SOLO!

The wait is finally over. We found our crosswind on Tuesday 12/23 and were able to get the crosswind training that I have been waiting for. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally soloed on Christmas Eve.

It was a great day for for flying. The wind was calm, the air was cool, and there was not much traffic at Henderson. I was a little worried earlier in the day that we may have had to cancel because the sky was completely overcast and there was a good chance for rain (which, it did start raining about 1hr after we finished). I arrived at the airport around 2pm and did a preflight on the plane. My CFI, Bob, signed my logbook and student pilot certificate authorizing me to solo. After that, we did 3 touch and go's and then Bob got out of the plane. It was rather strange shutting the door myself and not asking my passenger if he was ready and secure. I called the tower and taxied to the runway. After receiving clearance, I slowly moved out onto the runway and applied full throttle. As I had read so many times, the plane accelerated much faster and got airborne much quicker than with my instructor in the plane.

As I was flying the plane by myself, all the things that Bob had said to me over and over were in my head. I was looking for emergency touchdown points, scanning the gauges, checking for traffic. It was just natural. The plane was flying different, though. I was climbing so much faster and got to traffic pattern altitude in record time. I had to push the plane down and pull back on the throttle to keep pattern height. I ran through all my checklists and contact the tower to come back for a landing. What a landing it was. Probably one of my best. Even Bob noticed that I "greased" it on, holding the plane off the ground as long as possible and touch the main wheels down gently and then the nose wheel after rolling for a bit. I then taxied over to meet Bob, and with a congratulations, he ushered me on to two more take-offs and landings.

When I finished, I taxied over to the fuel pumps, where Ruth, Natali, Noah and Kate came to greet me and take pictures. It was really a wonderful day, long awaited.

Searching for wind

Another week has passed and I have not been able to solo, although, we had a chance to practice some other maneuvers that are very important. We started out the week by venturing back to Jean to do some more take-offs and landings on Monday. Things were going well and the plan was to solo Tuesday afternoon. Unfortunately, turbulance picked up and made it difficult to get much out of the training other than dealing with the turbulance. We also needed a good crosswind to practice side slips and correction for drift on landing, but the wind was right down the runways at both Henderson and Jean, so there was not way we could practice it.

I really thought I would get the chance on Wednesday afternoon, but the winds died down and the sun set too fast, so we didn't get a chance to practice crosswind landings. I honestly was very frustrated after that. I really felt like we were searching for something that wouldn't come and we had stalled in training. That was all the training that I had scheduled for this last week, so I was done until next week. That night, I determined in my mind that it wasn't a big deal that I hadn't solo'd yet, and thought that I really needed a day to get out there to practice some more to not dash my hopes. I scheduled Friday morning.

There was some wind on Friday, but it was relatively down the runways again, but we just stayed at Henderson and practiced touch-and-goes. Doing a touch and go is so much different than a full-stop landing, because it requires alot of things to happen all at once to make sure it goes off ok. First, the landing has to come in at the beginning of the runway. If not, on the take off we could run out of runway. Second, if we come in with any flaps, they have to be take off quickly, while paying attention to where we are going down the runway at 50mph. Finally, full power is applied and we have to take right back off. Additionally, we stayed at Henderson to perform these and there was a bit of jet traffic coming in and out at the same time. The controllers switched us between runways a couple of times and we had to avoid a Leer jet on approach. It was a good day of flying and it got me back going and excited again.

Don't get me wrong, I am looking forward to the day that I solo, but I am just looking forward more to getting experience and becoming a safe pilot.

Preparing for the solo

The last few lessons have been concentrated around shooting takeoffs and landings. We have been practicing at Jean Airport, which is a small uncontrolled airport about 20 miles southwest of Las Vegas. The first time that we attempted these practices, I was not very happy with myself. I couldn't seem to keep the plane down the centerline of the runway on final and was making alot of corrections throughout the pattern. My landings were hard and somewhat uncontrolled.

Now, after about 4 times of going out there, it is much better. We have practiced landings with all the different degrees of flaps, and some emergency landings. My CFI caught me off guard this last Saturday by pulling the power off as I was turning base, telling me that the engine just quit. It was a little nerveracking, and I can't say it was the best landing, but we made it down safely.

We also practiced some go-arounds with varying degrees of flaps. I have to say that go-arounds with full-flaps is rather difficult. The airplane wants to do alot of things that would cause a stall close to the ground. It takes concerted effort to keep the plane under control.

I am really excited to solo the plane. If all goes well after the next lesson or two, I should be flying solo! I really feel that I have learned alot and am excited to continue learning.

Stalls, Slips and Landings, Oh My!

I have two more trainings under my belt. On Thursday I got going a little late. I know that I am getting up to take the lessons at 6am for a reason, but that doesn't mean that it isn't hard to wake up at 4:45am. For anyone that knows me, understands that I really, really want this to be able to commit myself willingly to get up at that hour. After getting started a few minutes later than I had hoped, we flew back out to a practice are just passed Primm, NV over the Mojave desert. We practiced slow flight, turns in slow flight and an introduction to stalls. Just like Tuesday, the weather was perfect and very little wind.

On Friday, making sure that I would get up on time so that I could perform the pre-flight inspection and get going early, I set my alarm earlier. When I woke up, it was 5am, which would put me out there late again, so I jumped out of bed, rushed in the shower and ran downstairs to eat breakfast. I then saw that clock in the kitchen and it was 4:45am! I was really early! Somehow, and unconsciously, I had set the time on my clock 35mins ahead. I took advantage of the time, called the weather briefer and did the preflight inspection. I had time to study the pilot's operating handbook and review some notes before my instructor arrived.

We took off and headed out to the same practice area again, starting out with slow flight and some turns. We then practice both power on and power off stalls. After 15 mins of practicing, my arm was about to fall off from holding the wheel back to cause the airplane to do something that I knew and it knew it wasn't really supposed to be doing. After the stalls, we practice some forward and side slips and then did some S-turns over a road. The wind wasn't blowing at all, so we couldn't practice slips into the wind.

After about 1.25hrs in the practice area, we went to Jean, NV (0L7) and did two full-stop landings. Both went pretty well, but I still have alot to learn. There are quite a few things happening simultaneously that makes it alot to remember the first few times. I am sure with more practice, they will become natural.

Approaching 8:30am, we headed back to Henderson and landed, fueled and parked the plane. It was another great day of flying!

First Lesson

Yesterday (11/18) I went up with Bob Guay for my first "official" lesson. As before, I was so excited to go flying the second my alarm went off at 4:15, I was awake and ready to go. This is really strange for me, since it usually takes over an hour for me to get up after my alarm goes off. I got out there about 10 minutes early, so I started the preflight inspection, using the checklist, and was mostly ready to go when my CFI got there. We call the weather service and spoke to a briefer. The weather was perfect for flying, just light winds and cool temperatures.

I was able to taxi the plane, work the radios a little bit (not the whole time) and take the plane off. We went just south of Jean, NV to a practice area. Bob had me do some turns, slow flight turns, dutch rolls (they should call these Navy rolls because they make you sea sick) and stalls. It was really exciting to actually start practicing maneuvers and be learning. After about 70 mins in the practice area, we headed back to Henderson, entered the traffic pattern and I landed the plane. It wasn't a perfect landing (off to the side of the runway a little bit), but it wasn't hard and I didn't go off the side of the runway.

Overall, it was a great experience and I am very excited to go up again tomorrow. I invite everyone that is reading this that doesn't have a pilot's license to go out and experience flying. It is truly the most

Medical Certificate and Student Pilot License

Last week I went and received my third class medical certificate and student pilot license. I went to Dr. John Dudek. They got me in the day after I called and I was there about 1 hour. The office was very efficient and nice. One thing that I would recommend to anyone else that goes in is to fill out the FAA forms on https://medxpress.faa.gov/ It makes the process much faster and easier. In other words, you wouldn't need to fill out anything in the doctors office. You can visit Dr. Dudek at 2020 Goldring Ave #506, Las Vegas, NV 89106. Phone (702) 382-7055. I decided to go ahead and get the medical done so that I am completely ready to solo when the time comes.

More importantly, tomorrow (11/18/08) is the official day that I start training. Bright an early at 6am I will be at Henderson Airport ready to go flying!

Final Break-in

To finalize the break-in process of the engine, we needed to fly 4 more hours today. Bob Guay and I went out again this afternoon and made a second attempt to make it to Yuma, AZ. We left North Las Vegas (KVGT) at 1pm and took the same route towards the Colorado River and down towards Yuma, AZ. The flight was a little choppy getting out of the Las Vegas area and down towards Jean and Primm, NV, but cleared as we lowered toward the Colorado River. The air was cooler than Saturday and was another near cloudless day. It was really a great day for flying again.

It didn't seem our luck to make it to Yuma again, though. As we passed near Needles and Nelson, we realized that we would be heading back in the dark, and during a break-in of the engine, if we had an emergency, it wouldn't be a good idea. We turned around and landed in Needles and met a really nice gentleman named Kenny that told us some great old stories of the area as we refueled. We took back off towards Las Vegas and returned in good time. As we were entering the Las Vegas valley, a Virgin Atlantic 747 passed us on the east. We were close enough to marvel at its beauty, but far enough that it made us only a little nervous about any wake turbulance. I wish I had my camera!

We needed a bit more time on the engine before we landed, so we flew around the North Las Vegas practice area for a few passes and headed home. It was a great day of flying and I can't wait to really get started on my lessons.

I would like to thank Bob Guay for his time and patience during the break in processes of the plane and I hope that he enjoyed the flights as much as I did.

Most important of all, Cherokee 55167 is ready for rental and will be based at Henderson Executive Airport. If you are interested in flying our airplane or learning how to fly, contact me or Monarch Sky!

Doing it differently

I think that most people that learn how to fly find a flight school, do some ground school, start with the basic maneuvers, solo, do some more maneuvers, cross countries, more solos, etc. Finally they get their private license after many hours of flying.

Not me. I never seem to do things normally. Today I had the opportunity to take my plane on a cross country flight with Bob Guay. The Piper Cherokee that I bought needed an engine overhaul, so for the past 3 months it has been grounded for the overhaul. Part of the process to get it back in the air is to perform a break-in. Part of the break-in requires special procedures to be followed so that the rings can properly set in the engine. The better the break-in, the longer the engine lasts.

So, I got up before the roosters and met Bob out at North Las Vegas (KVGT) to fly down to Yuma, AZ (KNYL). We had a backup destination, Blythe, CA (KBLH). As the sun was rising, we were taking off -- ok maybe about 30mins after the sun was up, but pretty close. The day was clear and there was very little wind. After Bob took the plane off, he let me take the controls. It was important that he was in control of the plane during the parts of the flight that could cause the engine to fail. I was completely ok with that, becuase if the engine did quit, I didn't want to have to deal with it.

The trip towards Yuma was pretty uneventful, except the fact that I ate every moment up. I LOVE FLYING! It is just amazing to see the world from a bird's eye view. I really feel like I am part of the air and soaring as a Eagle (maybe being in a glider is close to this, but I like having the engine there to push me a long a bit).

When we got closer to Yuma, we tuned to ATIS for KNYL and found that the tower was not in operation. When Bob had called and received a flight breifing the night before, he found that the Yuma airport was dual use, both military and civilian. He felt that as we got closer, without a tower in operation, we could be in danger of interfering with military operations, so he quickly decided to turn around and land at our backup airport, KBLH in Blythe, CA.

We landed and refueled. We also unloaded our bladders and had a quick bite to eat. When we decided to get started back to home, the plane did not want to start back up. This was a little unnerving, being that the engine was just overhauled and we were 2 hours from a mechanic. After some fiddling, Bob was able to get it started (maybe not to the book, but it worked). We headed back to Vegas, The air was a little choppier over the mountain passes than it had been in the morning. Let's say we got our money's worth from the ride. (I actually enjoy a little turbulance).

After 5 hours of flying, we landed at KVTG and spoke with the mechanics for a few minutes. Overall, the plane performed like a champ and it was truely a great day of flying.

Just as important as the break-in of the engine, I got my first logbook entry in my pilot's log! Maybe cross country flying isn't normal for a first entry, but then again, who buys a plane without a license?

It's Done!

After several very looonnnggg months, the plane is done with its repairs and ready to go flying. I am going up this morning to help do the break-in on the new engine. I couldn't sleep at all last night from excitement. I am ready beyond any measure to get started with training and am just ecstatic that the time has finally come. I will blog about the experience when I get back this afternoon.

Training

Since I haven't had much of a chance to go out and training with a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), I have been working on my own to learn how to fly. This has been a very interesting process. One of the things that I noticed right off is how much information I have to know to fly. I have to become a weatherman, navigator, pilot, communicator, and many other things. The thought of balancing all those tasks seems daunting, but I am sure that it will become second nature over time.

I have been reading several books, including ASA's test prep book. I plan on having the knowledge of how to fly in my head before actually training, so training will be more enjoyable for me rather than feeling like I am in gradeschool and having to study every night. Something else that has helped me is AOPA. I receive the monthly magazine, Flight Training, which has alot of great articles that are very interesting to read. I also found a few websites that offer practice exams for the written knowledge test. Their links are on the left side of the blog.

Overall, I am just excited to get started and can't wait to start!

Purchase Complete

We just completed the purchase of our Piper Cherokee on August 18th! We are all very excited about it and went out to dinner as a family to celebrate. The plane is still under some maintenance and should be flying in about 10 days.

My current plan is to get some money saved up from the rental of the plane to be able to start taking lessons. We are not exactly sure how much the plane will generate, only some estimates, so for now, we want to play it safe.

More to come on the training!

Flyboys Nevada, LLC Created

On July 14, 2008, Flyboys Nevada, LLC officially received its charter as a Nevada Limited-Liability Corporation. I am starting this company with a personal ambition to learn to fly and help others that may want to learn to fly to do the same. Since I was a little kid, I have always loved airplanes. I used to dream of flying and at one time wanted to be an astronaut. But, my desires to be and entrepeneur were much greater than flying, so I started a computer business when I was in high school. That completely consumes my time, but I still want to fly.

A few years ago, my wife bought me an introductory flight at a local flight school at Henderson Executive Airport, but the school shut down because of the expansion of the airport. That was the first of many setbacks to my road to flying. I feel that I am back on track now, and hope to, in this blog, share my experience of flying. I hope this encourages many others to do the same!