, so I opened it up for her, and she decided it was smaller than the Cheyenne and a little tighter, but that it was very comfortable and she loved it. Then she asked if she could fly up front with me sometime, and gave it her two-thumbs-up-approval. The final inspection, passed. ;)
When I picked Kaylee up, she needed to go do "Secret Santa" at her school. So I drove her to that, and she spent $30 and bought Christmas presents for 11 people. And they're nice, too. :) She's good. She walked around and in 15 minutes had these gifts for each person picked out and selected. I saw what she got most folks, and I thought she did well with it.
From there I ran out to Kokomo to get something for Steve and try to find the doggoned exterior power source for the 340. It needed hooked up to a power unit, and we could NOT find where to do that earlier. So I got the POH out and got directions as best I could, unscrewed several rectangular plates which ended up not being it, although I found the battery itself that way, and finally stumbled upon it almost by accident. Not the most intuitive place for it, but by George I've got it. I hooked up the APU and left, starving and tired. I got about 3 miles away and realized I'd left behind what Steve wanted me to get out there, so I turned around and got it. When I walked back in the hangar, the lights were on, and I thought "Man, did I forget the lights?! Sheesh." I switched them off, looked around to see if I heard or saw anyone, and drove of. Found out later I hadn't forgotten the lights, someone WAS in there, and I shut the place down on them. Oops. ;)
When Kaylee walked into the hangar, the first thing she saw was the new 340, and she said "Hey! Sweet Plane!" She asked if she could get in it, so I opened it up for her, and she decided it was smaller than the Cheyenne and a little tighter, but that it was very comfortable and she loved it. Then she asked if she could fly up front with me sometime, and gave it her two-thumbs-up-approval. The final inspection, passed. ;)
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