VOR Navigation + Frogs...

in

Well, today in instrument ground, we covered a lot of VOR navigation including HSIs. We even got to fly the King Air simulator. It was really nice to actualy come to the full if not more complete understanding of using the OBS, HDG, or HSI.

Oh yeah, there was a frog on Matt's window tonight eating up all the little bugs. It was crazy! It was jumping all over the place. Apparently, my other friend at CAPT says that his house has them little things all over the walls. It is nutty!!!

Check it out! That glob on the window is the frog and the light is emminatting from a flashlight that we used inside the house to attract more bugs to the window pane for the frog to eat. He's a hungry fellow I tell ya!

***note to self, don't go outside in the backyard without shoes, pants, killer spray, etc...stupid florida creatures***

182T /G1000

in

Today was an awesome day to get my high performance check out. I had a chance to meet the chief flight instructor at another FBO in Daytona Beach operating out of Daytona Airport called Air America. They basically are a Cessna Pilot Center so that's what they particular fly. I visited them yesterday to setup a ride today and get checked out before Adelle and Corinne come by in about 12 days.

I decided to get checked out in the Cessna 182T because it would qualify me for a check out in their 172s and 152s just in case I would want to rent those planes as well as give me a high performance checkout. I won't be able to get the G1000 Cert. until I end up finishing up my Instrument Course at CAPT, but hopefully I'll be able to get more time with the system.

It is am amazing avionics display. With instant repeats of radio calls (2 minute buffer), Terrain awareness, man, I don't want to list that many things. There is just so much that this system has to offer. I don't see why other planes just don't come with this stuff now. I know that it is totally expensive, but damn, it is worth it. Got to practice some takeoffs and landings at Flagler and even a Cross Country to Orlando Executive Airport. At Orlando, we rented a courtesy Ford Excursion and made our way to the Mercedes Benz ML Tour. It was fun and I totally got a good shot at driving both the ML500 and the ML350 on a twisty "intro" course. I floored it, braked hard and even turned hard. I think that it is definitely a great SUV. The one thing missing though was the Airmatic Suspension. But afterwards, we flew back to Daytona Beach (via Auto Pilot) and I had a chance to play w/ the G1000 some more.

Background: The Garmin G1000 is a Glass Panel Display that is situated in front of the pilots of a small airplane. It shows all the engine instruments, com radios, navigation aids, etc. Even the Transponder located within the Primary Flight Display (PFD). In the picture below, they are the 2 LCD screens in front of me and Mark.

The 182T isn't that bad of a plane. It totally cruises nicely at 140ish. And yes Andy, not as great at your Mooney 201.

100% back in action...

in

Got to class, sat down and prepared myself mentally for class. As the quiz was handed out, I began at a slower than normal pace checking and then double checking my answers and the question that I was reading, "Question one, answer one, question one, answer one..." I would reapeat that sequence over and over again until I finally was secure that I marked the right box. After doing this, I noticed that I still finished ahead of everyone else. There were a two questions on the quiz that I was unsure of, but never the less, pretty sure of, and then it was time to grade them. I went through my partners test and my classmates were noting that a particular question was not in the guide. It was, but it was in the rear. Still, no one missed it. By the time we finished grading the exam, I noticed that I had a big one zero zero at the top of my paper! I just scored a perfect!

Bring it on instrument ground!!!

1st Quiz in Instrument = Faillure

in

Well, not to anyone's surprises, to say the least not to my own, I missed 5 out of 20 given on today's quiz. Not becase I was not smart enough, but because of my complacency. Story is: By the time I finsihed reading question 20, I went to go my my scantron type paper and noticed that I was marking box 19. So, guess what? My answers were mismarked. Luckily, they were all "C" down the row. I doubled check which question I didn't read, and noticed that I only fumbled at 17. So, I read, then re-mark my paper and moved on.

As we are grading the test, I knew that I was for sure going to miss 2, maybe three. I got my test back and it had a big "-5" at the top. Confused and outraged, I looked and notice and re-read question 17 and 18. I knew the answers, looked at my paper and figured out that I corrected 18 instead of 17. There goes 2 points. Another question, I just mismarked B instead of C, or whichever. This sh*t sucks.

I have another quiz tomorrow which I have to ace. I am last in the class. Not that these quizzes really matter or count towards anything, its just for me and my competitive nature to do the best. Manoj missed 0 and he'll have to miss 5 somewhere along the way just for us to get even. I can't believe it. What a way to start my instrument course. =( Gyroscopes quiz tomorrow!! Can't wait! Oh yeah, we have another graduation ceremony to attend. Lunch provided. I think that I can get use to these "hanger" graduations every couple of months. At CAPT, they graduate multiple classes at once because of the sizes of each. But remember, there is only one ACE award per class.

Weather Report for Daytona Beach

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http://www.news-journalonline.com/breaking/hail
An intense hailstorm pounded Daytona Beach this morning, with marble- and golf ball-sized hail coming down so hard in some areas it piled up like snowdrifts.

Westbound traffic on U.S. 92 rolls past piles of hail resembling snowbanks following an intense hailstorm between Tomoka Farms Road and LPGA Boulevard.

The National Weather service said 3 inches of hail fell, blanketing streets and sidewalks along International Speedway Boulevard and damaging 25 Embry-Riddle Aeronatical University aircraft at Daytona Beach International Airport.

This is the kind of weather that I go through each and everyday. It's crazy down here. As of 4:03 pm EST, there is still thunderstorms everywhere and the rain is still pouring. Apparently, if I lived in Daytona Beach, just about 20 miles south, my car would have been pelted with hail. And yes, permanent little pock marks. Good thing.

classroom update: I am learning about the pitot-static system and have yet another quiz tomorrow on the material covered today. It's a great pace that we go through here at CAPT. We move onto Gyros tomorrow in class and then just keep trucking along. This Friday, we have another graduation with lunch being served. Should be fun as yet again, more airline representative are visiting us. :-) Go CAPT!!!

First Day on Instrument Training

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Well, today marks the first day of our (AB05-01 <-- our class number) path towards flying into and around inside the clouds. I'm getting excited already because this is the stuff that I have no idea on. I mean, before signing up at CAPT, I had a couple of hours already with some book knowledge. I was ready for Private Pilot Ground. Now, I am completely heading into CAPT 301 with no existing knowledge. It'll be kind of neat to see how I learn and develop into a full rated Instrument Rated Single Engine Private Pilot.

I also got my Temporary Airman's Certificate along with my Embry Riddle Certificate of Completion. That is defintely plaque (regular black frame only) worthy. Local FBOs look out! j/k

There is also a new ACE award which is almost annalogous to the Top Gun award given in the Top Gun Movie to Iceman and Slider. Plaque on the wall and everything. It's different than graduating top of the class because it is awarded by our fellow peers and instructors at CAPT. *daydream sequence*

Flying Much Faster --> 160 knots

in

Flying with Andrew Strauss and Adelle was a great experience. I haven’t flown with Andy for sometime now and flying with him just humbles me so much. He is definitely the man. He demonstrated a “mountain” take off which scared the heck out of me. We adjusted to full throttle with the brakes on, then let go and began to roll. As ground effect set it, we lifted off and stayed about 10 feet or so above the runway while raising the landing gear. That was nuts. I got really nervous just knowing that if we lost lift, the plane would land on its belly. But of course, Andy flew that Mooney of his like it was nothing. He is the champ in flying that plane. Cruising at 160 knots is so much more fun than the 120 that I am use to in the Diamond.

The day of the flight started out with him calling me and telling me that I would be pilot in command. That meant that I would be in charge of the entire flight. I told him that I thought my checkride was over, but his, to me, is the hardest of them all. I have come a long way with the CAPT program and Pinnacle Academy, I wanted him to feel as if I learned something. I did normally what I would; Passenger Briefing, Departure Briefing, flight planning through the airspace in SD which by the way is a lot more restricting than anywhere is Florida, and planning the trip to Oceanside Airport. With all my time up in Carlsbad, I never noticed nor landed at this airport. It was just a little north but I can’t believe that I didn’t know that it was there. Flying at 160 knots also got me there a lot faster than what I expected so I had to descend really fast, but Andy ended up making the first approach. The landing that I did wasn’t that great. He greased it to the definition of not feeling it at all. It was just simply…beautiful. I look up to him so much.

Come to think of it, I gave Adelle my digital camera and she took quite a few pics. Mostly of her, but I love every one of them.

PC to SD and back again....

in

The last couple of days in San Diego have been very eventful to where I was able to re-acquaint myself with culture and society. Upon arriving in San Diego, my mother picked me up in my C55 (Mercedes Benz AMG) and I took off. Boy do I miss the power of that V8. It was nice seeing my mom again. I made a surprise visit to my darling Adelle, scaring her but giving her a happy smile. It was surreal that I was able to purchase a flight, pack, and head to San Diego within 24 hours. We went to the Nordstrom Café with my mom and I had some normal food. I call it normal because there isn’t anything like it in Daytona Beach. I had a Baked Salmon Caesar Salad and a Turkey with Bacon Panini Sandwich. All was good. Just walking around the Fashion Valley Environment was overwhelming. I drove home and came upon my house in PQ to a brand new garage decked out with custom made cabinets and such. I opened the door to find that the carpet downstairs is pulled and getting prepped for some wooden flooring. My dad was as pleasant and loving as always. I headed upstairs and walked into my room. Well, what I thought or use to be my room. My furniture was still there with my computer all setup, my remote that controls my entertainment system and everything else but the feeling of “home” was missing. On the way to PQ I even almost missed my turn because I was just not use to driving where people know how to drive. The 4 lane freeway is awesome!

I got ready and took a shower that didn’t even feel that great. I was mostly confused. I hate to say it, but life in Daytona Beach (Palm Coast) isn’t that bad. I have it pretty good there. I got ready to meet up with Marella and Mr. Jo-Lawrence Bigcas to go out and have some sushi. I never thought that it would be that good, but I have to tell you that it was magnificent. Tremendous is probably a better adjective! I ordered from the same sushi chef that I always use to for lunch and he hooked it up. I ordered 3 rolls, but he ended up doubling the order entirely. So, for $20 I got $40 worth. I had my first bite and was overwhelmed with emotion. I’m not that fem, but food never tasted so good. Being with my friends just topped it off.

The next day, I don’t even remember the details except that I ate a lot of different types of foods. Persian, Vietnamese, Mexican, In and Out…that’s just to name the ones I remember. I love San Diego so much. There is so much to do and so much to eat.

I love San Diego. I miss living in San Diego, but only until recently have I really gotten to know how much it has meant to me to be raised here. You get spoiled with all the amenities and attractions that SD has to offer. My home now though is Palm Coast. I have accepted it fully and come to the realization that my residence there isn’t that bad at all. All of you have to come and visit. I will not nor ever say that I love Palm Coast, but it is my home for the next year or so.