Is It Over Already?

2006 was a blur. It started out with a huge family cruise vacation to the Caribbean, a change of schools for my two oldest children and then THE DECISION.

Yes, THE DECISION made a profound impact on my life and more importantly, my family. Instead of the typical 40 hour work week husband and father, I became the 100 hour work-school-study week absentee husband and father. It has been challenging at times, but much has been accomplished.

Private rating: 60 days
Instrument rating: 90 days
Commercial rating: about 100 days (can it be counted as a 2006 accomplishment if I'm just waiting to schedule a check ride?)

Wow. Seeing it written down doesn't make it look like as much as it really is. I swear it really has been a lot of work, especially for my wife. Without her support and encouragement it would have been over after the first 100 hour week. Scheduling conflicts, clashes with an instructor, aircraft down for maintenance and other delays, in addition to work travel requirements has posed significant challenges this year. Focus, determination and the help of good people have made it surmountable.

The biggest down side of all the changes in 2006 has been my struggle with weight. Before I started school, I had lost 35 pounds. One of the things I had to cut to manage school was the gym. The result: 25 pounds found their way back.

-- Begin OT --

A minor accomplishment for 2006 that just might help to lose the weight again is the switch to diet soda. I have always been addicted to Coke (the soda, thank you very much). It wasn't unusual to see me put away a few 32 ounce vats on a stressful day. Making the switch was a grueling 3-step process:

1. Started with Diet Dr. Pepper. I usually detest Dr. Pepper, but it is the easiest diet soda to drink. I think it's because regular Dr. Pepper is so nasty, it's not a stretch to go to diet.

2. Move on to Diet Pepsi. I've always preferred Coke vs. Pepsi. But when it comes to diet, the opposite rings true. Viva la Diet Pepsi.

3. Diet Coke. Once you've grown accustomed to the diet aftertaste, it's finally time to start accepting the fact the Diet Coke is your new friend. Diet Coke: zero calories, zero enjoyment. Hey, maybe I should be a copywriter.

After one month, I can't tell the difference between diet and regular soda anymore. I used to gag when a waitress assumed the fat dude needed a diet and brought one out. Now it's just a soda. Hopefully, I'll fare better than lab rats that ingest artificial sweeteners.

-- End OT --

We really enjoyed the holidays this year. We had a house full of guests on Christmas and the children glowed with happiness. Since it was probably my last Christmas at home for a few years, I'm glad that it was so special.

What to accomplish in 2007? What not to accomplish, should be the question.

1. Be safe, fly smart and always willing to learn.
2. Get my commercial multi engine add-on.
3. Get my CFI, CFII, MEI.
4. Get a part time instructing job to continue the learning process.
5. Consider participating in a time building program.
6. Interview, interview, interview.
7. Finally get an injection from XYZ Airlines that cures Shiny Jet Syndrome.
8. Be good to family and remember their sacrifices.
9. Maintain friendships and seek out new ones. It's the people in your life that make the difference.

Happy New Year to everyone.

For those of you that do fly, be safe.

For those considering it, make wise decisions and never be afraid to say, "I don't know."

Miscellaneous Ramblings

Well, I'm done flying for now. I have met all the requirements to file form 8710 and request a check ride from a DPE. Now all I need to do is study, study and study some more. My main course of study will be the ASA Oral Exam Guide and PTS as well as some systems literature I've gathered for the ancient "Hershey Bar" winged Arrow I's that will be used for the flight.

The last flight went well. There had been rain the night before and the ceiling was broken at 3,500 and improving at departure time. It was high enough to do eights on pylons and a bunch of landing practice. When we got out towards the practice area, there was a large enough break in the clouds for us to climb VFR. Here's a rare photo of Phoenix from above the clouds. Sorry for the quality, it was taken from my smart-phone.

Once on top of the clouds, I took the opportunity to practice Chandelles and Lazy Eights one last time. No problems.

Afterwards, we decided to head to Phoenix Regional (A39). As I've said before, it's a modest facility. It has a 50'x5,000' runway 3/21 that is in marginal condition with no markings other than faded numbers. Most of the time, winds favor runway 21 - which has 20'+ tall trees right at the approach end. So most landings must be treated as 50' obstacle landings.

The DPE that will most likely be doing my check-ride loves to take candidates to Phoenix Regional at 5,500 and cut the engine for a steep spiral down and transition to a power off 180. I've done about 20 of them there and have about a 90% ratio on the numbers so I'm pretty confident about that. I've also been practicing soft field landings on point and short fields. The PTS doesn't require a point for soft field landings, but I figure if I can do that, then a standard short field should be a piece of cake.

One of my concerns was calculating pivotal altitude for eights on pylons in the aircraft. Thanks to John (Aviation Mentor) for a good pointer. I'll just make a chart based on a variety of air speeds. If the DPE asks, I'll just as him which airspeed and voila, there it will be.

The only flight stuff to brush up on is emergency procedures and diversions (which are easy with a properly done flight plan).

My friend Dana is coming over tonight to help me study for the oral exam. She's a CFI and knows her stuff. I'm glad she can help. Next month, she'll probably have an airline job. She has 3 interviews scheduled in January.

If all goes well, I should be ready for my Commercial Single check ride on or about next Saturday, January 6th.

---

The other day, I took my middle son to Wickenburg with me. Out of the three kids, he's been the most timid about flying. I was proud of him. He sat in the front seat of the 172 and spent the entire flight both ways with his face pressed against the window pointing out things below.

When we arrived in Wickenburg, we parked next to an Archer II with a very nice paint job. Other than the bent empennage and the 4 foot gash in the right wing between the aileron and flap, it was a nice plane. The undercarriage and nose were in tact and it didn't look at all like damage from a bad landing. How did a damaged Archer get there?

The local A&P came out to say hello and told me the story:

The plane came in on December 22nd from California carrying a couple visiting Wickenburg for the holidays. The tied down at the transient parking area and left on their merry little way. The next day, a local who owns a Cessna 170 decided to go solo flying. From what I hear, he found the battery to be dead. Keep in mind, I don't know whether a 170 has a parking brake or not. Since he was flying solo, the obvious thing to do was hand prop it. I don't know if chocks were used or not, but when the plane started...it really started. It got away from him so fast that he couldn't get in the door.

The 170 picked up speed as it rolled across the apron to the transient parking area where it promptly smashed in to the Archer, totalling it. I didn't see the 170, but heard that the damage was minimal.

Of course the owner of the 170 wasn't insured. Also, the couple who own the Archer couldn't be reached. As of the 27th, they still didn't know that their pristine Archer was a total loss. On their aircraft was a note, giving the name of the owner of the 170 and stating in big letters: "SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE". Inconvenience? A flat tire is an inconvenience. Even a damaged prop might pass as an inconvenience. A total loss? I would call that a FUBAR.

I'm sure the Archer owners were insured, but it is aircraft insurance after all. I'm also pretty sure there's going to be some lawyerin' going on.

I didn't have a camera. If the plane is still there next week, I'll take some photos and post them.

This is one of those classic situations where my favorite poster from Despair, Inc. comes to mind:

What do you say to the 170 owner other than, "It must really suck to be you right now."

All I Want For Christmas...

Is a right front seat...a right front seat...a right front seat.

While my dear wife was Christmas shopping at Costco, she ran across a Lego passenger jet. She knew in an instant, it had to be added to my growing collection of passenger aircraft. When she was checking out the cashier said, "Looks like some little boy is getting an airplane." My wife responded, "You have no idea."

Anyway, Christmas was great all around. Santa Claus found our house and the children's stockings. The house was quite a mess afterwards and we had a house full of guests coming. I was really impressed when I asked them each what the best thing about Christmas was and they said being with their family. Seeing as this will probably be the last Christmas that I will be home for a few years, it made me happy and sad at the same time. I know it is just a day and my children will be glad to see me whenever I'm home.

So after opening all of my gifts, my wife brought the airplane to me. I had now clue what to expect. When I opened it, my wife said that I grinned from ear to ear. Even though it consists of a few hundred parts, I had it assembled within a half and hour! I felt like I was 8 years old again.

Here's a few photos of it. I'm calling it my Embraerbus A190.

Here's to hoping that Christmas made you feel eight years old for a day too.

Merry Christmas

Bad Karma, Good Karma?

My phone rang today. It was a friend of mine that is a former student of the flight school I'm attending. She asked if I had heard what was going on. Um, nope.

The rumor mill was in full swing and I was about to be thrown in. She had heard that the school was going bankrupt and that aircraft were being repossessed by a major creditor. She also said that she heard that the instructors were told to not expect paychecks and that the local FBO was going to ask for COD on fuel purchases. This didn't sound too good. Since she's no longer an active student, I started calling people that I knew would have answers.

After speaking with several flight instructors and the chief flight instructors, here's the murky story. All non-essential personnel have been sent home through 1/1/07. The receptionist, the HR person, the testing coordinator and all of the admission/sales reps were all sent home after the Christmas party. Nice, huh?

I still don't have a clear answer about the aircraft, but was told they are still flying. It was also suggested that if I had any money on account, to fly it off ASAP. I am going to try and fly some tomorrow just in case.

Apparently, there is a group of investors looking at buying/taking over the school and will have the decision made by January 2nd or 3rd. If they don't bite, word is that you can stick a fork in XYZ Airline Academy.

That's the bad karma. Now for the good karma (at least for me).

Up until last month I had been in Part 142 Commercial training. 142 training utilizes a lot of time in Flight Training Devices (FTD) in place of actual flight time. This time last month, I had only about 175 hours total. That is 75 hours short of FAA requirements for FAR Part 61 Commercial rating. At least 50 of those hours were out of my own pocket. Had I not forced them to put me in FAR Part 61 training and not been spending the last 30 days time building, I would potentially be in a world of hurt. XYZ Airline Academy is the only school in Arizona that currently offers Part 142 Commercial training, so I would have been unable to transfer to another flight school without having to throw a huge amount of money at time building. As of today, I'm sitting at just under 250 hours and almost ready for my check ride. I really only need to hit 250 and have a CFI sign my 8710.

If the school were to fail, I'm in a pretty decent position. I could transfer to another school with little or no hassle. The people I feel for are the ones that took out substantial student loans and have large amounts on money on account with the school. If the school went bankrupt, they stand to not only lose the money, but also maintain repayment liability to Sallie Mae. Ouch. For some people, this could be the end of their career pilot aspirations.

I've been paying them a few thousand at a time with American Express who told me that if the school did close its doors, that I would have recourse. If only every one of the young students there could use AMEX.

For what it's worth, a word of advice from me to potential career pilot students: Never give a flight school more than $5,000 at a time. EVER. They will probably tell you that you have to give them more, but remember that a flight school is just a business and everything is negotiable. Also, from personal experience, I recommend avoiding Part 142 training. I just don't see how someone can be a competent commercially rated pilot with well under 200 hours. 250 hours is still low time and it sure doesn't make you Chuck Yeager, but I can see a huge improvement in my flying skills from 150 hours to 250 hours.

Singing The Instructor Blues Again

I'm going on the 3rd instructor in one month. My current instructor left for greener pastures at Sabena Flight Academy. Apparently, they are moving their operations from Scottsdale Airport (very smart move) to Falcon Field in Mesa. In addition, they have a brand new Part 141 program that is commencing in January. They have ordered a new fleet consisting entirely of Diamonds. DA20's for primary training, DA40's and DA42 Twin Stars. He's pretty excited about flying the new equipment, the benefits and the enviornment, so I can't blame him for the move.

On the plus side, I haven't been assigned a new instructor yet so it looks like I'll be off through Christmas. On the minus side, I haven't been assigned a new instructor yet so it looks like I'll be off through Christmas. Huh?

I should utilize the time to study and prepare for the checkride. I'm only a few hours away from being there. With Christmas and 3 children out of school for a few weeks, I doubt there will be sufficient time to study. I'm going to have to make the time.

Strong Areas: cross country flight planning, systems, maps, runway markings, emergency procedures

Mediocre Areas: Regs & weather (fog types always slip my mind)

Weak Areas: aerodynamics (I get it, just not good at explaining it), re-learning forgotten acronyms

If anyone has any tricks or helpful study methods for the Commercial Practical Test other than studying the oral exam guide and PTS, I would really appreciate it.

One other thing that concerns me: There is one DE out here that actually makes pilots compute the pivotal altitude while flying prior to performing Eights On Pylons. I know the formula is airspeed squared x 11.3 for knots or 15 for mph, but how the hell do you do it when you're flying ahead of time? I know in advance where I'll be doing it, the elevation is 1200 and I'll be in an Arrow I(MPH). The maneuver speed is 120 MPH, so I know that 120x120/15=960' which would make the pivotal altitude roughly 2,200'.

I just wonder if the DE will expect me to explain how I derived that number or if he'll want to see me calculate it in the plane. I would think it could be a bit dangerous distracting yourself that much for a simple maneuver, but I've heard that he really makes candidates do it.

Recent Observations

Squawk sheet for Piper Arrow:

Actual squawk: NAV lights INOP

Maintenance Action: OPS check good. Turn them on! Placarded NAV light SWITCH with BIG LETTERS. Hope this helps.

This squawk was from a newly hired CFI at my school. He has over 5,000 hours dual given!

---

Tower: Archer XXX cleared to land 30 center, squawk VFR, turn left on taxiway Kilo and contact ground 128.25 when off.

Archer: clear a lan 30 a centa, squawka whee-effa-arr, contaa groww one uh twenta eee eight poin a two a fie.

Tower: Was that WEE FR, YOU FR or IFR?

It's nice to know that ATC has a sense of humor too.

They Obviously Didn't Have An Emergency Checklist

edit: I forgot to give credit to my father in law for forwarding this to me.

The Angry Armenian

Friday rolled around and it was time to go to Las Vegas. Weather...check. Flight plan...check. Serendipitous babysitter scheduling...check.

A few hours before departure, my mother agreed to watch the children for our "quick" turnaround trip to Vegas. The plan: Depart Gateway for North Las Vegas (KVGT) at 3p.m., have a "quick" dinner and grab a "quick" cab ride back to the airport and be home by 11p.m. Yeah right...

After a brief hold for IFR release, we were off and on our way. We were assigned a route totally different that I had filed for, so the flight plan was virtually worthless. However, once we were handed off to Albuquerque Center, we requested direct Peach Springs then as filed and got it. It was the perfect time of day as we approached the Grand Canyon. The sun was beginning to set and the view was nothing short of magnificent.

The entire flight out was enjoyable until we reached Lake Mead. At that point, we began to encounter continuous moderate turbulence. My wife didn't care to much for experiencing that in night conditions. I think being over the water freaked her out a bit too.

Once LA Center handed us off to Las Vegas Approach, we were given vectors. The controller told me to report The Stratosphere in sight and then North Las Vegas. As we approached from the East, there sat the Stratosphere on the North end of the Las Vegas Strip - as big as could be. The controller came on again and said, North Las Vegas is at your 12:00 - 7 miles. Report airport in sight. It was programmed in in the GPS and it was directly in front of us, but we couldn't see a beacon or runway lights. To make a long story short, it wasn't visible until we were on the Eastern edge of the airport.

We had heard other pilots reporting difficulty obtaining a visual too. The controller said that everyone was having trouble finding VGT. I suspect the beacon was off. Once we were on the ground and parked, it suddenly became easy to see the beacon. Hmmm.

We ran into some other pilots while waiting for the shuttle. They indicated that they were unable to see the beacon too. One of the groups was from Sacramento. They were in a Piper Saratoga and the pilot said they encountered "severe" turbulence approaching Las Vegas and that they lost 500 feet in mere seconds at one point. Thankfully, we didn't experience that.

One group was going to Circus Circus (yuck) and the other was going to Monte Carlo. We decided to go there too. After not having eaten all day long and waiting 35 minutes for the shuttle, we were ready to eat anything. We hiked all the way across the Monte Carlo to "The Buffet" only to find a sign stating, "CLOSED FOR RENOVATION. Please enjoy one of our many other fine restaurants." Crap we had limited time and were hungry. Buffet food, though not really great, is quick and easy.

We decided to walk up the strip to Bellagio. Other than the wino lying on the ground who complimented my wife's Dooney & Bourke purse, the whores and the people snapping "adult" entertainment handouts at us every 6 feet, it was a really nice walk. By the time we arrived at "The Buffet" at Bellagio, "The Buffet Line" had formed. We waited nearly 30 minutes before the pleasure of hearing that "The Buffet" is $35.95 per person! We were far too hungry to protest and my American Express found its way to the cashier's hands.

We were both grumbling about how it better be the best buffet on the face of the Earth. We were going to eat our money's worth! "The Buffet" didn't disappoint. King crab legs, U-15 cocktail shrimp, ceviche, excellent clam chowder, scallops, Chilean Sea Bass, Kobe beef, Beef Wellington, prime rib, a host of Italian entrees, desserts like creme brulee, canollis, cream puffs and more. "The Buffet" was staggering in its selection and quality. We were impressed until...

I found a huge rock in my food. It was weird. A large black rock as large as a mussel shell. In fact, that's what it looked like when it was in the seafood dish. I had to know if it was part of the dish or what. Our server came by and I started to ask her. She took one look at the rock and headed off to get the general manager. I wasn't mad or even requesting a manager.

He came to the table and in the middle of saying "I understand you found a rock in your food", his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He said that he thought it was going to be a small pebble or something. He said that in his 35 years experience, he had never seen a huge rock in food. We assured him that we still enjoyed the dinner and our experience wasn't ruined. We really didn't intend to make a big deal out of it and just wanted to know if it was supposed to be part of the dish, like a garnish. He was very gracious and insisted on comping the meal. How nice was that?

After dinner we headed up the strip to walk of some of the thousands of calories we had consumed and started looking for a place to get a cab. We finally found a cab stand at the Imperial Palace (another Yuck). When our cab pulled up, the stand attendant asked where we wanted to go. When I told him North Las Vegas he said, "Why the hell would anyone wanna go there?" That pissed me off. I said, "I don't recall inviting you so what the hell does it matter to you?"

Up pulls our cab and we meet "Vasag the Armenian". I tell him North Las Vegas Airport and he says, "Sure go to no problem". I'm already sensing "problem". Vasag begins to talk: "I be in US of A country like 4 monts and come Las Wegas soon" "Las Wegas cab driver is sheet money make no good teeps from cheepos and get no lease on cab driver" "Los Angeelees is no sheet money where I go back beeg teeps" "American language is sheet not nice like Armenian"

He took us towards VGT running 2 red lights in the process, where the meter read $16.50. He made a wrong turn and drove us all the way down Lake Mead to Nellis AFB. I finally told him to stop the meter and turn around. He ignored my request and proceeded to make a phone call in Armenian, yelled at someone and then slammed his phone down. He said, "I get you airport no time more." and began to drive over 80 miles per hour back the other way. To say we were scared would be a huge understatement. Meanwhile the meter kept running. We were amazed to arrive unharmed and felt like cats on our ninth life.

He got out of the cab. The meter read $47.10. He said to me, "I give big discount for wrong turns. You pay $42." I said, "I'll give you $25 and that is being generous considering your dangerous behavior and the number of laws you broke. If that doesn't work for you, I'd be glad to call Metro Police." He took the money and was gone before we could breathe a collective sigh of relief. Good riddance to Vasag "The Angry Armenian". We really hope he finds a new vocation before killing some innocent passengers.

It was now 10 p.m. Las Vegas time, 11 p.m. Arizona time. The tower was closed and a VFR GPS direct flight back to Gateway was definitely in order. We departed on 30L and contacted LV Approach. The controller told me to stay clear of Bravo and he'd get to me when he could. I asked for a quick heading to avoid Nellis and McCarran and he gave me 160. He came back a few minutes later and asked if I knew where McCarran was and answered affirmative. He told me to cross 25 over the numbers on present heading. He then handed me off to "Mr. Wonderful".

"Mr. Wonderful" was very annoyed to have a Cherokee in his airspace. He asked for my destination, which I had already given the previous controller. I told him direct KIWA. He told me to resume own navigation and and turned on course. He came back a minute later and asked for our on course heading to destination and I indicated 120. He again cleared me to resume own navigation. By now, we were well clear of Vegas Airspace. Less than a minute later he came back and said that 120 would get in the way of arriving traffic, so I told him I would change course to intercept V105. No response. Apparently, he didn't care for my intercept angle either. He came back and asked if I knew which way Phoenix was, because my heading wouldn't get me there. That was it. I was done with him. I canceled flight following and picked up V105 without "Mr. Wonderful's" assistance. A few minutes later, I rang up LA Center and re-established flight following. Not that I have that much experience, but he was the rudest controller I have yet to come across.

Somehow, we managed to have headwinds both ways. Blah. At 1 a.m., just Southwest of Prescott, the moonless night and lack of visual cues started to work its magic on my wife and she started feeling airsick. With nothing but a $200 purse to use as an airsickness bag, we diverted to Wickenburg since I knew the door code for the restrooms. Even on the lowest intensity setting, the new REIL's at Wickenburg are really bright, so finding Wickenburg was no problem.

After the stop and some fresh air, she felt better and we finally started on the final leg of the trip. As we were descending in to Gateway, Justice 311 was coming in from Seattle with a load of prisoners. The MD-80 Captain is a pretty nice guy and we chatted on CTAF as we both approached. We finally touched down at 2:15 a.m, over 3 hours later than expected. 3 hours of sleep lost and gone forever.

6.7 hours PIC to add to the logbook. Almost there...

A few photos:

The San Francisco Peaks, the tallest is Humphrey's Peak 12,672' - the highest point in AZ

Sunset over the Grand Canyon. Even though you can't see the canyon, the colors are pretty.

The view South of the Las Vegas Strip from over Downtown. Photo is blurry due to turbulence.

Looooooooong Beach

Time building flying is coming right along. In a few weeks, I'll finally have enough hours to put on form 8710 and apply for a Commercial Single Engine Certificate.

Saturday, a plane was reserved for a time building cross country. I was planning on heading to Long Beach and back. That would be good for about 6.5 hours. A check of the weather told me that Long Beach wasn't a good idea and to choose somewhere outside of California. Santa Fe came to mind. The weather form Santa Fe looked good and the FBO there said a crew car was waiting for me.

I did the requisite flight plan and got ready for bed. I went to put my phone on the charger and notice a voice mail alert from "restricted". That almost always means a call from school. Sure enough, it was. My flight had been cancelled due to lack of availability. Lack of availability? 16 Cadets and not one available? Apparently, several planes had gone down at once and only 4 were flying. Of course, time building flights don't make dual money, so they are the first to get bumped. On the bright side, it was a Saturday and I got to spend the entire day with my wife and kids. Nice. Also, I was guaranteed that Sunday would be no problem for an aircraft.

Saturday night, it was time to start thinking about flight planning. My daughter was going with me and she was really excited about going to California. The weather looked to be improving. My 16:00z departure would find skies broken at 12,000, scattered at 8,000 and few at 5,000. Not bad at all. LA was at South end of a front moving across Northern California. Winds aloft showed a headwind en route ranging from 10-20 knots. I calculated the trip to take a little less than 4 hours, no problem for an IFR flight with 5:30 fuel.

Sunday morning, we headed out to the airport, received a final brief from the Flight Service Station, picked up IFR clearance and headed off for Long Beach. The winds were forecast the same and all Airmets were 100 miles to the north of my route. Ground speed was looking fine until the California border, then the wind started. Ground speed from Blythe to Coachella Valley: 80 knots. Average ground speed range from Coachella Valley to Hemet: 52 knots.

I had called Flight Watch for updates and they had nothing. Once I was handed off the Palm Springs Approach, I started hearing about light aircraft pilots turning back due to severe turbulence and wind shear. Nobody under 8,000 feet was going through Banning Pass. I talked to Approach. It was difficult to maintain 10,000. I would lose 1,000 and then gain 1,000. He gave me a block clearance from 10-11,000 and I climbed to 11,000. It smoothed out, but ground speed remained painfully slow. At one time it showed 42 knots!

Once past Banning pass, SoCal started my descent. From 11,000 to 6,000 the clouds were thick and tossing us around like popcorn in a popper. We finally broke through over March AFB and things started to smooth out, but headwind was still an issue. At this point, my fat rear end is becoming numb and my bladder is about to explode. Elapsed time: 4:00:00.

SoCal gives me a traffic alert for a Twin Otter that just released a group of jumpers. I glance out and up just in time to see it spiraling straight down into the cloud base above. Cool sight.

I had basically used climb power for nearly a 100 mile stretch to maintain altitude and was starting to get nervous about fuel. My left tank was near zero and my right tank was wavering at 1/4. The problem with fuel gauges is that they only have to be accurate at EMPTY. I did some quick calculations and figured it would be just under 5:00:00 when we reached Long Beach. Figuring the time spent at climb power, I had enough fuel to make Long Beach with about 10 minutes to spare.

I called SoCal and declared minimum fuel. They asked if we needed to divert to Orange County and I declined. They vectored us direct to final at Long Beach, we joined the localizer and were FINALLY on the ground. Flight time: 4:50, total Hobbs time: 5.3. The aircraft took 46 gallons, which meant we had 15 minutes of usable fuel remaining.

Lessons learned:

1. Weather forecasts are just that.


2. Just because the flight plan says 90 minute fuel reserve, doesn't mean you can count on it.


3. Declaring minimum fuel gets you the priority you need to ensure safety. ATC will do everything necessary to help you.

---

By the time we parked, ordered fuel and picked up a rental car, it was nearly 1:30 Pacific time, or 2:30 Arizona time (for anyone that doesn't know, Arizona doesn't follow Daylight Savings Time). On final approach my daughter recognized the Carnival Pride and Queen Mary. We have been on the Carnival Pride a few times and had visited the Queen Mary as well. She asked if we could go to the Queen Mary for lunch and we did. But before leaving, I checked the weather. The winds were finally being reported accurately for our route of flight. With darkness just a few hours away, I didn't want to be traveling through mountain passes in those conditions and darkness.

We made our way to the Queen Mary and got there in time to have the big Sunday Brunch. Let me tell you how hungry my daughter was. That girl ate more than I did! She had four helpings of roast beef, not to mention pasta and three different desserts. After brunch, she wanted to explore the ship. That was when I realized that not only was it too dangerous to fly home that night, I felt like a freight train had run over me...twice. The flight out was just grueling.

I called Signature Flight Support and they handled room reservations for us. Then I called the school. They weren't too happy about the situation, but finally realized that the plane just wasn't coming back until the next day. I basically said, "Do you want the plane back in one piece, or a thousand?"

We settled in at the Marriott, enjoyed Pizza Hut room service and watched The Amazing Race together before she finally drifted off to sleep. Before she dozed she said, "Today was the best day ever, Daddy." I couldn't have asked for a more perfect end to the day.

I sat in bed and watched the LA news. Apparently, there was a light plane crash in Cajon Pass. Cajon Pass is north of Banning Pass, but very similar in weather phenomena. Although I felt terrible for the pilot and passenger(s), it convinced me that I made the correct decision to stay the night.

We woke up bright and early so we could eat and have a flight plan completed by 6:30 a.m. The weather was much improved, other than foggy IFR conditions for the LA Basin. It was expected to clear by 9 a.m., but that was 10 AZ time and too long to wait. I filed a quick IFR plan and after a short hold for IFR release, we were off. Departure only kept us in the fog for about 15 minutes and soon we were on top. Here's a picture taken from somewhere over the Huntington Beach area towards the North. I think those are the San Gabriel Mountains in the distance.

We hit 11,000 by Perris and cruised V64-V16 back to Phoenix. Favorable tailwinds got us back to Gateway in exactly 3 hours, with nearly half full tanks as well. It felt good to be home.

One positive to the nasty headwind: 8.3 on the Hobbs this trip. One more long CC should be all I need.

Next trip: Viva Las Vegas, baby.

Fumble In The Desert

Tuesday morning, my instructor and I were supposed to finish up the complex portion of my commercial training in the Piper Arrow. However, one of the Arrows was down for 50 hour maintenance and it happened to be the one we were scheduled in. Suddenly, I found myself with nothing to do. It was a slow work day and a perfect opportunity to knock out 4 or 5 more hours with a cross country.

The next planned cross country was with my better half over the weekend to Las Vegas, so Vegas was out. I have flown over Palm Springs several times but had never actually landed there, so PSP it was.

My parents were on a cruise to Hawaii and when my phone rang, it was my mother telling me that they were back in LA. They were going to be driving home to Phoenix via I-10. I told them that I was actually flying to Palm Springs and we decided to meet there for lunch.

I filed IFR, had the plane topped off and departed KIWA after a brief IFR clearance hold. It was a clear, calm day with excellent visibility. The flight took 2.4 hours and the approach to 31L was stunning. Palm Springs Approach vectored me over La Quinta & PGA West, Palm Desert and Cathedral City before lining up for final. On a 10,000' x 150' runway, it's hard to do anything but a perfect landing. It was much more impressive to see the King Air 200 land parallel to me on 31R, which is 5,000' x 75' and looks tiny in comparison. I taxied the tired old former UND plane to the slums at Signature Aviation.

This is the part of the story where the chain of stupidity begins...

The door lock on the aircraft I was flying was INOP. For whatever reason, I thought it would be prudent to take my Bose headset and Jeppesen IFR knee board with me. Usually, I just leave them in the aircraft. I know that a beat up old Cherokee is where I would look for quality gear to steal when surrounded by aircraft like Barons, SR22's and a TBM 700. So I strapped the headset case to the knee board and headed in to order fuel.

I ordered a top off and carried my stuff in to the pilots' lounge to wait for my parents to show up. I brought along a brand new issue of Road & Track to read as I waited. A few minutes later, my phone rang and they were pulling in to the parking lot. I was careful to remember my headset, knee board and R&T. When I got to their car, I found the back seat completely full. Things would have to be re-arranged. I carefully set my headset on top of the car, re-arranged the contents of the back seat and settled in for a quick ride to Fat Burger (really good burgers, by the way).

We chatted about Hawaii and enjoyed a nice lunch. When I got back in the car for the brief ride back to the airport, I reached for my headset. Then I reached again. I started to get a combination of a sick sinking feeling, tunnel vision and vertigo all at once as I realized my headset was not in my possession. I started hyperventilating and sounding like a cross between Felix Unger and Raymond Babbit as panic took control. Uh oh...time to go to Signature...time to go to Signature.

I had left the headset on top of the car. Yes. Really. When we got to Signature Aviation, I got out of their car and, like a scene from a John Hughes movie, noticed dusty skid marks the shape of a Jeppesen IFR knee board across the roof, down the window and trailing off of the trunk. It did manage to stick until we got out of the parking lot and on to a busy street.

As I drove out on to La Cielo Drive, about 100 yards down in the middle of the road was something flapping in the breeze. It was Road & Track with my name on it. It was nearly shredded and covered with tread marks. I looked around fully expecting to find a smashed headset but found nothing. My Bose headset was gone. I instantly had a mental picture of someone picking it up and grinning ear to ear. Christmas had come early for someone at my expense.

There I was in Palm Springs without a headset, low en route chart or sectional. I inquired at Signature's front desk and a a flight school. Nobody had turned it in. I needed a headset and at least a sectional to get home. I inquired at the flight school (The Flight School at Palm Springs) and the Andy, the owner/director said that he had an inexpensive headset for $100. I explained to him that I would only use them once and wanted to inquire with Signature about a rental. He didn't hesitate to hand me a headset and said, "Take this. If you need it, keep it. If not, send it back to me when you can." He refused to accept money from me. What a nice gesture. A good deed. Anyone in need of flight training in Palm Springs, make sure to check with Andy Dutzi at The Flight School at Palm Springs. Many thanks, Andy.

I made my way to aircraft, still mourning the loss of my Bose headset and departed VFR for Phoenix. A nice tailwind would get me home in just over 2 hours. As I approached Phoenix at 9,500' the most stunning moon rise I had ever seen came from the northeast. It was giant, completely full and the most beautiful shade of orange. Phoenix approach vectored me nearly direct to Gateway for a nice finish to a bad luck day.

After tying down the aircraft, it was no surprise to see that I had about 10 voice mails waiting for me. I checked the missed call log before listening to the messages and noticed a missed call from the 760 area code, the area code for greater Palm Springs. A glimmer of hope. The next to last voice mail was from a man that just asked me to call back...at a 760 number! I stubbed my finger dialing. When he answered, I told him that I knew why he had called me. He said, "Tell me". I told him that he probably had a Bose headset in a black case and a black tri-folding navigation book that said Jeppesen. He had indeed found my headset and wanted to return it to me.

He volunteered to take it back to Signature Aviation so they could ship it back to me. He flat out refused a reward and just wanted to do a good deed. He said that when he found it, he knew it belonged to a pilot and must be important. What a good, honest man. Thankfully, I am obsessive about putting my name and phone number on everything. Someone could have just as easily pawned the headset.

So here I stand, totally impressed by being the recipient of not one, but two good deeds in one day from perfect strangers who went out of their way without seeking reward. My faith in humanity is fully restored and am finding myself more in the holiday spirit.

Jeff, the GM at Signature in Palm Springs, called me this afternoon to inform me that the headset was dropped off, was undamaged and was being shipped to me priority overnight today. It will be in my hands tomorrow morning. How lucky am I to be saved from such a stupid mistake?

Longbows & Arrows

One of the neat things about flying at Gateway is the variety of aircraft flying in and out. At any given time in the pattern you'll find: C-17's delivering Israeli Longbows to Boeing for refurbishment, C-130's, Justice Department/Homeland Security MD-83's deporting illegal aliens and transporting Federal prisoners, Air Force and NASA T-38's, Navy T-45's, F/A-18's, AV-8B Harriers, US Airways aircraft doing touch and go's, KC-135 tankers, plus passenger planes such as Embraer ERJ145's & Brasilias, 737's, chartered 757's & A320s, Dash 8's and more...and that's just fixed wing aircraft! It really is neat to be on final, parallel to a C-130.

It's been pretty busy the last few weeks. Changing from Part 142 training to Part 61 training has required some significant work. In addition to a considerable amount of required time building, a new aircraft has come in to the mix. Part 61 training at my flight school requires initial single, then a multi add-on. The check ride for commercial single engine will be in a Piper Arrow, which I had exactly zero hours in.

During the past week, I've had to learn procedures and V speeds for an entirely new aircraft and then re-learn the differing procedures for all of the commercial maneuvers. Nothing has really been difficult, just time consuming. As a matter of fact, the Piper Arrow (PA28R-200) is pretty fun to fly. I especially enjoy power off 180's. With best glide at about -1500'/min, the landing point comes pretty darn fast. The school has two Arrows in the fleet and both have very different personalities. One has a 2 blade McCauley prop and the other, a 3 blade Hartzell prop. The one with the Hartzell prop sinks like a rock. Aim straight for the numbers! The other day, I did 8 power off 180's and hit my point 6 out of 8 times and made the runway for all 8. Hopefully on check ride day, it will come just as easily. Need more practice. Other than the nose heaviness in power off 180's, it's a very forgiving, easy to fly aircraft and cruises along nicely at about 140 knots.

Besides learning the Arrow, time building has been on the forefront. San Diego Montgomery Field won out for the long solo cross-country. The people at Gibbs Aviation were very nice and lent me a courtesy vehicle so I could grab lunch at Point Loma Seafood Market.

Sunday, I did a night trip to Tucson International. A high pressure system centered over central Arizona was making gusty Southeasterly winds in Tucson, but they were forecast to be right up the runway. Winds aloft were wicked, it took 1.5 hours to get to Tucson with ground speed never exceeding 80 knots. On approach, there was a 20 knot direct headwind, gusting to 26. I came in fast and landed smooth. After dinner, the winds had picked up to 32, gusting to 40. If I were flying a Cessna, it would have been time for a quick call to the Hampton Inn. The Cessnas on the ramp were rocking all over the place, but the low wing aircraft were all pretty stable. Winds at Gateway were reported to be 030 at 8, no big deal at all. I taxied out, accelerated to 90 knots indicated and held on tight. The first half of the ride home featured a 35 degree crab angle and some moderate turbulence. After that, it was smooth and enjoyable all the way back to Gateway.

Tuesday a maintenance cancellation provided a perfect opportunity to fly to Palm Springs, but that's a story all of it's own.