Ready for stage check.

orange

orange

Line Up and Wait
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Orange
I have been been training for about 10 months (I only fly once a week for about 2 hours) and have about 46 hours already. We worked on procedures first, not pattern work.

I have been having trouble with landings.

I posted my landing issues on this forum a few weeks ago and got a lot of good tips from various members.

Since then, I have been employing those tips and have been getting better. Today, I went up and nailed all 7 landings. One landing, I didn't flare enough and had a slight bounce. No biggie. My instructor didn't have to move his hands from his lap the whole day. After I landed and taxied back to the school, he handed me my stage check checklist. :goofy:

Next week we will do a refresher of the procedures (stalls, steep turns, slow flight) and the week after, I'm doing my stage check and may be soloing soon after that. (Actually I have to do a medical test flight with an FAA inspector before I can solo for vision below standard in one eye, no issue-has never affected me, more like a formality for me)

I'm posting this mainly to thank everybody for their advice and support. I really appreciate it. Any other tips regarding stage check would also be appreciated.
 
I'm glad to hear you are working out the landings :)! Isn't it possible that the lower vision in one eye is effecting your depth perception a bit which could have contributed to making it a bit harder for you to get used to the sight picture for landing?
 
vdehart said:
Isn't it possible that the lower vision in one eye is effecting your depth perception a bit which could have contributed to making it a bit harder for you to get used to the sight picture for landing?
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I just thought of that, good point. It could be.
 
How bad is it in that eye and why can't it be corrected to meet the standards for 3rd class 20/40? Have you started the SODA process? If not, I think that the stage check is the least of your worries right now. The process can take a while and you may want to consult an AME familiar with special cases for guidance.
 
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vdehart said:
How bad is it in that eye and why can't it be corrected to meet the standards for 3rd class 20/40? Have you started the SODA process? If not, I think that the stage check is the least of your worries right now. The process can take a while and you may want to consult an AME familiar with special cases for guidance.
Click to expand...
I had a brain tumor about 15 years ago and a a result I have poor lid closure in my left eye, and before the doctors realized, my cornea got damaged due to dryness. So the cornea has spots on it which make my vision in the left eye unclear. I think it's tested as good as 20/60 but usually 20/100. So not far thta bad. Like I said, I don't think it has ever affected me with flying but like you mnetioned earlier, the landing issues could have been due to a depth perception issue with the eye.

Anyways, I did my 3rd class medical in May 2013, and wsa passed. In September I got a letter from FAA requesting medical records. Then it went back and forth for more tests, records, etc. I jumped through a lot of hoops and spent money on various tests (EEG, MRI, etc). Finally, I got the SODA letter in March, so I can schedule it at any time as soon as I'm ready to solo. I have to do it by September though (6 month expiration). The FAA inspector (I was told by somebody who knows him well that he's fair) who'll be doing my test flight gave me a list of things he'll be looking for in the flight:

For visual field defects such as an eye that is missing, blind, or not correctable to standards within normal vision, the inspector must verify that the applicant demonstrates the following abilities:

• For single-engine and multiengine families of airplanes and helicopters, the ability to select emergency landing fields at a distance, from high altitude over unfamiliar terrain, and perform a simulated forced landing when applicable
• The ability to recognize other aircraft approaching on a collision course, particularly aircraft approaching from the far right or far left
• The ability to land the aircraft
• The ability to read aeronautical charts and tune the radio to a predetermined station accurately and efficiently while in flight
• The ability to read all instruments quickly and correctly


I'm not overly concerned with it. I'm not taking it lightly just not stressing over it. Since I had landing difficulty for a long time, that part probably "worries" me the most as well as the simulated forced emergency landing.
 
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orange said:
I had a brain tumor about 15 years ago and a a result I have poor lid closure in my left eye, and before the doctors realized, my cornea got damaged due to dryness. So the cornea has spots on it which make my vision in the left eye unclear. I think it's tested as good as 20/60 but usually 20/100. So not far thta bad. Like I said, I don't think it has ever affected me with flying but like you mnetioned earlier, the landing issues could have been due to a depth perception issue with the eye.

Anyways, I did my 3rd class medical in May 2013, and wsa passed. In September I got a letter from FAA requesting medical records. Then it went back and forth for more tests, records, etc. I jumped through a lot of hoops and spent money on various tests (EEG, MRI, etc). Finally, I got the SODA letter in March, so I can schedule it at any time as soon as I'm ready to solo. I have to do it by September though (6 month expiration). The FAA inspector (I was told by somebody who knows him well that he's fair) who'll be doing my test flight gave me a list of things he'll be looking for in the flight:

For visual field defects such as an eye that is missing, blind, or not correctable to standards within normal vision, the inspector must verify that the applicant demonstrates the following abilities:

• For single-engine and multiengine families of airplanes and helicopters, the ability to select emergency landing fields at a distance, from high altitude over unfamiliar terrain, and perform a simulated forced landing when applicable
• The ability to recognize other aircraft approaching on a collision course, particularly aircraft approaching from the far right or far left
• The ability to land the aircraft
• The ability to read aeronautical charts and tune the radio to a predetermined station accurately and efficiently while in flight
• The ability to read all instruments quickly and correctly


I'm not overly concerned with it. I'm not taking it lightly just not stressing over it. Since I had landing difficulty for a long time, that part probably "worries" me the most as well as the simulated forced emergency landing.
Click to expand...

Awesome! Good thing you got a head start on the process because as I suspected it takes a while. Sounds like the ride with the inspector won't be too much to worry about at all.
 
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