My new hobby. Mixture rich, flaps up...

[slodave]

I've been quiet on this thread for a bit now. Since my medical had been delayed and I started my guitar project, flying was shelved for a bit.

My first solo expired, so I re-soloed last week and today was the first time getting in the Warrior without my instructor and managed to do everything right and got 5 landings in today!!

For some reason VNY did not turn the landings around so I had to deal with a 10kt crosswind, that was also slightly a taiol wind. I have not practiced crosswind landings for months, so it wad a bit unnerving, but I had to get this flight out of the way and decided that the crosswind would bedcome an impromptu lesson.

I made a few mistakes on dealing with there wind, but nothing major and I'm still here to talk about it.

I'm cramming for my written test as well these days and hope to get it out of the way in early December.

That's all for now! I'll post more about my solo adventures now that I am up in the air about 3 days a week again.

[Flieger]

Good going Dave.

[slodave]

Thanks, Max!

[Wilhelm]

Very good Dave ! It comes back right? Just like riding a bicycle.
Or like driving an old VW Van in a 30 knot crosswind. In the winter...on an icy road

[slodave]

Time for an update. My anxieties for taking the written test have kept me at bay all these months. A few weeks ago, I hit the books hard and tomorrow I finally take the written! Whooo. It's only been about two years now.

I was also able to get a solo cross country endorsement to an airport that's pretty close by today. Bad news, is that my instructor is taking off for a month for vacation. Hopefully he doesn't get too comfortable on the beaches of Bali and comes back. Once he is back, I'll knock the longer cross country out, finish up any remaining hours I may need and take the oral and flight test.

Time to hit the books for a few hours to get ready for tomorrow!

[Zeke]

Good luck, Dave. I'm sure you will ace it.

You ol' ace, you.

[rattlsnak]

there is no reason you cant go up with another instructor until he gets back. happens all the time. stick with it..

[slodave]

I know. I would prefer to stick with my instructor and I have plenty to do without him for the moment. We'll see how things go.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Good luck Dave! Remember, it's not about what you know, it's about knowing all of the questions on the test.

[slodave]

Thanks, Milt and Matt.

Matt, I'm trying to cram all 800 Q&A's into my head.

[Zeke]

800 Questions? You could be a lawyer.

[slodave]

Haha, not quite. There are 60 questions chosen from a pool of 800, with 2.5 hours time allowed.

[Embraer]

you'll do great.

[slodave]

I had an interesting experience today. VNY is doing some sort of construction at the normal run up area and we're being told to use different taxiways to access 16R. I was holding short at foxtrot and 16R got busy, so ATC had me cross 16R and back taxi (I think that's what he said) on 16L and do a 180 at delta. I'm crossing 16R trying to process what the ATC was talking about and asked my instructor if I heard right and was supposed to taxi down 16L. "Yup". Um, okay! My instructor took the controls as I was taxing down the runway and showed me what ATC wanted me to do. Basically flipped a u-turn on the runway so I was lined up on 16R. I was also told to line up and wait at that point (not a new experience). Ya learn something new every day!

[Flieger]

Good going, Dave!

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Always expect the unexpected.

Line up and wait (or "position and hold" as it used to be called) sucks. If you sit in position for more than a couple of minutes or are uncomfortable, speak up. I had a controller screw up and forget I was sitting there one night (KMYF) and had another guy on final cleared to land - I spoke up and he caught himself, had the other a/c do an immediate go-around. I think he must've been down to about 100' AGL (how HE didn't see me either I'll never know...)

I hate it. No place more vulnerable than sitting on an active waiting to get creamed.

Glad you're flying still!

[dmcummins]

I recently took the written. It wasn't bad at all. I got a 95%, missed a adf question and a couple of weather questions. If your passing the practice tests you'll do fine.

[slodave]

I passed! 24 years of stressing. I did not pass with the percentage I would have liked, but I passed.

[craigster59]

Originally Posted by slodave

I passed! 24 years of stressing. I did not pass with the percentage I would have liked, but I passed.

Congratulations Dave!

[recycled sixtie]

If you are flying over the Pole, stop by in Edmonton in for coffee. The coffee is on me. Congratulations!