Turned 100 last night...

[Bill]

...hours, that is. And what a fun 100hrs its been, looking at the log book:

• Total: 101.2
• PIC: 53.1
• PIC XC: 38.9
• NIGHT: 9.1 (don't really like night)
• Aerobatic / tailwheel: 4.0
• # Landings: 351
• # airports visited: 21
• Longest day: Feb 12, 10hrs in the Skyhawk

Fun fun fun, next up? Finish the last two aerobatic lessons, then start IR. Loaded the King IR CD's on the computer last night.

 

[Diana]

...hours, that is. And what a fun 100hrs its been, looking at the log book:

• Total: 101.2
• PIC: 53.1
• PIC XC: 38.9
• NIGHT: 9.1 (don't really like night)
• Aerobatic / tailwheel: 4.0
• # Landings: 351
• # airports visited: 21
• Longest day: Feb 12, 10hrs in the Skyhawk

Fun fun fun, next up? Finish the last two aerobatic lessons, then start IR. Loaded the King IR CD's on the computer last night.

That's great Bill! Sounds like you're having fun and enjoying your flying.

Your trip to Gaston's will really add to some of those numbers.

 

[judypilot]

Congratulations! Like a good marriage, it just keeps getting better!

Judy

 

[James_Dean]

You have a lot of landings for your TT. I'm at 421 and I have 320 hrs.

 

[Flyboy]

Good Job!

Now if I could just break 100 in golf....

 

[Ken Ibold]

Now if I could just break 100 in golf....

Then you'll be ready for the back 9!

 

[poadeleted3]

Good Job!

Now if I could just break 100 in golf....

I can usually break 100. It's rare that I lose all my balls before that, though I do have trouble getting to 120.

 

[poadeleted3]

Congrats, Bill Sounds like you are having plenty of fun!

 

[gismo]

It's rare that I lose all my balls before that...

You can lose your balls playing golf??? Sounds like another good reason for me to stay away from that stupid game.

 

[Richard]

You can lose your balls playing golf??? Sounds like another good reason for me to stay away from that stupid game.

Golf is a good walk ruined. Mark Twain said that.

It's the only game when I'm playing it I wish I was somewhere else. I said that.

But, the golf gods allow you to have a very good round on occasion, it's keeps you coming back and serves to prolong your sufferring.

 

[inav8r]

I've never in my life shot more than a 72 when playing golf, even as a beginner. I usually get too tired or lost all of my balls by the 7th or 8th hole and just head to the bar for drinks...

 

[inav8r]

But, the golf gods allow you to have a very good round on occasion, it's keeps you coming back and serves to prolong your sufferring.

The good landing gods torture me in the exact same way...

Except noone's really suffering when their flying!

 

[Ken Ibold]

It's the only game when I'm playing it I wish I was somewhere else. I said that.

And you paid an hour's worth of flight time for the "pleasure."

 

[Keith Lane]

Re: Turned 100 last night...Thread creep

The developers have finally gotten their hands on a local golf course nearby. All the beautiful trees have been very efficienty bulldozed into a pile (Getting ready for all those Bradford pear trees). I'll bet you could find a lifetime's supply of balls out there if you looked. There was also a driving range up near the highway. There was always a pretty good crop along both sides of the road. I saw a few bounce across as I went by. Just what we needed, more traffic.

OBTW, 320 hours and holding, and holding, and holding.............

 

[Flyboy]

Then you'll be ready for the back 9!

You've seen me play?



At least I guet my monies worth. 2 rounds for the price of one

 

[Toby]

Yeah, Bill! Here's to the next hundred hours!

 

[jkaduk]

.
[*]NIGHT: 9.1 (don't really like night)
.

Why not? I love night flying, I wish I could do it more often.
Great vis - I know I've seen lighted objects 100+ miles away.
Smooth air.
No traffic.
Once, I was doing some night takeoffs and landings, the wind was calm and I was the only one around. Tower was still open, so I requested that after takeoff I make a 180 to land. After landing I roll out to the end, turn around and do it again. Great fun.

 

[Bill]

Why not? I love night flying, I wish I could do it more often.
Great vis - I know I've seen lighted objects 100+ miles away.
Smooth air.
No traffic.
Once, I was doing some night takeoffs and landings, the wind was calm and I was the only one around. Tower was still open, so I requested that after takeoff I make a 180 to land. After landing I roll out to the end, turn around and do it again. Great fun.

Oh, its great fun for local flying, but Xc flying at night has me wondering where to land if the engine goes out?????

I'll have to answer the same questions when I start IR, what will be my single engine minimums???

Unless I win the lottery, then I'll go get a K-ice twin and have more options.

 

[Richard]

I too was wondering about the hesitation for night flight. It's good you have established your personal mins. Even better is to stick to them. Yet I believe you need to push the envelope, by avoiding the night you are depriving yourself of some fantastic opportunities.

I love night flying and consequently I have lots of night time. Smoother air, increased vis, far less traffic, ATC not so busy and ready to shoot the **** with you or handle the odd request; all are benefits of night flying compared to day.

As for engine out at night, it's really a head game you're playing. That is, unless you have the auto rough option on your engine. Just go out and build some competency.

I do have one personal min I try to stick to WRT night: no single engine over mtn terrain at night. However, I have a margin if I'm familiar with the immediate terrain and would like continue in that case.

Now that I think about it, passing PHX heading east a couple months ago was at night in MVFR. We picked up some light rime and while that certainly got our attention in no way did I feel uncomfortable because I knew that portion of the route pretty well and had lots of options open in case it got worse.

So, I guess it all comes down to options. Day, night, VMC, MVFR, IMC, makes no difference as long as you identify your options and keep evolving them as the flight progressess. Hey, I just had an insight.

 

[jkaduk]

Xc flying at night has me wondering where to land if the engine goes out?????

Engine out procedure at night:
Establish glide.
Pick emergency field.
When close to the ground turn on landing light.
If landing site chosen is suitable - land.
If not - turn off landing light.

 

[gismo]

Oh, its great fun for local flying, but Xc flying at night has me wondering where to land if the engine goes out?????

At the nearest suitable airport after securing the dead engine and raising the power on the other?


Seriously though, as unlikely as it seems, the chances of a successful emergency landing at night are about as good as in the daytime AFaIK. IOW of those that lost their only engine after dark walked away or at least survived in the same ratio to attempts as the daylight version. IMO the real safety issue at night is the inability to see clouds and other restrictions to visibility along with the lack of visual cues in some areas. You might be surprised how easy it is to get "turned upside down" under clouds while flying over a large uninhabited region or to fly right into a cloud without realizing it until your inside it.

I'll have to answer the same questions when I start IR, what will be my single engine minimums???

A lot of pilots won't fly a single over extensive areas of less than 1000/2 and some do it every day (or night). I'm less sure of this one, but AFaIK engine failure while flying a single in IMC doesn't rank above the noise level WRT fatal accidents so this can probably be ignored if you you're willing to trust in statistics.

 

[Ken Ibold]

A lot of pilots won't fly a single over extensive areas of less than 1000/2 and some do it every day (or night). I'm less sure of this one, but AFaIK engine failure while flying a single in IMC doesn't rank above the noise level WRT fatal accidents so this can probably be ignored if you you're willing to trust in statistics.

As long as you bring it up, I don't think this stat exists simply because of the uncertainty of knowing whether accident aircraft were in VMC or IMC. Having said that, the engine failure question is somewhat easier.

About 85 percent of GA accidents are pilot error. Of the remaining 15 percent, about 10 percent come after engine stoppage. (The other 5 percent are midairs, non-engine mechanical failure and freak stuff.) Now, if you break down the engine stoppage accidents, something on the order of two thirds are due to fuel exhaustion, fuel starvation, and stoppage due to carb ice. Remember, these are lumped into the engine stoppage category rather than the pilot error category for this discussion. So now you have one third of that 10 percent -- or about 3 percent of the total -- due to engine issues that you can't really expect the pilot to have direct control over: Fuel contamination, catastrophic engine failure, turbocharger fires, magneto failure, cylinder bolts breaking, whatever.

That's 3 percent of ALL accidents. What fraction of these happen in IMC vs. VMC, I don't know, but I'd wage the VMC events outnumber the IMC events by 3 or 4 to 1. Note also that this does not include whatever engine stoppages result in successful dead-stick landings that do not result in an NTSB-defined "accident," so the percentage of all "unfavorable outcome" flights may be somewhat higher.

 

[Bill]

IMO the real safety issue at night is the inability to see clouds and other restrictions to visibility along with the lack of visual cues in some areas.

That is the other reason I'm not fond of night VFR, flying unknowingly into IMC. I certainly don't want pull a JFK,JR.

After the instrument, I'll probably begin making careful night XC flights.

 

[Bill]

That's 3 percent of ALL accidents.

I suppose the story of Dr Bruce's "blowtorch" incident in his Mooney ( and the resultant purchase of the Seneca II) is still too fresh in my mind. Baby steps.