If I had your money, I'd burn mine. ;) :)

Oh Milt, I feel the same way! :)

BTW, I live under the VNY 16R take off traffic. I guess over the years, I have learned to block out most of the noise. I do hear the T6's take off and come back almost every weekend. They make some noise!

You also get to see things like this:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1282610625.jpg

:eek: B-66... cool! Dave, tell me that thing is operational and not just parked there... sure looks like it is based on what looks like a taxiway behind it.

I want to say it's the A-3, but either way, yes, it's still flying as a test bed for Raytheon. They seem to have a few more at the airport as well.

The B-66 was a modification to the A-3.
The one pictured is an A-3, as the B-66 had a different cockpit and window configuration.


http://www.pmkc.com/B66/2_EB66s.jpg

Personally I find the low-wings to be more stable and easier to land, although they will float a bit more making precision landings (short field technique) a bit of an art. The low wing means the plane enters ground effect a bit sooner and therefore less likely you'll slam it in, but the downside is if you're carrying extra airspeed on final you'll float halfway down the runway.

I learned and did my first solo way back when in a PA28-161 and have flown many of the variants - PA28-151, 181, Arrow, Dakota, Seminole, Chieftain, etc. Piper makes a hell of a light airplane.

After 4 days off (not how I planned it), I'm back in the air again. I seem to have good and bad days. Today, I could not make radio calls. I'd forget what to say, leave things out... Oh well, I'm learning and trying. I spent another .5 hours with the foggles on, did some VOR work and visited two uncontrolled airports, SPZ and L70.

Me.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1283302928.jpg

A famous park...
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1283302960.jpg

and a BBQ in Valencia.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1283302942.jpg

Sometimes I talk "radio" while I drive down the road - for practice. Think up scenarios and talk them through.

Sometimes I like to use different accents. :D

Radio comms are getting better. I typed out a little script of the main 4, the rest are basically repeating what has been said. At the same time, due to the traffic, nothing seems to be standard around VNY. Today, I made the initial contact with VNY ATC and when she came back, she said my lines! This gal is great, she has such an easy going voice and she was rattling things off to all the pilots today without missing a beat.

The last two days I have been in the American Grumman AA-5 Tiger. Fun plane. Weather was not great with the cloud layer hoering over the Valley the last few days, so yesterday was spent in the pattern, doing T&G's. I had zero issues with my landings in the Tiger. They were great. The same was true with the Warrior from about two weeks ago. Only one landing today and my instructor botched that one. He thought I was flaring too early, pulled back too hard on the yoke and really screwed it up. Tomorrow is in the Warrior and we'll go for some more T&G's. I'll see how things go, but I think that I am more comfortable in a low wing.

We've also done misc air work...

Here's the Cessna I've been flying up until now.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...8_153660_n.jpg

The above was taken by fellow Pelican - porcupine911 - who just got his ticket this past Saturday!

A couple of vids from that day as well.
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Tonight I spent about 4.5 hrs. figuring out a flight plan to Palm Springs. The flight is not really taking place, just an exercise. We'll see how well I did tomorrow.

Onward!

Keep up the good work!

1. Who you're talking to
2. Who you are
3. Where you are
4. What you want/need

Just use that to plan your call-up. When you get a break, let 'er rip and be brief about it (esp. in SoCal).

The controllers can get busy but for the most part are great people and will bend over backwards to help you out.

Do a tower tour if you can at your home airport. Helps to put face to voice and personalize things a bit. Also helps to see what goes on from ATC perspective.

Slodave, any updates?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1290987437.jpg
Cool, smooth, and enjoyable today.

No real exciting updates to report. Things have slowed a bit. I've got a slight hangup with the FAA at the moment, so trying to deal with that. The weather is also changing here and we are seeing the usual Santa Ana winds - they can be quite strong and no fun to fly in and we've had a little weird rain patterns as well. Winds right now are 20 with gusting up to 30. Even most of the birds are hiding out.

May we ask what the issue is?
Some of the old birds here may have advice for you.

Very inspired by this thread. I grew up flying around southern Michigan in Piper Cub with my grandfather. I flew until I was 11, then my grandfather died:(

Update:

As I mentioned in my post above, I had to jump through some extra hoops with the FAA in order to get my medical signed off. After waiting for a letter in the mail and putting off calling them. I did. Over two months had passed and I had not heard a word. I had called a few weeks ago, left a message, but no one returned my call. Finally called again last Friday and was told that the medical was approved, just needed the signature and it would be off in the mail this week. I'm tentatively going to resume flying at the end of the week, but I will only feel better with the signed paper in hand.

Sooo... Hopefully this adventure continues soon. :)

Good to hear - when's your checkride?

It'll be a while. :D I have to take a few steps back, to go forward.

Dave,

You do not need the 3rd class until you are ready to solo, so I would stay current. Even an hour every couple of weeks would help.

Joe

Joe, I was ready to solo. I continued to work on other things to try and make it worthwhile.

Medical was in the mail today. Looks like I'm back in the saddle again. Time to arrange some lessons.

Great to hear it, now get your buns back up in the air!

Yea!! :)

Probably Monday. I will try and find an available plane when I get home later. I would make it sooner, but I think I'm getting sick.

10 Most Amazing Armless People - Oddee.com
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1296871866.jpg
"The plane she is flying is called an Ercoupe and it is one of the few airplanes to be made and certified without pedals. Without rudder pedals Jessica is free to use her feet as hands. She took three years instead of the usual six months to complete her lightweight aircraft licence, had three flying instructors and practiced 89 hours of flying, becoming the first pilot with no arms."

She is from Tucson and we see her around the airport from time to time. Glad to see her make it.

When I went to a Part 141 school for my commercial and CFI, I met this guy from Colorado. You can see in the pic that his hands are just mal-formed nubs. What you can't see is that his legs stop at the knees.

Wearing prosthetic legs and a home-made contraption for his hands, Randy received waivers from the FAA. Randy earned his commercial ticket and CFI, and went on to Part 91 flying, amassing well over the minimum time for working with a Part 135 operator.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1296931040.jpg

He stayed in touch with me for several years. When last we spoke, he told me that he had applied with many 135 operators over the course of about three years after his hours met the criteria. However because of his deformities he never did secure a 135 job.

You may think the ADA would have prevented discrimination since he had the requisite hours and licenses - however it was not that the operators would not hire him.... it was that the insurers would not cover him.

Randy eventually gave up and returned to a grounded life. After he gave up aviation, he also gave up keeping in touch. I haven't heard from him since.



*Some may ask, "would *you* fly with a handicapped pilot?" Well, I have flown with him, and while he was still active I received my high-performance endorsement from him.

About to getback in the air...

Those are some incredible stories! Thanks for sharing.

Good to get back in the air today. It's been too long. Now with medical in hand, solo should be in the next two weeks. Just need to get back in the groove. Most of the flight went well, except that landing thing... That was just a bit rough. :D

Thats why I was telling you to keep flying, even if its one hour ever week or two. Keeps you "in the groove" and that makes a difference.

Do not push the solo, it will happen when its time. Just keep soaking up the knowledge and feel of the airplane.

If you've still got available credit, you're not flying enough. :)

I did it! My instructor and I did a few T&G's at VNY, then he had me drop him off at the flight school and told me to go around 3 times. Perfect weather, very minor breeze 3 good full stop landings. Feels good to finally log the first solo! I'll get the back of my shirt back from my instructor in a few days.

So did she jump right off the ground?!!

It is fun to feel the better performance the first time you are solo!

Congrats Dave!

Excellent! Congratulations.

Congrats!

Sweet.

Thanks all! :) I was supposed to solo back in Feb., but the guitar project was still heavily on my mind and then life and some weather stepped in as well. I almost didn't solo today. A few questions on the presolo exam needed answering and by the time we were done on the ground, his next student had arrived. The student kindly traded spots with me - I was going to go for it tomorrow morning by giving up his afternoon time slot today.

Oddly, the airport was very quiet up until it was time for me to go solo, then everyone decided to take off or land. Second landing was a short approach, although I really had no hands on practice for a short, I knew what to do and executed it almost perfectly. On of the landings also surprised my audience as I basically landed "short field". I was off at the second taxiway. I could have made it off the first, but I didn't see a reason to really step on the brakes. All-in-all, a successful afternoon!

I did notice the weight difference, but I really noticed, was the ability to put my notepad, charts on the right seat and not stuffed in the corner on top of the instrument panel. :D

I was hoping that I would be able to solo on 16R, but a minor Santa Ana popped up, changing us to 34L/R, which I landed both.

Onwards and upwards!