61 Reasons To Be Happy

Who am I kidding? Nobody is that happy. But I do have reasons to be happy. Things are finally going my way at school. That means no more training under CFR 14-142. No more waiting for a Seneca (of which both are down again as of today) to train in. The new chief flight instructor at the school lasted all of two months. Today his replacement turned out to be the previous chief, who hated his cargo job and decided to come back. He is much more competent and not a micro-managing control freak. Morale with the school's flight instructors has noticeably improved. There are now many reasons to be happy at flight school.

I feel like I've been unshackled from a 500lb weight. Today was lesson number one with new instructor, another really good guy. He had planned on introducing me to commercial maneuvers, not knowing that I had already done them and was proficient with all. Then he started planning for our dual day & night cross country flights. Already done.

After finally getting to communicate with someone at The School about where I stand, it appears that all I really need to do is one long cross-country and about 10-12 hours in a single engine Piper Arrow to get proficient with it's "complex" systems. I have a little time in Arrows, but have never done commercial maneuvers. From what I understand, the really tricky one is the power off 180. Arrows are pretty nose heavy, so I'm sure it will take some practice to master them. Having not done them in an Arrow, I can only guess that it's pretty much turn straight for the numbers. I doubt there's much of a base. We'll see.

Since he hadn't flown with me before, we went up for a mock check ride so he could evaluate my flying progress. We did Chandelles, Lazy Eights, a Steep Spiral, Eights on Pylons, short & soft takeoffs and landings a couple of power off 180's and some emergencies. Pretty basic stuff. When we landed, he said he had no concerns about cutting me loose for the cross country and time building needed to reach 250 (not that much).

I've decided to do the long cross country on Friday. According to 61.129, it requires three points with a minimum of 300 total nautical miles and one leg of at least 250 nautical miles from the departure point. From KIWA, here are the options I have:

• El Paso - Tucson - I lived there for nearly a year, but it seemed like a decade. Blech. Sorry (or perdon) if that offends any UTEP fans or El Paso natives.
• North Las Vegas - Laughlin/Bullhead or Saint George, UT - VGT is almost exactly 250 nautical miles, plus there's a free shuttle to the strip. Hmm...a free ride to the blackjack tables. That could be dangerous.
• San Diego, Montgomery Field - Carlsbad or Palm Springs - This is a nice trip. I've done it before. Fuel is inexpensive there and they usually have a courtesy car. Top contender.
• Albuquerque - Flagstaff - This time of year can make that a touchy trip to plan in a puddle jumping Cherokee with nothing but carb heat and a defroster.
• Van Nuys - Palm Springs - I have yet to fly to Van Nuys and if I don't make it this time, will definitely plan to go there.
• Long Beach - Ontario - This one might be fun too. Get right in the thick of it with SoCal. A diversion to Catalina Island might become necessary too.

Well, those are the choices I've given myself. Except for El Paso, they all have certain merits. If anyone wants to sell me on El Paso, feel free. I'm listening. Other than that, which one sounds like the best trip? Any suggestions on destinations not listed?

I still have to time build for another 20-25 hours, so which ever ones don't get selected will be open for future flights. I wish the Bay Area was just a little closer. Now that would be fun.

Keeping An Eye On The Prize

In the process of getting ready to do a bunch of cross country flying, I stopped by a new pilot shop for some new TAC and Sectional Charts. I've been meaning to stop by for quite a while now and was glad that I did. They sell 1:80 aircraft models and they're reasonably priced.

Since my first job will most likely be flying either CRJ's or ERJ's, I picked up a nice ASA/Delta Connection CRJ-700 model. It was only $23 and now when I'm in my office working and studying, I can keep my eye on the prize.

The store is called "Pilot Shop". They have a location in Tempe, AZ and one in Albuquerque, NM. They also have an online shop. Their prices are good and the salespeople are very knowledgeable.

The models are from a company called Sky Marks. They have virtually every commercial aircraft in service and most liveries. Great Christmas gift idea for the pilot in your family (hint hint)

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing everyone short lines and freedom from delays this Thanksgiving.

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I had to fly to Wickenburg on last minute's notice today. I forgot that it was the day before Thanksgiving.

Today is one of those rare days that I'm thankful for the ability to speak so fast. Most of the time, it's nothing but an annoyance to my friends and family. "What?!?" is the usual response to anything I say. Getting through Phoenix airspace today involved patience, good timing and some empathy for the grouchiness being handed out by ATC.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Persistence Pays Off

Today I received a phone call from the VP in Florida of the flight school that I attend. After a week of vacillating, the finally agreed to move me from Part 142 commercial training in to Part 61 training.

I don't know if I covered the differences between the two before or not, but there are many. Part 61 training is less structured and requires more hours of experience to achieve a specific rating. Part 142 training utilizes a lot of time in an Flight Training Device (FTD). The FAA recognizes a significant amount of FTD time which allows a pilot to earn a commercial license in 190 hours, including FTD time. Part 61 training requires 250 hours total time, with a recognition of 20 hours FTD time.

For now, I'm free from flying the Senecas (at least trying). Starting next Monday, I'll be assigned a new instructor and begin the time building phase. A few long cross country flights should get me there. Then it will be about 15 hours in a Piper Arrow for the complex portion. Part 61 check rides are done in the Arrow and the maneuvers, especially power-off 180's, are quite different than in a standard Cherokee. Once that is done it will be time for the single engine commercial check ride. Following that, it will be time to get back in the Seneca and finish up about 10-15 more hours for the Commercial multi-engine add-on. Hopefully all will be done by the end of December.

I have to say that I'm impressed that the flight school chose to do the right thing. I really didn't expect them to, but am glad they did. Changing flight schools is not something I was looking forward to doing, but would have done if necessary. They knew it and thought better of calling my bluff.

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I need a new instructor. ExpressJet has claimed my friend and instructor, Mike. He interviewed on the 20th and has a class date of 11/27! ExpressJet is hiring like crazy and I'm glad to have several good friends there now. I think that having several letters of recommendation will definitely come in handy next year.

Congratulations, Mike! You deserve it.

It Was Bound To Finally Happen

The Law of Averages finally ruled in my favor. There was actually a flying Seneca at school today. The window was only 2 hours long and the lesson called for 8 approaches: ILS, VOR, NDB & GPS first normal, then single engine. There's absolutely no possible way that that many approaches can be completed in about 1.6 hours, but it was a chance to fly.

We accomplished 3 multi-engine approaches: VOR, GPS and ILS. I was surprised how much was retained, not having flown a multi-engine aircraft in four weeks. All three approaches went perfectly. Following the approaches, there wasn't enough time to set up for a fourth, so I just made closed traffic for some touch & go's.

It felt good to be back in the aircraft, but my feelings about moving to Part 61 have not changed. Just because the plane started flying today doesn't mean it's going to stay up. Recent history has proven how unreliable these old Seneca I's are. I think the school's biggest dilemma is that 142 training is aircraft specific. If they change to Seminoles, or even Seneca II or III, the have to get an entire syllabus re-approved by the FAA. I'm sure that involves considerable time and money.

I'm scheduled to finish the lesson tomorrow in another two hour flight window. I doubt there will be enough time to complete 4 single engine approaches and an NDB multi-engine approach, which means another incomplete and another flight to schedule before we can progress.

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Two of my friends were just hired by ComAir with a December 7th class date. Congratulations to RJ & Mike.

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Other than another flight being cancelled, yesterday was a great day. My friend Alex and I drove out to Phoenix International Raceway to participate in Bondurant School of High Performance Driving's Lap The Oval. It was a 3 hour event where you get to drive a Formula Ford race car around PIR's 1 mile tri-oval. A Formula Ford is aan SCCA sanctioned open wheel race car with 115 horsepower Cosworth engines and a 4 speed non-synchro racing transmission. 115 HP doesn't sound like much, but we're talking about car that weighs just over 900 pounds. They top out at about 145 miles per hour. Bondurant has rev-limiters installed that limit top end to about 130, which is still quite fast when you're sitting four inches above the track. Here's a picture of me heading into turn 3 , with the tach bouncing off the rev limiter at about 130 at PIR yesterday.

If you're even in Phoenix during the two weekends per year that Bondurant offers Lap The Oval, don't miss out.

Dyslexic School Flight

Saying: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"

Translation at Dyslexic school flight: "If it ain't workin', don't fix it"

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Yes, the aircraft was down again today. They managed to get one in the air this morning, but a fuel pump went out before it was my turn. The last time I flew a multi engine aircraft was October 22nd. That makes it 4 weeks this coming Sunday. With as little actual flight time you get in 142 multi-engine training, every little bit counts and recent flight experience REALLY counts. It would be fair to say that every previous lesson is now lost. There has been way too much time between lessons for there to be useful retention of cockpit flows and emergency procedures.

On Monday, I asked the school to put me in part 61 training for the remainder of my commercial. That would put me back in a single engine aircraft for the remainder of my commercial training, with a multi add-on to follow. I told the school there would be no more money from me until resolution has been reached. As of today, 5 business days later, they have failed to get back with me. I think 5 business days is a reasonable amount of time to expect an answer. I also think requesting to be moved to Part 61 training is reasonable at this point as well. Apparently, there is no value in having me as a student and it is about time to make a change.

I'm in a good position right now. They don't have all of my money and a change would be very easy. I know that principals from the school frequent this blog. Hopefully, someone will step up and do the right thing.

I'm trying to stay positive and avoid getting bitter.

SSSSSSSSSSsssssssssss................BLONK!

That's the succession of sounds made by my first solo flight in a Diamond Star DA20 (Katana). Here's the story:

I had been trying for nearly three months to get checked out in a Katana that belongs to Falcon Aviation. It's a low-hour 2003 with all the goodies: HSI, Garmin 430 & 420 - basically the works. Yesterday, I finally had an opportunity to schedule the checkout ride. The CFI tried to cancel on me due to a scheduling conflict. He said he didn't have 3 hours available. I told him that we only needed 1.25 hours total. He indicated that he would be there, but not to expect to get checked out in only 1.25. OK.

I got there at the appointed time and we went out to pre-flight the aircraft. Although the Katana has some quirks (dip stick for fuel level check and 55c temperature sticker are two), the pre-flight was quick and easy. During the pre-flight, I pointed out a few things that he said most people don't know about and I think it made him a little more optimistic about the flight. Both the left main and nose wheel were very low, so we had the fuel truck come out and fill the tires to correct pressures. (remember this part)

We started up and took off towards the nearest practice area, which is only 5 minutes away. We did the usual steep turns, stalls, slow flight and simulated engine failure and returned to Falcon Field for the requisite 3 landings. We did two normal crosswind landings and the final was a no flap landing. He said he was surprised that he didn't have to tell me to do a side slip on a no flap landing. Umm...ok. We landed and he said he could definitely approve me for flight in the Katana. Total time 1.1 instructor, 0.6 Hobbs. I asked him why he was so skeptical about a quick checkout and he said that most of his checkouts in the Katana are 3 hours minimum. He said many pilots have big trouble with nailing the proper V speeds for landings and proper procedures with the free-castering nose wheel. Oh well, it took less than I expected and that's what matters.

After he signed me off, it was time to jump back in the Katana for a flight to Wickenburg. Even though it had only been 10 minutes since shut-down, I still did a thorough pre-flight. I double checked the tires and the pressure looked good. What I didn't notice would soon manifest itself.

A nice smooth crosswind takeoff kicked off the flight to Wickenburg. Since the Katana costs less per hour than most everything else, I decided to take a circuitous route to Wickenburg. I headed South over Gateway across the Santan mountains, then turned West towards I-10. The Katana was moving right along at 140 knots indicated, 150 kts. ground speed. I did the Sky Harbor transition and then headed direct to Wickenburg.

I made the initial call on Wickenburg's CTAF 10 miles out. Nobody there. Nice. Since there was nobody else in the pattern, I set up for a nice 5 mile final and all the world was good....

until...

A word about the nose gear on the Diamond Star DA-20. It's free castering, which means it basically a big shopping cart wheel. The plane is steered using differential braking and the nose wheel follows. It's great for sharp turns in tight places. They do tend to shimmy if the nose wheel sets down at too high of a speed, but it will usually straighten itself right out. The best way to land a Katana is to treat every landing as a soft field landing. Anyway, the only time a free castering nose wheel is a disadvantage is...

when...

there's...

no air in the tire!

The approach was smoother than a newborn baby's bottom until the nose wheel touched down and all hell broke loose. the plane started pulling to the left and vibrating pretty badly, but I was able to keep it straight and come to a safe stop about mid-way between two taxiways. I gave it some power but the plane wouldn't budge. Dang. It must be a flat tire.

I made a quick call on the radio and announced the problem. There hadn't been anyone there for an hour and I'll be damned if there wasn't an arrow inbound. They acknowledged my dilemma and circled the airport, probably enjoying the show. I shut the engine down and hopped out to inspect the trouble. Yep, it was flatter than freshly scraped road-kill.

In order to move the Katana, you have to go the empennage and push down and bring the nose wheel up off the ground. It's pretty easy...when you're turning the plane around to park. However, I had to push it to the closest taxiway, about 1500 feet! My biggest concern was someone coming in to land sans radio. I had encountered many flying mimes in Wickenburg and this wasn't a good time for another. So I basically jogged the aircraft that 1500 feet. Big fun.

Finally, the Flinstone plane made it to the taxiway and I called Falcon. The dispatcher's first question was, "Did you buy the liability waiver?" What? Liability waiver? I didn't make the tire go flat! I firmly, yet politely requested to be transferred to maintenance. They asked me to tire size: 5.5x4, 6 ply. Then they put me on infinihold while searching for the oddball lawn mower sized tire.

Meanwhile, the guy from Wickenburg Aero service heard my desperate and pathetic pleas on the Unicom and drove out to assist. We hooked up the tow bar and started in towards his hangar. The plane didn't want to move which meant...SCORE! I get to push down on the tail and Flinstone the plane about 6,000 feet to Aero's hangar! Does life get any better than this? I don't think so.

To make a really long story only long: He didn't have the correct tire, but Falcon did. That would require flying an A&P mechanic up with the new tire and tube, but not until the following morning. I was staying the night anyway, so it was no big deal to wait.

The A&P flew up this morning and we found out exactly what caused the nose tire to go flat. It was a valve extension. Apparently, the valve stem if somewhat recessed on the nose wheel. The fuel guy used an extension when he pumped the tire to 26lbs and forgot to remove it. The extension wasn't noticeable at pre-flight, but just barely rubbed the forks when the tires rotated. It probably ruined the valve stem on the takeoff roll from Falcon, draining all the air en route to Wickenburg. At least it was obvious what destoyed the tube and that I wouldn't be held liable for the repair costs.

One day completely shot: $500

Falcon's cost for a long distance repair: $1,000

Walking away from a surprise landing incident: Priceless

Lesson learned: There's a new area I will always check after having air pressure added.

Sounding Negative, Feeling Negative

With the happenings going on at school, I've caught myself feeling, sounding and acting rather negative over the last several weeks. As any type of education progresses, there are highs and lows. Up until now, they been relatively easy to swallow and get past.

Sarcasm doesn't just involve one statement. For me, it's a way of life. I am naturally sarcastic and probably always will be. People that know me either love it or hate it. There's no in-between.

The biggest downside is that sarcasm left unchecked can lead to severe negativity and pessimism and that is where I find myself right now. Another flight was cancelled today and it doesn't look good for tomorrow either.

In the grand scheme of things, flight school problems are no big deal. I understand that and don't have a woe is me attitude. However, flight school does not come cheap. In addition to the financial burden, it has put an incredible strain on my family. Resolution is not optional. It's time to go to guns with school over this.

To quote our Commander In Chief: "There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."

So here's to counting life's many blessings. My wife and best friend, my children, family, friends and home. I have more than any man deserves.

Life is good - even when the "Flying Turd" is grounded.

Ditto & A Pause

I managed to squawk both of the "Flying Turds" today. No reason to bore anyone with the details as it has been covered ad-nauseum. Bottom line: no multi engine flight AGAIN.

Something has to change. I think that I have an idea about how to handle the problem. More on that as it develops.

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Since the Seneca flight was cancelled again and I hadn't flown in 10 days, I decided that it was a good opportunity to take the family on a night cross country flight. Since Dana and I enjoyed Cattle Town Steak House in Tucson last time we were there, it seemed like a good destination for the family.

We set off in N60616, a 172SP G1000 with less than 150 hours total time. A front is beginning to move through Arizona and winds aloft to Tucson ranged from 25-40 knots about 50 degrees off our course. We practically flew sideways to keep on course. The headwinds kept our ground speed pretty low, so the trip out took longer than expected. My youngest was crying as Tucson Approach was giving me instructions. The controller said someone sounded unhappy. I told him that was an understatement and landing soonest sounded bestest. He vectored us right in. Very nice. Thanks Tucson Approach!

We arrived in Tucson and parked next to some darn nice aircraft. Jets & Turboprops: Gulfstream V, Dassault 900EX, Hawker 700, a few measly Citations (ha ha) and the most beautiful King Air 350 I have ever seen. At the piston parking area, we were surrounded by beauty: 3 SR-22's, a Mooney Ovation and a Lance Air IV that made me drool.

Dinner was good and overall, it was a nice trip and a slow night for Tucson approach. At least everyone is up to date with the college football scores. The weather stunk coming back. Moderate turbulence bucked us pretty hard for a good 15-20 mile stretch of the return home. After that, it was "smooth sailing"

My wife no longer fears night flying and I think she now understands why I enjoy it so much. My son also seemed to get over his fear of flying tonight as well. By the time we were descending in to Stellar, the kids had fallen asleep, allowing me enough concentration to make a "stellar" landing at Stellar.

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Today I let my meaningless troubles get in the way an almost forgot to pause to think about today being Veteran's/Armistice Day and what it means. Unfortunately, it seems that it has become just a 3 day weekend to many instead of a time of reflection.

Both of my grandfathers served our country in WWII. One was an Army paratrooper that fought in New Guinea and Corregedor in the 503rd Parachute Regiment. I have a box containing WWII mementos, including his medals.

My other grandfather lied about his age and joined the US Navy at age 16. He was assigned to the aircraft USS Lexington, which was sunk by the Japanese Navy in the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942. He spent almost 3 days in the Pacific Ocean before being rescued. After that, it was discovered that he was under age and he was honorably discharged and returned to the US. He died in a freak accident in a factory where he worked in Chicago shortly after the way. My mother was 3 months old when it happened.

For those who do and have served, we remember you.

Am I On Candid Camera?

I swear that's what I would be saying if he were still alive. I'm beginning to feel like the joke is on me at school. My flight today was cancelled due to maintenance AGAIN. Have I mentioned that I'm really getting sick of this? Is it a breach of contract when a flight school cannot provide aircraft that are not airworthy on a regular basis? Any attorneys out there with some advice?

I have been cancelled 4 out of the last 5 attempts to fly in one of the crap-weasel Senecas. This has been a continual problem. I really think the multi-students should rally together and stage a walk-out until things improve.

Whoever did the cost/benefit analysis of owning such old, tired aircraft vs. leasing newer equipment must have failed high school business class. They spend more wasted time and money bandaging these planes together than it would cost to lease newer equipment.

Today, we actually made it as far as the hold short line before another problem "popped-up". Here is how today went:

The flight was scheduled for 10:00 a.m. I got to the airport by 9:20 in order to do takeoff calculations, check weather and notams and pre-flight the flying turd. Here is the list of what happened just this morning:

1. Left landing light inop. Maintenance comes out to change it while I finish pre-flight. No big deal, right? WRONG. It wasn't the bulb. It took him 35 minutes to make the light operational.

2. Air filter cover for left engine keeps popping off. Luckily, there was a new one in inventory. Easy fix.

3. Oil leaking from rocker cover on left engine. Loose screw. Easy fix.

4. Hydraulic fluid under right main. After thorough inspection of landing gear and brake lines, no sign of leak. Must have been coincidental parking over a puddle. Hmmm. I pumped the brakes just to make sure and there was not a sign of leaking.

5. Each engine was a quart low on oil.

I finally started the engines nearly 90 minutes late. My instructor then tells me to shut down the right engine, a cowl latch had popped up. When he got back in the flying turd, I told him that I had double checked all latches in pre-flight. He gave me a "whatever" look and I re-started the right engine, did the ICC and we were on our way to the run-up area.

During the feather test, the latch popped again. I instantly felt vindicated, yet pissed off. "Gateway Ground, Flying Turd 80 request taxi back to the Crap Weasel ramp."

We taxied back to the ramp and maintenance again came out to take a look. After much fiddling, he determined that the visibly bent latch spring was "bent" and needed to be replaced. Flight cancelled for me, the next guy and probably the guy after that at least.

I feel for my instructor too, he gets paid by Hobbs time. All of his flights were scheduled to be in the Flying Turd today. He's not going to get paid today. That's really not fair.

I had a heart to heart talk with my admin. rep. Things have to change. Soon. As it stands, no more money until they deserve it. I really wish it was a Candid Camera episode.

Maintenance Woes & The Benefits of Living Thomas Paine's Philosophy

I have been getting maintenance cancellations on a 3:1 ratio to actually flying. The Seneca I's that my school has in it's fleet are TIRED OLD BEATERS. Seneca's aren't really stout enough for training as it is, add in over 20,000 hours and you get a maintenance nightmare.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad when an aircraft is squawked. At least someone is diligent enough to make sure nobody runs in to trouble. However, Rube Goldberg couldn't piece them together. If it's not the governor, it's o-rings, landing gear, breaks, fluid leaks or an electrical failure. I could go on and on.

I guess what I'm saying is that I'm getting frustrated. There are two Senecas in my campus' fleet. One is always down for maintenance and many times both are. Why they don't use workhorse Seminoles is beyond me. Other students are becoming frustrated too. If things don't change, they might find themselves short on students and long on broke-ass Senecas.

What's even more frustrating is a new policy that's been enacted by the school's new chief flight instructor. If you're scheduled for an early a.m. flight and the aircraft you've been assigned has gone down for maintenance, they no longer call you to let you know. This DOES NOT fly with me. I work full-time, raise a family and limp through flight school. My schedule gets very tight. How dare some place that I'm spending THOUSANDS of dollars at have so little regard for my time. A simple phone call costs nothing and just might keep a pissed off student from going elsewhere. Nothing sucks more than showing up to fly, after carefully scheduling around work etc., only to show up and be told the aircraft went down the night before and you were not called ON PURPOSE!

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Maybe I should focus on getting rich for the time being. There are so many opportunities right at my finger tips that I'm beginning to doubt my reasoning for becoming a pilot. Just this morning, I've had at least 20 opportunities to become filthy rich. Maybe it's time to reach for the brass ring. Here are just a few of today's great opportunities that I've been too lazy to respond to:

1. My email address won the Netherlands International E-mail Lottery. How come my email gets to go to Amsterdam and I don't? Now that's my kind of gambling. I didn't even enter!

2. Dr. Reginald Smyth-Worcester, who unfortunately has no heirs, is dying. The poor bastard has no friends to share his millions of Pounds with and wants to give it all away to US charities and needs an agent. He's heard what an outstanding individual I am and wants to pay me 8% of his fortune and choose the charities, in exchange for being his US Agent.

3. I also received an email from a friend. All I have to do is forward the said email to everyone I know and Microsoft will pay me a $224 advertising fee for every message. Sounds crazy, but it's true! The person who sent the message swears to it.

4. BofA, Chase, Deutsche Bank, Wells Fargo, WaMu and a whole bunch of Credit Unions have each offered me $100 cash just to answer their survey. All I have to do is send them my personal information and they'll transfer the money right to my bank account! I must be the ultimate target consumer.

5. I can't pass the symbols on to you, but rest assured, I have some great inside information about a bunch of penny stocks that are about to explode, I mean EXPLODE! I'm thinking about turning $20 into $400,000. Why don't more people know about or buy these explosive growth stocks?

I could go on, but I don't want anyone make anyone envious of my status with such fine organizations. Not just anyone gets offers like these. And trust me, there are many, many more individuals waiting in line to make me rich. To quote Thomas Paine, "The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion."

It's also good to know how safe the Internet is. Today alone PayPal (5 times, no less!), Amazon, Bank of America, eBay, Chase and Compass Bank have all asked me to confirm my account for safety reasons. It only took a minute or two, but now I know my information is safe from intruders.

Wait a second, do I have an account with Compass Bank?

Single Engine Night Currency

Over the past few weeks, I've been working on an Excel spreadsheet to use as a backup for my logbook. After completing it, I realized that I was close to losing night currency.

14CFR 61.57(b) states that a pilot must have at least 3 take offs and landings, to a full stop, in the last 90 days. The operations must be completed one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise. A pilot cannot carry passengers at night unless this has been done. I don't carry passengers that often, but am a bit obsessive about remaining completely current.

I called Dana, who is always looking for an excuse to fly, and invited her to do an IFR flight from KIWA to Tucson International (KTUS). She accepted and we planned for Thursday night. We both needed to do 3 full stops to remain night current in single engine aircraft.

By the way, Dana just passed her CFII check-ride. Congrats. She is now CFI, CFII and a MEI.

We met at Gateway, checked out the aircraft and picked up the IFR clearance. We were on our way just 6 minutes behind schedule. I had filed for 7,000' and we were headed to our first navigational fix (TFD). We reached our cruising altitude ahead of schedule when wind started rushing in to the cockpit. Apparently, the upper door latch came loose! Dana was sitting right seat but, at 5'2" and maybe 120 lbs., isn't exactly a powerhouse. I tried pulling the door closed so she could latch it, but it was no use. We had to divert to Casa Grande. Luckily, it was right below us.

Albuquerque Center had a difficult time hearing my transmissions due to the wind noise in the cockpit. Luckily, a US Air flight could hear me and was kind enough to relay. We got on the ground in Casa Grande without incident. However, the landing light on this particular aircraft was so dim, that the lead off lines were barely visible. Also, the directional sign for the taxi way was burned out and there was no moon yet. A Cirrus was on final and I couldn't find the taxi way. Just before I was ready to advise the Cirrus to do a go-around, we found the taxi way. We taxied to parking and inspected the latch. Nothing was visibly wrong, other than it is a little difficult to engage.

Satisfied, we departed for Tucson. The ODP for Casa Grande requires a turn direct to the Stanfield VOR (TFD) where we then hold as we climbed to our assigned altitude. There were 5 planes holding for approaches, which means we would have had to enter the hold at 6,000'. There were also a few confused pilots in that hold so I got clearance from Albuquerque Center to turn and intercept V105 back towards Tucson. I had filed for the ILS 11L approach and Tucson had no problem giving it to us. We did have to do a 360 to make way for a Skywest CRJ and a Hawker. The ILS into Tucson is LONG. It was a nice landing and we taxied to the Executive Terminal, ready to find some dinner.

I have to say the staff at the Tucson Executive Terminal are about as nice as can be. They picked us up on the ramp and tied down the plane. Very nice. Tucson Airport is on the far South end of the city and there are few restaurants nearby. We asked for recommendations and they told us about a steakhouse that was a 5 minute cab ride away. We headed for Cattle Town and enjoyed a pretty decent steak dinner. I would have never stopped there if I was driving. It is across the street from two ratty looking trailer parks and looks like a big C&W nightclub/saloon from the outside. We were pleasantly surprised by the decent food and prices.

To stave off a food coma, we had to get up and walk around while we waited for the cab to pick us up. I'm usually indifferent about cabs, but the one we were in looked like a brand new Town Car. The owner/driver told me that it had over 300,000 miles on it. I was impressed how clean it looked and smelled. Yawn.

Dana took the leg back to Gateway. She struggled with taxiing due to the damn dim landing light, but we finally made it to the assigned departure runway. The flight back was smooth, easy and uneventful. We called Phoenix approach on the way back to Gateway and got the ILS 30C approach, then did some stop and go's. Just as we were finishing up, the right main started shuddering with braking at touchdown.

I decided to squawk the landing light and the brakes. I haven't seen what maintenance has done yet. I'm sure the maintenance response will be "landing light ops check-ok". That's not the point. I think it's a voltage issue, but I bet nothing was done about it. Some poor private student is in for a real treat when they do their night landings with that one. I have to admit that I'm a bit spoiled by having high-intensity Xenon landing & taxi lights on many of the planes I've been flying recently. However, the landing light didn't have enough voltage to put out even 15 watts of sickly looking yellow haze.

More on maintenance woes in the next post...