April 2008 Archives
I've been wanted to get the 2nd solo cross-country out of the way since Friday. Weather and aircraft problems got in the way on Friday and Saturday, but today, on Sunday, I decided to check the weather in the afternoon and it was looking good. So, I reserved the plan, filed a flight plan and headed out to the airport.
The wind was a bit strong at all my landing points, but mostly down the runway... not too much of a crosswind component. The visibility was really good and the clouds were pretty high.
The route of the flight was McKinney (KTKI) to Rockwall Muni (F46) to Eaker Field, Durant, OK (KDUA) to Cox Field, Paris, TX (KPRX) to Sulpher Springs VOR-DME (SLR) to McKinney (KTKI). Total distance, 207 nautical miles and 2.3 hours logged.
With the completion of my second solo cross-country flight, I now have more than 5 hours of solo cross-country time and over 10 hours of total solo time, so I can cross a couple more requirements from the list.
- At least 40 hours of flight time, to include
- At least 20 hours of flight training from an instructor, including
- 3 hours of cross-country flight training in a single-engine airplane
- 3 hours of night flight training in a single-engine airplane, to include
- 1 cross-country flight of over 100 nautical miles total distance
- 10 takeoffs and 10 landings to a full stop (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport.
- 3 hours of flight training in a single-engine airplane on the control and maneuvering of an airplane solely by reference to instruments, including straight and level flight, constant airspeed climbs and descents, turns to a heading, recovery from unusual flight attitudes, radio communications, and the use of navigation systems/facilities and radar services appropriate to instrument flight
- 3 hours of flight training in preparation for the practical test in a single-engine airplane, which must have been performed within 60 days preceding the date of the test
At least 10 hours of solo flight time in a single-engine airplane, to include
Three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower.5 hours of solo cross-country timeOne solo cross-country flight of at least 150 nautical miles total distance, with full-stop landings at a minimum of three points, and one segment of the flight consisting of a straight-line distance of at least 50 nautical miles between the takeoff and landing locations
All that is left for me now is to get another 4.8 hours of overall time that includes 3 hours in preparation for the FAA checkride and 1.7 hours using only instruments. All this time can be combined. This means I'm very close to the end of the line. What I will do now is schedule my instructor and the plane as often as I can over the next week or two to make one last push to sharpen my skills and get ready for the checkride. If the weather cooperates and my instructor is available, I see no problem having my Private Certificate in May.
Updated Pilot Log
I fought through weather delays and some grounded aircraft to finally go on a solo cross-country flight. In order to complete the requirements for a private pilot certificate I need to have 5 hours of solo cross-country.
The flight was relatively uneventful, but almost did not happen. The weather at McKinney was forcing IFR rules until about 11am. Even then, it was marginal VFR. I had to decide if the conditions were good enough or would I have to scrap the flight. After checking the weather trends and getting encouraging information, I decided to go. It proved to be a good decision. The weather only got better as I continued the flight... and the wind was very favorable, nothing too strong or gusty.
The route of the flight was McKinney (KTKI) to Rockwall Muni (F46) to Gainesville Muni (KGLE) to Kickapoo Downtown Airport, Wichita Falls (KCWC) to Bowie VORTAC (UKW) to McKinney (KTKI). Total distance, 244 nautical miles and 3.1 hours logged.
We planned KTKI(McKinney) -> F46(Rockwall) -> KGLE(Gainesville) -> KCWC(Wichita Falls) -> UKW(Bowie VORTAC) -> KDUA(Durant) -> KTKI(McKinney).
We diverted enroute to Durant when we got to Lake Texoma and overflew Sherman Airport (KSWI) then turned south straight back to McKinney. We only had to make the total trip 3 hours, so we decided not to extend it any further than we had to.
After this flight, I have reached another milestone, I have received an endorsement in my logbook and on my medical certificate to conduct solo cross-country flights... and I get to cross off another requirement from the list below.
- At least 40 hours of flight time, to include
- At least 20 hours of flight training from an instructor, including
- 3 hours of cross-country flight training in a single-engine airplane
- 3 hours of night flight training in a single-engine airplane, to include
- 1 cross-country flight of over 100 nautical miles total distance
- 10 takeoffs and 10 landings to a full stop (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport.
- 3 hours of flight training in a single-engine airplane on the control and maneuvering of an airplane solely by reference to instruments, including straight and level flight, constant airspeed climbs and descents, turns to a heading, recovery from unusual flight attitudes, radio communications, and the use of navigation systems/facilities and radar services appropriate to instrument flight
- 3 hours of flight training in preparation for the practical test in a single-engine airplane, which must have been performed within 60 days preceding the date of the test
- At least 10 hours of solo flight time in a single-engine airplane, to include
- Three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower.
- 5 hours of solo cross-country time
- One solo cross-country flight of at least 150 nautical miles total distance, with full-stop landings at a minimum of three points, and one segment of the flight consisting of a straight-line distance of at least 50 nautical miles between the takeoff and landing locations
Next flight: Saturday, April 19. (solo cross-country)
That was my activity today....
First, the FAA Written.... I just barely passed... see below for my score.
I called my instructor to tell him that I got a "100" on the exam. I got his voicemail, so I left a message. He called me back a couple of hours later and said, "Well, you're pretty good a memorization... or maybe you know a thing or two about flying." Ha-ha! Anyway, he said that we should go ahead and schedule a cross-country soon and to call him when he gets back after this weekend.
After my exam I had a solo flight scheduled. Having talked to my instructor the previous day, and got the okay to go (weather permitting), I headed out to the airport shortly after lunch. The wind was variable at about 4 knots, in other words, almost nothing. The skies were clear and visibility greater than 10 miles. The temperature was in the mid-70's. It was a really nice day to be in the sky.
I spent about an hour and twenty minutes flying and worked on some ground reference maneuvers, turns about a point, s-turns, did some slow flight (at 65 knots), and practiced intercepting and overflying the VOR station at Bonham, TX (BYP). I started with a few touch-and-goes and finished with a few touch-and-goes to round out my time and buttoned up the plane.
Next flight: Thursday, April 10.
It has been awhile since my last entry. The week after I soloed, I was out of town. When I returned, the weather was bad AND the plane was grounded due to inoperable radios. Finally, toward the end of last week the plane was put back into service. I was able to get a little less than an hour of solo flying in on Sunday and a little more than an hour of solo flying done on Tuesday this past week. In all, I need to complete a minimum of 10 solo hours to meet the requirement for the Private Pilot Certificate. As of now, I have 2.2 solo hours.
On Sunday the weather was really sketchy... it was marginal VFR for most of the day. When I got into the plane there was an almost direct 14-15knot crosswind with gusts of up to 20 knots I had to deal with and there were thunderstorms developing in the area. So, I decided to stay around the airport and practice crosswind landings. A nice way to begin flying after a two week lay off. Doing crosswind landings by myself. My first time around, I misjudged the turn from base to final and ended up to the right of the centerline as I brought the plane down. Then, when I was within about 10 feet of the ground, one of those 20 knot gusts came along and pushed me to the far right of the runway. I decided at that point to open the throttle and execute a go-around. The rest of my landings were better and I gained a lot of confidence in my skills with such strong crosswinds while I was by myself. In all I did 7 landings before I decided to stop for the day when it started raining on the plane while I was on the crosswind leg of the pattern.
On Tuesday, the weather was also marginal, but I got out to the plane early and was able to take advantage of a gap in the bad weather. This time the winds were more directly with the runway, so I started off doing a few touch-and-goes, then left the airport to the southeast and worked on steep turns, turns about a point and s-turns. After a total of 45 minutes I returned to the airport and did a few more touch and goes and finished up for the day.
Finally, have been taking a ground school class to prepare for the private pilot written exam, but I've been working ahead and am going to take the test this weekend. I have test prep software the utilized the actual exam questions and simulates the test and I'm able to consistently score over 90% on every practice test, so I think I can go take the test. This is important to complete because before I can do my solo cross-country work, I must pass the written exam.
Next flight: Saturday, April 5.
