Friday, September 7, 2012

T-17 Days

I've been busy studying for my multi-engine rating, and prepping for the move. ATP sent me a stack of exam guides and training supplements that I'm going over:


One of them is the Piper Seminole Training Supplement, which must be memorized prior to training. It covers the essentials of multi-engine flight dynamics, Seminole aircraft systems, performance data, and emergency checklists. I've created some flash cards on my iPad to help with memorization. I'm noticing that my middle-aged brain is not quite as good at absorbing this stuff as it used to be. The printed material is only a fraction of what I'll need to learn during my training. The bulk of the material is accessed via iPad courseware.

As I start to pack, I'm wondering how I'm going to fit everything I'm bringing to Phoenix in my Smart car. Honestly, I think the biggest challenge of this training might just be the drive to Phoenix. Twenty-five hours driving across the desert in the the Smart car is going to be...interesting. It's a great commuter car, but I've never been further than 50 miles from Seattle in it. It's loud, has no cruise control, and the suspension is like a go-kart. I'm giving myself three days for the drive, and I have an extra day as a buffer in case it takes longer. Should be exciting.

1 comment:

Pat said...

Funny, I was thinking the same thing about all that memorization - I have a hard time remembering things I did the other day, let alone MEMORIZING tons of details! To hear YOU say you are having trouble makes me feel somewhat better! But I have utmost confidence in you - you have your father's smarts. You will fly through these courses - no pun intended! As far as that Smart car goes - here is what I think - I still can't believe that you FIT in it! You might want to consider trading it in for a 4-door! :)