snoboy
Pre-takeoff checklist
Well I passed my Commercial check ride today at 55 years 11 months of age. Was going to stand on a bridge and strip naked and shout out with delight but I thought it might be more prudent to share it here instead.
The Almighty was watching out for me and in the middle of weeks of stormy, rainy, windy, November weather, the day I scheduled my checkride the sky opened up for me.
Somehow we are just able to step up a notch and rise to the occasion when we really have to. I had been anticipating this day for months sometimes having slight anxiety attacks. I kept training and studying finally today arrived and my feet hit the floor running this morning. I made it through the Oral portion and headed for the john for a potty break thinking OK thats done if I flunk the flight at least it's all I'll have to redo. The preflight came and went and a Softfield take off was item 1 on the agenda so I set the airplane up and waited. I received my takeoff clearance, started my timer for the XC and off we went. With back pressure on the yoke and cold crisp air my 260 hp 182RG lifted fast and clean. I pushed the front end over and we were haulin the mail.
I kept the timers rolling figureing grounspeed and ETEs and ETAs as we proceded south. At my second check point the examiner called for a diversion to a small grass strip. I found it, plotted it, turned to the correct heading and proceeded towards the new destination. I wipped out the E6B and gave my examiner ETE, ETA and fuel to the destination. Even with the high pressure low lying haze I spotted the airfield right about the time he pulled power and said we just lost our engine. My training kicked in and I began the sequence and by rote and the emergency checklist. I brought that bad boy down and around to within less than 100 feet of touch down when he called a go-around. The really cool thing is I would have made it easily which felt soo damn good. We then proceeded to fly through the manuevers and with each one that I completed successfully my confidence grew, not to an arrogant state by any means but a humble much relaxed state giving me a clearer and clearer picture that I was owning this checkride. It was truely one of my best flights ever. We finished our manuevers and headed back to the airport for some landings which I wont say I nailed but I did what it took to make 'em happen within PTS standards. I was in the zone and it felt incredible.
So I had to share this with some fellow pilots that can relate to what I'm feeling right now. Thanks for listening. A happy newbie SEL Commercial Pilot. Man I love the sound of that.
The Almighty was watching out for me and in the middle of weeks of stormy, rainy, windy, November weather, the day I scheduled my checkride the sky opened up for me.
Somehow we are just able to step up a notch and rise to the occasion when we really have to. I had been anticipating this day for months sometimes having slight anxiety attacks. I kept training and studying finally today arrived and my feet hit the floor running this morning. I made it through the Oral portion and headed for the john for a potty break thinking OK thats done if I flunk the flight at least it's all I'll have to redo. The preflight came and went and a Softfield take off was item 1 on the agenda so I set the airplane up and waited. I received my takeoff clearance, started my timer for the XC and off we went. With back pressure on the yoke and cold crisp air my 260 hp 182RG lifted fast and clean. I pushed the front end over and we were haulin the mail.
I kept the timers rolling figureing grounspeed and ETEs and ETAs as we proceded south. At my second check point the examiner called for a diversion to a small grass strip. I found it, plotted it, turned to the correct heading and proceeded towards the new destination. I wipped out the E6B and gave my examiner ETE, ETA and fuel to the destination. Even with the high pressure low lying haze I spotted the airfield right about the time he pulled power and said we just lost our engine. My training kicked in and I began the sequence and by rote and the emergency checklist. I brought that bad boy down and around to within less than 100 feet of touch down when he called a go-around. The really cool thing is I would have made it easily which felt soo damn good. We then proceeded to fly through the manuevers and with each one that I completed successfully my confidence grew, not to an arrogant state by any means but a humble much relaxed state giving me a clearer and clearer picture that I was owning this checkride. It was truely one of my best flights ever. We finished our manuevers and headed back to the airport for some landings which I wont say I nailed but I did what it took to make 'em happen within PTS standards. I was in the zone and it felt incredible.
So I had to share this with some fellow pilots that can relate to what I'm feeling right now. Thanks for listening. A happy newbie SEL Commercial Pilot. Man I love the sound of that.
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