HPNPilot1200
En-Route
First, I'd like to thank the community on this board and the others I frequently visit for all of the support, knowledge, and expertise you've brought over the last few years. I have learned so much from all of you.
I completed the written last July, and the weather on my seventeenth birthday last Tuesday prohibited any chance of VFR flying for a while. After rescheduling with the DPE multiple times due to weather, we finally finished up the checkride today with the practical portion of the exam.
I called on my way to the airport to make sure the arrangements I made last night for a pre-heat and top off were in place. When I walked out to the airplane, mentally preparing for the 'ride, line service hadn't done any of it, but promptly showed up a few minutes later.
Before I knew it, I was finishing the before takeoff checklist in the run-up pad west of runway 34 at HPN. The DPE asked for a soft field takeoff on departure which I set up for as we held short for a few other aircraft. I made a nice, smooth, soft field takeoff and turned onto our course of 317º to Sullivan County Airport (KMSV) which the DPE had me plan to. He then asked me if I had past the NY Class B airspace (030/070 MSL) that hangs over the south/west portions of HPN to which I confirmed we had past it using the sectional chart and visual landmarks. He turned the brightness up on the MFD which depicted our aircraft about 1nm from the Class B ring and said that was a bit closer than I should have been, but I was outside it.
We continued on course to the northwest until the second checkpoint, where he had me re-calculate our groundspeed and update our ETA to the airport, all of which I successfully completed with the E6B. After passing the third checkpoint, he asked me to simulate an emergency landing which worked out fine. Established Vg of 68 knots and headed towards a farm in the middle-of-no-where, where he then asked me to divert to Orange County airport (KMGJ). I estimated a 360º heading to the field which worked perfectly and entered the right downwind for runway 21 (Runway 21 & 26 use right hand patterns due to the geographical proximity to KSWF). We did a normal touch-n-go, a short field stop-n-go, and then a full stop landing at the request of the DPE so he could hop out and use the mens room before continuing the checkride.
A few minutes later, he climbed back into the airplane and instructed me to depart straight out and don the foggles at a safe altitude. As we climbed out, he questioned why I wasn't maintaining runway heading and looked back at the runway to find I was right on the extended centerline. Turns out, once again, the HSI in 83SF started unslaving mid-flight. While I donned the foggles, he re-slewed the HSI to match the magnetic compass and did the simulated instrument work. Two 180º standard-rate turns, and a nose-down unusual altitude, and we were on our way to Croton point to do the remainder of the maneuvers.
After two clearing turns, the DPE asked for a departure stall and two 360º steep turns at 45º bank (in each direction) which came out great. After answering his questions about the objective of turns-around-a-point and tracking to the CMK VOR, he asked me to head back to HPN unless I had a problem with that.
We flew direct to the Tappanzee bridge while we listened to NY Approach chew a Baron for busting the NY Class B airspace west of HPN. He was pretty busy and advising VFRs to contact the tower directly for pattern entry instructions (a rare occasion) a few minutes earlier. I called in briefly with the bare information he needed and was quickly assigned a left downwind for 29. Right over the Tappanzee bridge inbound to the airport, the DPE congratulated me on passing the flight portion of the exam and told me the landing on 29 would be his. He instructs in gliders and serves as a DPE quite often and wanted to land this time around the patch. I told him the landing was great and we turned off at the next taxiway and headed back to Panorama (the FBO/school). Headed upstairs where I received my temporary certificate and received kudos from a few of the instructors up there.
While waiting for my CFI to come back from flying with another student, PoA's own Dr. Gil Velez came to see how I made out and congratulated me. Thanks Gil, it meant a lot that you came! I filled my CFI in with the details of the 'ride (he had never signed off a student for a private pilot certificate before, only commercial) and headed back out on the ramp to take my first passenger up, my dad. We flew to Farmingdale/Republic (KFRG) to meet one of his friends (another CitationShares captain) for lunch and then back. I was proud to be acting as PIC next to a 14,000 hour ATP-rated pilot who hadn't flown right seat in a 172 since his days as a CFI in the mid-80's.
Looking back on today, I logged 1.8 hrs. PIC on the checkride flight and 1.1 hrs. on the flight to FRG and back. The remarks in the logbook entry for the latter flight of the day reads: "First pax flight. Busiest travel day of the year, avoided all delays." It's true...while all of the IFR bizjets formed a 40-aircraft conga line up and down Lima and Alpha taxiways holding short of runway 16 waiting for their release, I was quickly sequenced into and out of both airports. Must be Karma I suppose, looking back on all those hours holding short at HPN for them to use the runway.
All and all, not a bad week. Now I just have to finish up two essays for school and practice a few audition pieces on the trumpet I play on Saturday. I'm already 1/2 way through the Jeppesen instrument/commercial textbook which I just received for my birthday and loving all the great in depth information.
Blue skies,
I completed the written last July, and the weather on my seventeenth birthday last Tuesday prohibited any chance of VFR flying for a while. After rescheduling with the DPE multiple times due to weather, we finally finished up the checkride today with the practical portion of the exam.
I called on my way to the airport to make sure the arrangements I made last night for a pre-heat and top off were in place. When I walked out to the airplane, mentally preparing for the 'ride, line service hadn't done any of it, but promptly showed up a few minutes later.
Before I knew it, I was finishing the before takeoff checklist in the run-up pad west of runway 34 at HPN. The DPE asked for a soft field takeoff on departure which I set up for as we held short for a few other aircraft. I made a nice, smooth, soft field takeoff and turned onto our course of 317º to Sullivan County Airport (KMSV) which the DPE had me plan to. He then asked me if I had past the NY Class B airspace (030/070 MSL) that hangs over the south/west portions of HPN to which I confirmed we had past it using the sectional chart and visual landmarks. He turned the brightness up on the MFD which depicted our aircraft about 1nm from the Class B ring and said that was a bit closer than I should have been, but I was outside it.
We continued on course to the northwest until the second checkpoint, where he had me re-calculate our groundspeed and update our ETA to the airport, all of which I successfully completed with the E6B. After passing the third checkpoint, he asked me to simulate an emergency landing which worked out fine. Established Vg of 68 knots and headed towards a farm in the middle-of-no-where, where he then asked me to divert to Orange County airport (KMGJ). I estimated a 360º heading to the field which worked perfectly and entered the right downwind for runway 21 (Runway 21 & 26 use right hand patterns due to the geographical proximity to KSWF). We did a normal touch-n-go, a short field stop-n-go, and then a full stop landing at the request of the DPE so he could hop out and use the mens room before continuing the checkride.
A few minutes later, he climbed back into the airplane and instructed me to depart straight out and don the foggles at a safe altitude. As we climbed out, he questioned why I wasn't maintaining runway heading and looked back at the runway to find I was right on the extended centerline. Turns out, once again, the HSI in 83SF started unslaving mid-flight. While I donned the foggles, he re-slewed the HSI to match the magnetic compass and did the simulated instrument work. Two 180º standard-rate turns, and a nose-down unusual altitude, and we were on our way to Croton point to do the remainder of the maneuvers.
After two clearing turns, the DPE asked for a departure stall and two 360º steep turns at 45º bank (in each direction) which came out great. After answering his questions about the objective of turns-around-a-point and tracking to the CMK VOR, he asked me to head back to HPN unless I had a problem with that.
We flew direct to the Tappanzee bridge while we listened to NY Approach chew a Baron for busting the NY Class B airspace west of HPN. He was pretty busy and advising VFRs to contact the tower directly for pattern entry instructions (a rare occasion) a few minutes earlier. I called in briefly with the bare information he needed and was quickly assigned a left downwind for 29. Right over the Tappanzee bridge inbound to the airport, the DPE congratulated me on passing the flight portion of the exam and told me the landing on 29 would be his. He instructs in gliders and serves as a DPE quite often and wanted to land this time around the patch. I told him the landing was great and we turned off at the next taxiway and headed back to Panorama (the FBO/school). Headed upstairs where I received my temporary certificate and received kudos from a few of the instructors up there.
While waiting for my CFI to come back from flying with another student, PoA's own Dr. Gil Velez came to see how I made out and congratulated me. Thanks Gil, it meant a lot that you came! I filled my CFI in with the details of the 'ride (he had never signed off a student for a private pilot certificate before, only commercial) and headed back out on the ramp to take my first passenger up, my dad. We flew to Farmingdale/Republic (KFRG) to meet one of his friends (another CitationShares captain) for lunch and then back. I was proud to be acting as PIC next to a 14,000 hour ATP-rated pilot who hadn't flown right seat in a 172 since his days as a CFI in the mid-80's.
Looking back on today, I logged 1.8 hrs. PIC on the checkride flight and 1.1 hrs. on the flight to FRG and back. The remarks in the logbook entry for the latter flight of the day reads: "First pax flight. Busiest travel day of the year, avoided all delays." It's true...while all of the IFR bizjets formed a 40-aircraft conga line up and down Lima and Alpha taxiways holding short of runway 16 waiting for their release, I was quickly sequenced into and out of both airports. Must be Karma I suppose, looking back on all those hours holding short at HPN for them to use the runway.
All and all, not a bad week. Now I just have to finish up two essays for school and practice a few audition pieces on the trumpet I play on Saturday. I'm already 1/2 way through the Jeppesen instrument/commercial textbook which I just received for my birthday and loving all the great in depth information.
Blue skies,
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