Training has begun! (my journey)

PPL LOG: 20th Flight 2/28/14

So now that the solo is out of the way, I felt a lot more relaxed for this flight.
Since I was already used to being in the pattern so much, we did short and soft field operations for this lesson.

Since we did them as a full stop and taxi back, we were not able to get too many in because of time. My instructor did both a soft and short take off and landing, and then I did both as well. I felt pretty confident with this, especially the takeoff part. My takeoffs have always been solid, so these were just an extension of the usual takeoffs. It was really fun doing both types of takeoffs: the full power 'launch' for the short field was cool, but the 'wheelie' on the soft field was even more awesome.

All in all it was a pretty short lesson, but I understood the concepts really well.

For next time we will do more of those, but begin introducing using VOR. Should be some fun lessons coming up.
 
Nice Joe. I always liked the soft field landing more than the short field.

I'd ask your instructor to get you out of the traffic pattern. It's good practice but he should be exposing you to other things too at this point. That's just my opinion of course and maybe you are going to next class.

Enjoy what's to come!
 
I always found soft field landings to be the most difficult for me. It seems to be a balance of timing, nailing the airspeed and adding JUST enough power to slow the decent down more than it would be with a normal landing.

They're tough but when you do get one right, it makes you smile.
 
fiveoboy01 said:
I always found soft field landings to be the most difficult for me. It seems to be a balance of timing, nailing the airspeed and adding JUST enough power to slow the decent down more than it would be with a normal landing.

They're tough but when you do get one right, it makes you smile.
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See if you can find a grass field somewhere and get some practice in. Actual soft fields aren't nearly as troublesome as our flight instructors make them out to be. I love my little grass field.
 
That's correct. And the DPE took me into a 2200' grass strip on my checkride. I had landed there before so I knew what to expect. And the way he explained it is, which is the worst case scenario you could face? Get stuck(unlikely as the ground was frozen) or run off the runway into the house sitting at one end past the threshold? For him it was the "lesser of two evils" when deciding what procedure to use for the landing and ensuing takeoff.

And on that note, it was 45 here yesterday and around 40 the day before. Today it was in the low 30s but sunny...

A CFI had my dad land at a grass strip, and they couldn't get out due to the mud. Airplane sitting there, and they got a ride back to the home airport. Why any CFI would make the decision to land on a grass strip after the temps we have had, is beyond me.
 
PPL LOG: 21st and 22nd Flights 2/9/14 and 2/16/14

Just realized I didnt give an update last week, so I will cram two flights in one log!
So for the first flight, we got out of the pattern and began working on VOR's I was pretty confused at first, but quickly got the hang of it. My instructor had me find a station on he sectional, tune the frequency, listen for the morse code to confirm it was active, and then attempt to do both in and outbound flying with the VOR. I learned how to intercept a specific radial and how to pick a good angle to fly at as to not over run the radial. It was fun getting out of the pattern and seeing the sights again. There are still some spotty pieces of this for me, but we will be revisiting it, and I still need to read up on them more in my books.


For the second flight, I logged my first .7 hours of simulated instrument time. This was a very interesting lesson, and definitely very different than any I have had before. Flying with the 'foggles' on was a strange experience, but I actually felt very comfortable. Maybe all those years of staring at the instruments playing flight simulators has paid off ;) I flew out to the practice area and once there, I put the goggles on. My instructor basically slowly increased my workload from simple straight flight, to turns, to slow flight, and eventually to slow flight while tracking a VOR. The mental overload of trying to read the instruments and keep the airplane straight, while at the same time keeping slow flight (70 kts), staying at 2500 ft, tuning in the VOR station and then tracking it with the instruments was definitely a taxing experience.. but a real eye opener. Next time we are planning to do some more time under the hood, except recovering from unusual attitudes. That should be a fun time :)

Well thats the update for now. Im still chugging along, getting closer every week.
 
What's the point of slow flight under the hood? I can't imagine a reason to go slower than Vx in IMC. And Vx is only appropriate near terrain at full power. Unless I'm climbing, I'd want to be going at least 90.

If it's meant to simulate ice, the aircraft is not going to be so predictable.

Unusual attitudes are fun.
 
MAKG1 said:
What's the point of slow flight under the hood? I can't imagine a reason to go slower than Vx in IMC. And Vx is only appropriate near terrain at full power. Unless I'm climbing, I'd want to be going at least 90.

If it's meant to simulate ice, the aircraft is not going to be so predictable.

Unusual attitudes are fun.
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I think it was just to have me do tasks to increase the workload. Im not sure it was for any actual real world scenario.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
 
MAKG1 said:
What's the point of slow flight under the hood? I can't imagine a reason to go slower than Vx in IMC. And Vx is only appropriate near terrain at full power. Unless I'm climbing, I'd want to be going at least 90.

If it's meant to simulate ice, the aircraft is not going to be so predictable.

Unusual attitudes are fun.
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It could just be to give him more time (keeping the workload slightly lower than it would be at cruise speed) or to keep from getting too far away from home base, the VOR, etc rather than to actually practice slow flight.
 
PPL LOG: 23rd Flight 3/23/14

Hello everyone. So I was back doing some instrument training this past Sunday, but it was a lot more fun this time. We did recovery from unusual attitudes, and it was definitely a fun and interesting experience.

We went through whole routine of putting my head down and then popping up and recovering from some strange attitude as fast as possible. I felt very good doing this, and didnt have much trouble getting back to level quickly.

After that we practiced 2 emergency descents, which was also a fun move (but tough on the ear pressure) :)

My landings have slowly been getting better, and I have even been mixing in specialty landings here and there (I did a pretty good soft field this time).

All in all I feel like I am still progressing well, and moving towards to goal!
 
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Hello Joe,

After reading this thread from the begining I figured I would sign up and add a comment or 2. My name is Frank, and I have just begun training, at the same school as Joe. It has taken me 35 years to finally persue my dream of obtaining my PPL. The kid is now paid for, and the house is paid for so I figured now is a good time.

I have only had 3 lessons so far, but I am not new to airplanes, and flying. When I was a Senior in High School I took flying lession through the school, and had about 5 hours total, but like I said, that was 35 years ago.

I look forward to following your progress, and picking the brains of some of the very knowledgable pilots on this forum.

Thanks,
Frank
 
96gs917 said:
Hello Joe,

After reading this thread from the begining I figured I would sign up and add a comment or 2. My name is Frank, and I have just begun training, at the same school as Joe. It has taken me 35 years to finally persue my dream of obtaining my PPL. The kid is now paid for, and the house is paid for so I figured now is a good time.

I have only had 3 lessons so far, but I am not new to airplanes, and flying. When I was a Senior in High School I took flying lession through the school, and had about 5 hours total, but like I said, that was 35 years ago.

I look forward to following your progress, and picking the brains of some of the very knowledgable pilots on this forum.

Thanks,
Frank
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Great to hear from you Frank, Im sure you will enjoy your experience.. it has been amazing for me so far.
 
Hey Joe good to read your updates! The foggle lessons are interessting at this time in training. That's very different from how my training went. All that foggle and IFR stuff came towards the end for me. VOR's are useful although I honestly never use them now that I have my PPL. It's good to know how but it's not all that valuable in the age of GPS!

Any word on the cross countries yet?

I just flew to KGON yesterday in the 152( heck of an experience in the wind but really a lot of fun!). The FBO at Groton is really nice. I still love that airport. It holds such great memories for me as it was my first XC destination.

Keep up the good work.
 
Hey Joe just found this thread..keep going! I soloed at kisp also but that was in 2008. I didn't finish back then and because of other things (life), I got back into it last year and finally got my ticket last October..Take it easy..Pete
 
jspilot said:
Hey Joe good to read your updates! The foggle lessons are interessting at this time in training. That's very different from how my training went. All that foggle and IFR stuff came towards the end for me. VOR's are useful although I honestly never use them now that I have my PPL. It's good to know how but it's not all that valuable in the age of GPS!

Any word on the cross countries yet?

I just flew to KGON yesterday in the 152( heck of an experience in the wind but really a lot of fun!). The FBO at Groton is really nice. I still love that airport. It holds such great memories for me as it was my first XC destination.

Keep up the good work.
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Hey!

So yes the plan is to fly to Gabreski this Sunday to do some touch and goes (as a first taste of going to another airport and landing). Then we plan to do some ground sessions to prep for the first cross country. I am super excited as I have never landed at another airport.. but I am a bit anxious about communicating as I have never went from Departure control to another airports tower.. should be interesting.
 
joeparrilla said:
Hey!

So yes the plan is to fly to Gabreski this Sunday to do some touch and goes (as a first taste of going to another airport and landing). Then we plan to do some ground sessions to prep for the first cross country. I am super excited as I have never landed at another airport.. but I am a bit anxious about communicating as I have never went from Departure control to another airports tower.. should be interesting.
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Hey Joe,

Should be fun going out east to Gabreski instead of staying in the south practice area. I took 226AM out today for a double lesson in windy conditions (Gusts to 25) and had a great session. My instructor said KISP is always windy, and its good practice. I think I would rather have calm conditions for a while to get to know the plane better. Following todays lesson with a regular session tomorrow with more windy conditions.

I hope the weather holds up for you Sunday, they are calling for heavy rain. Have fun, and be safe.

Frank
 
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96gs917 said:
Hey Joe,

Should be fun going out east to Gabreski instead of staying in the south practice area. I took 226AM out today for a double lesson in windy conditions (Gusts to 25) and had a great session. My instructor said KISP is always windy, and its good practice. I think I would rather have calm conditions for a while to get to know the plane better. Following todays lesson with a regular session tomorrow with more windy conditions.

I hope the weather holds up for you Sunday, they are calling for heavy rain. Have fun, and be safe.

Frank
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Awesome 266AM is my usual airplane (And the one I soloed in). Very true about the wind.. I can count calm days on one hand.

Sunday is supposed to be crap, so Im preparing for a cancellation but we will see.
 
joeparrilla said:
Hey!

So yes the plan is to fly to Gabreski this Sunday to do some touch and goes (as a first taste of going to another airport and landing). Then we plan to do some ground sessions to prep for the first cross country. I am super excited as I have never landed at another airport.. but I am a bit anxious about communicating as I have never went from Departure control to another airports tower.. should be interesting.
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Awesome Joe! I'm very glad you are getting out there to different airports! It's very important!

So my free advice after making the trip from Islip to FOK many times. One is to have the frequencies ready to go. It is a quick flight and you don't have time to look them up so have them ready before the trip starts. Then, after you get Gabreski in sight( not difficult-- it's huge!) cancel flight following simply by saying

"Alarus 26am has Gabreski in sight."

They will come back and say something like

"squawk VFR and frequency change is approved."

Then dial in the tower frequency and just say

" Gabreski tower Alarus 26am". He will come back with something like

" Alarus 26am go ahead."

Then you can say

" Alarus 26am I'm 10(or however far away you are--use the GPS for this or you can use a major landmark--not many out there between Islip and FOK) miles to your west inbound for a full stop landing."

He will come back with your instructions and then just follow those. Gabreski does not have an ATIS so no need to worry about that, but they do have an ASOS.

If you can get your instructor to stop there they have an excellent restaurant at FOK. Enjoy the trip, it's a beutiful area and the airport is nice with huge runways!
 
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jspilot said:
Awesome Joe! I'm very glad you are getting out there to different airports! It's very important!

So my free advice after making the trip from Islip to FOK many times. One is to have the frequencies ready to go. It is a quick flight and you don't have time to look them up so have them ready before the trip starts. Then, after you get Gabreski in sight( not difficult-- it's huge!) cancel flight following simply by saying

"Alarus 26am has Gabreski in sight."

They will come back and say something like

"squawk VFR and frequency change is approved."

Then dial in the tower frequency and just say

" Gabreski tower Alarus 26am". He will come back with something like

" Alarus 26am go ahead."

Then you can say

" Alarus 26am I'm 10(or however far away you are--use the GPS for this or you can use a major landmark--not many out there between Islip and FOK) miles to your west inbound for a full stop landing."

He will come back with your instructions and then just follow those. Gabreski does not have an ATIS so no need to worry about that, but they do have an ASOS.

If you can get your instructor to stop there they have an excellent restaurant at FOK. Enjoy the trip, it's a beutiful area and the airport is nice with huge runways!
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Thanks for that! So its more or less the same as coming back to your home airport.. not too bad. I will let you know how it goes if the rain doesnt ground me.
 
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joeparrilla said:
Thanks for that! So its more or less the same as coming back to your home airport.. not too bad. I will let you know how it goes if the rain doesnt ground me.
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Yeah man exactly like returning home from the practice areas in terms of communication. The only difference is Gabreski does not really have radar( not sure if they do but I don't think so.) So that's why you have to tell him where you are cause he can't see you! The other thing is when you depart FOK he's gonna wanna know what direction you are going so just tell him- "alarus 26am departing back to Islip headed to the west." You can also give him a curtisy call when you clear the class delta ring and simply say" alarus 26am clear of your airspace. Then get the ATIS at Islip, call approach( it will be 118.0 or 120.05--for some reason 118.0 has not been in service recently) and let them know who you are, where you are and what you want to do. You'll get a squawk code and flight following. I'm sure your instructor will remind you of this but remember you can't enter the class Charlie without establishing two way radio contact with the approach controller so again you have to move pretty quick once out of FOK's airspace.

It's not bad Joe and it will be a good trip. Class D airports are less a hastle than KISP although KISP is far from a hastle! We are lucky to have learned at Islip because if you can handle the communications at Islip everything else is a piece of cake!
 
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PPL LOG: 24th Flight 4/13/14

So yesterdays flight was very likely my best flight/most fun yet. I felt like everything I learned up until yesterday came together, and I felt fully functioning and on point. The plan was to go to KFOK (Gabreski) and do touch and goes. There were a lot of firsts on this flights, mainly my first time leaving the control of NY Approach (except the times ive punched out), and my first time entering another airports airspace and landing there. For the first time I felt like a pilot actually trying to get somewhere, and it was very cool.

The radio work was easier than I thought, and went pretty much like JSPilot said it would. The controller at the Gabreski tower was just so friendly, and that made me so much more relaxed. We just did simple GPS navigation to get there, tryng to focus on traffic awareness, radios, and just getting used to getting work done on the way there so we didnt have to rush everything last minute. The turbulence from about 700ft and lower was unreal, easily the worst wind shear I have ever flown in. With that said, my touch and goes at Gabreski were by far my best landings to date. Every one was on the line, smooth, and just good. My 2 weeks off apparently was not enough to mess with me. Sometimes all it takes is a relaxed mind I think.

The whole trip was awesome, and really gave me another taste of the flying bug. It was great to take a trip, although short.

The plan for the next few lessons is to just do ground in preparation for the first cross country. My next flight will be a cross country to Hartford, CT, and the plan is to head over there, get some lunch, and head back. The ground lessons are going to cover chart reading, flight planning, etc.

I am super excited for this flight, should be a really good one.

Thanks for checking into my log, its always fun to talk about my experiences.
 
Joe great to read an update! Glad the trip went well!

KHFD is an awesome airport! I've been there many times. It's a great and easy airport to find! Just look out the window, see the city, find the river, and where the two basically meet is where the airport is. It can't get much easier. Just dont miss
The airport as Bradley's class charlie airspace is just a bit beyond KHFD. The approach into the airport can be a bit weird because they have a berm right by the runway that kind of throws off the depth perseption. The restaurant there was just ok when I went so hopefully it is better for you.

How do you plan on flight planning for the trip? GPS direct or using landmarks? There are plenty of cities in CT to use just on the other side of the sound but te landmarks get a little spotty further up. Their are some highways you could follow that lead right to KHFD plus their is the Conneticut river but that's a bit out of the way.
 
jspilot said:
Joe great to read an update! Glad the trip went well!

KHFD is an awesome airport! I've been there many times. It's a great and easy airport to find! Just look out the window, see the city, find the river, and where the two basically meet is where the airport is. It can't get much easier. Just dont miss
The airport as Bradley's class charlie airspace is just a bit beyond KHFD. The approach into the airport can be a bit weird because they have a berm right by the runway that kind of throws off the depth perseption. The restaurant there was just ok when I went so hopefully it is better for you.

How do you plan on flight planning for the trip? GPS direct or using landmarks? There are plenty of cities in CT to use just on the other side of the sound but te landmarks get a little spotty further up. Their are some highways you could follow that lead right to KHFD plus their is the Conneticut river but that's a bit out of the way.
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I am guessing that since we will be doing 2 or 3 ground lessons before taking the trip, we will be using more than just GPS to get there. From my experience, GPS has been ridiculously simple... just pick the airport and it draws a line for you.

I am assuming we will be studying the charts, airspaces, landmarks, etc and navigate using that. Other than that I really dont know what to expect. I do know that I will be introduced to a manual flight computer as well, so that should be cool.

I will update here as I go through ground and know more.

Thanks!
 
joeparrilla said:
I am guessing that since we will be doing 2 or 3 ground lessons before taking the trip, we will be using more than just GPS to get there. From my experience, GPS has been ridiculously simple... just pick the airport and it draws a line for you.

I am assuming we will be studying the charts, airspaces, landmarks, etc and navigate using that. Other than that I really dont know what to expect. I do know that I will be introduced to a manual flight computer as well, so that should be cool.

I will update here as I go through ground and know more.

Thanks!
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Good, you're probably right about learning some stuff before you head off. GPS is ridiculously simple, depending on the type and display method it will simply lead you into granite. Lots of fun stuff ahead transitioning from learning how to use the plane to learning how to make it useful.
 
joeparrilla said:
I am guessing that since we will be doing 2 or 3 ground lessons before taking the trip, we will be using more than just GPS to get there. From my experience, GPS has been ridiculously simple... just pick the airport and it draws a line for you.

I am assuming we will be studying the charts, airspaces, landmarks, etc and navigate using that. Other than that I really dont know what to expect. I do know that I will be introduced to a manual flight computer as well, so that should be cool.

I will update here as I go through ground and know more.

Thanks!
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It is critical you learn to use landmarks to navigate! Honestly even though I always take my IPad mini along with me, I always find myself using familiar landmarks way more than being a slave to the magenta line in the GPS! About the only thing I find myself using the GPS for us measuring the distance to the airport and to see about what time I'll get there.

Full disclosure though- I have not used a flight computer in a long time. I also never used a manual one. I used the E6B. I think it is cool you are learning the manual one.

Thanks again for sharing Joe!
 
Not just landmarks, but all tools at your disposal.

Especially ded reckoning. That will save your bacon when landmarks fail (undercast or MVFR). Use radio navigation as a backup.

You never want an uncertified GPS to be a no-go device. They WILL fail eventually. It's limiting to have a certified GPS as a no-go device, though that may happen in instrument conditions.
 
PPL LOG: 25th Flight 5/18/14 (First Dual-XC)

Hey everyone, it been a while! I have spend the last month doing ground preparation as well as battling the weather trying to get ready for my first dual cross country. The weather finally let up, and the flight is finally in the books.

It was really a beautiful day, and flying over the LI Sound was amazing. The flight was to Hartford-Brainard(KHFD), and took about 45 minutes there/35 minutes back. The flight went really smooth, and the dead reckoning actually was easier than I thought. All of the planning worked out, and my landmarks were for the most part easily spotted.

There was some nasty crosswind landing on RWY 2 at Hartford, but I felt strangely comfortable with it... maybe im becoming a pilot slowly.. :)

We got out, had lunch, got gas, did some more planning, and then headed back. It was really a wonderful experience. This gave me a true taste of why I am doing this in the first place. Being able to fly myself directly to Connecticut in well under an hour just to grab lunch is what really makes flying so great. Once you do this, you realize how ****ty roads are in comparison. It really makes the world feel a whole lot smaller, and destinations that once seemed too far off are so much more reasonable.

The plan for the next flight is to head over there again, except at night this time. After that it will be a mix of soloing at the practice area, and night flying a bit in the pattern.

As usual I am excited for whats to come. I can taste the finish line!
 
Nice work Joe! I almost went to Hartford on Sunday but stayed away because of the crosswinds. I love that airport though- lots of fun.

Hey how was the restaurant over there? I went there once and it was just ok. I want to give it a second chance. Did you go to Wings sports bar?

Glad the training is progressing. I totally agree, XC's are where it is at and it makes all the hard work on training worth it!
 
jspilot said:
Nice work Joe! I almost went to Hartford on Sunday but stayed away because of the crosswinds. I love that airport though- lots of fun.

Hey how was the restaurant over there? I went there once and it was just ok. I want to give it a second chance. Did you go to Wings sports bar?

Glad the training is progressing. I totally agree, XC's are where it is at and it makes all the hard work on training worth it!
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Hey, we ate at a bar/restaurant at Atlantic Aviation. The food was pretty typical for a bar, it was good though. The fries were too salty. :)
 
PPL LOG: 26th Flight 5/25/14

So I did my first night flight this past Sunday, and it was even more awesome than I expected. I have always been excited about doing night flying, as I have always been in awe of airport lights seen from the sky. We just did landing in the traffic pattern, but it was just so cool at night.

Just being at the airport late was a great experience. It was quiet and I felt like I owned the place. Even something as simple as pre flighting with a flashlight had a strange charm to it.

Of course my night landings were some of my best approaches and touch downs I have ever done... (nothing about my flying skills ever seem to make sense) :)

The plan is that the next flight will be heading back to KHFD to do another XC but this time at nights, using VOR's. I am super pumped about this next one. It was actually supposed to happen tonight, but the coming rain will most likely stop us.

Thanks for reading as always.
 
PPL LOG: 27th Flight 6/8/14

So I was back to getting some solo time in this past Sunday. I did some basic buzzing around the pattern as it had been over 2 months since I originally soloed. It was a lot more relaxed than the first time, as there was no 'first solo' pressure.

My next scheduled flight is the night cross country. Its been cancelled 3 times already for weather.. so maybe 4th time is a charm :)

My updates have not been as long lately, mostly because I am lazy. Im still at it though, getting closer and closer.
 
Night cross country is a TOTAL blast, but you need near perfect weather for it. Even a few clouds can become problems without you realizing it.

You can see things a whole lot further at night. I was shocked when I spotted my destination from 50 miles away. Even more shocked when I got a chance to fly jumpseat in a 747 and spotted beacons from over 100 miles away. That green-white is very distinctive. Green-white-white even more so.
 
momalley: Id have to check my log, but I believe somewhere in the mid 30's

MAKG: Yes the weather has been killing us. We just cant get it to work out on our last 3 scheduled attempts. I have one scheduled for tomorrow night, so Im hoping for the best. This whole week has been really crappy weather wise, so I am not getting my hopes up.
 
momalley said:
This is the fun part of training....X/C flights :)
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I can't wait for the X/C experience. Joe and I fly out of the same school, and as a matter of fact fly the same plane.

My CFI and I have been venturing to nearby airports but for the most part, I am preparing to solo. CFI thinks I am ready, but the weather, and my hesitation because I don't feel my landings are consistent enough, are stopping me. (total of 18 hours)

I can take off, fly the pattern, handle the radio, and my approaches are great, but I tend to flare too soon, then struggle to recover and land.

Guess I'll just have to keep practicing until the weather, and my consistence improve.
 
96gs917 said:
I can't wait for the X/C experience. Joe and I fly out of the same school, and as a matter of fact fly the same plane.

My CFI and I have been venturing to nearby airports but for the most part, I am preparing to solo. CFI thinks I am ready, but the weather, and my hesitation because I don't feel my landings are consistent enough, are stopping me. (total of 18 hours)

I can take off, fly the pattern, handle the radio, and my approaches are great, but I tend to flare too soon, then struggle to recover and land.

Guess I'll just have to keep practicing until the weather, and my consistence improve.
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What days do you fly? I wonder if Ive seen you. Whos your instructor?

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
 
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