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.

How low can you go... SOLO!

October might have been a depressing month with summer definitely behind us and hints of cold weather and post-Kauai (we just got back from two weeks on our favorite island) withdrawals making me gloomy, but it ended up being a life-changing month for me.  From this time forward, I will always remember Oct 12th, a day that I have thought about and even dreamed about since my childhood. My flying experienced today changed my life.  CFI Bob got tired of sitting next to me (hmmm… did I forget to shower?) and during a training flight, he told me to land and pull off on the taxiway. He then got out and said be off with you! OK, it wasn’t quite that dramatic but he did get out and I did suffer some separation anxiety as Bob pushed me forward and determined it was time to fly alone... to solo.

 It is impossible to explain to the non-flying person what it is like to cut those apron strings and take the airplane up by yourself. I can’t actually believe I did it but I did and it was fantastic. I feel a great sense of accomplishment recognizing however that this is just the beginning and that there is yet much to learn. It is important that I not become overconfident but I think I should feel good about this momentous event. Bob has been a fantastic teacher and I owe him a lot for getting me to this point.

 My first solo flight, which consisted of three landings (two touch and goes and one full stop) was done at Spanish Fork, Utah airport and the second solo flight at Provo airport. This was necessary so that I could include in my solo endorsement in my logbook, the specific permissions to operate into and out of both airports. The second flight was done on Oct 13th by the way. Both days were beautiful and perfect for flying.

 I have posted links to some flight video so please take a look at maybe you can get an idea of how much fun I am having. I have wanted to do this for so long… it is absolutely fantastic! Thanks, Dad for instilling in me this crazy bug for flying and for being there to watch the Provo portion of my solo. I feel I was made to do this and you have been a huge influence in my life and this adventure.

 The training continues and cross country flight is next. I really look forward to stretching my flying legs a bit and visiting some more airports out there. N9478E is performing beautifully and has not let me down.


More Oct 11th pre solo video

Progress; both flying and my hangar pass!

I haven't posted for over three weeks now.  My beautiful wife took me to Kauai for my birthday the last two weeks in September and it was stormy here most of last week so... no flying for a few weeks.  All is not lost, however... I finally got word from Provo city that my hangar access pass is ready and last week I paid them a visit.  I now have gate access to the hangar area.  This makes life much more enjoyable and simplifies the task of getting me and my flight bag/junk to my hangar. 

I have installed several HD video cameras in my plane so that I can see what is causing that hysterical laughter on the tower frequency when I land.  I guess they are seeing my attempts to fly and land from a very entertaining viewpoint that I was just not seeing.  My first attempt at taking video was somewhat of a disaster but it seems to have paid dividends.  If you visit my youtube channel you'll see that I had the camera orientation all wrong and got no audio.  This goofy but valuable video from Sept 15th helped me see however what I was doing wrong on my landings and has improved my landing performance.  I'm sure the guys in the Provo tower will be depressed that their prime source of entertainment has been (for now anyway) take away. 

Huge kudos to CFI Bob for both sticking with me and for coaching me to better my performance in all aspects of flight so far and specifically the progress made with my landings.  Made 7 good landings today.

Link to today's flight video  Oct 11 Landing Practice

Mornings Were Made for Flying!

It was another fine morning for flying as CFI Bob and I took to the skies around Provo and Spanish Fork once again to practice that all too critical phase of the flight called the landing. It is beyond me how these instructors remain so calm while student pilots put them in situations that put their lives at risk but they do… Bob sure does. Bob is an extraordinary CFI and I trust him explicitly. He has given me freedom where needed and has allowed me to learn by making and realizing my mistakes.

 We flew the pattern at Spanish Fork most of the morning doing more touch and goes for a total of 6 landings. The time we spend flying in the mornings is short because of the later sunrise and my need to get back to work before things heat up and meetings start. These mornings have become something I really look forward to and even though there is added pressure to learn and improve, I’m really enjoying the experience.

 Provo Tower was asleep when I contacted them this morning on the way back from Spanish Fork. Spanish Fork is out of the class D airspace so I couldn’t enter that magic 5 mile ring and join the pattern for landing until ATC woke up and granted me permission. The G500 (I really love this new gear) allowed me to know exactly where the D airspace started and I circled until Provo got out from his potty break.

 We took video of the flight this morning but I misconfigured the camera and it was rotated 90 degrees to the right making it a bit hard to watch. Need to spend some more time with these cameras and get some good footage of my comical landings. They are actually improving but I’d like to be able to show those of you who follow my blog just how fun this all is. We’ll get it all together soon!

No flying for a few weeks… Lonnie and I are off to Kauai for two weeks. This may be about the only other thing that holds a candle to flying; time with my gorgeous wife on my favorite island. Aloha!

A Fine Morning for Flying!

CFI Bob and I took to the skies again this morning and a fine morning it was.  First... a little rant about some stuff that has just really frustrated me. 

My dad (love you Dad!) has been gracious enough to help with two issues that have been a thorn in my side since basing my plane at Provo (KPVU); access to the gated hangar area and opening the doors of the hangar I'm renting.  Dad met me at the hangar access gate at 0630 this morning because I still do not have an access badge.  I took possession of N9478E on 31 June and still do not have an access badge.  It took me a few weeks to get the paper work back to the airport office but one would think they'd have it done by now.  Security, rightfully so, needed to be upgraded because of the Frontier Airlines presence with a daily flight from Provo to Denver and the process to get an access badge became more complex.  After waiting three weeks after my original submission it was decided my paperwork had been lost.  Numerous calls to the Airport Manager's office resulted in negative contact and still no access badge.  Dad even paid numerous visits to the airport manager's office to try and straighten this all out but it has just gone so painfully slow with no returned calls and no action.  This, combined with the fact that the left door of the hangar I'm renting is impossible for one person to open and close has injected a high level of frustration in the whole experience.  I'm on the list to get a different hanger when one becomes available.

PROGRESS! I just now called the Airport Manager and he today states that my paperwork is ready and will be at Provo City where I can pay my $15 dollars, get a photo and get my badge.  I'll have faith that this is indeed true but will not report success until I have badge in hand. 

Enough of the frustration and bureaucracy of the airport... it was a great morning for flying!  CFI Bob decided (at risk to his life) that I needed more pattern and landing work.  He's right of course as landings are to date my weakest skill.  Just in case you are reading this and not totally familiar with flying, landings are pretty dang important.

We took off from PVU at about 0715 and flew direct Spanish Fork Airport which is only about 6 or 7 miles to the Southeast of PVU.  It was much cooler this morning than previous summer flights and climb out performance was awesome!  This 180 hp engine does very well even when it's warm and density altitudes are higher but in cooler air it climbs like a home sick angel.

We flew to Spanish Fork and practiced touch and goes completing 5 landings before coming back to PVU.  I'm getting the hang of the process but still want to start that flare way too early.  There is a lot going on that I just need to build coordination and muscle memory for and it will just take practice.  My landing at PVU when we returned from Spanish Fork was my best landing of the morning so there was some progress made but... still needs work.

Notes for this flight:  Remember to close the window before rolling for takeoff and those cameras you bought for recording your flights don't work worth a dang if you don't turn them on.  I need to relax a little more and concentrate on the task(s) at hand. 

The newly updated panel continues to give me what I had hoped it would (increased situational awareness) and I love it!

All in all an awesome morning with good weather and a fine running aircraft but then again flying is just that.... AWESOME!