Journey to becoming a Professional Pilot

A few days off, time to study for CFI School...

2012-06-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

Well we are not flying the next few days, while the other two crews have the planes out on missions. So I'm taking advantage of the time off to brush up on things and study for CFI school. ATP has given me a binder to help me prep for CFI school. The program is developed, and designed to last two weeks. However the ground school is only one week, and the second week is for the oral and practical tests. So one must go to the school ready with all the written tests taken (FOI, FII & FIA). I still have to take the FIA test! As a result I'm studying, going over all basics and learning the theory of instruction (the way the FAA wants it).

As an instructor for the Navy I'm comfortable and enjoy teaching, but I'm working on learning the theories the FAA emphasises on how to teach. To help me be best prepared I've purchased the online course to prepare for the Flight Instructor Checkride & Oral exam from King Schools. I used their online course for my private pilot studies, and enjoyed it. As a result I figuared the online CFI course would be a great prep, in addition to all the materials provided by ATP I should be ready! I'm looking forward to being instructor, but I'm still a little nervous about the exams on the road to being a CFI, CFII & MEI!

Trip to Korea!

2012-06-01T20:15:00.000-07:00

Today's flight brought great opportunities. Our mission for the day was to take an Admiral to visit with the South Korean naval leaders and visit a ship recovered after being sunk by the North Korean navy. The ROKS ship Cheonan was sunk, and captized by a torpedo. The ROKS was sharing the evidence and making a case that the attack was unprovoked and was cleared caused by the ROKN, which they deny. The evidence speaks for itself, something torpedoed the Cheonan!

Remains of the ROKS Cheonan

Off to Japan for Detachment

2012-05-29T05:32:00.000-07:00

Well the last twelve days have flown by and now I'm off to detachment in Japan with the Navy. I'll be using the time off "flying" to study for CFI school. All of my classmates have told me what to expect so I'm nervous but excited this is the last step in my training with ATP. Our first stop is Anchorage, AK if we get in early enough I'll drop off an application with Era Alaska!

Memorial Day- Bad Luck and Sprained Ankle!

2012-05-28T23:27:00.000-07:00

Today didn't go very well! I woke up early and checked the weather, perfect VFR conditions. Wow, finally the weather blew out, and the conditions are perfect for the ride!

As I'm heading to the airport to meet Steven, it starts to rain. Darn! Steven and I check the weather and in less then two hours it went to IFR conditions. So we plan to fly up to Carlsbad with a tower enroute IFR clearance. As we are walking to the plane I notice that it is leaning. What is that about? Then I noticed that the starboard main tire is flat. Great it is memorial day, 7am in the morning. IF we find a mechanic, I reminded Steven we need to figure out why the tire went flat over night. Then Steven remembered, there was a plane in Carlsbad we could use. So I called Russ, let him know we are having change of plans but we will be there a little late, but ready to go.

As Steven drove me to Carlsbad, I studied the Vspeeds for the new version of the 172, and R. Once we arrive my luck got worse! As I was getting out of the car, a turned wrong and my ankle rolled dropping me to the ground like a sack of potatoes. As I hobble to the office, Steven notified Russ that wont be able to take the ride. Thankfully Russ was his normal caring sole, and understood. We chatted and agreed I'd give him a call as soon as I return from my detachment to schedule my ride portion of my check ride. My discontinuance from Saturday expires on July 25th, so that will work!

So now I'm home with my ankle wrapped, on ice. I'm hoping I'll be able to get my foot in my boot tomorrow, for my flight to Alaska and on to Japan.

Brush Up flights

2012-05-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

With the weather being bad towards the later half of the week I didn't get as much practice I wanted for my single engine commercial manunvers. On friday evening, I felt ok about the manuvers after struggling all week but would have desired more time. But the date was set! So today I took advantage of the sun today and drug Steven to the air once again to boost my confidence and ensure the manuevers to perfect for tomorrows flight portion of my check-ride. So times God is looking down on ya!

After a couple hours flying around and bouncing I felt much better, and feel ready for the flight portion tomorrow. Lets hope the weather is good! Good night for now!

CASEL Checkride!

2012-05-26T23:24:00.000-07:00

What a great day.. today I sat for my Commercial Single Engine check ride. With the weather being bad, we knew we were just going to knock out the oral exam and then delay the flight portion for Monday, Memorial Day! Already being a commercial rated pilot, all the PTS required was that I'd tested on will be performance and systems of the aircraft being used for the check ride and performing the single engine maneuvers. In my case the might Cessna 172!

Cessna 172M

My designated pilot examiner (DPE) Russ, a gentleman I've known for awhile. He was my examiner for my Instrument check ride, so I'm familiar with his philosophy and how much he cares about ensuring I'm the best pilot I can be.

We meet after a classmates checkride and dove right into the systems on the mighty Cessna 172M, the chosen plane for the ride! Compared to the Seminole and the 737, its super simple for me so he asked the obligatory questions. Soon we were discussing performance and personal minimums. I shared with him, that my background in the 737 and other jets as instilled a foundation of not ignoring any performance calculations and how I approach a flight. Lastly we discussed some techniques to being a better commercial pilot, while flying passengers. It is great being able to pickup tidbits from his experience.

Finally the questions were done, phew.. I passed the oral exam and now I'll knock out the flight portion on Monday.

Back from Bahrain!

2012-05-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

Finally back in my own house tonight, after 37 days on the road. The deployment was fun and busy, but I'm happy to be home. I love being on the road, but also enjoy my own bed and couch! No its time to knock out my Commercial single engine checkride. I'll hit the ground running tomorrow, as a commercial pilot the check ride for single engine priveleges is considered an add on. So as a result the check ride oral exam should be short, and will cover single engine performance and specifics. I can't wait to go flying again!

Off to Bahrain for Navy Duties!

2012-04-12T05:30:00.000-07:00

Well I'm off to Bahrain for detachment with the Navy. The det should be fun, the weather is cool, the riots are at a minmum and I've got the best seat in the house... In the middle! First stop today is Andrews AFB!

First flight with the Civil Air Patrol

2012-04-02T18:50:00.000-07:00

Today was awesome.. I was privileged enough to take my first flight with the CAP Sq 57. We flew up to Borrego Springs to drop two other pilots for training in a G1000 equipped Cessna 172. The Sq flys a Cessna U206G, basically a utility version of the 206. The flight was planned to allow me to see what a flight is like with the CAP and get accustomed to the plane. Since I'm familiar with the 210, a retractable version of the 206. I've flown the airframe before. However CAP has their own signoff requirements and I wanted a "familiarization flight" before taking a flight review in the plane.

One thing I didn't take in account was that I was hoping into a plane with three flight instructors. When we all got to the plane they looked at me like I was the pilot in command (PIC), something I wasn't planning for. Once airborne, and on our way I started to laugh, what was i thinking! They were nice, and I pulled off an awesome landing so the flight ended on a great note. I'm hoping when I get all done with the Navy and ATP in August I'll be able to start flying more with the Sq.

Loving Simulators & Dallas

2012-03-01T22:52:00.000-08:00

Today didn't go as well as I hoped in the simulator, but this afternoon and evening was awesome! We spent the day practicing engine out practice, all sorts of emergencies were throw at us. Loss of a cargo (going in to the #1 engine), loss of hydraulics, etc. Unfortunately, on one of the landings / crashes (lost a main mount) for one of the pilots, the simulator crashed (windows!!!). So the time required to restart the sim, ate into any time they were going to give me. Darn! With the day over, we headed out or some exercise, and relaxing. We ended up at the Katy Ice House, which is on the Katy trail which winds it way thru down town Dallas. I was shocked with how many beautiful women we saw! I'm loving TX! Later we ended up at sFuzzi in uptown Dallas, again so many beautiful women, the food was awesome as well. I'll be visiting again! I've loving being in Avatition!!

Logging 737NG Simulator time!

2012-02-29T19:28:00.000-08:00

Well the past few days have been fun, and educational. However today was awesome, today I had the chance to get behind the controls myself and try landing a 737NG. The instructor started me off with a RVR 900 take off, with vectors to the final approach for a CAT II landing. I was surprised how much control input was required, I was expecting it to be more sensitive. I used the HUD for the first landing, helping me keep on glideslope, and teach me when to flare. The first landing wasn't smooth or pretty, but it was on center line and effective.

The second take off was a RVR 600! It's weird rolling down a runway now being able to see to far in front of you. But the instruments don't lie! The second landing was a CAT III approach and was much smoother and wasn't bad! The last landing was a regular landing CAT I with a 200' ceiling, in the snow with a 12kt cross wind. Again the landing was smooth, on center line, and right on the 1000' marks. I'm ecstatic and super happy! I've just landed a 737NG three times. All told I logged three instrument approaches, .5 hours of time in a Level D simulator. They told me I did well for a "novice", and they wonder if I can land with a dead engine. I look forward to trying tomorrow. Engine out procedures on the slat for tomorrow!

CAE 737NG Level D Simulator

CAE Simulator.... time for some 737NG simulator time!

2012-02-26T19:21:00.000-08:00

Well I'm off to Dallas Forth Worth airport for a week of training in the 737NG simulator. As part of my crew chief job, I'm required to attend simulator sessions with two other pilots to help them thru their annual training. And I'm just torn up about it! The navy is forcing me to go to Dallas, hang out in simulators, while learning from more professionals in the field. I'm hoping to suck up any time the pilots don't use. Lets see if I can fly the 737!

Gotta make the dough. Trip to Djbouti (HDAM) and back.

2012-01-12T20:08:00.000-08:00

Headed off on a five day trip with the Navy... Gotta make some dough to pay the rent. Our first leg was to Jacksonville,Fl ...my old stomping grounds from my early days as a P-3C aircrew.

Its a Beautiful Day... Instrument check ride done!!!

2011-12-13T17:02:00.000-08:00

Final Flight before Instrument Ride...

2011-12-06T17:26:00.000-08:00

New Flight Instructor... Mitch..

2011-11-28T17:24:00.000-08:00

Another brush up flight...

Crew Chief Training.... 10-18-11-28

2011-11-26T17:23:00.000-08:00

Cessna C-172 IFR Review with Brett

2011-10-24T17:18:00.000-07:00

Simulators and Bookwork!

2011-10-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

Well over the last few days I've spent time flying the simulators (at school and home) to en-grain a consistent pattern to my flights. And when not doing that I've been looking for weak areas in my IFR knowledge. Nothing too exciting but I'm making progress each day I fly three or four approaches I've never flown to see how I do and gain experience. I'm hoping to take my check ride at the end of the month after a trip for the Navy (gotta make some money!). Overall I'm happy I've chosen to step back and get more experience before I move on. In the big picture I'll still be a certified flight instructor after starting no with certificate in five months, and doing it in an enjoyable way. (the whole goal in my career change). Plan to relax the rest of the weekend and get some chores done!

Second Evaluation Flight...

2011-10-05T19:33:00.000-07:00

Well at 7am Brett and I were headed airborne for another flight. This time Brett was looking to find the problem areas (yesterday he wanted to see how I did on my own). During the flight, we shot some approaches I'd never seen before to see how things went. After landing we went over my strong and weak areas. Overall I'm close but I need to hit the books, practice in the simulators and some more flights. Overall Brett noticed that I haven't developed a consistent pattern to my set up for each approach and en-route work. Brett reminded me of the metradome theory he'd taught me during my VFR flying. I should have a constant rythem to getting things done and keep looking for things that need attention. We agreed to meet later in the day for some ground work, to test my oral knowledge for my next check ride. I spent the rest of the day studying and going over non-published holds with Jared. This afternoon I met with Brett and thankfully he only found a few holes in my knowledge, nothing that can't be resolved with some flash cards! We chatted about my plan to get done and agreed it would work but I needed to find some cash for flight time. Overall I was happy but mentally tired!

First Flight Cessna 172 and IFR at that!

2011-10-04T19:08:00.000-07:00

Well today was successful in some way and no so in others. I met Brett at 7 this morning and soon we were airborne headed out to test my skills. In theory, Brett didn't give anything that was too crazy or above my skill or knowledge level but I still struggled. A small percentage of the challenge was my unfamiliarity with the plane, but that was not the majority of the issues. After the flight we went over my weak and strong areas, he told me to relax the skills will come. On the bright side my first landing in a 172 was smooth as silk!
As luck would have it my sister and her family were in town so I spent the remainder of the day with them at the U.S.S. Midway Museum. During the visit I was able to chat with Dale regarding my flying troubles, he told me not to stress about it and take the check ride when I was ready, reminding me IFR flying if done wrong can be deadly unlike being a VFR pilot. Overall the day was educational and fun, it was fun to hang out with the nephews.

Too Rusty...

2011-10-03T19:34:00.000-07:00

Well I was skeptical and for a good reason. The first flight back in the air wasn't as bad as my instrument ride (nerves) but my skills were rusty and I had forgotten some basics. Leaving me in the need of some re-training, and now were close to a check ride (at-least in my opinion) Since I'm at the end of my instrument training I'm out of multi-engine time with the school, so any time I fly the Seminole I am burning time against my cross country hours I need to have for my commercial certificate.

So I had to come up with a plan today! Honestly I was little perplexed on my next step. Jared was confident I'd get it and we could push past things. But I wasn't so sure. So the first thing on the list was to call Joe and cancel the check ride for tomorrow. While talking with Joe I asked for his advice. And what I received as some wonderful advice and backing. He was happy I called myself and knew my own limits. (made my day!) He reminded me that I'm new to the IFR world and being gone would a little to get back to where I was. Additionally he gave me some idea on how to get past my problem with nerves. Another wonderful example the advice available from your local designated pilot examiner (DPE) if you ask. Remember they are there to help and develop pilots. With his advice I called Brett and asked if he was available to give me some IFR training. Luckily he was and we have flights scheduled in a Cessna 172 for tomorrow and Wednesday. I'm hoping Brett will be able to find the little items that I can't put my finger on but know I'm missing to gain the strong confidence and skills I want and desire before my next check ride. So this evening was spent going back over the IFR notes with plans for a early morning flight with Brett tomorrow.

Hours in the simulator, knocking the rust off.

2011-10-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

Well I've spent that last few days knocking the rust off in the simulator. It's been over 50 days since I've flown a plane so I needed to get the hang of things and recover my scan. So after five days of flying the simulator I'm headed to the sky tomorrow. The goal is to clean things up and take my re-ride for my instrument test tomorrow. I'm a little skeptical but Jared my instructor is optimistic.

Now to tackle instrument rating monster.

2011-09-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

Back from my motorcycle touring.. Now I need to crack on to getting my instrument rating accomplished. After reflection and thought about my instrument checkride failure, I came up with some areas that I needed to improve and fix. (attached for those wanting to learn from my ways) Overall my knowledge is there and I love flying IFR. However I need to put it all together and learn to keep the nerves out of if and learn it's a job, and move on if something goes wrong.

Motorcycling adventures!

2011-09-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

Just back from eight days of motorcycling.. our travels took us east towards Lake Tahoe, north of San Francisco and back to San Diego. It was great to spend some time with John on the open road. Additionally on the trip we stopped at my parents house twice making the trip even more special. It's always great to hang out at the parents home.