My flight training plans have gone a little slower than expected this summer but all for good reasons. My 172 has been in the shop since the last week of July undergoing the avionics and panel upgrade and won’t be finished until August 26th. The upgrade has gone a little longer than anticipated but knowing the work involved and the professionalism of the technicians at Flight Desk Avionics, I’m not complaining… a little frustrated at missing a lot of good flying opportunities but excited about the upgrade and added capability.
We’ve also had visits from some very good Danish friends this summer and had an awesome time showing them a small piece of our little US of A. Søren, Mette, Ramus, Kurt and Casper, it was great to see you all again and we look forward to future visits. Vi ses!
I have three hours scheduled with my instructor Bob on August 27th (N9478E should be back at PVU on August 26th) to shake out the newly upgraded panel and find our way around all the new avionics; Garmin PFD, MFD, GPS, TIS, COM and… maybe even a cockpit camera! Hopefully I’ll have some video to show of the next flight.
During my search for an airplane to purchase, it became very clear to me that a newer airplane far exceeded my budget. My attraction to newer airplanes revolves around the advanced technology incorporated into the instrumentation and avionics. Today's aircraft utilize modern digital LCD flat panels and present information in an easy (read quick) to absorb format resulting in an increase in situational awareness. It takes less time to scan and assimilate data that is presented in a digital and very visual format as opposed to scanning the "6 pack" of "steam gauges" which have in years past faithfully presented; attitude, airspeed, altitude, vertical speed and bank rate analog data. And... this new technology just looks plain (pun intended) cool not to mention you can incorporate high tech GPS, charting, weather and moving map displays into the panel!
Solution: There was only one thing to do... buy a reliable older aircraft of proven airworthiness and upgrade the panel to new technology. N9478E is now in the hands of Flight Deck Avionics at SLC undergoing a panel face lift. I visited my new friends at FDA today and spent time designing the layout of the new panel as well as making cosmetic decisions such as color and circuit break/switch placement. I'm really pumped about this upgrade as it will put this 1979 airframe and engine on par with a 2011 model. Can't wait to fly her when finished!
Panel before upgrade...
Panel during upgrade...
Bob and I took to the skies again Saturday, July 9th in the afternoon. We were concerned that the thunder storms would develop again as they have done most of the week but we were blessed with some beautiful weather for the hour flight.
I had the aircraft all pre-flighted before Bob arrived and we taxied out to rwy 13 for a south departure to practice area D. From today on I work the radios. This turned out to be a non stressful task as I've had some experience flying VATSIM (http://www.vatsim.net/) with Delta Virtual Airlines and knew the jargon and what was expected. Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flying uses a little different communication phrases and the Cessna 172 is a lot different than the turbojet aircraft I'm used to in a simulator but communications are communications and it has been good practice.
We practiced ascending and descending turns as well as controlling airspeed with pitch and altitude with power. This is not immediately intuitive and takes some getting used to but I think I'll be fine. Again the aircraft performed well (except for my COMs... a lot of static at high RPM) and there were no problems or concerns. I'm having Flight-Deck Avionics do some panel modernization work and I'll have them look at the radios when they pull the panel out next week.
My landing today... not good. I flared far to high and the landing turned into a mess even though it was salvaged a bit down the runway. I'm sure the controller in the tower got a good laugh out of that one. I need to learn to not be too eager to flare that soon, a habit I'm sure I picked up from landings in large turbojet aircraft (simulated of course).
All in all it was a great afternoon. They say you gain back those minutes you spend piloting an aircraft... I plan to cash in and live forever.
Well, I've been preparing to do it for over 30 years and today I received my first official flight instruction with my instructor. I don't know that my instructor would want his name plastered all over my blog so I'll just use his first name... Bob. Bob is a man of patience and I can tell I'm going to enjoy training with him. He spent 1.5 hours with me starting at 0630 this morning and it was fantastic. We went over preflight and then spent an hour practicing basic flight maneuvers. It was not a perfect landing but I'm proud to say I at least landed the airplane today as well. Bob is also either a very trusting guy or totally insane for letting me land.
This day was made even more exciting by the fact that I just yesterday took delivery of my own Cessna 172N, a 1979 vintage Skyhawk with a 180 HP conversion. Fantastic airplane located with the help of Hanger Aviation out of Charleston, SC. Cole, Clark and Kris at Hanger Aviation have been awesome and with their help I'm now the proud owner of N9478E. She runs well and flies great. Needless to say, I'm pretty happy with the situation.
I have since a boy, been interested (maybe obcessed is the correct word) in aviation and have explored that interest in many ways over the years. I am a huge Radio Control aircraft enthusiast and have a hanger full of great flying aircarft. I have logged many hours flying with my father as a youth, hours full of adventure and memories.
Over the past 4 years I have enjoyed flight simulation and have been deeply involved in the greatest virtual airline out there, Delta Virtual Airlines. This airline is not associated with the real world Delta Airlines but it does replicate a commercial operation with pilots of all skill levels, type ratings and experience flying global routes in a virtual simulation environment. If you are interested in flight simulation and would like to belong to a great community give Delta Virtual a try. www.deltava.org
My love for flying has come to somewhat of a head this year. I have finally decided to put my head into the books and get my Private Pilot's certificate with the goal of owning and flying my own single engine private aircraft. I hope to dedicate a major portion of this blog to this endeavor and adventure and hope those interested might gain some insight into what this process entails and how it affects my life.
I'll post photos and possibly some video and try to capture in words, my experiences; good and not so good, funny and scary but hopefully in the end... successful. From all I can see, this is not going to be a simple slam dunk for me. There is a lot involved and it will require a lot of time and effort but something tells me it will be worth it. I hope you enjoy the ride along with me as I attempt to "slip the surly bonds of earth".
Thank you my dear Lonnie for allowing me to realize my dream as I "put out my hand and touch the face of God."
