New Airplane!

Fast forward to February 2020 (time flies when you're having fun!). I've sat down several times to provide an update on my flying experiences but distractions seem to be plentiful.  It is my hope that this short update generates momentum to get back into blogging about my adventures as a private pilot.

Yes!  We sold the Cessna back in 2014 and in January 2015, brought home an amazing1962 Beechcraft Bonanza P35.  Since that time, I've logged more than 500 hours flying all over the western states with family, friends, and animals (more on that later).

N9673Y left the Beechcraft manufacturing facility in December of 1962 and as such, some call it a 1963 model but the data plate states 1962 so I'm sticking with that year.  It has seen numerous upgrades and modifications that make it a very well equipped and capable aircraft.  Below are the modifications and equipment added to 73Y.

• Factory Reman IO-550 
• BDS Baffling

• 3 Blade prop
• Garmin G500 with SVT
• Garmin GTN 650 GPS
• GTX 345 – 2020 compliant in and out ADS-B
• Flightstream 210
• S-TEC 3100 Digital Autopilot; Alt pre-select, IAS, VS, FD
• GTS 800 Traffic
• PS Engineering PMA 450B Audio Panel with music in port
• MVP-50 Engine Monitor
• GDL 69 XM Weather Receiver

• Electric Trim
• Dual Yoke- Leather Covered Large Control Wheels
• Custom CNC instrument panel with better CB placement
• 2 additional USB (USB C) ports 

• Speed Slope Windshield
• BDS 20 gal tip tanks (200lb GWI STC)
• VGs
• Flap-gap seals
• Pilot and Co-pilot storm windows
• Custom Ramshead sheepskin front seat covers
• Tinted window inserts
• Alpha inertial reel shoulder harness (front)
• Mountain Aviation door steward
• LED landing and taxi lights

73Y is a joy to fly and I've had a ton of great experiences.  Some of those experiences are documented on my Youtube channel and can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/user/spionen007/videos?view_as=subscriber

In the coming days, I'll write about some of the more meaningful experiences and where 73Y has taken me over the past 5 years.  Fly safe!

So long 78E!

Life gets busy and I have been a slacker in keeping this blog updated.  It isn't for lack of content but lack of time or maybe better stated, a lack of time management.

So many changes, where do I start?  In November 2014 we started toying with the idea of getting a different plane.  Echo has been good to us providing a reliable and safe machine for my skill level and I've learned a lot as a newbie pilot but felt it was time to move up to a faster and more capable airplane.

I said to myself that I was just testing the waters to see if there as a market for a refurbished and upgraded Cessna 172 and subconsciously I was working through the emotional struggle of possibly parting with Echo.  Aircraft owners, especially owners who have put a lot of work into making their bird their own, become emotionally attached to their winged machines.  My test was to place 78Echo on Controller.com and just see what kind of response I would get.  I knew there was no way I'd get back all that I had put into the restoration and upgrades but I didn't want to take a bath either.  I listed my beautiful 1979 Cessna 172N at $89,500 feel that it was a good starting negotiation price point.

The emotional aspect of listing my plane was interesting.  I didn't hear one peep on day one or day two and started thinking that it was just not going to happen.  On day three I had someone lowball me asking if I'd let Echo go for $60K.  I didn't even have to ponder that casual offer for more than a millisecond and respectfully replied that I would not part with my plane at that price.  I was a little let down and relieved at the same time.  I could keep my plane and be happy.  Let's face it, this is a VERY nice 172 and we enjoy flying her.  I would not feel bad if no one wanted to buy her.

Day 4 brought two phone calls from seemingly very excited gentlemen who were very interested in Echo.  I got excited and started to worry at the same time.  What if they really wanted to buy Echo?  What would I do then?  I didn't hear from them again.

Day 5, nothing new and I had to depart for California to work for the week.  I was wondering if the test was now done and that was all the traffic I would get.  Oh well, I still have the great airplane right?

Day 6.  I got a text from Lonnie at home that a gentleman from Florida called and spoke with her about Echo.  He was very interested and wanted to speak to me.  It got hard to focus on work.  I called him and we talked about the condition of the plane, what I had done to it and how well the engine (which had 1900 hours on it) was running.  He didn't beat around the bush much and said he wanted to make me an offer and that he didn't need to do a pre-buy inspection as he could tell it was in good condition from talking with me.  WHAT?  How did we get from zero to offer in one phone call?  Wait... do I really want to sell my plane?  This was after all just a market test right?

I received a detailed full price offer the following day via email and accepted.  It was not a decision that came easily but we decided to take advantage of the opportunity and let Echo go to a good home.

After returning from my work trip, I set about getting Echo ready for a long flight to Florida, updating the nav system, changing the oil and just overall sprucing up.  You can't sell a plane like this an not have it in tip top shape.  I hired a ferry pilot to fly the plane to Florida and on December 1st she left Spanish Fork for the Orlando, FL area.  It was a difficult day for us.  We have a ton of great memories in N9478E and there is a lot of emotion involved in selling a plane like that.  Farewell, you served us well. 

There is life after the student pilot phase...

This posting is going to be a bit long as I continue to catch up with all the flying we’ve been doing since earning that certificate.  Forgive me if I seem PLANE crazy!

It still makes me smile when I think about and realize that I am a licensed/certificated pilot.  I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge however that I’m still very green and have a lot to learn.  As stated by may wise aviators, “a good pilot is always learning”.  I firmly believe that and will always work to learn more on each flight.

My very first passenger as a licensed/certificated pilot was my beautiful wife.  She has of course flown with me before but always with another pilot as PIC.  I realize that it took a fantastic amount of trust for her to climb into our plane and fly with me but she did and we had a fantastic time.  You don’t get to follow a dream like this without support from those around you and I’m grateful for Lonnie’s support and enthusiasm for flying.  Thanks honey!  The week after passing my check ride, we flew a nice little flight down to Delta, UT and then back along the west side of Lake Mountain just west of the FFU VOR which is subsequently near our home.  It was a beautiful day for flying and I built a little more trust with my passenger by performing a very nice landing.   

The last week of June brought the annual inspection for N9478E.  Lonnie and I flew down to Richfield and Bob followed in his Mooney.  Winds were calm until we passed over the runway threshold and then we got a good gust from the right.  Lonnie thought for sure we were going to be blown off the runway but I was quick on the rudder thank goodness and all is well.  The return flight back was interesting.  Lonnie and I flew with Bob in his Mooney and took over as we arrived about 10 miles north of Provo.  There was nothing odd or special about the approach and I thought the landing was great until the aircraft touched down and was all over the runway.  It took me a second but it dawned on me (and I was sitting in the back seat) that we’d had a blowout and Bob was doing all he could to keep it together.  He did by the way do an excellent job and we stayed on the runway and were able to exit at A2.  Exciting but no harm was done to the plane and we of course didn’t even come close to any injury except an adrenalin rush. 

TAC Air came out with a tug and helped us get the Mooney off the runway after waiting for at least an hour for them to find a dolly to support the flat tire side.  I told Bob if that ever happened again to just stop on the runway instead of the taxiway and they would certainly get to us quicker.  We had to lift the plane so that the dolly could be inserted under that wheel.  Lifting an airplane is not easy and we had to do it by kneeling under the wing and pushing up with our backs.  The tug pulled us to the hangar and we then had to life the plane over the door rail to keep the dolly under that wheel.  This is where it all went to pieces, for me anyway.  We needed to lift just a bit higher than before so I kept my left knee on the ground and brought my right leg up under me to get more leverage.  At the first push/lift I felt a series of what felt like pops and extreme pain in my groin.  I rolled onto the ground screaming like a little girl.  Not good!

I’m actually writing this about 7 weeks after the fact and I’m still suffering from this stupid Charles Atlas move.  I’m going to physical therapy, I’ve seen an MD and this is all going to take months to fully recover.  I tore two different muscles and it has been very difficult to say the least and I have not been able to run or really get around normally since.  I can however still fly without any problems as long as I’m careful climbing up to check my fuel tanks and getting into the airplane.

The first week of July and the plane is not yet out of annual.  Another leak had developed in the fuel tank and we discovered that a fueler had damaged the filler neck by letting the fuel nozzle rest while fueling.  This little mistake cost me $600.  By the way… the mechanic at Bountiful Sky Park did a terrible job in his work and I had to pay to correct some issues with my new Emergency Location Transmitter.  I do not recommend anyone do business with Don Young at KBTF.

I was disappointed we didn’t get to fly on the 4^th of July but such is maintenance on an aircraft.  It took unplanned time to get that fuel tank repaired again.  The weather was not cooperative either as the heat of the day along with moisture in the air produced thunderstorms daily starting at about noon.  We eventually drove down to Richfield one evening after work and I flew the plane out and back to Provo at 6am before the thunder bumpers started up.  It was a nice hour flight in smooth air.  Poor Lonnie had to drive back in the car.  Maintenance is something that must receive proper attention in these planes.  I’m flying a 1979 airplane and when things need fixing I get them fixed.  I’m not taking chances on something resulting in an emergency in flight and it can be a bit expensive.  My plane is in good shape but it just needs attention now and then and that attention is never cheap.

The last weekend of July provide us with a Saturday with what we thought would be a nice weather day for flying so we planned a flight north up into Idaho, Burley, Idaho to be exact.  Burley is a small farming community with a small but functioning airport near the Snake River.  We flew up on a VFR flight plan and had flight following all the way mainly because I knew were would fly in busy airspace where it might be smart to let Salt Lake ATC keep us away from all the arriving and departing traffic.  It was comforting to know they were working to keep us separated from other faster aircraft.

The approach into Burley (KBYI) took us over the Snake River, some buildings and trees.  Later Lonnie told me she closed her eyes as we flew over the trees.  I wasn’t close but it obviously had caused some concern for her.  I told her not to worry… I had my eyes closed too. 

We found KBYI to be closed when we arrived.  I did everything but look at the hours of operation and when we got there we were greeted by locked doors to the FBO.  I’ll never plan a flight again without checking that little bit of information especially if we depend on the stop for fuel.

While on the ground at KBYI, I started my planning for the flight back.  The iPad has been a huge part of my flying tool kit and has become very important to me as I gather all of the information needed to plan and file flight plans as well as get my weather briefing.  In this planning I discovered that unexpected thunderstorms had moved into the Provo area and both rain and wind were terrible.   It looked like the next window for a visual flight back to Provo would be in about three hours so… we sat down on a picnic table at the airport, ate our lunch and played some Farkle, a dice game that is great fun and nice for killing time.

While playing, the manager of the FBO and his wife pulled up with a truck load of goodies to replenish the vending machines inside the pilot’s lounge.  We chatted a little not wanting to look like vagrants just camping out at their airport and he asked if we needed any fuel.  My planning told me we had enough fuel to get home but it always makes me feel better if my tanks are full when I take off for a cross country excursion.  You just never know.  It was good to top off.

After our weather hold was over, we climbed back in 78E and left the community of Burley.  The flight back was nice but XM weather was telling us that winds were still going to give us some challenges when we arrived.  We had not issues flying back through the Salt Lake B airspace and I got my head around the crosswind landing that was ahead of me at Provo as we crossed into Utah County.  ATC handed us off to Provo Tower and Provo gave us a straight in for runway 13 with winds 250 at 10 gusting to 18.  We were given instructions to report a 3 mile final.  At 3 miles out I reported our position and Provo Tower replied that winds had just changed to 140 degrees at 8 knots meaning that they were on our nose and there would be no crosswind landing.  The smile on my face was probably seen from the tower and we settled onto the runway with another trust building landing for Lonnie.   All in all it was a great flight with some good learning opportunities which we took advantage of.  Having all of these information and weather tools is a huge help in flying safely.  Lonnie is, by the way, becoming a great help in the cockpit tuning the radios and looking up information on the iPad.

August 11^th was another banner day and a first for taking family (other than Lonnie) up flying.  Two of my grandsons (We have 8 grandchildren right now), Sterling and Skyler took to the skies with me early in the morning for a nice 1 hour flight out on the southwest side of Utah Lake, down to Nephi and then back to Provo.  Sterling sat up front and flew most of the time after our climb out.  He is a natural and I hope he’ll get his certificate when he is 17.  Skyler gets to sit up front next time and fly and hopefully get bitten but this terrible awful flying bug.  I look forward to many more flights with them both and other grandchildren as well.  We had a great time and no one even came close to puking which is a very cool thing!

After flying with the boys, my son-in-law Shawn and I took off for Moab (KCNY) via Price.  I could see that the weather was a bit iffy when I did my planning but we thought we’d give it a try anyway.  We flew up Spanish Fork Canyon and over towards Price turning south before Helper because of a TFR in place for firefighting.  These TFRs have become far too common this year as the forest fires continue.

Weather was against us as the heat of the desert started the convection mill.  Visibility was not bad but it was not clear and we could see a lot of virga (descending rain that cools the air quickly and causes some dangerous downdrafts) with towering cumulous building well out in the distance between Price (KPUC) and KCNY.  We scouted an airport I want to land on next month (Huntington, UT), flew tight circles around our in-laws home in Clawson, UT and then headed home.  All in all we put in 3.3 hours of good fun flying and a great time was had by all.

August 18^th marks a day that I’ve been waiting for for many years.  I got to take my father, the person who instilled upon me this great desire to fly, for a nice little cross country flight.  Dad and I flew out to Vernal, UT and enjoyed a nice breakfast together at Betty’s Café.  The service was a bit slow but the food was good and it was good to be out flying with my father again.  As a child and young man I spent many hours in the capable hand of this man and I cherished every second of it.  Why I didn’t take the plunge and get my certificate at an earlier age is still something I ponder but hey… we’re here now enjoying the time together in the air again with me and Pilot in Command.  The smoke from forest fires was very heavy in the air the entire flight both directions but we had a wonderful day in a great airplane that ran like clockwork.  Dad is still not used to but really likes the new technology that allows us to keep a high level of situational awareness and navigate direct routes without always depending on older radio ground navigation stations called VORs.  GPS, moving map, terrain awareness and XM Weather are great tools but we did some fun pilotage flying up Provo and Daniel’s Canyons both ways.  Thanks Dad for the great gift of love for aviation.  I am proud to have you as a passenger FINALLY!

90.7 hours as of this posting.

The End and the Begining (Student Pilot to Private Pilot)

April and May 2012 were dedicated to work and more work.  The company I work for is acquiring another high tech company and the two information systems must be integrated.  The planning and pre work just to bring the two companies together as one the day we merge is maddening.  I’m stressed out and tired and don’t get to fly as much as I want to.

I continue to work on technique and to build hours so that I’m ready for the Private Pilot Single Engine Land practical and oral tests.  The check ride includes both an oral and a practical exam both of which I’m nervous about.  I do not enjoy tests of any sort and it’s all a ball of stress.  I’m still fully committed however and want to get this phase of the adventure done. 

Lonnie was brave enough to tag along with Bob and I on a long cross country flight from Provo to Bryce Canyon.  We enjoyed another nice lunch at Ruby’s Inn and then flew the plane to Bountiful Skypark where the plane will undergo some maintenance (leaking fuel tank) and a nice upgrade.  I flew through the Salt Lake City “B” airspace for the first time and got to see what is was like to request permission to enter an be watched carefully by Air Traffic Control.  ATC was professional and friendly directing us to a straight in landing at Bountiful (KBTF) with ease.  That little airport is strangely situated near SLC and amongst a bunch of oil refineries but all went well and we arrived without any issues with a rather nice landing.

Part of the maintenance done was the installation of an XM weather receiver.  This brings near real time weather data into my cockpit, something that will help me maintain a higher level of weather situational awareness and keep me clear of problem areas IF… I use it wisely.  Some pilots think that weather data in the cockpit will help them make thunder runs between storm cells.  I’m not about to do that nor do I think it is wise.  I’ll get visual representation of precipitation and wind data along with detailed weather conditions for any airport that transmits weather data called METARS.  This is pretty cool stuff and I’m looking forward to the added capability.

The maintenance was done and the plane ready for pickup on May 10^th.  Bob picked me up at Provo airport in a Diamond DA20 (interesting and very light aircraft) for the flight up to Bountiful.  There was a bit of a breeze when we left that turned into a pretty good wind by the time I left to fly my plane home.  The winds were blowing at 20 kts gusting to 25 when I entered the pattern at Provo.  It was a bit tense but thankfully the winds were blowing from the north down runway 31 instead of a cross wind.  I got the plane back and tucked away in the hangar without incident.  I must admit I was a little nervous but I just flew like I had been trained, held it together and everything went fine.

On Memorial Day weekend I scheduled my check ride for June 8th.  I purposely told only a few people about my pending check ride which some may think odd.  This is a big deal, THE big gate for getting your Private Pilot’s ticket, and I just wanted to concentrate on the task at hand without fanfare or having to tell friends in the event I failed.  Like I said… I hate tests.

The week leading up to my checkride I flew Wednesday and Thursday and just tried to maintain my edge and confidence in ground reference maneuvers and landings.  With work responsibilities to attend to and the pending check ride, I was a little keyed up but felt ready.

The morning of the check ride I arrived at Provo Airport at 0700, did a quick preflight of the plane just to make sure nothing was going to prevent me from flying (there seems to be a small fuel leak in the right wing tank again) or cause a delay.  I headed over to TAC Air (former Million Air) to set up in one of the conference rooms for the oral portion of the exam.

My Designated Pilot Examiner showed up at 0730 and we started the “dance”.  Phil Widmer, my DPE for the day is not unknown to my family.  Phil knows my dad from when Dad was Chief Instructor Pilot working at UVSC now UVU at Provo Airport.  Phil and I seemed to get along right off the bat which set me at ease a bit thank goodness.  I was not a stress mess but I was anxious to get through this and do so with flying colors. 

The oral portion of the check ride is a review with the examiner to prove that I didn’t just memorize a bunch of multiple choice questions on the written and then hit the delete button in my brain immediately after.  I had to talk about and explain theory and the whys of this and that and basically prove that I knew what I was doing well enough to keep me, my passengers and people on the ground safe as a pilot.  Because Phil is somewhat a friend of the family, I expected there to be a fair amount of small talk but I was not ready for a 5 hour oral.  I was exhausted and hungry (we didn’t stop for lunch) by the time it was done and the wind had picked up providing a challenging flying environment. 

The practical portion of the check went as well as it could as we got bounced around the skies on the southwest side of Utah Lake.  I was very tired but did my best in all maneuvers and various landings and came back to the airport a certificated private pilot.  I DID IT!  It took me 11 months but I did it and couldn’t be happier.

I have dreamed of this day for most of my life and I’m finally a pilot.  I can’t explain the feeling I had when it was all said and done and I look forward to taking Lonnie up as my first passenger.  I was so exhausted the following day even though it was Saturday that I didn’t step a foot on the airport property and just chilled at home wondering how I survived a 5 hour oral and that windy bouncy check ride.

Maintenance, Night Flying and Someone Gets The Flying Bug!

I really intended to post to this blog regularly when I set off on this adventure but life happens and I’ve not been consistent.  I’m going to try to post more frequently and sooner after my flying events so that I can capture feelings about my flights and the learning process.  This after all was my reason for the blog.

Since my last post in January, I have flown a total of 10.2 fantastic hours.  Lonnie and I took some time off in February on Kauai, our favorite vacation place and after our return we took the plane down to Richfield to have some maintenance done.  The windscreen has been abused or maintained improperly over the years (Plexiglas hates Windex!) and became foggy.  This was a problem when flying into the sun as vision became really poor.  We had the windscreen and tires replaced and some other needed minor work and maintenance done.  The maintenance however is not really to story of this posting. 

The only cool way to return from flying your airplane 100 miles to your mechanic is of course to fly home.  CFI Bob flew down with me to Richfield with a gorgeous passenger… Lonnie.  Come to find out however, Lonnie didn’t get to be just a passenger; she flew Bob’s Mooney M20E all the way to Richfield with the exception of the takeoff and landing.  She had a great experience at the expert hand of CFI Bob.  I flew the Mooney back and was very impressed with the flying characteristics of that aircraft.  It is much faster than my 172.

March was another turning point in Lonnie’s flying adventures.  On March 3^rd, we flew back down to Richfield to pick up our 172 after completion of maintenance.  Notice I call it “our” 172 now.  You’ll understand why in a bit.

 We flew down to Richfield in a Piper Arrow, an airplane that Bob barrowed from a flying school he does some work for.  My 81 year old dad went with us and it was really fun to see him fly again after about 3 years of not being at the controls of an airplane.  Dad has more hours than I’ll ever amass and can still do a good job.

N9478E looked good with a new windscreen, fresh tires and oil and a copilot door that now closes better.  While preparing to depart, me in our 172 with Bob, Lonnie and Dad in the Arrow, I felt rushed and didn’t use my checklist like I have always done.  I started the engine and was about to taxi over to the run-up area when my engine died.  I had missed the fuel selector which the mechanic had turned to off and ran the engine out of gas.  I will never again do anything related to flying without a checklist.  I’m lucky it quit before I tried to take off.

I took off and the new windscreen was fantastic but before departing the traffic pattern to the north my radio started cutting out.  I was not able to transmit but could receive and hear other traffic.  What I could also hear was Lonnie making all the radio calls in the Arrow.  She sounded like she knew what she was doing… pretty cool!

Bob, Lonnie, and Dad passed me up in short order with the faster Arrow and unbeknownst to me didn’t see me and were worried that I had returned to Richfield with radio problems.  I worked with the radio problem for about 30 minutes and finally got it to work but only if I lifted my right leg 7.47 inches and put my left index finger in my right ear.  In other words… it took a delicate touch for some reason.  I suspected another short in the pilot intercom jacks.  I was just about to get out my handheld but didn’t have to.  This entire time I had heard Lonnie making all the radio calls some of them trying to contact me.  Bob was really putting her to work on this flight.  Good!

With my comms problems somewhat resolved I brought our airplane home without incident.  Welcome back 78E!  She ran well.  What met me on the ground however was something I hadn’t expected; Lonnie had a smile on her face that would just not disappear and she was talking about the fantastic flight home which she had flown from taxi to takeoff and cruise up to the point where ATC at Provo instructed them to make a short approach to accommodate the high volume of traffic.  She flew the airplane the entire flight home and LOVED it!  Lonnie is now very excited about flying with me and can’t wait to get some more instruction from CFI Bob.  It is now very cool to talk about and consider the 172 as our airplane.

I’ve had two night flying sessions with Bob the most recent being Thursday, March 29^th.  Flying at night will take some getting used to.  It can be very disorienting if not done with care and landings somehow a little different with a different view of just a piece of the runway.  I’ve made 12 night landings now and the first few were rough but I’m getting better at it.

I have well over 40 hours now but I’ve been enjoying flying solo cross country so much I don’t quite have enough training or “dual” time to meet my requirements.  Bob and I should be able to knock that out easily though on a cross country somewhere down south like Bryce Canyon (KBCE) again or maybe Moab (KCNY).  All I really need now is that time and a review before my check ride.  I’m nervous about the check ride but then I’m always nervous about tests.  I don’t like to fail and sometimes over-prepare.

This has been a wonderful adventure so far and I’m almost at the very important milestone of getting my Private Pilot certificate.  I hope I can knock it out soon and then really start learning as Lonnie and I spend time flying around Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado, and Wyoming.  Lonnie has really come to love this flying thing and is actively participating in a lot of what I'm doing to get my license.  It's her plane too and I can tell she's going to be a great co-pilot and who knows... maybe even a pilot herself!

32.5 hours and counting! I'm getting there!

Since my last post, I have flown three more cross country flights; one from Provo (KPVU) to Richfield (KRIF) via REEKA, DTA, MLF, CDC and U13, a second from Provo to Cedar City (KCDC) with a route of Nephi (U14), DTA and MLF, and the third again to Cedar City along the same route.  The two flights to Cedar City differed in that I practiced touch and go’s at U14 and KDTA on the first and full stop landings on the second.  I now have 32.5 hours of the 40 needed to get my Private Pilot’s certificate.

I have enjoyed the flying time but I’m really looking forward to the time when I can take someone with me to share this adventure and these sights.  The western Utah desert is beautiful and there are some amazing sights.  I look forward to future flights further south and east around Moab, Canyon lands and also up north into Idaho.  Obtaining my Private Pilot’s certificate is now a goal in sight!

A few shots from these flights.

Spreading my wings - Cross Country Flight

I haven’t posted in some time so it’s time to catch up.  There has not been a lack of activity, quite the contrary.  I have just been busy with family, work, church, flying, and life.  My wife will tell you that flying is my life but then that is nothing new really.  If it wasn’t a full-scale Cessna 172 it was radio control and flight simming with Delta Virtual Airlines so I must concede to the wiser of our partnership and agree with her… flying is my life.  But I still love you honey and I’d rather be with you on a warm sandy beach than flying any day.  We could fly to that beach!  Yeah… that’s the ticket!

Since my first solo flight I have enjoyed another 15 hours in N9478E.  I have flown mostly in the local area between Provo and Spanish Fork airports and even got brave and ventured out a bit.  On November 22^nd I passed my FAA written Private Pilots knowledge exam (93% wooo hooo!) and then celebrated with an excursion from Provo Airport, across Utah Lake, around Saratoga Springs and return.  Lonnie came out and waved while I circled the house twice.  It was my first time away from the confines and comforts of an airport environment.

Recently, I have enjoyed flying cross country (what pilots call a flight of longer than the local distance between airports) flights of distances of up to 500 miles.  On December 10^th, a day that will not live in infamy, CFI Bob, my father and I flew from Provo to Delta, Milford, St. George and then landed at Bryce Canyon Airport.  Ruby’s Inn Café at Bryce Canyon sent a car out (at our request) and picked us up for a fantastic lunch.  I cannot describe the view and the beauty of Zion National Park as we flew over en route from St. George to Bryce.  FANTASTIC!  This was the first time in a long time that my father has been flying and we had a great time together. 

After lunch we filed our flight plan and took to the skies again, flying from Bryce to Richfield where we bought fuel at $4.39 a gallon.  This is a big deal as aviation fuel can be as high as $7 a gallon at select special places.  Most pilots I know choose to not purchase fuel at those select special places if it can be helped.  St. George… are you listening???  We don’t like your $6 a gallon fuel!!!

I met a mechanic (Mavin Jones) at Richfield Airport who I think I will use going forward when I can.  He spent some time with us and repaired a heater duct which was causing us some issues and did fast fantastic work.  I have already scheduled with him to do some work that latter part of January while Lonnie and I take a little vacation.

The flight from Richfield to Provo was great with no issues and the weather was perfect over the entire route.  All in all, it was an awesome day and another 5 hours in the logbook.  I’m now ready for a solo cross country flight.

Jump to now… I was ready and I did it.  Yesterday, December 23^rd  (had this planned for December 20^th but mother nature decided to show us who is boss with some poor weather), I flew my first solo cross country flight from Provo to St. George and return.  I landed in St. George and had lunch with my son Taylor.  Thanks for the great company Taylor!  It was good to see you and catch up.  Taylor is studying Pre-Med at Southern Utah University, in Cedar City.

Flying 450 miles alone with no one else to tell you what to do is at first a bit unsettling but I have confidence in my aircraft and the training that CFI Bob has provided.  Bob by the way has been a great teacher and mentor in this entire adventure.  I love flying with him and hope to get to fly in his new Mooney very soon.  More on that later.  It was a fantastic flight with a nice tailwind of 41 knots on the way down and a slow return with a 41 knot headwind on the way back.   Bob was flying with another student at Provo when I returned and was unbeknownst to me right behind me in the traffic pattern when I returned to land.  If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was keeping an eye on me.  You’re always there with me anyway Bob.  I can always hear your voice in different critical phases of the flight; don’t forget that carb heat, maintain traffic pattern altitude and fly the airplane all the way to the hangar and shutdown. 

I now have 22.1 hours and I’m well on my way to the 40 hour requirement.  I’ll take my check ride when I’m ready and qualified and not just at some magical 40 hour mark but it sure does feel like we are getting there now. 

Merry Christmas!  I’m loving this adventure and I’m thankful for the life that God has given me and for the great gift of the birth of Jesus Christ, my King and Savior.