2025 flying goals

eman1200 said:
NOT leave IT and NOT get a flying job that barely pays the rent.
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and also NOT have tailwinds. ever.


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I nearly convinced myself to leave the day job to CFI full time this month, but a dozen flights canceled due to weather sobered me up. I need to put on some more fat before winter.
Hope everyone exceeds their flying goals for the year!
 
Well, it's the last day of the year, so I guess I'll put down a few goals:

100+ hours flight time
Hit at least 50% goal for the Virginia Aviation Ambassador program
Commercial
CFI
First Pilots and Paws mission
First Young Eagles event
Rejoin CAP in the local area
 
Get and stay current in 3 of the four classes I am rated in: SEL, MEL, SES (but not MES as there isn't one around... :().
Tailwheel endorsement.
Get IR current again. Currently I only need the approaches and hold not an IPC.
Get my medical renewed. (Shouldn't be a problem, just checking all the boxes...)
Time will tell.
 
Complete transition training in the Bonanza
Get through my first ever annual without getting creamed (will include the prop AD)
Fly at least 2x per month
Make at least one "longer" flight (at least two states away) 6 hour duration each way
Total at least 50 hours TIT before insurance renewal in October.
Remember to use the little gear lever each time!
 
FSDO thought it could not be removed thus they say it's not portable meaning it can't be easily removed, so it's not a PMA part on a certified aircraft. This lead to a visit to the hangar and a look at my log books. The FAA grounded my plane. So in order to have my plane returned to service I had to have the material removed under the supervision of an A&P. Another choice was to have the material removed and apply for a ferry permit to fly it to my shop and have an A&P sign off. I decided to have an A&P at my hangar for the inspection. Once the product was removed the A&P provided a log entry approving the process and confirming no damage to the windows. If the installer or an A&P would have made a log entry when installed it would have been considered installing a non PMA part, congrats, they're busted.

I didn't have any entry not even by me. It's removable, it just cant be reused. My iPad is removable too......I don't know, it was just easier to comply and make it all go away. At least I can fly again.
 
Your FISDO has the time and interest in checking the level of tint on airplane windows? I’m flabbergasted.
 
WDD said:
Your FISDO has the time and interest in checking the level of tint on airplane windows?
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I wonder if they had an axe to grind on the fact that work was performed on the plane with no logbook documentation.

My plane came with a non-approved, non-documented (at the time of installation) carb temp indicator. Going through the logbooks I found an entry by an IA that read something like "Found experimental-only carb temp gauge P/N 12345-6 installed with no supporting documentation or logbook entry. Contacted XYZ FSDO to ask for guidance. Received direction to document installation and leave installed." That was it. Removed it not long after I got the plane, but it was interesting to see that someone at the FSDO took the time to think about it and say "no harm if you just leave it installed".
 
I don’t mean this in anyway as a pejorative; the FAA and FISDO are similar to the IRS. The country can’t function without the IRS. But the IRS is not your advocate/not your friend. They are built for enforcement. They look for infractions.

Thus, contact should be as needed and guarded.

Thoughts?
 
WDD said:
I don’t mean this in anyway as a pejorative; the FAA and FISDO are similar to the IRS. The country can’t function without the IRS. But the IRS is not your advocate/not your friend. They are built for enforcement. They look for infractions.

Thus, contact should be as needed and guarded.

Thoughts?
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This has not been my experience with the FAA whatsoever. In fact, I've been impressed with their professionalism and efficiency whenever I've had occasion to interact with them. That said, I've never put myself in a position in which enforcement might be warranted.

The FAA's "compliance philosophy" that they've been using for several years now (I can't remember when that started) means that if they catch you doing something unsafe and/or illegal, they'd rather have you change your behavior than beat you up about it. If you agree with the FSDO guy, say "I see your point, I'll take that into account for my future operations" everyone moves on and that's the end of the story. If you tell the FSDO guy, "**** you, you can't tell me what to do" then you're gonna be looking at enforcement action.

That said, there are two areas of the FAA where the compliance philosophy is not observed: Drug testing enforcement and Aeromedical. No second chances here.

Examples: I wrote in to the email for the charting office that was printed in the front of the approach plate books asking about something on an approach plate that didn't make sense to me. I don't think I even had an instrument rating yet. I got back a nearly immediate (but not automated) email saying they'd look into it, and less than an hour later a second email from the same guy saying that I was right, it was an error and they were going to correct it immediately. Chart was fixed on the next revision.

In fact, I've had this happen twice. Both times, communication and action were very quick and thorough.

I went to OKC to do the oxygen chamber training at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center. The instructors were fantastic, they had a great sense of humor (even poking fun at themselves using all the jokes we tell about them and more), and it was an excellent experience all around.

I've dealt with them after incidents with other pilots in which I was in management, both part 91 (flying club plane) and part 135, and it was clear that we were all on the same team and looking for ways to make things safer. They definitely will make sure your i's are dotted and t's are crossed but they didn't go overboard.

I would have no hesitation to ask them a question, if I really wanted to know the answer.
 
I'm glad you have had a good experience. I'm trying to also triangulate your post with "your rear window tint is too dark".
 
WDD said:
I'm glad you have had a good experience. I'm trying to also triangulate your post with "your rear window tint is too dark".
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Well, they didn’t take away his certificate, airworthiness certificate, or freedom. They just required that the airworthiness of the aircraft be restored through proper means. That the proper means constituted a headache is annoying, but the story fits into the compliance philosophy.
 
Was all of that helpful, had a net positive effect to make the plane and pilot safer. Or was it compliance for the sake of compliance.
 
WDD said:
Or was it compliance for the sake of compliance.
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As I stated earlier, I think their axe to grind was "undocumented maintenance". That work should've been done under the supervision of an A&P and signed off as a minor alteration.
Otherwise, today is window tint, tomorrow is a radio install, the day after you swap a jug on your own.
 
WDD said:
Was all of that helpful, had a net positive effect to make the plane and pilot safer. Or was it compliance for the sake of compliance.
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It’s compliance philosophy, not apathy or flexibility with the regulations that determine airworthiness.

Whether the regulations make sense is a separate question. But there really shouldn’t be a lot of individual discretion in deciding when to turn a blind eye to them.
 
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