So, student pilots.. Who are we and where do we stand?

Just passed my Private check ride this morning. Weather finally cooperated, beautiful day aside from some low-level wind shear that made the approaches a bit of a handful.

Looking forward to getting together with my CFI and transitioning into the flight school's 182RG and earning my complex and high performance endorsements next.
 
Around 40 hours in, 3.5 hours of solo, last flight was in April! Independent instructor started training for the airlines so his availability dropped off. The group I rented a 172 from took advantage of the market and sold their plane. Spent the summer looking for a new place and plane to train. My instructor decided the airlines were not his cup of tea and found a musketeer we could rent. Got some flights scheduled then the plane went down for maintenance before we got in the air. Waited a few weeks and the musketeer was back in business. My instructor then meet his maker when the king air he was flying fell from the sky in October. Found a new instructor to teach in the musketeer and it again went down for maintenance. My wife thinks this is my sign and I am not meant to fly, meanwhile I am on the wait-list for every flightschool around. Just ready to get back at it and get back in the sky.
 
soloed today guys! super stoked about it!
Congrats to you. You'll remember this for the rest of your life (I assume)

Hopefully I'll be posting the same in the next few months. Today's dual session was cancelled due to wind.
 
Congrats to you. You'll remember this for the rest of your life (I assume)

Hopefully I'll be posting the same in the next few months. Today's dual session was cancelled due to wind.
yes sir! but that was me yesterday! wind was absolutely brutal! had 36kt winds at TPA today, but everything aligned and i was feeling confident. so i knocked it out!
 
I work m-thu. Been trying to schedule the checkride but either the cfi is not available for practice or the dpe is out of town or the weather is not good. I keep having to study (not a bad thing) but it's becoming frustrating. hope everyone else is having better luck.
 
I work m-thu. Been trying to schedule the checkride but either the cfi is not available for practice or the dpe is out of town or the weather is not good. I keep having to study (not a bad thing) but it's becoming frustrating. hope everyone else is having better luck.

i’m still trying to make it up to my checkride. I’ve flown 1x in 13 days because of weather. Hang in there! We patient!
 
It's the same here, I just think its that time of year. Only got in .5 hours last lesson ... they were a GREAT .5 hours though - road right right main only for a solid 30 sec then the left main the the nose ... all very lightly and correctly for crosswind while doing the soft-field landing .. my best landing yet honestly. Clouds moved in on the field and we lost our ceiling. Hopefully this Friday stays good, only 2 more weeks to go ...
 
I signed up for for my SES add on at Jones Bros for next week. Wednesday through Friday. I'm not sure yet whether it's the 180HP C-172 or the C-185 which is currently getting a new engine. Studying the written material now...
 
Man the weather just sucks this time of the year. I was hoping to do the checkride this Thu. Took the day off etc but its is looking terrible. Guess I'll be working instead. Next available day for the DPE is on the 21st. Also forecasting a bad day. lol
 
Man the weather just sucks this time of the year. I was hoping to do the checkride this Thu. Took the day off etc but its is looking terrible. Guess I'll be working instead. Next available day for the DPE is on the 21st. Also forecasting a bad day. lol

I was dealing with checkride scheduling this time of year, too, before I got my certificate. I just hope you have better luck than I did - I ended up waiting until June 1st before I could get it done!
 
I am pleased to report I now have my endorsement for my check-ride and just need to finish filling out the IACRA stuff and I'm ready (and maybe a tiny bit nervous lol) for next week ... hoping the weather is cooperative.
 
Day 1 of SES training is in the books. 2 hours of ground covering all the good stuff in the FAA seaplane book, plus plane specific performance and checklists.

All landings start the same: 500’ up on downwind, abeam the desired touchdown point, power to 1700RPM, flaps 20. On final, power to 1400 for all except rough and glassy. Flare and set down as appropriate. Rough is 30degrees of flaps (both take off and landing) and 1500RPM. Glassy is power off once LVR (last visual reference) is made, at proper altitude, set pitch and smoothly add in power to about 1800-then wait.

Then 1.1 hours of dual. We undocked at FA1 (Tavares, Fl on Lake Dora), taxied out at low speed. Water rudders are nicely responsive at idle. Winds were less than 3kts and variable. I did some step taxiing and gentle turns-odd feeling in an airplane to have noticeable centrifugal force. Normal take off then flew over to Little Lake Harris at 700’. There was another seaplane there and later we were joined by a third. But we all played nice and there was plenty of room. My experience with boating helped a lot as I both noticed boats and could often tell what they were going to do. We did normal landing and take off, a second normal landing, then a rough water take off followed by a rough water landing. As boat and plane traffic was picking up ( this is when the third plane showed up) I step taxied to the western shore area. We then did a crosswind takeoff and landing. On the first one I didn’t manage the air rudder well but after that I was fine. Next the CFI demonstrated a confined takeoff. I did the confined landing and then a confined takeoff. Then we did a glassy water takeoff and he demonstrated the glassy water landing. Then I did glassy takeoff, then glassy landing. It wasn’t bad but I dropped the nose a little so we did another. Much better though my power management had a little too much “enthusiasm”. Then we took off and flew back to FA1 and I beached the plane.

it’s a blast to fly around so low! And a little disconcerting sometimes.
 
Day two is done. 2.7 hours total in two flights.

First flight was at noon. The winds had kicked up a good deal. We had 20 knots at 500’. It was less on the surface but still significant. I did a rough water takeoff from Lake Dora and did rough water landing on Lake Yale. We tried some glassy water landings and takeoffs. It wasn’t glassy at all. But technique was key. A couple of items I was messing up were no waiting on the step until the plane was going fast enough. I tried to get the nose up (not a lot, it takes only a little to let the proper attitude for takeoff) too soon. That just increases drag and slows the process. And I tend to flair to high. In a land plane you can catch it with a bit of power but in this it’s not that responsive. I mixed in crosswind landings and takeoffs and did a confined landing and takeoff as well. The wind was stiff enoughI could not hold track on the confined with full right rudder-it started to turn into the wind as soon as it was on the step. But that’s what you’re supposed to do anyway.

After a few tries on Lake Yale we went to Little Lake Harris. We tried several glassy water landings in a row but getting descent correct to the LVR was difficult because of the winds (which you would never have doing a real glassy water anything. CFI eventually asked for the plane and tried one himself. He did better but not much better. Then we quit and flew back to lake Dora and home. He had me try a cross wind landing on Lake Dora and on touch down the plane started to weather vane so quickly that he grabbed the controls and settled it down. 1.6 hours, 12 landings. We went to lunch and he quizzed the two students on all the oral stuff. Float construction, lifting power, sailing, ploughing turns, etc.

My second flight was much calmer. But what wind there was came right out of the sun and it was getting late in the afternoon. So every time I turned on final, we were blinded. I couldn’t see the instruments to check power (mainly). We flew some on Little Lake Harris, a few on Lake Yale and I was doing the glassy stuff correctly except I was having trouble getting the power set right because I couldn’t see the tach. When I did. It was really smooth. He demonstrated a ploughing turn and we headed back to Lake Dora. Landed and stayed on the step, Did a step turn, then step taxied back in. Beached and secured the plane, got the log book filled out, and did the IACRA fun. 1.1 hours, 7 landings.

So today (as I write this) check ride is at 9 weather permitting.
 
I stole the shirt idea from someone else on POA forum. The weather was perfect after some waiting so I got lucky. I passed.

It was an interesting day of my life. I couldnt sleep the night before no matter how much I tried to shut my brain off. We started at 830 AM sharp. The DPE says it looks like your place of birth is messed up on the IACRA form. I had completely missed to catch that. We logged into IACRA and what you know it wont let me change that. We spent almost 45 mins on the phone with the FAA trying to make the change. Ended up having to start a whole new IACRA application. Finally started the oral part. It took 2.5 hours to do the oral. Partly because the weather was still not looking good. It was supposed to be a completely clear VFR day but it took its time to clear up. I was nervous about the oral but the DPE was super awesome and eased me into it. Before I knew it he said well you wanna go out flying? I asked for a 15 min break to update my weather. I look and sure enough the weather is still iffy. Ceilings at 2200 and my planned flight was for 5500. I told him that it was still looking iffy. His response was "you tell me what you want to do. I can always the get the plane back down on the ground but today you are the PIC". I called at no go and asked if it was okay to wait it out. We ended up getting lunch and by the time we finished lunch it was totally clear and a perfect day.


We get in the plane and I thought the damn thing wouldnt start. It was too cold. Super cold. Took me a 2-3 tries to get the damn thing started. We taxi and do our run up. I did my takeoff briefings etc. We take off and go on our planned route. 15 mils into the flight he asked my to divert. I diverted and found my airport. We talked about how I'd handle the situation if I am totally lost etc. After that we went thru doing unusual attitude recovery under the hood. Then we did the stalls, steep turns, and groud ref maneuvers. I cant remember everything but we basically followed the ACS and did everything. We ended it with doing all of the take-off/landings(short field, soft field, forward slips). Last landing was the forward slip. I was worried about this because before the checkride I wanted to have practiced that more but due to poor weather lately I was not able. I was hoping I dont screw that up and fail at the very end. Luckily, it ended up great and we exited the runway and taxi back to the FBO. As soon as I shutdown he congratulated me. We went inside and de-briefed.
 

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Hi Folks, Live in upstate NY Learning to fly at 54 out of Watertown (KART). Have about 15 hours of dual time with a great instructor, just completed my xc at night and will hopefully solo this weekend. Taking the Knowledge Test on 1/30. Heading down to Florida for two months with my wife so I am looking for a school or instructor near St. Lucie so I can keep getting instruction while I am down there.

Dom
 
After passing the checkride ladt week I thought I would enjoy some vfr flying for a few months before I would consider instrument training. Well, that didn't last long as I'm already studying the damn instrument lessons. lol
I hate studying yet I just can't get away from it.
 
Just finished studying the gleim online course for instrument rating. Next is studying sheppards course and material. I think I will be ready to take the written test in about 2 weeks.
 
Not a student. (yet)

Any recommendations for a light sport instructor in the South GA / Jacksonville area?
 
Not a student. (yet)

Any recommendations for a light sport instructor in the South GA / Jacksonville area?


FYI - a regular CFI can instruct Sport. Doesn't have to be a Sport CFI. So you might check with whoever it was you and @SkyChaser rented the Cessna light sport from.

Your biggest challenge is likely to be finding a school in the area that has an LSA available, so since you already know where one is you might want to talk with them about instruction.

GOOD LUCK!
 
We'll be talking to them soon anyway, but I was wondering if anyone here had any suggestions.
 
My training starts tomorrow. After a year long medical let the games begin. I’m excited and I have to say just a little nervous.



So good to see this. I followed your medical nightmare and so happy for you.
You'll do great I know.


I just finished the gleim's online course for the IRA. Starting the sheppards today and planning on taking the written part in about 10-14 days.
 
Same here. Just starting to get familiarized with the IR ground school knowledge before I jump back into training. Been building cross country hours with every flight since my Private checkride.

The rental 182RG has been in the avionics bay for a radio wiring problem for several weeks, haven't been able to fly it enough to earn my Complex endorsement yet, as mentioned in my previous post.
 
When should I plan to take the knowledge test? I'm eyeing some of the online courses and am wondering where I should fit it in with my practical training. I'm doing Part 61, and as a weekend warrior, will likely take a while to be check ride ready. But can I take/pass the knowledge test at any time?
If so I'll buy access to one of the online courses and get through the curriculum.

(right now about 20 hours, haven't solo'd yet, have done one cross-country w/CFI)
 
When should I plan to take the knowledge test? I'm eyeing some of the online courses and am wondering where I should fit it in with my practical training. I'm doing Part 61, and as a weekend warrior, will likely take a while to be check ride ready. But can I take/pass the knowledge test at any time?
If so I'll buy access to one of the online courses and get through the curriculum.

(right now about 20 hours, haven't solo'd yet, have done one cross-country w/CFI)

You can take it any time, as long as you have a CFI signoff/endorsement from a course. It will remain valid for two years after your test date.

Some people take it a couple weeks before their checkride. I took it when I had 10 hours of flight time. You can even take it before you ever get into an airplane, as long as you have that endorsement.
 
@SkyChaser is correct that you can take it any time, even just before your checkride, but I’d recommend taking it when you’re close to solo.

When you take a plane up solo, you are Pilot In Command and responsible for the operation of the aircraft and compliance with regulations, even though you’re still a student. It would seem wise to me to have the necessary knowledge at that point for the level of training you’re doing.

Just an opinion and worth only slightly less than you paid for it.
 
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