Operation Butt Freeze

Two more flights this evening. First felt locked in. Surprisingly so again.

Jesse pushed the checkride up to Wednesday and naturally that rattled me a little for the 2nd flight. ;) Ha.

Kinda blew the partial panel VOR 17 and started chasing it a bit. Lost a little focus and paid for it on the 2nd flight.

Got cocky or lazy or both, not sure which but not acceptable. (To me anyway. Jesse said it wasn't outrageously bad for partial panel. I'm pretty good at kicking myself.)

Work harder, Focus, keep scan moving, no fixating. It starts moving, fix it. No being a passenger! PIC! Think.

The Instrument is such a mental game. Fun too. You learn a lot about yourself.

Gotta be confident but not let down your guard mentally. There's always something to do. Do it. No waiting.

You want to get behind the airplane, just stop doing something for a few seconds and you'll have a fight on your hands of your own creation.

Now fix THAT. You know how. Fix. Fix. Fix. All the way to the missed. Or the runway.

Early flight in the morning... Night all.
 
denverpilot said:
For David White. Ha.

(No I didn't eat one.)

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Those things and coffee are how I passed my Instrument checkride. Sounds like you are having a blast, Nate.
 
Morning flight okay. A couple mistakes. Biggest one was I didn't brief out loud on one Approach and missed setting a Nav radio.

Damn. That's a bust if you don't catch it. And I got a hint. I could tell Jesse was trying not to say a word.

At this point if he's talking, I'm screwing up. :)

And the wind came up. Hey look. It's finally acting like Nebraska. Wind. And it's forecast all day. 25 knots and higher. Whee. Haha.

From right around 1900 on down its bumpy. Bigger control inputs. Make the airplane stay where you want it to be.

I love controllers. Bouncing all over and as the ILS is getting tight, they're ready for a little fireside chat...

"Cessna 79M did you experience any wind shear on the approach?"

What I wanted to say: Lady, I'm currently getting my ass handed to me by it, thanks!

Oh, I meant to say in Mr. Cool Pilot Voice, "It's rough from about 1900 on down and about a 10 knot speed change." Being distracted by the controller is good practice. They do that.

Of course that wasn't enough info so now it's, "Was that a 10 increase or decrease?".

"Increase, 79M."

Shut up! I'm busy flying here! Haha. Talking requires brain cells that were otherwise occupied. ;)

Anyway... Jesse says he's 50/50 after this morning's flight and I'm fine with that. He normally doesn't recommend flying the night before the ride but we're "going to do something" this evening.

I'm cool whatever he decides. I'm not 100% cool with this morning. We still have a mock oral to toss in somewhere in the timeline here too.

Jesse recommended I head up VFR and look outside and see how things look on these approaches. Get a kinetic feel for how the little changes on the instruments are affecting the aircraft. I'll get to see how the wind is messing with the holds too.

And my CDI takes FOREVER to flip which I need to see out the window to really get it right. It wiggles the TO/FROM and it's time to start timing. It "thinks" about it too long. A full flip, you've already gone considerably past the station. PITA partial panel where you're still in the turn and using the timer to finish and you're also mentally counting up because the TO/FROM has started to wiggle with the massive headwind. Going to practice how to do that and get the timing figured out. (Also good to know your aircraft. This problem won't disappear later after the ride.)

And with this wind it'll give me a feel for leaving a little more margin above MDA in turbulence too if this keeps up tomorrow. One big drop you're hosed.

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So as long as this wind stays basically directly down the runway I'll hit that VFR flight after a bite to eat and a little more oral study/prep.

Just keep working it...
 
I wish foreflight had a timer too. I wonder how many times this has been suggested to them? It should be available when you are viewing an approach plate.

Your checkride is tomorrow?

Good luck!
 
dell30rb said:
I wish foreflight had a timer too. I wonder how many times this has been suggested to them? It should be available when you are viewing an approach plate.

Your checkride is tomorrow?

Good luck!
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Or start automatically when you cross the FAF if you're paying for geo-reference charts....
 
The VFR flight in the impressive Nebraska wind was worth it. Holy cow, 30 sec outbound made 1:04 inbound. Wheeee! LOL.

You know the OMA Approach controllers are figuring you out when they start guessing at your next request. Ha.

Grabbing a Coke and getting logbook done.

STOL kit was fun on landing. Landed on the touchdown zone markers and had to add power to get to Echo. :) I'd guess groundspeed was about 25 at the flare. That looked odd. ;) (This low density altitude wind hauling ass down the runway could be fun if I were working on landings!)
 
WOW, Great read Nate. Sound slike you are having fun. Best of luck on your checkride...

Marc
 
Did not want to sneak on the Avanti, so you could do a magic trick of your own? Poof...here I am, where we going?



denverpilot said:
Oh there's distractions. But they're the aviation kind. Teller's airplane showed up (without Teller), so I had to gawk like any other normal person...

... while I was walking in from checking the oil, adding a quart, sealing up the heater vents (hopefully) and finding a place to add Velcro to the airplane to stick the approach timer in a better place.

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And there's other good reasons not to be at home... (Grin...)

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Go, Nate, go!!

See you as Gaston's with that paper in your hand!

(no pressure...none at all. :goofy: )
 
Sounds like you are doing great. If you feel like you are drinking from a firehose and trying to eat a sandwich, your workload is about right. :D (OBTW there is a special class at ATC school which covers asking the most distracting questions at the worst possible moment.)
 
Threefingeredjack said:
(OBTW there is a special class at ATC school which covers asking the most distracting questions at the worst possible moment.)
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That's a good one! I really "enjoyed" the request for a pirep on icing during my first encounter which was a 1/4" of clear in about two minutes...

me: Ahh, this isn't going to work we're icing here, request seven thousand

ATC: ice!, did you say ice! report type and severity!

me: I'd like to go back to seven thousand... (by then it was about 1/2" and building)
 
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IACRA didn't misbehave. Amazing. :)

Another early evening flight with Jesse this evening. Went well. Confidence good. Not perfect but good.

Chinese food dinner and oral prep until just after midnight. Run to ATM (DPE likes cash).

Checkride at 0900 local. See y'all on the flip side! Sleeeep now!

I believe the line from the movie is...

"Please God don't let me #### this up. Amen." ;)
 
You'll do great - you have a good instructor, and he would not send you into the breach ill-prepared.
 
I was ready but the LNK weather was not. ;)

Oral completed.

Letter of Discontinuance says "Reason: Weather. Steady State winds exceed 30 knots."

I decided we couldn't taxi 79M to the runway without significant risk and called it prior to climbing in.

Preflight Preparation
Preflight Procedures

Listed as complete.

DPE seemed to like the judgement call. From another instructor who went up earlier it sounded rougher than heck.

His comment was, "What checkride are you doing?"

"Instrument".

He got a look on his face that told me I was nuts to continue.

Preflighted anyway, and then as the airplane sat rocking back and forth fairly violently and both of us with our heads in the door and our butts being pressed by the wind on the doors so we could hear each other, I called it off.

METAR shows a little lower. DPE joked "They're lying." Ha.
 
Glad you got the oral out of the way!

For me, Flying was the easy/fun part.

Any idea when you'll finish the ride?
 
stuck between current winds and TAF TSRA with a few TAF windows of "come on up - I DARE ya!" in between .... better luck tomorrow, Nate.
 
I'm totally fine with the decision. It's gotten nothing but worse out here since I called it off.

There's some maniac doing low approaches in a KC-135 however. He's going around a lot. ;)
 
It got sportier. Sheesh!

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That pressure was well above 30" in the near past. :)

(Jesse was pointing at the MP gauge jokingly before engine start on one flight saying "look how much power your engine is producing!" ... haha.)

Here's a Perkins restaurant flag. The huge ones. And yes, the flagpole is bent. That's not from the bad iPhone camera. Wow.

Wheee!

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Clark1961 said:
His name is not Tex is it?
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No Tex upgraded from the BUFF. He was doing touch and goes in the 747 here yesterday.

(Not kidding. T&G in a 747... has to be one of the most mesmerizing things to watch that I've seen at any airport I've flown out of yet. Jesse is used to it. They do it all the time here. Airport rumor is every T&G costs about $1000 in just tire wear alone.)
 
Nate,

Sorry to hear you had to call it off after all your hard work. Damn thermodynamics screwing everything up...

I feel you , I have been trying to get some solo practice in all month and each time its blowing like mad and have to cancel. Today I woke up with one of the largest lenticular clouds i have ever seen right above KVNY. So once again a no go. However no big deal on my side, yours however you flew to NE to get this done and the weather does not cooperate; That sucks.. Can you try again tomorrow, or do you have to head home?

Marc
 
Addicted2climbing said:
Nate,

Sorry to hear you had to call it off after all your hard work. Damn thermodynamics screwing everything up...

I feel you , I have been trying to get some solo practice in all month and each time its blowing like mad and have to cancel. Today I woke up with one of the largest lenticular clouds i have ever seen right above KVNY. So once again a no go. However no big deal on my side, yours however you flew to NE to get this done and the weather does not cooperate; That sucks.. Can you try again tomorrow, or do you have to head home?

Marc
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I made numerous arrangements before Nate came to ensure that we had several opportunities for checkrides before he had to return. We will get him finished up.

As to the oral--
nate.png
 
jesse said:
I made numerous arrangements before Nate came to ensure that we had several opportunities for checkrides before he had to return. We will get him finished up.

As to the oral--
nate.png
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Excellent...

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
 
KLNK 241654Z 31008KT 10SM SCT023 OVC028 21/14 A2950 RMK AO2 SLP980 T02060144


He best be flying today...
 
TangoWhiskey said:
Excellent...

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
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Where else but in the flying world can people ask the question "how was the Oral" and not feel wierd.. and on top of it get a bunch of peoples opinion.

Scarier yet... Nate asks his examiner "how did I do on the oral"...:lol:
 
Addicted2climbing said:
Where else but in the flying world can people ask the question "how was the Oral" and not feel wierd.. and on top of it get a bunch of peoples opinion.

Scarier yet... Nate asks his examiner "how did I do on the oral"...:lol:
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I was wondering how to make a joke about it and never got to anything funny.

FYI - weird is the correct spelling. :)
 
Addicted2climbing said:
Where else but in the flying world can people ask the question "how was the Oral" and not feel wierd.. and on top of it get a bunch of peoples opinion.

Scarier yet... Nate asks his examiner "how did I do on the oral"...:lol:
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Academia has a similar "Oral" tradition with defense of a dissertation. Comprehensive exams can also have an oral segment 'though that varies by institution and department.
 
Had a little "time out" moment come up. Co-worker and only other Linux admin got news that his dad took a fall, broke his clavicle and ribs, punctured a lung, and was on blood thinners so bleeding was a serious complication. He was at the ICU last night late and back there today.

So I had to offer to help with a late night code release to Production last night. Due to the time zone difference it was at 02:00 Central. Oof. Got done at 04:00 Central. 21 hours awake. I crashed pretty hard.

Really wasn't "alive" enough to call the DPE early enough today to fly the rest of the ride. Talked to him a little bit ago and we're shooting for 09:00 Friday morning.

Weather is good today and trending better for tomorrow but the prog chart is entertaining. I'll be happier when the next round of TAFs is out for LNK. Midwestern weather isn't as easy for me to figure out as Front Range weather. It's a good brain teaser.
 
i'm flying with a glider student at 6, thinking about going over to stearman for supper after. come on down.
 
Haha. Can't Tony. Jesse has another student at 18:00. We might take the Debby up after that for a bit.
 
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