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

Timmer said:
Congratulations to all in the last few pages. It's fun to watch everyone make progress so keep it up.

I just did my first tail-wheel flight for my first flight review in my CFI's Super Cub. I felt like the worst pilot ever but oh my was it fun. Too bad T+Gs are out at my airport currently, so I didn't have time to really get a feel of landing -- I think I'll need to try some more ;)

Next month I'm taking some mountain flying lessons and slowly building X/C time and studying IR books. So much fun.
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Congrats! I just got into tail wheel flying this year and oh what a blast! I wish I would have started years ago. Every time I go up I'm learning something.
 
I am 27 hours in. Just did solo last week. Real progress came when this week when I was able to fly four days in a row

Great forum here. I am learning a lot just reading posts.

Thanks
 
Since my solo last month, we have done 3 dual cross-countries. I'm good with that, and flight planning. Last week, my CFI told me that I am going for my stage check so that I can do my solo cross-country. I looked at the checklist and the stage check includes short and soft field landings which I had never done before. Maybe he assumed I did it with my previous CFI. So we went up and it was ugly. The soft field landing were terrible. Trying to fly very low over the runway proved harder than expected. I keep putting in too much power and start ballooning or too little and touch down. And when I finally touch down, it's harder than it's supposed to be. I mean, it's not a thump but not where I need to be. My precision/touch is not there with knowing exactly how high I am. The short field landings need work also but not as much. Plus there was a 10-11 know crosswind that made my job harder. That's nothing for a regular landing, but with this newly added workload, it made it harder.

Over the weekend, I went up solo and practiced some more. Got 8 in, I did 2 short and 4 soft. Much better (wind was 50 degree crosswind @ only 6 knots). I still need to work on these landings and hope to do my stage check maybe next week. I'm still shooting for mid-August checkride. Right smack in the middle of the most humid and moist air all year. Awesome.
 
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flyinhood said:
Congrats! I just got into tail wheel flying this year and oh what a blast! I wish I would have started years ago. Every time I go up I'm learning something.
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Thanks. I won't go for my tail wheel endorsement for a little while but I will definitely get it. It's calling me. There is definitely no shortage of things to learn, that's for sure. It's great (except for the wallet) :)
 
Unusual attitudes today! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

So jealous of you tailwheels guys!

Also, a guy at my school apparently passed everything on his checkride the other day, but his soft field landing was not soft enough, so the DPE failed him! (failed? is that the right term?). He went up today and knocked it out of the park, so congrats to him, but this has made m even more nervous about the checkride. It's a long way away, but is a firm soft field landing really enough to prevent you from getting your PPL?
 
Read the PTS from the FAA. Those are the rules the DPEs use when conducting the tests.

The nice thing is, as the person found out, if you fail just one thing, your re-test just needs to cover that.

Don't overly stress about the test itself, just focus on flying and your lessons :)

Edit: Here's a link to the test standards: https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/test_standards/media/FAA-S-8081-14B.pdf . Pages 10-11 have the information on passing and failing.
 
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Timmer said:
Read the PTS from the FAA. Those are the rules the DPEs use when conducting the tests.

The nice thing is, as the person found out, if you fail just one thing, your re-test just needs to cover that.

Don't overly stress about the test itself, just focus on flying and your lessons :)

Edit: Here's a link to the test standards: https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/test_standards/media/FAA-S-8081-14B.pdf . Pages 10-11 have the information on passing and failing.
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How does the check ride fee work in that case? Full fee for a follow up check ride for a specific task?
 
I forgot to post a few weeks ago, but check ride complete. PPL temporary paper is in the wallet.

About 2 hours in the plane and 3-4 oral. It was actually a fun 'test'.
 
I got mine done on Tuesday, 3 hour oral and 1.3 in the plane. Some interesting stuff. I had 3 different CFI'S over my time so they had some gaps... I learned soft field take off and landings the day before my stage check, and had the 50 foot tree growing out of the numbers introduced during the stage check. First time I had needed to clear an "object". All in all a great experience. Now I have a license to learn more.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
 
Congrats to all the new PPLs out there. Enjoy all the freedom you have earned.

I hold a CPL and I'm beginning to work on my CFI.
 
Finished training in the Cirrus SR20 with my CFI a few days ago. Now I can train students on it. Starting to fly the SR22 and doing some approaches and holds
 
onezuludelta said:
It's a long way away, but is a firm soft field landing really enough to prevent you from getting your PPL?
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Well, yes. A 'firm' soft field landing isnt soft is it? Kinda misses the point of a soft field landing. Dont sweat it tho. By the time you get there, youll be ready
 
Busy week. First time with Soft/Short field ops on Tuesday. Finished hood work yesterday with an ASR approach. Soft/Short field review on Saturday. Getting closer!
 
jimbilly said:
How does the check ride fee work in that case? Full fee for a follow up check ride for a specific task?
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My examiner said his recheck fee was 1/2 of his initial fee.
 
It varies, mine was full price again if I failed. I put some extra effort in there.
 
Dual night flight Thursday (56nm one way: FRG-SWF), then solo cross-country Friday (72nm one way: FRG-GON). Things are happening really fast now!!!
 
Just got my feet wet -- again. :)

Did my first formal .7 in an Archer after waffling over it for years. Climbs, descents, coordinated turns . . . just basically getting the feel for the flight. Very little motion sickness even in 90' heat with the garden-variety convective clouds overhead; after trying to prove to myself I knew what I was doing I just concentrated on 'feeling' the plane and having FUN.

Didn't go very high, didn't go very far, felt by the time I was melting into the aircraft and becoming 'one' with the machinery it was over all too soon . . . but it was just the right amount of back and forth between the instructor and I that I felt the whole experience was very well-balanced. He was able to take over when I needed it, and he let me loose when I could handle it.

Plus, we didn't spook each other. That's always a bonus, right?

WOOHOO!
 
got my HP endorsement this morning in a t-tail lance. honestly, still not quite sure what the HP signoff is for, but anyways, it opens up a few more planes I can rent.
 
On Monday, passed my Stage 4 check which means that I'm now going to start my solo x-countries. My first one may be tomorrow or Saturday.
 
Done.

Did my first solo cross country today, KFRG (Farmingdale) to KHFD (Hartford). Went well except that NY App would not give me flight following (claims too busy :rolleyes:, but some other VFR got it.).

Ate a cheesesteak and headed home. I feel like a real pilot, I flew to get lunch. :rofl:

One more (long one) and I'm done.
 
orange said:
Done.

Did my first solo cross country today, KFRG (Farmingdale) to KHFD (Hartford). Went well except that NY App would not give me flight following (claims too busy :rolleyes:, but some other VFR got it.).

Ate a cheesesteak and headed home. I feel like a real pilot, I flew to get lunch. :rofl:

One more (long one) and I'm done.
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Congrats!
 
10,000hr ATP professional pilot, going back for some dual to get a SES rating.
we are forever a student pilot.

bob
 
Continuing training tomorrow morning in the CE560XL and CE525 (M2) tomorrow morning. Once I 61.55 in the XL I'm going straight to 61.55 in the F2TH EX EASy2. So I'm moving up quite nicely.
 
onezuludelta said:
Unusual attitudes today! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

So jealous of you tailwheels guys!

Also, a guy at my school apparently passed everything on his checkride the other day, but his soft field landing was not soft enough, so the DPE failed him! (failed? is that the right term?). He went up today and knocked it out of the park, so congrats to him, but this has made m even more nervous about the checkride. It's a long way away, but is a firm soft field landing really enough to prevent you from getting your PPL?
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from years of talking to DPE's and check airman I have found that most people do not bust from a single operation. unless they totally screw it up and the DPE has no choice (let as stall turn into a spin ect). most the time what they say they busted on was just the last thing that the examiner saw that pushed it over the edge. do what you have been trained to do and you should be all right. do not harp on a maneuver that you think you did bad, just keep flying. until he/she says something your still passing. people think that they do a maneuver bad and it starts them down hill, it may have been sat to the DPE, just not the best.

the DPE is not looking for perfect, try to be perfect, but he/she is just looking to see you have the knowledge of the maneuver and can perform it within the specs of the PTS. i am willing to be it was not the softness of touchdown but that the procedure was not flown as the PTS requires.

bob
 
CFI (airplane) student and taking my multi engine checkride on 29th of this month, then immediately starting CFII
 
Well, finally got my medical, so now I lost my best excuse for not soloing yet. Guess I better figure out how to land now.

(unless the FAA pulls it back in their 60 day window)
 
Flying out to FL from Israel in 12 days to do my PPL with Tailwinds Etc... Safe to say I'm getting somewhat excited, and researching nightlife in Tampa... :)
 
topperdoggle said:
Flying out to FL from Israel in 12 days to do my PPL with Tailwinds Etc... Safe to say I'm getting somewhat excited, and researching nightlife in Tampa... :)
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Bring some of those cute Israeli girls over, would ya? :)
 
Just passed by PPL check ride on Tuesday morning. The examiner was awesome, helped take the pressure off. Breezed through the oral and the flying part went really smooth. My instructor always said he was way harder on me than the examiner would be, and he was right. Instrument training starts next week!
 
Just completed my 2nd hour of PPL flight training. Have another 1.5 hours of flight time scheduled for Monday.
 
I finished my long XC for commercial! Now I get to figure out this complex airplane stuff....
 
10 hours in, PPL. The first few hours I was getting frustrated and humbled...thought it would/should come natural. Instructor said that was silly talk, that I was doing fine. Told myself if I didn't start to "get it" between 10-20 hrs that I would give it up. I'm starting to "get it" now. Awesome feeling. Feeling "connected" with the plane.
 
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