CPO : A Pilot in Training : This is my Journey

cipio

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cpo
Now that I finally have Lesson #1 scheduled and on the books, it's time to kick things into high gear. I'll be documenting my journey via video and website, but I thought I would share the video updates here as I go for anyone who is interested. I figure one single post would be more appropriate vs a new post for each topic or video. I'll just update this one thread as I go. I have decided to put the running logbook totals at the end of each video, so it's clear where I am at in my training as I go along.

Target Audience:

  • Student pilots and prospective student pilots who want to see training from someone else's perspective, and may just be generally interested in seeing what I am learning/doing in my training, or tips on how to get started.
  • Experienced pilots who are interested in helping or enjoy following the progression of a new pilot in training.

NOT the Target Audience:
  • Anyone who hates watching videos, knows everything, thinks everyone should know everything, and just generally only has negative feedback with regard to my outlet of sharing information.

DISCLAIMER: I am a student pilot. I am not a CFI. I have a total of 0.8 hours of dual time under my belt as I start this thread -- thanks to the discovery flight that sealed the deal with my intent to get a PPL. Anything I say or type has the potential of being stupid. Feel free to let me know if I am posting something woefully incorrect or misleading -- politely if possible. ;-)

I am not planning on teaching; only sharing. I will not tell you how to fly a plane. I will not do videos with the intent of teaching a skill or technique. You should be getting instruction from a CFI, not me. I will try and focus on the process of training, and content that is ancillary to that.

Lastly, in the hierarchy of who I will trust as the authoritative resource of correct information...the Internet (and everyone here) falls below the CFI in the right seat of the airplane with me. That should be the same for any student. I will filter anything new I learn here and visit with my CFI on anything that I have questions about or would like to better understand. There are a lot of greatly experienced pilots here (which is why I am here) with a lot of wonderful tips to share. I respect that and want to learn from your experience...but not at the expense of downgrading the role of my own CFI in my training progression. Just getting that out there.

Remember that feeling you had the first time you flew in a single engine airplane? I'm enjoying the heck out of all of this while I can...before it becomes routine. ;-)
 
Getting Your PPL CPO Tidbit 01 - You know more pilots than you think



In these short tidbits, I'll share things I am learning along the pursuit of obtaining my private pilot license (PPL) that might be helpful for others who are doing the same -- or just considering the possibility.



You know more pilots than you think you do!



cpo



 
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CPO Pilot Training Triangle : CPO Tidbit 02



Ever heard of the Pilot Training Triangle? Of course not! I just invented it! Here's my thoughts on the three things that are necessary to make pilot training happen. Just like the fire triangle (oxygen, heat, fuel), there are three things that you need to have in place in order to have a good chance at success when it comes to pilot training.



 
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My Aviation Headset : UFlyMike and Bose QC15s



Here's a quick look at what I have chosen for my aviation headset as I begin my Private Pilot training. The Bose active noise cancelling QC15 s are fantastic...and UFlyMike adds an excellent noise-cancelling microphone feature. The combination makes for a great ANR (active noise reduction) aviation headset at a fraction of the cost of the dedicated higher end models.



NOTE: I realized after I posted this that I put 0.08 hours as my Dual time at the end of this video..I meant to type 0.8. Too late to fix now. ;-)



 
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Lastly, in the hierarchy of who I will trust as the authoritative resource of correct information...the Internet (and everyone here) falls below the CFI in the right seat of the airplane with me. That should be the same for any student. I will filter anything new I learn here and visit with my CFI on anything that I have questions about or would like to better understand. There are a lot of greatly experienced pilots here (which is why I am here) with a lot of wonderful tips to share. I respect that and want to learn from your experience...but not at the expense of downgrading the role of my own CFI in my training progression. Just getting that out there.

Good luck! As someone who's has only been flying less than a year my unsolicited advice is to not to think of your CFI as "all-knowing". For Stick and Rudder skills they are the best resource available there. Their role is to guide you through your training and help you fly safe and pass your check ride. It's not going to be a knowledge dump from them to you on everything you need to know to function as a pilot. This is why Stage Checks are so important, it helps mitigate the risks of any large knowledge gaps.

If I relied 100% on my CFI I would probably still be training, I did a lot of self motivated external training on my own from various source, ie internet forums, youtube videos, books, old guy hanging out at the FBO, ect. In fact I still do this 50 hours past PPL, I'm constantly learning something.
 
I would have waited until the Harmony UFM QC25 are available on the headset. Good luck in training.
 
1. I hope you follow through with this to completion.
2. I wish you became a pilot before me.

When I was learning, I was following a lot of podcasts of people doing the same thing (documenting their journey) but like a lot of student pilots, they fizzled out or didn't finish or lost interest in the documenting portion.

I am going to follow you. I am interested in watching your journey!

Good luck.




P.S.
In your first post under "NOT target audience" you included people that "Know everything" That pretty much eliminates pilots from your target audience ;)
 
Good luck! As someone who's has only been flying less than a year my unsolicited advice is to not to think of your CFI as "all-knowing". For Stick and Rudder skills they are the best resource available there. Their role is to guide you through your training and help you fly safe and pass your check ride. It's not going to be a knowledge dump from them to you on everything you need to know to function as a pilot. This is why Stage Checks are so important, it helps mitigate the risks of any large knowledge gaps.

If I relied 100% on my CFI I would probably still be training, I did a lot of self motivated external training on my own from various source, ie internet forums, youtube videos, books, old guy hanging out at the FBO, ect. In fact I still do this 50 hours past PPL, I'm constantly learning something.

I appreciate your comment, but I never actually said that I either think of my CFI as all-knowing, or that I would rely on them 100%. In fact I have been self studying (knowledge, practical, and sim) for the last 6 months -- before I even had a CFI. I think I may have worded that in a way that didn't make it so clear on what I was intending. What I meant by what I said was that as long as I have them in the right seat, I'll be allowing them to have final say on what I do in the cockpit when we are training. I think that's only fair. Could you imagine this statement on short final in a steep crosswind: "Hey Bob, look what I learned on the Internet!" :)

I included that statement because I know there are some people who get nervous that new pilots just take every tidbit and tip they get online and try and incorporate that into their training without working with their CFI. I'll take everything I learn and try and incorporate it (where appropriate and if applicable) but WITH my CFI. I encourage other students to do the same. Rather than "Hey Bob, look what I learned on the Internet!" it will be more like "Hey Bob, someone was telling me that I need to do X to make Y happen. Is that something you'll be teaching me...and can we try it?" Whatever...it sounds really dumb here...but you probably get my point.

I actually didn't consider the other end of the pendulum swing coming up until your post...essentially the inverse of my first statement -- which is that you can't trust your CFI to teach you all you need to know. I get that, and believe it to be a reality. I just didn't want people to assume that information gets used without some thought and conversation with my CFI (again...where appropriate). This assumption actually occurred in another thread, which is why I brought it up here in the first place.

Not everything requires this "CFI check", though. Like...I'm not going to run to my CFI because someone told me a shortcut on how to read a METAR, or asked me to read Stick and Rudder.
 
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I would have waited until the Harmony UFM QC25 are available on the headset. Good luck in training.
Is that the updated version that is coming out in May? I wanted to wait...but I couldn't! I'm too impatient. I'll definitely be watching for it in the future...but since I have the QC15s, there was an opportunity to try the original version still.
 
1. I hope you follow through with this to completion.
2. I wish you became a pilot before me.

When I was learning, I was following a lot of podcasts of people doing the same thing (documenting their journey) but like a lot of student pilots, they fizzled out or didn't finish or lost interest in the documenting portion.

I am going to follow you. I am interested in watching your journey!

Good luck.




P.S.
In your first post under "NOT target audience" you included people that "Know everything" That pretty much eliminates pilots from your target audience ;)

Thanks, and I hope I finish too! I have already set aside the funds, received wife approval, and made a commitment. I can do it...especially if I can get some momentum going. I know lots of people who "almost" got their license as well. It stinks.

To be honest...doing a public documentation exercise helps me stay committed. Not sure how to explain it more than that. I've been doing Youtube vids for several years on the RC side of aviation. I've put up nearly 400 vids, and continue to stick with it (mostly builds, how tos, and product overviews). My biggest challenge right now is not letting my RC video production suffer as I am going to be heavily focused on my PPL training. It will (is) suffering a bit, but hopefully not to its death! I have over 4,000 subscribers that count on some new content every so often!
 
P.S.
In your first post under "NOT target audience" you included people that "Know everything" That pretty much eliminates pilots from your target audience ;)

LOL! Roger that! I was only half-joking when I made that statement. ;-)
 
Is that the updated version that is coming out in May? I wanted to wait...but I couldn't! I'm too impatient. I'll definitely be watching for it in the future...but since I have the QC15s, there was an opportunity to try the original version still.

I had not seen a firm release date but as soon as the final product comes out I am throwing my A20 in the garbage in favor of the QC25 rig.
 
I had not seen a firm release date but as soon as the final product comes out I am throwing my A20 in the garbage in favor of the QC25 rig.

Well...fwiw... I called UFlyMike last week before I made my decision to buy the used one, and they told me they were expecting a May release, and the price to be close to the original model. How close...she didn't say.
 
Well...fwiw... I called UFlyMike last week before I made my decision to buy the used one, and they told me they were expecting a May release, and the price to be close to the original model. How close...she didn't say.

I think most people are just going to act like that's not going to be the best headset of all times. I however, know how amazing things are about to get in the world of the aviation headset.
 
Cool! I look forward to seeing your videos and you progress. Stick it out, as it is well worth it! Good luck!
 
Good luck with your training, CPO. It will be interesting to follow your progress. Stick with it, don't get discouraged when setbacks eventually crop up, and don't let it negatively affect the "other" commitments in your life. It's a balancing act between the Wife, kids, and work.

Have fun with it...the journey is half the fun.:thumbsup:
 
Getting My FAA Medical -- At least getting READY for my medical

Here's what I am working on right now. Getting ready for my Aviation Medical Exam. To be quite honest...I didn't expect this part to be challenging at all. But...I guess as a 40-something, taking prescription and over-the-counter medication, with a few surgeries under his belt... I should have known there would be a few hoops to jump through.

I don't foresee any issues with getting my medical, and the Student Pilot Certificate that goes along with it, but it is a much more involved process than I expected. More to come on this topic!

 
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Now that I finally have Lesson #1 scheduled and on the books, it's time to kick things into high gear. I'll be documenting my journey via video and website, but I thought I would share the video updates here as I go for anyone who is interested. I figure one single post would be more appropriate vs a new post for each topic or video. I'll just update this one thread as I go. I have decided to put the running logbook totals at the end of each video, so it's clear where I am at in my training as I go along.

Target Audience:

  • Student pilots and prospective student pilots who want to see training from someone else's perspective, and may just be generally interested in seeing what I am learning/doing in my training, or tips on how to get started.
  • Experienced pilots who are interested in helping or enjoy following the progression of a new pilot in training.

NOT the Target Audience:
  • Anyone who hates watching videos, knows everything, thinks everyone should know everything, and just generally only has negative feedback with regard to my outlet of sharing information.

DISCLAIMER: I am a student pilot. I am not a CFI. I have a total of 0.8 hours of dual time under my belt as I start this thread -- thanks to the discovery flight that sealed the deal with my intent to get a PPL. Anything I say or type has the potential of being stupid. Feel free to let me know if I am posting something woefully incorrect or misleading -- politely if possible. ;-)

I am not planning on teaching; only sharing. I will not tell you how to fly a plane. I will not do videos with the intent of teaching a skill or technique. You should be getting instruction from a CFI, not me. I will try and focus on the process of training, and content that is ancillary to that.

Lastly, in the hierarchy of who I will trust as the authoritative resource of correct information...the Internet (and everyone here) falls below the CFI in the right seat of the airplane with me. That should be the same for any student. I will filter anything new I learn here and visit with my CFI on anything that I have questions about or would like to better understand. There are a lot of greatly experienced pilots here (which is why I am here) with a lot of wonderful tips to share. I respect that and want to learn from your experience...but not at the expense of downgrading the role of my own CFI in my training progression. Just getting that out there.

Remember that feeling you had the first time you flew in a single engine airplane? I'm enjoying the heck out of all of this while I can...before it becomes routine. ;-)

Just one caveat: Don't accept everything that your instructor says as gospel: ask "Where can I find that in writing?" The instructor community includes many who know only what they learned from their instructor, such as Old Wives Tales.

Bob Gardner (who at one time fit the description)
 
Just one caveat: Don't accept everything that your instructor says as gospel: ask "Where can I find that in writing?" The instructor community includes many who know only what they learned from their instructor, such as Old Wives Tales.

Bob Gardner (who at one time fit the description)

Thanks, Bob. Another good reminder and sanity check.
 
GoPro Cockpit Suction Mount PanaVise 13150

Here's a quick video to show what I am going to use to mount my GoPro in the cockpit for my in-flight videos. I am positive someone will ask...so getting this out of the way early. It's the PanaVise 13150. It seemed to have rock solid reviews, professional level construction, and more options for tilting or reach than many of the other mounts (including the factory GoPro mount). This is one piece of kit that I decided was worth spending the extra money on so I didn't have to worry about it. Getting video must not be a distraction in the cockpit. I need to set it, and forget it.

 
CPO Pilot Training Triangle : CPO Tidbit 02



Ever heard of the Pilot Training Triangle? Of course not! I just invented it! Here's my thoughts on the three things that are necessary to make pilot training happen. Just like the fire triangle (oxygen, heat, fuel), there are three things that you need to have in place in order to have a good chance at success when it comes to pilot training.





Much as the Fire Triangle has been modified to the Fire Pentagon, you can also modify your Pilot Training Triangle to a Pilot Training Pentagon, the other two factors that you will find required are Dedicated Effort and Ability.

This will not be easy. Even if you are a 'natural', this will not be easy, and often it will be uncomfortable, scary, and generally not a good time. There will be points where you question, "WTF am I spending my money on this for?" and it will take great levels of dedication and effort to work though those times.

Then we come to the other one, ability. This is the most nebulous of them, this is the "chain reaction" from the Fire Pentagon. This is a complex multivariable equation. There is the physical ability to judge and control the energy, there is the mental ability to develop good ADM, Aeronautical Decision Making Skills; and then there is the ability to act in the face of imminent death.

Ability is what we have to be extremely, brutally even, honest with ourselves about; but it is not a simple task in the slightest. The data for the first two factors is readily available, but due to the nature of the training process and the frustrations it brings, the subjective nature of how we see our progress makes the evaluation tricky.

The last one is the ***** though, and in the end, it is the most important factor, because in a real emergency, it's the number one factor in whether you live or die. If you don't maintain positive control of the plane all the way into the crash, you chances of survival drop steeply. Small planes are very survivable as long as you manage the energy correctly to the end. Thing is, not everyone reacts the same in the face of death. Some experience utter calm and clarity and think about 10 times faster than normal. Other very calmy disconnect from the situation and sit there like they are watching a movie of it happening to someone else. A good example of this, and what happens when 3 pilots of the same reaction type enter such an emergency, is in the transcript from Air France 447.

The problem is you won't know what type of reaction you will have until you face death. The trick is most people who discover they 'disconnect' die shortly thereafter because we don't test for it in a controlled setting, usually you don't find out until it's for real.

There may be points in your training though where you scare yourself enough you can trigger the reaction. If this happens, take note of how you reacted, and use that in your self assesment for suitability as a pilot.

Aviation is completely unforgiving, and ego has to be left on the ground, constant self assesment is a must.
 
Much as the Fire Triangle has been modified to the Fire Pentagon, you can also modify your Pilot Training Triangle to a Pilot Training Pentagon, the other two factors that you will find required are Dedicated Effort and Ability.



This will not be easy. Even if you are a 'natural', this will not be easy, and often it will be uncomfortable, scary, and generally not a good time. There will be points where you question, "WTF am I spending my money on this for?" and it will take great levels of dedication and effort to work though those times.



Then we come to the other one, ability. This is the most nebulous of them, this is the "chain reaction" from the Fire Pentagon. This is a complex multivariable equation. There is the physical ability to judge and control the energy, there is the mental ability to develop good ADM, Aeronautical Decision Making Skills; and then there is the ability to act in the face of imminent death.



Ability is what we have to be extremely, brutally even, honest with ourselves about; but it is not a simple task in the slightest. The data for the first two factors is readily available, but due to the nature of the training process and the frustrations it brings, the subjective nature of how we see our progress makes the evaluation tricky.



The last one is the ***** though, and in the end, it is the most important factor, because in a real emergency, it's the number one factor in whether you live or die. If you don't maintain positive control of the plane all the way into the crash, you chances of survival drop steeply. Small planes are very survivable as long as you manage the energy correctly to the end. Thing is, not everyone reacts the same in the face of death. Some experience utter calm and clarity and think about 10 times faster than normal. Other very calmy disconnect from the situation and sit there like they are watching a movie of it happening to someone else. A good example of this, and what happens when 3 pilots of the same reaction type enter such an emergency, is in the transcript from Air France 447.



The problem is you won't know what type of reaction you will have until you face death. The trick is most people who discover they 'disconnect' die shortly thereafter because we don't test for it in a controlled setting, usually you don't find out until it's for real.



There may be points in your training though where you scare yourself enough you can trigger the reaction. If this happens, take note of how you reacted, and use that in your self assesment for suitability as a pilot.



Aviation is completely unforgiving, and ego has to be left on the ground, constant self assesment is a must.


Thanks for the time and thought that went into this feedback. Very helpful.
 
Cockpit Audio Recording Adapter Cable - CRAZEDpilot

This is my choice for recording cockpit audio. I'll be sending the audio to my Tascam recorder using this cable. It includes impedance matching circuitry to ensure I cam getting the right levels to my recorder. I'll be syncing this audio with the video from my GoPro which will be also set up somewhere in the cockpit.

 
Getting Ready for my First Lesson

Just a short video as I get prepared for my first lesson, and figure out where I am going to put the camera in the cockpit. It must be someplace that does not interfere in any way with my flying or learning, should not be a nuisance to my instructor, and should be able to give me useful video to review after each session. I think I've got just the right spot!

In addition to that, I've also put together a little kneeboard packet with some information I believe might be helpful.

 
Getting Ready for my First Lesson

Just a short video as I get prepared for my first lesson, and figure out where I am going to put the camera in the cockpit. It must be someplace that does not interfere in any way with my flying or learning, should not be a nuisance to my instructor, and should be able to give me useful video to review after each session. I think I've got just the right spot!

In addition to that, I've also put together a little kneeboard packet with some information I believe might be helpful.



Put a piece of foam on that camera or it's going to hurt when your head slams into it in turbulence.
 
Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely have to take a look at that. It didn't seem very close to my head when I was in the cockpit. It wouldn't hit my head, but I'll see how close it is to my left ear cup on the headset. It's actually a little behind and above me, again hard to see in the video.
 
Getting Ready for my First Lesson
Just a short video as I get prepared for my first lesson, and figure out where I am going to put the camera in the cockpit. It must be someplace that does not interfere in any way with my flying or learning, should not be a nuisance to my instructor, and should be able to give me useful video to review after each session. I think I've got just the right spot!
You're explanation of the lens setting makes sense. While the wider angle might be more interesting to those who are interested mostly (or only) in the scenery below, your intended use as a review tool makes the narrower view much better. There's still enough visible outside the aircraft to provide a frame of reference. Well done.
 
Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely have to take a look at that. It didn't seem very close to my head when I was in the cockpit. It wouldn't hit my head, but I'll see how close it is to my left ear cup on the headset. It's actually a little behind and above me, again hard to see in the video.

You haven't experienced flying in turbulence yet.:lol: My head wasn't close to the tubes in the PA12 either, but my helmet has a lot of scrapes from turbulence when I'd wear it to keep from getting knocked out.:rofl:
 
Aw...man.... I just got a text from my CFI stating that our C152 is just about to have to go in for its 100 hour service. It might hit the right tac time tomorrow, and if so, It's going to have to go into maintenance before our first flight. Now I guess I wait and see. This is the reality of training, I guess...
 
Aw...man.... I just got a text from my CFI stating that our C152 is just about to have to go in for its 100 hour service. It might hit the right tac time tomorrow, and if so, It's going to have to go into maintenance before our first flight. Now I guess I wait and see. This is the reality of training, I guess...

Not just training, all rental into the future as well. This is one of the big three reasons people own them even at a higher cost.
 
Yup get ready for it. Our 172 was down 10 days in February with a mag problem. Now it's been down for a week this month with a transponder issue. Between that and the weather, it's been a slow 2 months.
 
Aw...man.... I just got a text from my CFI stating that our C152 is just about to have to go in for its 100 hour service. It might hit the right tac time tomorrow, and if so, It's going to have to go into maintenance before our first flight. Now I guess I wait and see. This is the reality of training, I guess...

Is there other airplanes available? Don't be afraid to get experience in different airplanes if you have options during downtime's with your favorite. You still get hours you need and may find you really prefer a different aircraft.

And yes.. This is absolutely the reality of not only training but airplanes in general. I have owned 2 airplanes so far and it is much harder to stomach the downtime when you cant just pick another club or rental airplane. You just have to deal with this stuff when it happens.
 
Yeah, don't get stuck to one aircraft. Where I trained you flew everything in the fleet but the twins, by the time you had tour PPL, you were checked out in 152, 172, 172RG, 182, and the PA-28 series. Pretty much everyone took their check ride between 40 & 50 hrs there as well with a good success rate.

I flew every plane and with every instructor there, if the plane and instructor I planned for weren't available, I just grabbed one that was. That's the advantage to training with a larger facility, more options.
 
Not quite so easy at my club, as they have specific rules regarding student pilots. Once I begin training on a certain model aircraft, I am limited to only that model as long as I am a student. If there are 3 152s, I can fly any of them, but not a 172. If I started on the 172, they wouldn't want me to fly a 152 as a student. I understand their position.

After I am a certificated pilot, I can check out on anything in the fleet that I am rated for.

Originally I was thinking about using the 172 for dual time and the 152 for solo time, but they said that would not be permitted under club policy.

I chose the 152 to save costs (it comes down to about a $1700-$1800 savings by the time of completion). The club has 3 of them, but unfortunately only one is operating at the moment. The other benefit of the 152 is that most people are flying the 172s (largely due to the weight limitations of the 152) so booking the 152 is much easier -- much more available time slots on the 152 even though there is only one of them.
 
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This should be a Most Excellent Adventure.

You do realize, of course, that by involving us, you've taken on a very dedicated cadre of nags, right? No quittin' now!

I look forward to watching as you move onwards, and upwards - and (eventually) meeting you at a fly-in somewhere.
 
This should be a Most Excellent Adventure.

You do realize, of course, that by involving us, you've taken on a very dedicated cadre of nags, right? No quittin' now!

I look forward to watching as you move onwards, and upwards - and (eventually) meeting you at a fly-in somewhere.

Well....now that I've had a "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" flashback... ;-)

Thanks!
 
Thanks to the sticky post by Cap'n Ron in this "Pilot Training" sub-forum, I realized I needed to take this....

Again…working on my own to learn as much as possible, and understand everything I need to be compliant as a Private Pilot prior to having to hear it from my instructor. I’m one of those students who doesn’t have to wait to be told to learn something. I actually seek out as much as I can on my own. I won’t get it all figured out by myself…but I try and knock out as much as I can so my instructor and I can focus on more valuable discussion.


I realized today (thanks to a post on PilotsOfAmerica.com) that the FAA Safety course “DC Special Flight Rules Area” is required for all pilots flying in or through the DC FRZ and SFRA. As it happens, I live in the SFRA. My home airport is in the SFRA. I’ll be spending a lot of time in the SFRA, and will be leaving and entering it often. Time to check that off the list!


The course was straightforward. There is a lot of information to know, and a lot of rules to follow. Thankfully, the FAA provides a few nice kneeboard reference sheets to keep up with everything. I am now compliant, and have my certificate of completion. They also give you a wallet-sized certificate to print out and keep with your other documentation.

SFRA-e1427128767700-300x185.jpg
 
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Did you get the verdict?
Are you going up today?
 
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