The Modern Day Nomad

Stage 37 Part 2 Take 1

2009-04-23T12:37:00.002-04:00

Ive been flying for some time in preparation for the flight portion of stage 37. My new Colombian instructor has me jumping through hoops and truly challenging me when we do fly. Every time we go up though I always forget one thing, or don't do one thing correctly. It got to the point where we decided to talk to the head instructor to get his take on what we should do. Personally I just

A Week of Review and a Getaway to St. Augustine

2009-04-06T22:04:00.010-04:00

The the oral exam behind me, the flight check is next. I still have a temp flight instructor, but at this point I really wouldnt care if I stayed with him. Even if I get the last guy back, great, if I dont and keep the temp, equally as great. I finally feel like I'm learning something, and have the structure I need.On our flight, I did pretty well. However, because I have a different

Lesson 37 take 2

2009-03-29T11:33:00.002-04:00

My instructor is on two weeks vacation to get married. So, Ive been given a temporary instructor, with a goal of passing the 2nd attempt at the oral exam by Friday. Upon meeting my temp, I learned he is originally from Columbia but also lived for quite some time in Ecuador. He's an older guy compared to the average age of instructors.The first thing we would tackle during every ground work

Lesson 37

2009-03-21T14:39:00.002-04:00

So finally Ive been submitted to take the oral exam of everything Ive learned to date. Ive been studying and have just about all the acronyms committed to memory that I will need. My instructor gave me a scenario in which I am to create a navigation log to submit as part of my oral exam. It states that I have agreed to fly a friend to Tampa for an evening concert. I will drive to Jacksonville

Did You Say 12 to 15?

2009-03-15T01:46:00.006-04:00

I had spent so much time in the Learning Center, and with my new instructor, with my nose in a stack of books as high as my waist, I think you can all imagine how much I was anticipating my flight on Monday. My instructor didn't really give me a heads up as to where he wanted to go. I knew he would want to shoot a couple different approaches and possibly fly a hold somewhere but I hadn't

New Directions

2009-03-07T10:26:00.006-05:00

Yes it has been quite some time since my last post. Quite honestly I didn't think anyone would want to read about me studying. That has been the majority of my activities the last couple of weeks. To update the fatal crash of my friend and colleague, we will not know anything from the NTSB for 9 to 12 months. The school was reopened the next day and we have had a memorial service for the two

Tragedy

2009-02-18T14:04:00.003-05:00

For those of you who have not heard, last night a DCA instructor and a student friend of mine lost their lives in plane crash. I appreciate all the calls and emails from my friends and family making sure I am ok.Rumors are of course flying around and we wont know for sure what exactly happened until the report comes out. Here is a link to the Orlado Sentinel which is being updated as new

Books Up To Bat, Oral Exam On Deck, Check Ride In The Hole

2009-02-14T18:16:00.006-05:00

PASSED! I finally passed the lesson from hell! Flew to KIZER... entered the hold on a direct entry made my turns... called up Orlando Approach to let them know I was established in the hold, which surprised my instructor, who up until now, has been making the call. We flew back to Sanford International where I made two ILS approaches and one GPS to a full stop. Even though I've completed this

I think I finally Got This!

2009-02-08T10:37:00.004-05:00

After almost three weeks on the ground due to illness I'm finally on the schedule to fly. The schedule had me with a different instructor. But not any instructor. The students at DCA are divided into groups with different group leaders and managers. I'm flying with the group manager. A four bar pilot which means he also gives the FAA oral exams and check rides. So I'm actually excited to go

Leukoplakia

2009-01-28T11:01:00.006-05:00

For the passed two weeks Ive been sick. Not the flu, or a cold, but oral leukoplakia. Yes and its as nasty as it sounds. Two weeks ago I started to get what I thought was a sore throat... but it wasn't in my throat, it was more in the back in my mouth. I didn't think anything of it and figured it would go away. Boy was I wrong. I soon felt pain down around the inside of my gums and made it

Another Week, Same Stuff

2009-01-18T18:04:00.002-05:00

Just one lesson away from a stage check and I just cant get it right. Ive got half the lesson complete and now when I go fly to make up the rest of it, I always forget SOMETHING to get either an unsatisfactory on the lesson or an incomplete. My lesson for almost the last week and a half has consisted of a precision approach (ILS) a GPS approach and one missed approach to a hold. Every flight I

A week with a Sub

2009-01-10T15:20:00.003-05:00

I was excited to finally get back into the swing of things. I went in to the operations center to check the list to make sure I was in a sim. My instructor was suppose to change the lesson so I could practice, before going back up for the actual lesson. Most instructors are pretty good about helping you save money. Of course a flight compared to a sim is much more expensive. So if you don’t

Week of Books

2009-01-04T13:29:00.001-05:00

Upon returning home I opened up my books to prepare myself for my upcoming stage check, as well as keep things as fresh in my head as humanly possible. The next morning my nose was completely stuffed and my ears were constantly popping so I thought it would be best if I did not go fly to avoid any possibility of my head exploding while in the air. I kept the books cracked open and the next day

Happy/Merry (insert your holiday here) and a Happy New Year!

2008-12-27T16:21:00.003-05:00

I only had 3 days of flights this past week, mostly practicing approaches and landings. On Christmas Eve I flew across the country to San Diego with my eyes peeled out the window for any sign of Santa and his Reindeer making their global trek. Its been nice being back in San Diego, even though it is a bit on the chilly side, even for San Diego its kinda cold. Ive always said San Diego

1 Personal Victory and 2 Quirks

2008-12-20T20:14:00.007-05:00

I hope you all enjoyed last week’s travel tips post. I enjoyed hearing from you all about some of the things you haven’t heard about before, such as seatguru.com, and the no beep belt. I’ll be putting them all to the test again this coming weekend as I fly back home to San Diego for a 4 day holiday break. Call me twisted but I really enjoy travel days. And as hectic as the holiday travel

Holiday Travels

2008-12-13T18:31:00.005-05:00

The holidays are here, and it’s the season for busy airports. I will be flying to San Diego to be with my parents for Christmas and I thought I’d change pace and share with you all some of the things I have discovered along the years that have made travel easier, more efficient, and much more enjoyable for me. Most people know you can make your flight much more enjoyable the moment you book it

FAA Private Written Exam

2008-12-08T17:24:00.003-05:00

10 days was going by quickly. I was on track with my studying, and was quite happy. I walked by the Learning Center where our FAA proctor can usually be found tutoring other students or helping them out with mock oral exams for stage checks. I wanted to confirm the test was tomorrow, Wednesday. I'm glad I found her! Even though 10 days would have put the test tomorrow, it was scheduled for

FAA Instrument Written Exam

2008-11-30T20:38:00.002-05:00

Passport and Drivers License in hand I, walked to the FAA testing room that is always locked at DCA except during exam time. I handed over my passport and D.L for verification of my identification and to make sure my name was correct in the system. Surprisingly, some people learn for the first time they have a middle name or the correct legal way to spell their name as stated on their birth

The Hurdle

2008-11-22T13:08:00.003-05:00

My computer and brain are smoking. Quiz after quiz I’m studying this material, and I’m frustrated. Over all 950 question spread out among 11 chapters, this instrument test is killing me. I do an entire chapter at a time only moving on to the next on mastery. I finally came to the light at the end of the tunnel, but I had just forgotten what I had learned and memorized from the first couple of

Deferred

2008-11-15T14:05:00.002-05:00

Ive been studying all week. The CD version of the Gleim is in my opinion the only way to study the material. I go through all the questions for one chapter, and at the end create another quiz, based on the answers I got wrong. I keep on these questions until I get at least 90% or better, before moving on to the next chapter. I have gone through all the chapters. Now I create a study session

Taking this week off

2008-11-09T12:49:00.002-05:00

Ground school, and Radio Communication classes are over. End of course for Radio Communication went really well. But if you and I go flying, please dont ask me to cover the radios... yet. This past week I have been concentrating on the instrument gleim, to prep me for the Ground School end of course exam. Once this is passed, the following week I will be taking the FAA instrument exam. 7

2008-11-01T15:38:00.004-04:00

Time turns have not come up again. This is a good thing in my head, but I realize my challenge with it isn’t going to go away without practice. So now I am faced with instrument approaches or navigating to airports by using frequencies and certain rules for landing. I.L.S., Localizer, M.A.P., D.A., G.P.S. I’m guessing for you non aviation people reading this you probably don’t know what any

Timed Turns and a Break

2008-10-26T23:38:00.003-04:00

These timed turns that I mentioned in my last post have really been getting to me. Even with mental exercises I’m not getting the math right. On top of this studying the Gleim for my instrument course final coming up isn’t going so well either. I had to take action. I decided to go talk to my group manager, who also happens to be head instructor I have had talks with in the past. I stepped

New Challenges

2008-10-19T15:15:00.003-04:00

I last left you with my incomplete on traffic patterns on my check ride. Early last week I got the email for the 2nd check ride with a different instructor. This instructor was a really nice guy from Boston who played forward for the San Diego Gulls, a minor league hockey team from my home town. After the team folded he moved his family back to Boston. He still lives in there and commutes to

Check Ride

2008-10-11T20:40:00.005-04:00

Monday, I met with my instructor one last time to go over airspace, Cirrus SR20 systems, and various other areas before submitting me for my first stage check. During the oral exam you are allowed to use any of your books especially those that have the FAA stamp on the cover. One of my books in particular spells out every regulation called the FAR/AIM is particularly useful. During my study

Pre Stage

2008-10-05T14:57:00.002-04:00

The time has come where I am up for my first stage check. This comes in two parts. The first is an oral exam, comprising of everything from the engine of the Cirrus, to its electrical system. Other areas that will be put under a microscope will be what I can and cannot do as a student pilot and what I can or cannot do once I obtain my private. The last item under scrutiny will be identifying

Retake of the Practice Gleim

2008-09-27T16:54:00.003-04:00

This past week was intense and tough. However it would make a really boring read for you. HA... I think I just penned my first entry for the Edward Bulwar Lytton Prize. In all seriousness this past week was all about studying the Gleim to retake the test on Thursday. I studied, and studied hard. I took each chapter separately and memorized what I didn't understand. I took practice test

Dark Clouds

2008-09-20T10:43:00.002-04:00

Half our class failed the practice Gleim exam on Monday, which also means half our class is now grounded until next Thursday when we can take the retest. I am one of them. Ive hit the books even harder than before and Ive finally gotten my score to range between 80 and 95 percent. Still not great but in the range I need. Tuesday came along and there was a nice little note in our mailboxes

Cloud City

2008-09-13T16:44:00.006-04:00

As I talk more and more to the students around me, I realize I’m the only one that doesn’t seem thrilled to be flying. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun. But I don’t seem to get giddy about it like my peers. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not the flying part that somewhat disenchants me. It’s the fact I’m in a small 4-seater aircraft.I’ve only been in a Cessna 172 once when I was younger on

This week my TIME was flooded

2008-09-06T17:12:00.006-04:00

This was another tough week that started out on a very high note. I received my first lesson in a simulator, and the next day was up in the plane with my instructor. Lesson one and two were mostly about keeping altitude, descending, climbing, and turning. After learning to do the checklists, and pre-engine startup we taxied to the run up area, where more checklists were performed. Once

The Week On A Roller Coaster

2008-08-31T11:36:00.013-04:00

What a week. Quite a roller coaster of events took place. Let’s start from the beginning. Friday night after Tropical Storm Fay passed I went over to some friend's apartment to play some Wii and to finally hang out post Storm. We were up late until around 0100 when I decided to head home and get some sleep. I'm still not quite familiar with my surroundings and it’s only around 2 or 3 miles

Grounded

2008-08-23T20:50:00.003-04:00

I wish I had some exciting tales of flying or learning for you this week. Alas with my first encounter with a Tropical Storm (Fay) and potential hurricane, classes have been canceled. On Sunday night all students received an email from our fearless leader stating classes would be “go” for Monday, however, DCA will be closed on Tuesday and resume as normal on Wednesday. As the week progressed,

Ground School

2008-08-11T18:15:00.001-04:00