So, student pilots.. Who are we and where do we stand?

I am still trying to get to my second lesson, the weather has had us grounded for quite some time. I hope this week I can get out there and make up some lost time. I plan on doing two lessons per week for memory purposes.
 
The last time I flew was on December the 18th and the plane has been down for it's 100hr ever since then. I fly a PA28-151/g although after the engine overhaul its now rated at 160hp. It's been back up for a whole day now and I'm planning a cross country for Saturday! I'm currently training for my instrument rating; those of you who know how that works can vouch for me when I say that most of your credited hours come from cross countries.
Needless to say I'm overloading with excitement :goofy::cheers:
It feels like I've had Cabin Fever forever..
 
Turbo said:
The last time I flew was on December the 18th and the plane has been down for it's 100hr ever since then. I fly a PA28-151/g although after the engine overhaul its now rated at 160hp. It's been back up for a whole day now and I'm planning a cross country for Saturday! I'm currently training for my instrument rating; those of you who know how that works can vouch for me when I say that most of your credited hours come from cross countries.
Needless to say I'm overloading with excitement :goofy::cheers:
It feels like I've had Cabin Fever forever..
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Sounds like one of my club's planes..where are you flying out of?
 
pikespeakmtnman said:
1.2 hrs in so far....it's very exciting to know that I'm actually finally learning to fly.
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Congrats on getting started - it is a bigger step than most folks take.

I started in a February in Colorado too - don't let weather delays get you down.
 
Been flying places for fun after passing my checkride last year. Flew up to Oroville to take my dad flying which he enjoyed. Favorite $100 hamburger run so far has been down to Harris Ranch. I'm looking to do complex and high performance next before the instrument rating.
 
Flew three days ago, had some sloppy crosswind landings.

Flew today and have some real nice landings. Did a little hood time and a simulated engine failure at 500 AGL just before I started my downwind to base turn. (I was flying the altitude I was told to fly.) I made that one stick, it wasn't pretty, but the airplane is re-usable, so I suppose it was a 'great' landing.

I'm getting pretty excited about Cross countries learning navigation, etc.
 
MrGumpo said:
Flew three days ago, had some sloppy crosswind landings.

Flew today and have some real nice landings. Did a little hood time and a simulated engine failure at 500 AGL just before I started my downwind to base turn. (I was flying the altitude I was told to fly.) I made that one stick, it wasn't pretty, but the airplane is re-usable, so I suppose it was a 'great' landing.

I'm getting pretty excited about Cross countries learning navigation, etc.
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Sounds like we're at similar points. Doing an hour on the ground later today reviewing course plotting, determining Compass Heading - then a couple of hours in the air.
 
Good luck Jeff.
I'm learning to fly from a guy that's 70+, been instructing longer than my 35 years on the Earth. Flying off a grass strip and learning to do it barefoot, zero traffic.
He likes to turn the radio onto KC center just to hear someone other than me when we're flying. :D
My work boots won't fit in the footwell of a 150, my CFI has always flown barefooted, he claims better pedal feel and I can agree.

When it's -5C outside my toes do get a little chilly though.

SN63 is the airport. My CFI tells me all the time that such and such airplane came in, did a low pass and went somewhere else paved.

I'm stuck in Ground school trying to get past weather. ugh, anyone got any tips?
 
I've been waiting for the weather to be good enough for my solo cross country and then schedule the checkride. Hopefully tomorrow it'll be good enough to get it done. Chalk it up to flying in New England in winter
 
I've quit flying more times than a smoker quits cigarettes. Got my ticket in '89. Like that perfect drive on the 18th Tee, it keeps dragging me back in.

Yes, I'm a student, forever. (I'm 51).
 
A little under 2 hrs in the Tobago today, mostly touch and go's. Did get to change my right closed traffic to left closed traffic to allow a pair of P-51D's to depart :)

About an hour and a half of ground after that, prepping for next weeks dual cross country. KTOA to KCRQ, should be FUN.

Time for a beer, chase the wienerdog around for a while, dinner and a cigar
 
warthog1984 said:
Very grueling, starting with a 5AM wakeup. 3 hour oral, followed by 1.7 in the air. But favirve the shiny new temp PP certificate.
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Congrats. If you are going to be a cfi, you might get to see a real grueling checkride. getting the PASEL was my favorite accomplishment. I know you are really excited.
 
NJP_MAN said:
Congrats. If you are going to be a cfi, you might get to see a real grueling checkride. getting the PASEL was my favorite accomplishment. I know you are really excited.
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Thanks! A little too tired still to be excited, but yeah feels good.

I hope it doesn't get much worse- I spent 5+ hours planning, and then 2 hours for the oral just briefing a 1hr flight. There was Mtn pass flying, inop systems, dropping into tight quarters, SUA, condor sanctuaries, flying into and thru the LA Basin, going thru and under the Bravo, a time crunch, get-home-itis, weather, LAHSO, and I forget what else...

The funny part is another student previously sat in on my mock oral and honestly thought the plan was going to be as simple as "Point A to Point B":rofl:.
 
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My CFI got a new job and the weather in the NE has been awful, so have not flown in about 2 1/2 weeks. Scheduled for 9 am tomorrow. With how the weather has been, I will keep my fingers crossed.
 
drotto said:
My CFI got a new job and the weather in the NE has been awful, so have not flown in about 2 1/2 weeks. Scheduled for 9 am tomorrow. With how the weather has been, I will keep my fingers crossed.
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Where do you train out of?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
After losing most of January to crappy weather around CT, I'm starting to pick up flying time again. I'm now endorsed to solo in the practice area and land at a different airport about 20nm away. I've completed my dual XCs and very close to getting XC solo endorsement. Progress seems to be moving a lot quicker now. It's exciting but also make me a bit nervous. I think I'll build up some local solo time before I take on a XC.
Yesterday I got my first exposure to unusual attitude recovery. It was a bit bumpy but the exercise was very interesting and I look forward to the next drill.
If you haven't gone through this yet, here's my overview. http://3papafoxtrot.com/2014/02/24/ive-got-an-attitude-problem-its-unusual/
 
Just did a shortish xc to a Class D airport this morning. Coming from untowered, I definitely need some more practice talking to other people on the radio. This morning definitely helped. I thought it was funny because we contacted them once on the ground and parked to let them know my CFI was jumping out and I was soloing. They warned us they usually don't allow student solos due to gusty winds, but gave us the go ahead when they found out we were from LRO. Other than an unusual pattern for noise abatement, my trip around the pattern was uneventful. Huge gust when I was getting ready to flare and I rose up easily 50-100', but settled back down easily. Just glad the wind didn't shove me in the other direction. I have the whole week scheduled for lessons, yesterday didn't happen and tomorrow looks like it might not happen. Thursday is our real long xc with 4 legs. Solo xc soon after.

Edited to add, forgot that I did some foggle work. First time out of the simulator doing IR flying. Took me a while to quit feeling like I was banking to the left in straight and level flying. I had to really tune out what I was feeling and go off the instruments. By the end my body was more in sync with reality
 
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jetedrick said:
Where do you train out of?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I train in central NJ.

Had my first lesson with a new CFI and overall it went very well. We did a few pattern passes, and I landed 3 of 4 by myself. On the one I did not land, a big wind gust really pushed the plane out of a stabilized approach, so I had the CFI take over. So not bad. To see where I was, had had me do slow flight and steep turns (which I had really only done once before) as a review and to knock the rust off since I had not done then in months. He said that my slow flight and steeps were to test standards basically right away. So cool.

It actually felt good being with a different CFI, and to brush up on a few things. Built my confidence up after long stretches of no flying due to weather. They biggest difference in approach is this CFI likes the downwind and base to be somewhat longer and at slightly faster speeds than the previous one. Old was 1500, configure, pitch 75, turn base, flaps, pitch 70, turn final, flaps pitch 65 to 70. My original CFI likes a moderately tight pattern. This CFI had me using a slightly longer pattern, rpm to 1700, flaps, pitch for 85 on downwind, turn base, flaps, pitch for 75, turn final, flaps, and then pitch for 70 to 75. He was not as strict about the perfect pattern, but more about what felt comfortable to me. Neither right or wrong, just slightly different. Guess that is why some say mixing up CFI's is not a bad thing.
 
Just passed my PPL knowledge exam yesterday, one less obstacle in the way of that license!
 
Passed my medical today, the weather here sucks. It's been about ten days since we had a good flying day and it looks to be a few more before the weather clears.
 
48dodge said:
we contacted them once on the ground and parked to let them know my CFI was jumping out and I was soloing. They warned us they usually don't allow student solos due to gusty winds, but gave us the go ahead when they found out we were from LRO.
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This has me a little confused, I know some regulations are tricky and it's an area I need to study up on, but...

Does the tower really have authority to not allow you to go up for that reason? Sure they don't have to give you the clearance but can they really deny you for information that you've just volunteered and does not violate any CFR? If you're in VFR conditions and within the x-wind limits of your cert. status, AND your CFI is right there authorizing the flight, I don't see how they can deny you.

Don't know anything about the specifics of the airport you're referring to, but it seems like a discretionary rule they've imposed instead of enforcing a reg.
 
Skyscraper said:
This has me a little confused, I know some regulations are tricky and it's an area I need to study up on, but...

Does the tower really have authority to not allow you to go up for that reason? Sure they don't have to give you the clearance but can they really deny you for information that you've just volunteered and does not violate any CFR? If you're in VFR conditions and within the x-wind limits of your cert. status, AND your CFI is right there authorizing the flight, I don't see how they can deny you.

Don't know anything about the specifics of the airport you're referring to, but it seems like a discretionary rule they've imposed instead of enforcing a reg.
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The CFI can sign off for any limitations he wants, but as long as the tower doesn't give a takeoff clearance, you can't take off
 
jordane93 said:
The CFI can sign off for any limitations he wants, but as long as the tower doesn't give a takeoff clearance, you can't take off
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Well yeah, I understand that a clearance is of course required.

I just don't get this part: There is no reg (to my knowledge) requiring that you identify yourself as a student to the ATC. It seems like the controller is playing CFI here. Maybe one of our ATC members can shine some light on this. It seems that if conditions are VFR and x-winds are within limits, the controller wouldn't really be justified in denying a clearance for takeoff :dunno:
 
Tower controllers always know when a first solo is taking place. It's really, really obvious. You drop off your instructor somewhere and then get back on the runway.

But Tower refusing a takeoff clearance because they feel it is unsafe is not allowed by regs. 14 CFR 91.3(a). I wonder if the "they" that post refers to is the airplane owner or insurance. That's more likely.
 
Getting very close to my solo. The CFI is now mentioning my pre-solo written test, and we did emergency landing and procedures yesterday. We first did engine out, typical establish best glide and find a field to put down in stuff. Ran through what my new CFI likes to call SLAMS. Then we did the we have a fire and need to get the plane down as fast as possible. I am not sure how others do this, but this CFI likes to put the plane in a steep banked spiral, and maintain airspeed at the top of the white arc. His viewpoint is it is the only way to get down if the landing spot you need (or maybe the only thing you have) is right below you. It also permits you to level out and establish a "pattern" at a much slower airspeed when you pull out of the accelerated descent then a steep dive where your would have alot of extra speed to burn off before landing. Regardless, doing a downward spiral at 2000 fmp is an experience. I also did slips for the first time, another (for me) new experience.

So things seem to be accelerating now, was basically told I was within 3 ro 4 hours of soloing. We will see if that actually happens.
 
MAKG1 said:
Tower controllers always know when a first solo is taking place. It's really, really obvious. You drop off your instructor somewhere and then get back on the runway.

But Tower refusing a takeoff clearance because they feel it is unsafe is not allowed by regs. 14 CFR 91.3(a). I wonder if the "they" that post refers to is the airplane owner or insurance. That's more likely.
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Pretty sure the "they" was in reference to the tower. Anyway, just curious...
 
First solo this morning!
8:50 AM, my CFI got out and told me to do three full stop landings.

8mph crosswind 90 degrees off the runway, other than that a perfect morning to fly!

I'm back so I had ' good' landings, and the airplane is useable again, so they were all great. :D
Best start to a week ever.
 
MrGumpo said:
First solo this morning!
8:50 AM, my CFI got out and told me to do three full stop landings.

8mph crosswind 90 degrees off the runway, other than that a perfect morning to fly!

I'm back so I had ' good' landings, and the airplane is useable again, so they were all great. :D
Best start to a week ever.
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Congrats! you'll be smiling over this for quite a while!
 
Congratulations on your solo!

I'm a good eight months into my lessons. It's amazing how easy work, life, weather, and sickness can all conspire to make finding flying time difficult. I got a nasty flu-turned-sinus infection on New Years Eve which took me over a month to get over and then after going back up with my instructor I just had five scheduled solo flights over the past two weeks cancelled due to weather in San Diego. I had my third scheduled "first" night flight lesson tonight -- the other two scrubbed due to weather.

San Diego has about two weeks of bad weather a year and I think I've tried scheduling a lesson during each of those days ;)

I'm still having a good time, though. It's an incredible experience.
 
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