Chasing my PPL - Progress Thread...

Rayden said:
Thanks for this thread ... very interesting to follow along. I will try to take a discovery flight early next year.
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Thanks Rayden. I'm merely copying a few others who have done the same. Thought it might be good to look back someday and read what I documented along the way. Hopefully my kids might get a kick out of it as well - my son is 12 and currently wants to be a pilot...

Good luck!
 
So how is the training going? Haven't heard much for awhile. Are you into the x-c phase yet?
 
ScottK said:
So how is the training going? Haven't heard much for awhile. Are you into the x-c phase yet?
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Haven't done much flying in a few months now Scott. Waiting on nicer weather for my XCs. Helping an A&P and my CFI build a 38 J3 cub in the meantime...

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Sounds like a great way to spend your time on the ground. We have had some brutal wx locally. I jumped on the good wx Monday for a little x-c up to DUJ for dinner, but haven't flown much other than that. I'm still building x-c time for my inst rating. I'm hoping to start that training later this year.
 
Well, life gets in the way and I haven't flown since December (had to go back and look in my logbook). Asked my CFI if we could go up tonight to remove some of the cobwebs, do some landings, and get another 90-day solo period in my logbook and he says "no problem, bring the plates for airports x and y just in case we need to go somewhere else for better crosswinds..."

Cool. I've been itching to get up and start from where I left off...my x-country flights...

Now...if I can only remember...pitch for altitude, power for speed, rudder to turn...no, no that's not it... :lol:
 
Good luck getting back into it funny i just saw this thread today thought about u yesterday and was wondering where u were at with your progress..
 
Wasn't as rusty as I thought I might be after a 5-month break. Winds gusting to 15 with an 11 xwind made for a rodeo-like practice session, but I did 7 landings that included short field takeoffs and short field landings and an engine-out to a full-stop landing. Wind and heat made me work and break a sweat, but it was still fun and practicing in winds with my CFI that I wouldn't otherwise solo in was well worth it. Speaking of soloing, my CFI was impressed and said I must have been mentally flying to keep sharp. He signed me off for another 90-day solo endorsement and wants to do a night x-country next week. :goofy:
 
I'm at cross country night too but I'm going to do solo hours first and get a solo cross country in and get done with all that and then do the night and last 2.5 of foggle and I need 3 hours practice which in wondering if that can all be combined or needs to be separate!
 
denverpilot said:
On the radio stuff, has your CFI offered up this one?

Every call...

- Who you're calling.
- Who you are.
- Where you are.
- What you want.

In that order. That'll cover 95% of VFR radio work.
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This is the way my CFI also introduced radio communications and it made radio work VERY natural for me, so much so that he told me to speak slower so the CTAF doesn't assume I'm a pro and rattle off instructions or responses too fast for me to comprehend. I still have my occasional frequency embarrassments of course, but using this guideline all communication seems very simple and to the point.
 
Skyscraper said:
This is the way my CFI also introduced radio communications and it made radio work VERY natural for me, so much so that he told me to speak slower so the CTAF doesn't assume I'm a pro and rattle off instructions or responses too fast for me to comprehend. I still have my occasional frequency embarrassments of course, but using this guideline all communication seems very simple and to the point.
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Yep, that short post actually helped me a lot. Listening to LiveATC helps you become accustomed to ATC communications as well.
 
CFI and I scheduled a 170nm or so x-country on Saturday morning. Indiana PA to Franklin to Clearfield and then back to Indiana. Once we do it he'll sign me off to do it solo. Progress may be slow, but at least it's still progress. The flight plan will give me something to do between now and then...:D

I HAVE to have my CFI back ASAP though, because it seems that he needs to be wheels-up by noon to fly somewhere for his glider training. He's CFI/CFII/VFR/IFR/Commercial/Taildragger, so I guess he felt the glider was the next step...
 
Flight went great today, with no bent metal. A little rusty on my pattern work, but probably understandable since this was only my second time flying since December. Signed off to do my solo long xc whenever I want, but I think I'll spend an hour or two in the pattern to brush up a little first...
 
Well, the weather and the plane schedule stars have seemingly aligned. I booked the plane last week for my long solo xc this afternoon. Weather looks to be holding out, and I have the plane from 5pm-8pm tonight. Flight KIDI-KFKL-KFIG-KIDI. Ceilings might be a little close for my eastbound leg at 5500, and the winds right now are around 180@9 for my departure/destination airport (which is almost entirely xwind). I booked later in the eve in hopes of avoiding the afternoon thermals and that wind in all areas might calm down. 20% chance of Thunderstorms at KFIG, so I'll just keep an eye out. All paperwork is done, will call for an updated/abbreviated weather briefing shortly, but basically just watching the weather and winds to see if I can give myself the green light to go.

Thanks for the help, advice, and input everyone. Hopefully tonight I'll knock out one more step towards my PPL.
 
Good luck. Hope it all goes well.

I went up this morning with the intention of going to FIG, but it was fogged in. As it turned out, it was too rough anyway. I got a little past IDI and turned around. I don't care to play rodeo if I don't have to.

Keep that seatbelt tight and have fun!!
 
ScottK said:
Good luck. Hope it all goes well.

I went up this morning with the intention of going to FIG, but it was fogged in. As it turned out, it was too rough anyway. I got a little past IDI and turned around. I don't care to play rodeo if I don't have to.

Keep that seatbelt tight and have fun!!
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Thanks for the pirep Scott. I'm hoping things calm down a little. My plan B is to do night flight with my CFI if I have to scrub the xc.
 
Flight went great. No issues, only some bumpy areas, and navigation/landings/radio work went well. 2.6 hours on the Hobbs and need to d a similar flight again when I can schedule it. Feels pretty good to do that first solo xc flight!

Thanks again for the help everyone!
 
Second long XC done tonight. IDI-FKL-FIG-IDI again. Stronger winds and crosswind gusts this time, and the first leg felt like a roller coaster and wasn't any fun for this student. Wind settled as the night went on, and the last leg was pretty smooth. Progress! Some night and instrument stuff, then get ready for the checkride...
 
Time passes by quick. Exactly one month since my last flight and my CFI and I did some night landings and hood work. 1.5 more hours on the Hobbs. On my very first of seven landings, the landing light blew out on the downwind (for real, not just a CFI planned fail). Landed with no issues, but it got my attention. Practiced with zero flaps all the way to full flaps and it's amazing how much higher and faster you come in without any at all. Hood work was fun, especially when I saw altitude falling, pulled back a little, felt some stronger G-forces and noticed I was in a turn that I had just made tighter. Altitude was dropping faster than ever. As I noticed the turn coordinator and started to make an adjustment my CFI calmy states "Now you know how a death spiral starts...and why fixating on just one or two of the gauges can get pilots in trouble." Lesson learned, even if the first indicator was my 270-lb frame being forced down into the seat and it should have been my eyes.

The more I fly with my CFI, the more I want to fly with my CFI. I never go up without learning something from him. A night XC, another hour or so of hood work, and then practicing for the checkride is what I have left.

After my final landing last night he told me he didn't know what else he could say to me. My flying was good, I'm hitting the PTSs, I take it very serious, and I hold myself to very high standards. There's a "favorite things your CFI has said to you" somewhere on the forum, but those words are definitely my favorite so far.
 
So, after about a year and not flying at all between January and June, I updated my logbook after last night's night flight (since I filled up another page). Here's where I stand at the moment, and getting close:

31.2 Total Hours
9.2 XC
28.7 Day
2.5 Night
2.0 Simulated Instrument
20.6 Dual
10.6 PIC (First solo on 10/20/12 with around 8 total hours)
 
DaleB said:
If you want a little unsolicited advice... tell your CFI you want to learn stalls in the Cessna. I did stalls in a Cherokee just fine, and the first time I tried it in a 172 I just about had a heart attack. The Cessna pretty much demands that you keep the ball centered, and if you let a power on stall break you'll definitely know it happened. The Piper really couldn't care less whether you're coordinated or not, and by comparison to the Cessna a stall is pretty much a non-event.
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Agree ! don't know how stalls are in a warrior but power on stalls can be exciting in a C 172 !:wink2:
 
Aviator1945 said:
Agree ! don't know how stalls are in a warrior but power on stalls can be exciting in a C 172 !:wink2:
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I had my CFI take me up in the school's 172 and, for sure, when the stall broke either one wing or another wanted to drop. Much different than the Archer II I'm usually flying.

(as a 'larger' guy though, I DID appreciate the two doors on the Cessna and what appeared to be a little more room inside for my Shrek-like physique...)
 
Took five practice tests from my Study Buddy iPad app yesterday. Trying to knock out my knowledge test. After my seven night landings and .5 hours under the hood the other night I'm at 31.2 hours. Need my night XC, an hour under the hood, and then just practice for the checkride.

On a good note, my practice test scores were 90, 92, 95, 95, and 97. Still botching questions on ADF and the airspace/airmen categories and classes.
 
Just keeping my progress thread up to date. Took the written today and missed one ADF question. I'll take a 98% any day of the week!
 
Hobobiker said:
That IS odd Kimberly. 59/60 is .983, while 58/60 is .966. Like many others have said though, it doesn't matter much other than the fact that we passed and did well...
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Hmmm.... maybe I missed two. That was in August 2011. I don't know, for some reason I thought I only missed one (thunderstorms).
 
Aviator1945 said:
Agree ! don't know how stalls are in a warrior but power on stalls can be exciting in a C 172 !:wink2:
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Let's put it this way...you know what Cessna stalls are like.

My wife was curious to experience one, so I took her up in a Warrior. She had to be told when it had happened. They are THAT gentle.
 
Aviator1945 said:
Agree ! don't know how stalls are in a warrior but power on stalls can be exciting in a C 172 !:wink2:
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Hmm...when I got checked out in the 172 and did power on stalls, I never noticed any of the excitement. Just point the nose up, keep a bug on the windshield on the same cloud or bit of sky or whatever, and it stalls just fine. Maybe I aught to go try them again sometime...whenever I get myself back in the air.
 
Still sitting at 31.2 hours, but scheduled to do my Night XC tonight. My CFI says he's going to throw everything at me...Flight following, Class Bravo clearance (if they allow), PTS maneuvers, multiple night landings at unfamiliar airports, and almost all the work done under the hood since I need an additional hour of sim instrument training as well. He says it will be a lot of work, but I'm betting I still might enjoy it just a little bit...
 
1.8 hours on the Hobbs tonight, an hour of which was under the hood. Night XC, flight following using Johnstown and Pittsburgh, and received clearance through Bravo and flew right over downtown Pitt. Very cool, and I got to take off the hood to enjoy the scenery. 33 hours total and I've met all the logbook requirements but feel like I need a ton of practice before the checkride...
 
Hobobiker said:
1.8 hours on the Hobbs tonight, an hour of which was under the hood. Night XC, flight following using Johnstown and Pittsburgh, and received clearance through Bravo and flew right over downtown Pitt. Very cool, and I got to take off the hood to enjoy the scenery. 33 hours total and I've met all the logbook requirements but feel like I need a ton of practice before the checkride...
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Nice, I love night flights. What do you feel you need a ton of practice at? What do you consider your weaknesses?
 
Henning said:
Nice, I love night flights. What do you feel you need a ton of practice at? What do you consider your weaknesses?
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If I could sum it up in one word Henning, I think it would be "flow." I'm fairly slow, conservative, and deliberate in almost everything I do as a pilot. Things appear like I'm thinking it through, pausing, questioning the best action, and then mechanically doing it. Watching my CFI as PIC, he smoothly goes from one task to the other, works in the radio stuff, flies through any frequency changes, and never has any of those "pregnant pauses" that I perceive myself having. Again, I realize I'm a newbie and don't have the confidence or skill levels to do what I see him doing, but I just feel very "robotic" and slow, and I still botch some simple things that I know how to do, or that I SHOULD be doing them and forget (i.e. switching the tanks). Almost like I'm over-thinking things, especially when he sits right seat. Maybe my type-A personality along with a desire to do well and impress (my CFI is a friend and co-worker of mine as well), actually makes me stumble a little more than when I fly solo.

I'm sure it will come, especially with some devoted practice time and more frequent flights. I want to fly SAFE and I'm also pretty hard on myself and set high standards...some of which might not be realistic with 33 hours of left-seat time.
 
Nothing wrong with being slow and deliberate, you won't ever fail a checkride for that. There is rarely a time in aviation where you don't have time to think about something. Your instructor does it much more fluidly because he has made all these decisions many times before. If you have all your requirements done with 33hrs, you have about 4 hrs of elective time left. Might I suggest you go do a long multi leg solo cross country using Flight Following and traverse as many different airspaces as you can. Those are the flights where you can settle in, play with trim, look around and think. You might even have your instructor write down a diversion folded on a piece of paper that you don't open until the middle of the second leg just for the diversion practice.

Remember, deliberate IS safe, you just need more experience to gain the speed at making decisions. You're well on target. BTW, forgetting to switch tanks and running one dry is no big deal, not having a tank with fuel in it to switch to, THAT'S a big deal.;)
 
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Henning has good advice. A long cross country gives you time to set, adjust, tweak, experiment with different settings, techniques, and other variables. You learn that it all comes together.
 
My test had 61 questions and the examiner guy told me that the FAA randomly picks like 2 or 3 questions out of that for some type of study so who knows what they are actually grading off of. I made a 90 and missed 5 I think.
 
Flow will improve with practice, and generally it's more important to be methodical, anyway.
Remember that the check ride is not about "looking professional" so much as just showing that you know all the steps and you are paying attention. Also remember that no matter how well you perform, impressing the examiner is not really the goal. That would be nice, but aiming for that is a distraction that could cost you where it counts: procedures and decision-making.
Besides, the average experienced examiner has "seen it all". Most of their memorable check rides are probably memorable because of something very negative, and the few shining stars they've flown with didn't get any extra points or anything. All you get is the certificate; it's strictly pass/fail. So just know the PTS, and adhere to it.

And yes, the more solo point-to-point flights you do before the check ride, the better off you'll be. Also, based on my own experience (I had to retest the nav portion; very embarrassing), I would advise you to go beyond planning and executing XC flights, and try working on off-the-cuff navigation. I was always very good with my methodically planned XC flights, but none of my instructors had ever really worked hard enough on getting me lost, I guess (and I share the blame for that).
My PPASEL examiner was actually pretty good at it, though. :rolleyes: He dismissed my meticulous plan with a nod, then sent me off on a diversion quite close to home, but in an area I really didn't know well at all. In short order, I reached a point where I was not sure of my position, and he didn't like that.
I was stunned... I had a chart, the weather was fine, the compass and clock were working... it seemed impossible until I realized I just didn't have a lock on diversions. It was the chink in my armor, I guess. Fixed that with some review flights, then came back and nailed it.

Reminds me of another good thing to remember: if you learn something on your check ride, this is good, even if you blow it.
My check ride experience served me well later, when I managed to get lost on my own a few times... :D
 
Keeping my progress thread updated. Was able to squeeze .6 on the Hobbs last week for pattern practice. Should have been longer, but our new runway only has one lane of taxiway available right now at the threshold of 11. As luck would have it, I waited for three flights to land 29 and taxi all the way back to the terminal area before I could taxi TO the threshold at 11 and then back-taxi most of the way down to turn around and take off 29. Wind was definitely not good for 11. Of the .6 on the Hobbs, I'll bet only .3 or .4 was flying time as I only clocked five landings before the night and fog fell on me. Oh well, practice is practice.

Schedule 1.5 hours tomorrow night and 1.5 hours Wed night with my CFI to practice for the checkride. Trying to get this done before the snow starts flying in PA. With our weather, that could be tomorrow though...
 
Do you know who you'll be using for your checkride?

I got to be the guinea pig on mine. I was the first student to use the guy at our school.
 
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