My 200th landing... Gillespie Tower, we have a problem.

The following is a blog entry from my time as a solo-endorsed student pilot. I was flying a little StingSport, a carbon fiber sport plane...

It was the first time I'd faced a potential problem with the airplane. It seems that with the StingSports, they have a tendency to exhibit low fuel pressure during full power climbs...

So, a few years ago, at Gillespie Field in El Cajon, CA...


It was a nice Saturday. A little hazy. After deciding to bypass the Sport Pilot Certificate (lisence), I was about to start the rest of the training required for my Private Pilot cert.

But not yet. The family was otherwise occupied, and I had access to a plane. I had only two goals: To fly for the pure joy of it, and to nail my 200th logged landing.

I LOVE touch and gos. Being kind of a "defining moment" junky, they are perfect for my personality. They take you through the two most dangerous (takeoff) and difficult (landing) maneuvers in the book, over and over again.

After three landings, I asked for a downwind departure and headed for Alpine to see my old stomping grounds from the air. My first house, the properties of friends and families... Correlating the ground images I had of the roads and terrain to what I saw in the air was a valuable learning experience in itself...

Then back for the final four landings. Did the first one on 27Right, the big one that the jets use... Decided to start out high and simulate a power off landing.

When I knew I knew I was WAY too high, I chopped the throttle and slipped the plane a bit, dropping like a stone.

Then out of the slip and full flaps, power still at idle. I was going to overshoot the numbers by about 500 feet. Good.

Down I went, and back up in the air in 2000 feet of runway.

On the sixth, I was taking off for the last landing of the day. My 200th overall. At about 100 feet above the runway, I checked the engine. Fuel pressure was in the red. Looking at the numbers, it was 2.1... 2.0... 1.9... 2.1...

It was supposed to be 4.5.

At full power, the engine needed lots of gas. At half pressure or less, it was possible that it could lean out and die. At 100 Feet up, that meant landing somewhere other than the airport.

When an engine quits, the airplane can glide quite nicely. How far depends on how high you are above ground. My airplane has a forgiving 12-1 glide ratio... If you are flying straight. Turning takes tons of altitude out of the equation. A 180 degree turn would take at least 500' of altitude. That’s if you’re good, and I’m not that good.

The danger of even attempting it is that, with no power and under the stress of an emergency, it's easy to stall the airplane, and spin it in to the ground. 90% of the time, landing on a freeway or field is far less risky than trying to get back to the airport.

But, for the moment, my engine WAS running. One of my two fuel pumps had probably died.

I had two choices. One was to throttle back and nurse the plane along at below pattern altitude to land and have it checked out. This might prevent a lean cutoff situation.

The second was to stay at full power, go to best angle of climb speed (50 knots) and get all the altitude I can while I can. Hopefully, if the engine cuts out I will then have enough precious altitude to make a leasurely glide to a soft touchdown on a runway. Or use the rocket-thrown recovery chute! (no way in hell...).

I stayed in the throttle, and at 50 knots, the Sting Sport climbs like a homesick angel.

I decided to turn around. I clicked the mic.

"Tower, six-tango-lima. I'm losing fuel pressure, and will come around smartly and land on two-seven-right"

In a situation that involves safety of flight, a pilot can tell Air Traffic Control what they are going to do, and they HAVE to clear the way. On the other hand, the pilot becomes responsible for all repercussions...

I started my turn, while at max angle of climb speed. That's a potential problem that I got away with... All of the speeds listed in the book assume that you are traveling straight. Turns cause g-factor loads (load factor), and the stall speed goes up exactly the square root of the load factor. Fortunately it was a gentle turn, and I didn't learn of my mistake until I had more time to think about it (on the ground).

That said, I was only 5 knots from stalling the airplane at an altitude that would have killed me. I did not.

I made it 180 degrees to the downwind leg of the pattern. The tower said nothing... Not sure if they had heard me. I repeated my call.

He repeated with something I didn't catch, but heard "Five One Bravo Going around" and saw an archer climbing to give me room to land. I turned base leg over highway 67, and it hadn't registered JUST how much altitude I had managed to gain. Should have waited to turn.

When I started to turn final on the runway I chose (because it's huge, and If you can't land a light-sport plane on a mile long runway, you REALLY suck!), I saw just how high I was. I pulled the power to idle. The fuel pressure went to 4.4!

I had heard (on my first checkride) that 90% of all emergency landings overshoot, I realized why. Falling short of the runway is more frightening (but no less dangerous) than ending up in the weeds at the end. Or in the fence, or a tree. I'd just proved the point. It looked like I was landing the space shuttle!

I tugged back on the throttle again, but it was already at idle. I considered killing the ignition, for more drag... That was a stupid idea.

There was plenty of runway. At worse, I'd go off the end at 20Mph. so what. The Sting settled down and sunk like a rock. The landing was fine, and I stopped before the last taxiway.

The engine purred like a kitten, with the engine instruments normal.

Cleared the runways, contacted ground control and parked the plane.

We'll see if the FAA will ask for a report for deviating from procedure...

Next step, long distance flying and Night flying!

Tail Wheel Flying

Flying a tail wheel airplane is apparently like an afternoon at the driving range. You make a good shot, and tell yourself, “Hey, I can actually DO this!”.

Then spend the rest of the afternoon unsuccessfully trying to duplicate it.

I don't play much golf. Meaning it's been ten years. I figured out the bait-and-switch game that makes people crazy, and realized that golf has no end other than to make you a little better at golf.

I have 1.2 hours of time in a Aeronca Champ, and I figured out the secret. Tailwheel flying is a little like a golf swing... But a LOT more useful.

If you are a pilot, flying a tail wheel airplane is a way to make you better at everything.

My instructor, Bob, got rated in the champ 60 years ago. He's a flying octogenarian. He's a former Navy pilot. And he does one thing, and one thing only. He teaches tail wheel flying in the Champ, and I gotta tell ya.

There is no better way to spend an afternoon...

On your check ride, to earn your pilot's certificate, they ask you what the minimum equipment is required to legally fly. Flying any other airplane, you can recite the answer from a mnemonic about burning tomatoes.

If you are doing your check ride in a Champ, you can simply point at your airplane. The minimum equipment list is sitting outside on the ramp. My instrument scan included three instruments, two of which will eventually become irrelevant.

Altitude, airspeed and the slip indicator. The latter is simply there to teach me to use the rudder pedals. Bob didn't need it, and apparently considered the rest of them frivolous as well.

Altitude is a biggie. The tower will ask you to state your altitude. There's no transponder, so it's a legitimate question!

The airspeed indicator seems to be simply a navigation tool. The slip indicator is used to teach a guy like me that he's cross controlled.

So all that's left with this airplane, is the airplane and you.

Airplanes like the Champ are demonstration models for the principles of flight. “Dutch Rolls”* slap you in the face with adverse aileron yaw... P-factor is starkly evident in an airplane made of steel tube and canvas, even at 65 horsepower. Full rudder deflection is your friend when turning the airplane on the ground.

And you're not done flying the airplane until it comes to a complete stop. On the ground. The Champ will do you no favors. Making it look easy, isn't.

So, how does this make you better at everything? Flying what seems to me to be the ultimate aerodynamics laboratory, even once, makes aerodynamic concepts REAL. Our first responsibility as pilots is to fly the airplane, be it a Cessna or a Boeing 777.

Beyond that, it's about stick and rudder skills... Flying the wing, as opposed to the numbers. Or as Bob puts it, 'Seat of the pants flying'. I'll agree with that, if for no other reason than... I'm not qualified to disagree.

Tail wheel flying will teach you that sometimes 'finesse' sometimes requires you to stomp on a rudder pedal. The control coordination can save lives by keeping you from making that cross controlled turn to final. It give meaning to control inputs that modern aircraft sweep under the rug. It forces good habits.

Even in that 777, you may, one day, look at your instruments when things aren't going right, and disable the auotopilot to sort out an emergency. FLY what is, at the end of the day, an airplane with a wing.

You can wear four stripes and fly left seat in a Boeng or Airbus without a tail wheel endorsement. I met a charter pilot on a ramp when he admired the Gobash 700 I was flying. I said he should take it for a spin.

“Can't. Never flown a single engine. I got all multi engine turbine time. Maybe someday...”

I was speechless.

He looked at the sleek, sexy little thing wistfully... We shook hands and he walked to the terminal. I couldn't fathom that HE, a multi-thousand hour commercial pilot, could look at the little Gobosh and WISH he could take it for a spin.

Do F-18 drivers look at Steerman biplanes that way? Or slow Piper Cubs, Citabrias and Champs, and think with a little trepidation “I gotta fly one of those someday”.
Bet your ass they do.

I know that this can only sound like the ravings of the recently converted... But you owe yourself a spin in a classic. You won't regret it!

Unless you ground loop it, like I nearly did while a senior citizen laughed at me. Then you might.

But I haven't stopped smiling since.

SportCruiser Review!

CZAW SportCruiser

Ron Craighead

The Light-Sport movement in general aviation is slowly gaining ground… The Sport Pilot certificate opens up the possibility of flying to a broader range of potential pilots. The price point of light sport aircraft, not to mention the fuel economy, continues to bolster aircraft sales.

The primary down side of most light sport aircraft design is the lack of utility. Many lack the useful load to transport two average weight people and an overnight bag (The ACTUAL average weight of an adult, not the FAA stipulated average), and still carry enough fuel for more than a couple hours flight time. The cockpits are cramped, and even if they could handle the weight of your bags, the space isn’t there.

I have time in three of the light sports that were at Plus One Flyers. The StingSport (over fifteen hours), the Gobash G700 and the CZAW SportCruiser (sixty hours). I also have over 30 in Cherokees. The Sting and Gobash are great airplanes, but I will mostly be comparing the ‘Cruiser to the Cherokee, as this will give most pilots a common point of reference.

The SportCruiser is a low wing, all aluminum, bubble canopy two seat aircraft. I’ll include the rated speeds and loads at the end, but you can get those anywhere… What I will focus on are features, experiences and impressions.

Exterior and Construction

The first thing people notice about the ‘Cruiser is that it is, in the words of a recent passenger “A sexy airplane!”. I agree. The sleek shape, low wing and bubble canopy are reminiscent of a World War 2 fighter or a red-bull race plane. It just looks fast and nimble.

The aircraft is of standard riveted construction, just like a Cherokee or 172. I’m not knocking composite LSAs… They offer significant benefits in weight and aerodynamics. But a lot of owners and pilots are hesitant to embrace the newer construction methods… Aluminum sheet aircraft built a half century ago are still flying daily. It’s strong, light and proven.

The power plant is a 100 horsepower Rotax 912ULS. No mixture adjustment is required, but carb heat IS included. I have never had carb icing issues in a SportCruiser, but it’s there if the pilot needs it. Like a Lycoming or Continental, it has dual “Mags” (actually more of a motorcycle shaft driven ignition, but the same concept applies), and both a mechanical and electrical fuel pump.

The bubble canopy gives pilot and passenger an amazing view… Assuming you are not trying to look at the ground through the wing! Overall, it gives the impression of an unobstructed view, which is great for passengers that don’t like being cooped up in an airline passenger compartment. As a matter of fact, the visibility does a lot to calm the nerves of the flying phobic.

The interior is reminiscent of a sports car… For those of us who prefer a stick to a yoke, you will LOVE this control setup. The rudder pedals are adjustable, and the control stick has electric elevator and aileron trim on the top. With the bubble canopy, it definitely gives the impression of a fighter turned two seat sports car! The seats are comfortable and slightly reclined. I’ve personally tested them at over three hours…

The useful load is reasonable… You can usually fly an average guy, and average girl, over fifty pounds of baggage on a three hour trip (plus reserve). You can put 40 pounds behind the pilot\passenger, and up to 44 pounds in each wing locker. PLENTY of room.

Flying

The SportCruiser flies more like a Cherokee or Cessna than a light sport. I’ve flown the StingSport, as well as the Gobash G700 in the LSA world. They are both great airplanes, but truly FEEL light and require a light touch. They seem to lack the inherent stability that you would find in a primary trainer, in particular on landing.

The SportCruiser gives the pilot a feeling of stability, and feels like a heavier airplane than it actually is. I have heard that, in Europe where the gross weight of the airplane is not truncated by the sport pilot rule, that this feeling is enhanced… At the expense of climb rate, of course.

As to performance, 4SC likes to cruise at about 105-110 knots. Not bad at all for 100 horses… But the climb rate is where it shines. At gross, you get 750-1000Fpm. With just the pilot onboard, this thing JUMPS off the ground!

When I did my checkride, the examiner lamented the lack of takeoff and landing performance charts. With all published numbers under 1,000 feet, I guess they thought charts were not relavant… Simply, it will perform as well as the pilot does!

With a nice, stable landing speed of about 32 knots, you have no problem with touching down.

The instruments on 2JW and 4SC are a leap forward compared to the typical flying club trainer. Both are equipped with Dynon flat panel insruments and a two axis autopilot. The D100 display can put all of your primary flight and engine instruments right in front of you. After using the Dynon displays for over fifty hours, I don’t really understand why one might need a special flat panel course. Of course, I’ve never flown with a G1000.

2JW has the Garmin 430 GPS with an autopilot and a mode-C transponder It’s a great setup, but 4SC takes instrument integration to the next level…

4SC has the Dynon autopilot, mode-S transponder and the Garmin 696 WAAS GPS. The panel, autopilot and transponder work together flawlessly. While most of my time is in 2JW, and I have a special place in my heart for that plane, I flew 4SC to Vegas and back with an old Navy buddy of mine. It was AMAZING doing a cross country flight with those tools at my disposal.

The Dynon has over a dozen sensors and inputs… Including the GPS. This allows you to get ACTUAL winds aloft real time. With a spin of the E6B, it gives you great insight in to both the environment and aircraft performance.

The 696 give traffic information, which is a huge safety aid in crowded San Diego airspace. The display is large and easy to read.

The autopilot is easily set, and holds your course and altitude… Compensating for winds aloft real time. It’s a true pleasure to fly longer distances.

While we might not want to consider using it, both aircraft are equipped with a ballistic recovery ‘chute. With a stall speed in the low 30s, there are few situations that would warrant its use…

Why should I fly a SportCruiser?

Well… I’ll say this about that. Yes, you can fly a Cherokee or 172 cheaper. Sure… There are similarly priced planes that are faster. There are other glass cockpit planes in the club.

Flying the SportCruiser is, if nothing else, a LOT of fun! The ramp appeal and instrument package puts the cool factor off the charts. For taking people flying for the first time, the view from the bubble canopy, the high-tech instruments and the parachute put people at ease…

The SportCruiser is a pilots’ airplane. Simply put, if you’re a pilot, pick a nice day and take it for a spin. You won’t regret it!

Why we fly…

There are many reasons.

Initially, for me, it was the challenge of flight. I loved airplanes, tinkering with models with my dad from an early age. He was an engineer for Lockheed Missiles and Space. I lived about two miles from Moffett Naval Air Station and the NASA Ames Research Center in the Silicon Valley. High speed meets high tech.

Well… Forty approached, two careers later. Leaving the Navy left me in a vacuum of order and operational discipline. Motorola is a great place to work, but corporate America left me with a lack of purpose.

Enter my mid-life crisis, and my new mistress, the airplane.

I had a little accident that nearly took my vision. It made me think about the things that I someday (maybe someday soon) would no longer be able to do.

I took the challenge.

Here we are, in early 2011. I’d been a rated pilot for only a few short months,  but you’d think I’d already discovered a reason to be a pilot.

But we never know what we don't know.

I was sitting in a Pilot Ready Room at Gillespie field one day. I had come to talk to my instructor about my new training plans.

In walks Andreas Henrickson. A Sweedish exchange pilot with a backpack, T-shirt, flip-flops and cammo cargo shorts. He was headed to a place called Eloy Arizona to drop off some skydiving gear.
As happens in the ready room, we started talking flying. I knew his reputation. He flew in to San Diego to train and flew constantly to build hours. He’d done it a couple times… Preferring the Gobash G700 for his training work.

I asked him who was going along. It turned out he was flying solo.

An empty seat in an airplane like the SportCruiser is nothing short of a Greek aviation tragedy. I asked if he wanted someone to go along, splitting the cost.

Well, mention money to a “starving” flight student… (Disclaimer: Flight students are not “starving” because of lack of money, or that flying is expensive. They are “starving” because they get hooked on flying, and look at discretionary income as “flight hours” instead of dollars!)

I ended up madly packing my flight bag, and running to the bathroom, due to the lack of in-flight amenities. I was happier than a puppy in a butcher shop!

We went through preflight checks and he looked at weather. We borrowed some “foggles” that limit view of the outside world for instrument flight training… I’d fly while he navigated and communicated, and vice versa.

Off we went, flying away from the afternoon sun.

We landed in Eloy almost 3 hours later. A municipal airport and skydiving base for “Skydive Arizona”.

We got a sandwich, watched a batch of lunatics take off and parachute down… Took a few pictures and a video. Then I took the left seat for a flight to Yuma for fuel.

I did a really marginal touch and go in Eloy before departure, so I could put a pin in a map… Another field I’ve landed at. It’s a pilot thing, I guess.

We then flew west in to the sunset.

We snapped a few pictures, and approached Yuma Marine Corps Air Station and Municipal Airport.
The airport diagram looked like a drunken tic-tac-toe board to me, and the area looked like a sea of lights.

At the direction of air traffic control, we dodged some F-18s and a C-130 doing touch and gos. They had names like “Raider” and “Shooter”…  It was cool, but it made our little SportCruiser feel small and simple. With a slightly early flare, I thumped the sportcruiser down Navy style. I LOVE landing at night!

We got cleared in, identified the runway (there were several) and I touched down. We were told by ground control that a car would be waving us to our parking spot at an FBO called “Million Air”. This is a facility that typically serviced business jets and VIPs.

A golf cart met us, and the guy used lit batons to guide our tiny plane to its parking space. We sheepishly ordered ten… Not thousand pounds of fuel, but gallons. A quantity that would leave a Honda Civic thirsty!  We only needed to get home, and the AvGas wears our sparkplugs prematurely and can gunk up the oil... No big deal, but with that and the higher cost (the Sportcruiser usually burns 91 octane mogas) I try to avoid 100LL.

Andreas and I shuffled I to the lobby. It was a palace!

This place was a great place to relax. Good coffee, soft drinks, conference rooms, private lazy boy chair rooms with speakerphones and internet… And of course a small theater for viewing movies or playing X-Box games!

Unfortunately it doesn’t take long to pump ten gallons there, and we were on our way.  Telling travel and flying stories, Gillespie field came quickly. A few clicks of the microphone and the runway lights came on. Andreas made a great landing!

We had made plans for having beers to numb the soreness resulting from six hours in a cockpit, but we both looked at our watches. 0500 Zulu tomorrow…

He had an instrument cross country training flight to plan and fly in the morning. I had kids to tuck in… And another flight or two planned the next day. If nothing else, flying keeps us out of the pub!
We shook hands and parted ways, promising to find time to fly together again before he goes home in a month. We’ll see, but I’d love to.

After tucking the plane in for the night, doing paperwork and saying our goodbyes, I drove away with my head spinning about what I learned and what it meant to me.

Spur of the moment flights, foreign airstrips in the desert, skydivers and sandwiches on wheat. Luxury facilities on Marine airbases. Transcendent views, and learning faster than I thought possible…

I have no idea what will come of the next flight. But I can’t wait to find out!
And that's why we do it... It expands our world.

Ron Craighead

"Immersion" Flight Training for the working stiff...

My training background began in the Navy.

We had about 400 crew members on the Aegis guided missile cruiser Bunker Hill (CG-52). A mere 567' long ,the crew with an average age of 20 coexisted with 130 missiles, 36 torpedoes, a thousand cannon rounds... Machine guns, rifles, pistols and shotguns. Two helicopters, seven jet engines, a hundred cabinets of electronics all floating on a half million gallons of jet fuel.

It goes without saying that we did a lot of training, and we did it without a single professional trainer, instructor, teacher or professor.

From day one, weather officer or enlisted, each sailor started training. Beginning with finding your 'rack' then figuring out where you worked, then the galley... Laugh hall you like. You spend the better part of your first week lost.

You are given firefighting training materials first, and professional qualifications for your job... You spent months researching and answering questions to get signatures in your books from senior crew members.

Then there are the drills. Fire and security drills daily in port. About every third time I touched a weapon, I heard, or gave, a safety briefing. Battle stations at sea in all warfare areas, along with briefs, debriefs, and repetition.

And it worked. Because we quite literally LIVED it. My rack was 20 feet from the weapons locker, 120 feet from the galley and 200 feet from Combat Information Center.
Of course, few of us can do that while flight training. It seems even more difficult for some, once we get rated, to maintain proficiency. I find that my focus dials in when I'm chasing a goal, then I spend some time picking up the things I dropped while I was fixating on flying. Lawns to be mowed and fences mended.

There are ways that we can increase our focus on flight training without completely abandoning our real lives and day jobs.

When I left the fleet and became a classroom instructor, I called it the spaghetti on the wall method. If you take a strand of spaghetti and throw it at the wall,it's likely to stick. If you toss the whole plate, you're going to end up with a big red splotch, and a bunch of spaghetti on the floor.The mind works much the same way.

Immersion in the shipboard environment facilitates learning in two ways. First, you get constant opportunities to learn. You're THERE. Fire drills might happen everyday, but most sailors suit up and participate only once or twice a week. But they hear the calls over the announcing system, and then visualize what's going on. Secondary learning is pretty powerful stuff, and helps the strands on the wall dry, so you can flick a couple more up there. Eventually, you'll have a whole pot of pasta on a vertical surface!

The second is the mindset change. At first living inside a floating killing machine seems surreal. Most of your learning is about moving, eating, sleeping and just living in the environment. Six months later you're in the groove. After a couple years, it seems oddly... Comfortable, if not like home.

The important point here is, the more comfortable you are, the better you learn, the faster you learn, and the deeper your understanding becomes. The sensory overload of engines, rolling waves, helicopters, alarms and such become background noise. It leaves your mind, and allows for next-level learning to the point that the FAA calls “correlation”.

Okay, so those are great sea stories, Ron. How do I immerse myself without getting fired from my day job and ending up single in a house surrounded by weeds?

Three things on the checklist.

1- Keep some 'spaghetti' with you at all times. Keep a book handy, or print up a topic every day to review. Keep it WITH you.
2- Flick a couple strands on the wall a couple times every day. Whip out your printed wiki on VOR navigation while waiting in line at the bank, on break at work, or during a commercial.
3- Find ways to spend time in airplanes and airport environments.

The first is easy... There are a thousand ways to flick spaghetti! Gleim test prep books are $20. Suck it up and cut some pages out. Take a couple pages, fold them up in quarters and stuff them in your left rear pocket. When you're done with that couple pages or study unit, swap it out with the next.

As another example, I used the King Schools DVD course for Private. On these disks, the 2-5 minute video segments can be copied in to a folder. The file names tell you roughly what each video is about.

Copy some to a laptop, phone or Ipad...Count each one as two strands of spaghetti. Watch one a day...

If you're creative, the possibilities are endless. Find some that work for you!

Try to find slots in your routine where you can read a page or watch 5 minutes of video...

These are your 'learning opportunities' for the day. Your little bit of immersion while waiting in line at the grocery store.

Then there is the environment... How can you get accustomed to the environment, get REALLY comfortable in an FBO, airport, ramp and cockpit when each hour in a cockpit costs you$150+ per hour?

I've started a meetup.com group for just that. We're planning events, connecting flying buddies, safety pilots and mini-courses for all levels. Sure, you might belong to a flying club that's an ACTUAL club, or a flying school that's an actual school, but many don't.
So you have to hunt down the intangible benefits of association and positive 'peer pressure'. Yes, peer pressure. Another powerful tool used by the military since the invention of the club.


Having a 'flying buddy' or two is invaluable. Especially if they are already rated and you're not. Sure, if you split the cost of the plane rental, you'll only be flying half the time. But you'll learn a TON flying with someone other than your CFI... Sometimes you'll learn what not to do, but of course that's valuable too.

Once you are rated, you can build time being a 'safety pilot' for a buddy who wants to practice IFR...Another GREAT learning experience. And, (refer to FAR 61.51 and 91.3) you can even BOTH build PIC time... At half the cost per hour!

Just being in the airport environment is valuable. Maybe I'm a bit of a head case, but if I haven't flown for a while, I get out of sorts when I go to the airport again. Then IlI get the jitters until I've knocked out a couple landings and calmed down.

This can be remedied by embracing your inner airport bum.

If you don't have an old school FBO or flying club to hang out at, find a local organization. EAA, CAP, CAF, something like that. They have volunteer opportunities that can lead to opportunities to fly, and if nothing else, immerse yourself in the environment for a little while! And if you just want to show up and help out, they can be FREE.

If you are in flight training, do yourself a favor. If you can, take a few days off work, maybe three.

Make sure good weather is forecast.Wake up in the morning like you would if you were going to work, pack your flight bag like a briefcase, and go to 'work'.

Have two flights scheduled each day.Spend the rest of the time prepping for the next flight, or studying.Take breaks and talk to the instructors and airport bums. Have lunch at the FBO or near it...

Spend a little time 'hangar flying'. Go through the motions of emergency procedures... Touch the buttons and switches as you walk through checklists. This teaches what we sailors used to call 'Buttonology' and it's a great way to get yourself comfortable in the cockpit. It's also free... But do your FBO a favor. Don't turn on the master for more than a couple minutes and kill the battery! It makes your FBO manager and maintenance guy grouchy.

Of course getting a transceiver and listening to air traffic control while you watch people land will help tune your radio skills. An old trick!

I took some time off to fly when I was a newly minted pilot, and got to fly as a safety pilot from San Diego to Eloy Arizona one day. It was an amazing experience, and I learned a TON! All because I decided to study in the ready room...

This little slice of immersion can change the way you look at flying. It'll help you FEEL like a pilot. Like you belong at an airport. Your level of comfort in the airport and cockpit environment will solidify. In three days, your steep turns will be better, your landings will be dialed in and your checklist and radio habits will gel.

Most of all, it can be a whole lot of fun!

I've still got a world of aeronautical knowledge yet to learn. Aviation is a big pot of pasta... And I expect to be learning for decades.

My hope is that you will as well. I look forward to seeing you on the ramp.

Fly Safe!

Welcome to my AdventureFlight blog!

I'm blogging about my path to aviation enlightenment! I eventually want to teach flying, but I'm a lot of hours away from my CFI rating.

I'll post some things I've previously written... And continue from there. Who knows, SOMEONE might benefit from watching me stumble down the path!

Enjoy!

Ron