Date Night

My wife had been asking me two questions:

1. When were we going to have a date night?
2. When does she get to fly in the Katana?

Yesterday's weather looked good. The Katana was available for more than 2 hours. All we needed to do was decide on a destination. Somewhere within 2 hours (that's about as long as anyone could stand in a Katana) and easy access to dining. We decided on Laughlin/Bullhead. It's about 1:45 each way. The Riverside Resort and The Colorado Belle both offer shuttle service to and from the airport.

We headed out to Falcon Field and checked out the Katana.

The further on the edge...the hotter the intensity.

Yes, the Katana is that small. My wife is nearly 5' 11" with very long legs. Her knees were nearly in her face. Thank goodness no photo exists of my fat a$$ sitting in there!

As we taxied, we enjoyed seeing several vintage aircraft including this B-25 Mitchell named "Barbie III". Falcon Field is home to the Arizona Wing of the Confederate Air Force. Their prize possession is Sentimental Journey, a fully restored Boeing B-17G that tours the US during the summer and winters at the CAF museum.

We flew VFR and our route took us to Lake Havasu City (where London Bridge is for the older guys, where Spring Break is for the MTV generation) and then North up the Colorado River over Needles, CA and in to Laughlin/Bullhead City.

In the photo below, we are descending in to the right downwind for runway 16. On the left is Laughlin, NV where the casinos are. On the right is Bullhead City, AZ where the airport is and most of the people reside. The airport is just out of the photo on the right.

To the North is Lake Mojave which leads upstream to Hoover Dam. To the south, the river feeds Lake Havasu and Parker Dam.

Base.

The bridge below is the only bridge across the Colorado river for nearly 20 miles. Since 9/11/2001, no commercial traffic is allowed over Hoover Dam and all of it is re-routed through Laughlin and Searchlight. That bridge see A LOT of traffic and many accidents.

Final.

After another smooth landing (easy in a Katana), we found a primo parking spot, tied down and headed over to Sun Western Flyers for a top off and ride to Laughlin. The people at Sun Western Flyers are always super helpful and friendly.

On the complimentary shuttle ride to Laughlin, we met two young pilots from ATP. They were friendly and talkative, but I was surprised when they neglected to tip the driver. I know student pilots usually aren't dripping with cash, but come on. If they expect to be airline pilots, they better learn to take care of shuttle drivers! 'Nuff said.

We had a nice dinner and then sat down for a few hands of blackjack. I'm not a big gambler and just enjoy playing blackjack and poker. A few winning $5 hands, a blackjack and a couple of winning double-downs paid for our dinner and some fuel. Very nice. We left with Laughlin with full stomachs, a slightly fatter wallet and smiles.

On the ride back, traffic came to a stand still. There was an accident on the bridge and it was closed. Chaos was ensuing. The driver quickly turned us around and took us to the Riverside, where we picked up the river taxi across to Bullhead City. We were fortunate to run in to the Riverside's shuttle driver who was more than glad to take us back to the airport, since he couldn't get back to Laughlin.

The bridge ended up being closed for nearly 3 hours. Luckily, nobody was killed this time. We were glad to hear that and also glad that we hadn't driven there.

The flight home was very smooth. LA Center couldn't have been nicer and the same for Albuquerque. When we were handed off to Phoenix approach, she even asked our routing preference to Falcon. Very nice. As we got closer to Phoenix Sky Harbor, my wife said she thought it would be neat to land there in a small plane. So I picked up ATIS and asked approach for a touch and go. After a brief "stand by", we were cleared for a visual approach and handed off to tower. We were cleared for a touch and go on 7R. It was fun, but then again, we are easily amused people.

After a quick "thank you" to Phoenix for their hospitality, it was back to Falcon Field. 10 minutes later, we were back on the ground. The ramp was so dark and full that it took nearly 10 minutes to find a parking spot. How about some ramp lights FFZ?

Overall, it was a fun date. It did feel good to get out of the Katana. 2 hours is about all I can stand in that tight cockpit. It's still my favorite aircraft to fly.

To CFI Or Not To CFI? That is the question.

I finally get back in a Seneca today. As much as I have enjoyed the Arrow, the sound, feel and performance of a multi engine aircraft is wonderful. Besides, multi time is what it's all about...which leads me to my current dilemma.

I am going to be 37 here pretty quick. Now 37 isn't exactly old, but it's not 23-25 either. At my age, I want to get a seniority number as quickly as possible. I also want to take advantage of a job market that is beginning to favor job seekers. Airlines keep lowering their minimums. I've heard of a few regionals that are so desperate for pilots right now, that their interviewing pilots with less than 300 hours and 50 multi.

None of those airlines are necessarily places I want to work. I would prefer to work for one of a select few. I'm not as concerned about 1st through 3rd year FO pay as I am about working for an airline that I know is going to be there.

Anyway, since I've been doing quite a bit of flying outside of flight school, my times are going up rather quickly. I could have the minimums for the airline that is my choice by April or May.

Next month, I could either start CFI or FOS (Flight Officer School). FOS is basically 9 weeks of Part 121 Airline Regs and standards, high altitude training, jet simulator training, interview prep and so on.

I know that CFI/II/MEI are valuable and I great respect for everyone that has them. However, a day in the airline business is like a year everywhere else. Things change overnight. Right now and for the foreseeable future, hiring looks very good. But as the past has demonstrated, things can change in a heartbeat.

CFI/II/MEI would probably take 90 days to complete and then I would have to instruct for some time. Time is the factor for me.

Right now, I'm leaning towards FOS. My gut feeling is that it's the right thing to do for my situation. If I were 25 and didn't have a family, I would definitely be thinking differently. My friends that are airline pilots have told me that the airline doesn't care if you're a CFI. They want to know if you're trainable for Part 121 flight ops and if you're someone they could stand to be with for 4 days at a time. The earlier I get hired, the earlier I can get 121 turbine time and work towards ATP (Airline Transport Pilot).

There are a lot of people who have paid their dues through being a CFI. Being a good CFI is invaluable experience. But is it worth the time and cost for me right now? If the preferred route didn't work out, I could always go back and get CFI/II/MEI.

Hiring minimums are near an all time low. Just a few years ago, you needed a Space Shuttle type rating and 2,000,000,000,000 hours to be considered. September 11th demonstrated what can happen overnight.

To CFI or not to CFI? That is the question.

Commercial: Stick A Fork In It

I guess the image above answers any questions. Thanks to good fortune and a lot of hard work, I am finally a commercial pilot.

The check ride went pretty well. Before we took off, I mentioned to him that weather along the route wasn't looking good for VFR. There was ground fog and snow flurries about 15 miles South of Gateway and it didn't look too good. He said that we would depart towards the destination and he would divert me when necessary.

My first checkpoint was Coolidge Airport (P08). We ended up between a layer of fog and the ceiling on the climb out and I leveled off. I stated right there that 1. I wouldn't have taken off if I were actually going to Sierra Vista and 2. If I were en-route and came upon this on a VFR flight, I would divert now or cancel. He acknowledged and asked me to proceed. OK then. It began to snow. This was my first time flying in snow and it looks cool. It wasn't accumulating on the wings, but I could not see Coolidge or the sky above. I had a VOR radial backup and steered for it and used DME to measure my distance from Gateway. Dead reckoning and NAV radios said we were there, and just as I was about to tell the DPE that we should be over Coolidge, the fog cleared and Coolidge was below us.

At this point, I expected him to divert me. Nope. He had me go on to the second checkpoint, which was a cool little mountain called Picacho Peak. It was another 7 minutes away. So I steered for Picacho and enjoyed the view of the mountains covered with snow and fog. I wish I had time to snap a few photos, it was gorgeous. When I got on top of Picacho, he diverted me to Phoenix Regional (A39). I kind of expected to be diverted there, just not from so far away. We got into snow and MVFR visibility again and I found myself making sure the VOR backups were setup. I grabbed every ground reference point I could. My calculations were exactly on and we got to Phoenix Regional 17 minutes after starting the diversion. He complimented me on the accuracy of my diversion, especially considering the weather conditions. That felt good to hear.

At Phoenix Regional, we did the typical engine out maneuvers, short, soft and power off 180 landings. They all went off without a hitch and I was pleased.

We then departed North and did eights on pylons. In my second turn, the throttle got bumped and decreased manifold pressure by 2". I adjusted my altitude for the decreased speed and it worked out just fine. He said that I did the right thing.

Then we did slow flight, stalls, Chandelles, Lazy Eights and Steep Turns. Before I knew it, it was time to head back to Gateway. On the way back he cut my engine at 4,500' and I picked a dirt crop dusting strip that was about 4 miles away. We made it with altitude to spare. Nice.

After that, we headed back to Gateway. He just asked me for the nicest, smoothest landing I could give right on the numbers and exit at taxiway Lima. That was as perfectly reasonable request and a great way to end a successful check ride. We parked, he said "You did great, no suspense. I'll see you inside after you shut down and secure the aircraft."

3 for 3! With any luck, I'll be ready for my multi-engine add on in the next week or so. I have to say, it feels good to be a commercial pilot!

It's The Little Things In Life

My wife got me this for Christmas. The planes are tiny and sometimes my fingers are too big to do some of the intricate folding required, but I still have fun trying to fold them. It's a neat gift and constitutes one of life's little daily pleasures.

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The weather is a little crazy here in Phoenix. It has been cold and blustery since Thursday. The forecast called for clearing skies, so I went flying this morning. Ceilings were broken at 7,500. After we landed, the sky turned ominous and the rain started coming down. It rained off and on for the better part of the day.l

AND THEN...

It started to snow! In Phoenix. Snow flurries, during the day no less! It's a very big deal to see snow in Phoenix. Unfortunately, it was still too warm for any accumulation. The National Weather Service says that the accumulation level will be as low as 2,500 feet tonight.

I'm glad to see this weather. I just hope it's clear enough for the check ride tomorrow morning.

FM1200 04008KT P6SM SCT070 BKN140
FM1700 03006KT P6SM FEW070 SCT140

The check ride is scheduled for 9 a.m. which is 1600Z. I guess we'll see.

The Sandwich Artist

Learning to fly costs a lot of money. The FO job I'm working so hard for isn't going to make me wealthy, either. So I've been getting in the habit of eating for less. That means a 6" Cold Cut Combo, or the sandwich of the day from Jared's place much of the time. The problem, other than my low opinion of Subway in the first place, is that the sandwich "artists" aren't. Granted, if my full time job was being a sandwich "artist", it would make me very unhappy. So much so that I would probably consider staking out a freeway off-ramp with one of those "Will work for food (but would rather just have you give me cash)" signs.

So the other day I was pressed for time (and money, duh) before the check ride and headed over to Jared's place for a Spicy Italian. I ordered. The artist told me "We don't got no white bread". Umm this is Subway and you sell sandwiches, right? OK, I'll have Asiago cheese. Again, "We don't go no cheese bread". Ok, I'll have a Spicy Italian on whatever bread you have. "We don't go any pepperoni either, dude". This was starting to get old. Finally I said, "I'll take whatever you have as long as you promise not to call me dude again".

The point? This experience reminded me of a bit about Subway from one of my favorite stand-up comedians, Bob Marley. Here it is. Enjoy:



If you like this, you can hear more here. We've seen him several times at the Improv and he's hilarious.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

The Good: The oral exam was smoother than I could have possibly imagined. Everything came to me. Nothing stumped me. It was awesome. The DPE told my instructor, "It was excellent. He really knows his $hit." Thanks for the crude vote of confidence. I'll take it anyway it comes.

Also, the brain trust at school decided to put my plane in maintenance early for the 100 hour inspection. Apparently, nobody was aware that I had a check ride scheduled today. The maintenance guys are great. They went the extra mile to get it done before the flight. I can't say enough great things about them. They're like a group of McGuyvers the way they keep such crappy planes on line. Kudos. Unfortunately...

The Bad: The METAR at flight time: 100@18G28. That's a direct crosswind exceeding maximum component for the Arrow, forget about the gusts. Winds aloft were worse, plus an airmet for turbulence. Who wants to do a steep spiral from 7,500' with crazy winds and turbulence? How about soft field landing with maximum crosswind component? In a pinch, maybe. Being held to PTS, no way. I called the flight and asked for a letter of discontinuance. Mr. DPE had no problem with that.

The Ugly: The weather for tomorrow and Saturday looks bad. The next possible time to reschedule is Monday morning at 10 a.m. That's a long way away and to ensure completion, I'm going to have to do a review flight on Sunday. With just 20 hours in the aircraft, I fear that I might lose the PTS edge. So Sunday morning at 8 a.m., my instructor and I will go up one last time to brush up on ground reference, performance and emergency maneuvers.

Did I mention that I was disappointed? CRAP. I really wanted that rating today.

Panic Attack

Well, it's just about 7 p.m. I just got home from a business trip. On my way home, I start going through about 15 voice mails. Voice mail number 10: "Hi this is ***** from XYZ flight school, your check ride has been scheduled for tomorrow at 13:00. Your DPE is John Doe and he says to plan to San Diego. He weighs 220 and will be bringing 160 pounds of baggage. Good luck!"

Wow, 18 hours notice? Gee thanks. It would have been nice to at least have 48 hours.

Tonight: Proof read 8710. Make flight plan. Review, review, review. Systems, aerodynamics, regs, weather etc.

Tomorrow: Early morning review flight, then final review with my instructor.

Get me a paper bag...or some oxygen. Wait, is it hyperventilation or hypoxia?

Just breathe, you big doofus.