This is hell week...

in

I'm studying like crazy for my Instrument Oral Exam as well as the EOC (End of Course Checkride). Today's flight as well as last night's helped me out quite a bit in making sure that I was ready for the actual rate ride. So far so good and I have within PTS. I want to make things perfect but we'll see how it goes on Wednesday. I have a Pre-Oral tomorrow w/ our instructor and I hope that I am adequate enough to show her what I know. I hope also to learn new pointers before I go in on Wednesday.

CAPT is getting crazy with all the news happening around the facility. More or less, we are getting students left and right with a new July class of 6-8 students. I saw 4 today and I think the others are joining in tomorrow. I'm happy to see my school doing well. It means that we are on the right track. So, basically if you are interested in the program, I would apply now and start as soon as possible. Rumor has it that a waitlist is starting to form for various start dates!

Sidenote: This could be my last week in single engine training.

Alternator Failure

in

Manoj decided to space out his three approaches with 48 NM in between where as I thought that I might as well make the GPS transition into the ILS right away. So my flight plan was as follows: Depart Flagler 11 turn West bound and call up Daytona for the GPS 8 into KOMN followed by the ILS 7L into KDAB then hold over OMN VOR followed by the VOR-A into X47. Everything was going well up until the following chaos. I was established on the ILS 7L (DA = 255) and when I was maintaining GS and Locailzer, somewhere around 400 MSL, the Check Instructor had not called out Airport Environment insight and he ended up pulling the Alternator CB on me. Of course, I flew to 255 and executed missed, pulled out the QRH, called Tower to go missed and went back to Daytona Approach to get my holding instructions. As all this was happening, Daytona didn't ask to call when I was ready to copy the instructions, but instead just gave them to me right away. I determined that I had to execute a Tear Drop Entry and I got that just fine. I got the Alternator back somewhere on my climb out from the MAP. After a few laps in the hold (more like 2 laps) I asked Daytona for the approach into x47. So far everything was good. I noticed that again, the check instructor pulled another CB (the flaps) and then when I was getting vectors for the VOR-A the DG and Attitude Indicator went out. So flying with the compass was great, but the AI was all over the place. I didn't have a post-it to help cover the brown on top and finally when I was 1 DME from the FAF, I lowered the flaps and nothing came down. I decsended to the MDA (560), went visual and executed a no flap landing approach at 100 knots. It was a great landing but I did glide about 50% down the 5000" Runway. I had fun, and I didn't get the instruments that I lost while on the approach back until I was taxiing back into the ramp.

All in all, I learned a lot and now I'm officially gearing up for my EOC (End of Course) Checkride and Oral. I can't say that I'm that ready and prepared for it, but I'll be doing a lot of studying.

Tailwheels and 90 degree turns

in

I had my first tail wheel experience today. I now want to get my rating in it too. Should be fun. Flying stick was great. I fly stick today, but the old fashioned long stick was awesome! I flew a 1982 Decathalon Bellanca (2990D). I only flew back seat and tried to execute a 90 degree turn, but was uncoordinated. I couldn't see the turn back indicator at all but I didn't lose that much alt.

In only 7 hours, I will be conducting my Stage II Instrument Proficiency Test, which is one of the hardest in the program. I will be exectuing 3 approaches total and a hold. More specfically, a GPS Approach into KOMN, followed by the GPS 9L into KSFB, Followed by a hold at OMN and then the VOR-A into X47. I should make it alright but we'll see. Look for an update entry at 1800 EDT. If I do pass, I have the final EOC (End of Course) Checkride this coming Friday or sometime the following week.

Pre Stage II Check

in

So far, the Lesson 20 review was a lesson that I have redone twice for a total of 3 times. They were good reviews in that I learned much more not only procedure wise, but how to psych myself and get myself ready to that point of executing an approach. It was exciting. I was back to where I was earlier in the Instrument Phase. My landings were awesome and when I took off the foggles at the DA of 230 at KDAB, I was centerline and just a little high. Good stuff. I only wanted to fly today for the fact that I was not happy with my previous performances and that I needed to make or have a flight go "my way." The standard that I set for myself is pretty high so when I don't meet it, I kind of get a little nervous. Monday should hopefully be a breeze. Wish me luck.

3 ILS

in

I got to fly 3 ILS approaches today. I messed up though on the first DMC Arc to ILS 7L KDAB. I came up a little inside on the Arc (16 miles but I was too sharp in correcting for wind) ended up at 15.5 DME. Then I went to Orlando Executive Airport followed by an approach into Sanford. The last one was the best but I did fall below the glideslope when talking to tower. Definitely something I didn't want to do, but as I was communicating, I pulled power to 10inches of Manifold Pressure and that just dropped me out of the sky. I have to execute 3 more ILS approaches tomorrow. Hopefully they fair much better.

Oh yeah, we had a drug test today too.

good eats, good times...

in

I played one game of Monopoly for quite a while today (around 2-4 hours or something) and had a great dinner. It included: champagne chicken, Fresh Mashed Potatoes, Jasmine White Rice, Caesar Salad. I think that's about it. The house has been rather productive lately in helping out a lot w/ preparation and cleaning. It's getting to be like clockwork.

Tomorrow, we have yet another instructor, but this time, its going to be a little intimidating. It is Mr. Chris Kokai himself. If you don't know already, he's the Assistant Chief Pilot (but he is the highest ranking on our campus). There is a lack of instructors due to vacations, but we'll see. I have a new class too. Human Factors w/ Bob Stafford. That should be fun. There's also a shuttle launch that I want to see. A lot to do. Got stage 2 hopefully this week and then on to the long 250 mile cross countrys. Should be fun!

It has begun..

in

I flew a total of once this entire week! Give it that we had Monday off for July 4th, weather and scheduling, feels like an awesome waste of time. I felt like a human wasteland. I should get a job or something. Actually, I should be using my time more wisely and be studying a little bit more. I wish that I can go home again. Stupid Hurricane Dennis is starting to show his bands around southern Florida. It should be a doozy!

ILS

in

I didn't get to do any flying today because of time constraints, but I had fun watching in the rear. We executed an ILS approach into Daytona Beach Airport Runway 7L followed by a handoff into Class Bravo into Orlando Sanford (ILS 9) and back into KDAB for a localizer approach into 7L. Of course, we had to get back to school so, we asked for the GPS 11 approach back into Flagler. It was a long flight but everything went pretty smooth. I hope that tomorrow I'll get to execute the same if not similiar.

Apparently, CAPT has already designated their evacuation plan pilots for their planes. I'm so far down the seniority list that I won't be onboard. Oh well. Maybe next time. Looks like I was right though in saying that Dennis was definitely going to reach CAT 3 status but I didn't think that it would do it that soon. Hopefully we'll be alright. If you haven't noticed, there are more storms headed our way brewing in the Eastern Pacific. Check out the radar. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov and then just navigate into the radar pages on the left hand column.

Hurricanes

in

Looks like we got a live one! Hurricane Dennis was upgraded today at 5:47 PM EDT from a Tropical Storm and is headed into the Gulf of Mexico. Stay on top of it at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov I don't think that it will affect us that much, but looks like just maybe the Launch of the "upgraded" space shuttle might be in limbo. Maybe not. If not, I'm totally going to be checking that stuff out.

Today, Manoj and I did 3 GPS approaches each. I flew out of Space Coast Regional Airport / Titusville (KTIX) , which is almost right next to the Shuttle Pad, and then ended up executing the GPS 9 back into KTIX followed by the GPS 34 into Daytona Beach Airport (KDAB) and then finally back into Flagler Airport (X47) with the GPS 6 Approach full stop. They all went rather smooth. I missed one call because I was briefing the approach and my CDI deflfection was a little to the left on the final approach. Nothing too bad. All in all, I'm looking forward to the 2nd stage check. Tomorrow, is all about ILS approach and Localizer Approaches. Hopefully they won't be too bad. I think that we are planning approaches into Orlando airports (Executive and Sanford.)

Hope that the links I provided helped out with the exacts of what I have to do. Click on them. You don't have to neccessarily know exactly what they are, but each chart will show you some information on what I'm talking about. These procedures are what airplanes do before getting to the final destination airport.

Am I ever...

in

Currently, I haven't flown in quite a while due to scheduling difficulties, but the same goes for the weather. Because our flights still have to be under VMC (visual meteorological conditions) Manoj and I are forced to wait out the storm. Today was another big day of thunder. I mean, this time it shook the house as if it were a crumb on a counter with a hand slamming down. The rain flooded once more the front yard, but it was over in about 1 hour or so.

Check what we have headed this way. Looks like fun eh? So far, meteorologists says that it is a record in having 4 named storms by this date, July 5th. Can't wait for more. We were at Charlie by mid August 2004. Now, Dennis is the first to perhaps develop into a hurricane. Dennis the lower Tropical Storm and Cindy is the first to hit landfall tonight. I've been thinking, should I get a generator?