Beautiful Evening

I love the Spring time change. That extra hour of daylight means that I can fit a flight lesson in after work. Today was a perfect day for flying. 62 deg., clear and no wind. I met one of my students after work for some landing practice. Everything seemed to come together for him today and he was able to make the last four or five landings without any help from me. At this rate I'll be able to sign him off to solo in another lesson or two. I really love it when a student makes such great progress.

I'm Back!

So it's been a while since I last posted. Nearly two and half years actually. As you may recall, last time I posted I was in Arizona attending ATP professional pilot school. Long story short, I completed the program and graduated with the following ratings:

• Commercial Pilot, Single Engine Land
• Commercial Pilot, Multi-Engine Land
• Instrument Pilot
• Certified Flight Instructor
• Certified Multi-Engine Flight Instructor
• Instrument Flight Instructor

That means I can legally get paid to fly airplanes, and teach others how to fly airplanes. The training program is something I will remember all my life. It was challenging, but also a tremendous amount of fun. I logged nearly 200 hours of flight time, and got to fly 4-8 hours a day, seven days a week. 

After graduating, I signed on as a flight instructor with a flight school at Boeing Field. It was a pretty good gig and I got to fly about 20 hours a week. It quickly became apparent though that it was simply not feasible to make a living as a full-time pilot. For the first couple of years I would have to work as a flight instructor making $12-$15 an hour. After that, I'd have to work at a regional airline making $18K - $20K a year. I discovered I'm not prepared to scale back my standard of living that much! It could work for a 20-something single guy, but for a middle-aged guy with a wife, two kids, and a mortgage, not so much.

So ultimately I decided to go back to work in the software industry which would enable me to fly on my own terms. I purchased my own airplane (a Mooney M20K 252), and started working as an agile coach and management consultant. I did my "regular" job during the week, and did flight instruction on the weekends. Eventually the flight school I was working at went under, and so I started instructing as an independent instructor. My consulting work required me to travel a lot, and having my own airplane meant that I could fly myself to the job location. I spent almost two years commuting between Seattle and San Jose in my Mooney.

Crater Lake during a flight to San Jose

I eventually grew tired of being away from my family so much, so a few months ago a took a position as Vice President of Engineering at a Seattle telecommunications company. Now that I'm back in Seattle, I have time to instruct on weekends and in the evenings after work. With the weather starting to improve, I should be able to fly about 10 hours a week. I currently have two students that I'm flying with regularly, and looking for a couple more.

So that catches things up, and I promise to try and keep the blog more up to date. My flight instruction business has it's own website, so check it out, and if you want to go flying, let me know!

Phase I Complete: Multi-Engine Pilot

As of yesterday, I've completed phase I of the ATP Airline Career Pilot Program, and I'm also now a multi-engine rated pilot! It's been an intense couple of weeks. Between studying, flying, and sleeping, I haven't had a lot of time for anything else, much less updating the blog. Here's a rundown of the past 10 days:

Day 1
Arrived at ATP at 9:00 in the morning. Spent the first couple of hours doing paperwork and absolving ATP of any responsibility should I crash and burn. Then it was a couple of hours of ground school covering Piper Seminole systems and twin engine flight dynamics. I was glad that I had spent time preparing and had already memorized a lot of the information that was covered. I also met my classmate (call her "M"). The two of us are going through the career pilot program together. She has actually been here since April, as she started without a pilot's license. There was an FAA SNAFU which held up getting her class-one flight physical, which delayed her training quite a bit. Normally she would have been finished with the whole program by now, but she has another three months to go. I will say that its nice having her in my class, as she's closer to my age. Pretty much everyone else around here is young enough to be my kid :)  M has two kids of her own, so at least we have something in common. I have the distinction of being the oldest student here.

Day 2
More ground instruction. My instructor definitely knows his stuff, and he expects us to know it as well. After ground, it was a couple of hours in the flight simulator, or as it's known here, "the Stimulator." Flying the sim is rough. It's very sensitive, and since you don't have the feedback you get from flying in a real airplane, it can be very difficult to fly. My instructor said that if I did well in the sim today and Wednesday, we'd fly on Thursday.

Day 3
More ground, more sim. My instructor was very pleased with my progress and scheduled a flight for Thursday.

Day 4
First flight in the Seminole, and it went very well. We practiced flight maneuvers and takeoffs and landings. The Seminole is easier to fly than a Cessna. It's heavier, and has a higher wing loading, so it's more stable in the air. Landing it is also much easier. All you have to do is power to 15", put the gear and flaps down, and then fly it around base and final at 88 kts. To land, just fly a foot over the runway and cut the throttle, and it plonks right down. My instructor was impressed that I was able to put it exactly where I wanted it on the runway every time. One thing that is definitely different about flying twins is that you have two engines, and you can fly with one of them stopped. We practiced flying with the engine out and I grabbed this picture:

It is very strange flying in an airplane with an engine not running!

Day 5

More maneuvers in the Seminole. We practiced steep turns, slow flight, power-on and power-off stalls, emergency descents, and Vmc demos. A Vmc demo is were you kill one engine, slow down and pitch up to the point were you are about to lose directional control of the airplane. This is done in order to understand what can happen with one engine out. It's probably one of the most important maneuvers to learn when flying multi-engine airplanes. We then headed back to the airport to practice more landings, including landing with one engine out.

Day 6

Today was ground school and simulator. 

Day 7

Flight number three. Things seem to have degraded. My landings and maneuvers have all gotten worse since I started. It's not helping that the temperature as been over 100 every day, and the cockpit is like a greenhouse. I am starting to get familiar with the local terrain. It's easy to get lost in the desert since it's just a flat expanse of brown with some brown bumps. Two of the biggest challenges I'm having are with radio operation and breaking my Cessna habits. On the radio, I often miss hearing the controllers because I'm used to listening for the callsign of my airplane. Here I'm flying a different plane all the time, and I'm not used to the new callsign numbers. Also, the controllers here talk so fast it's hard to understand them. Since I normally fly in the mountains into small, uncontrolled airstrips, I'm not used to  the chaos of a busy airport like Mesa-Gateway. I also frequently revert back to the habits I've picked up flying Cessnas. I'm used to certain controls being in certain places, and sometimes it takes me a second to figure out where something is.

Day 8

Last flight before my checkride. Overall the flight went well, and my instructor says I should have no problem passing, but I'm very nervous. Spent the night doing more studying.

Day 9

Check ride. Got to the airport at 9:00 AM for my 10:30 checkride. I found out at the last minute that the examiner only accepts cash, so I have to scramble to find an ATM. Unfortunately the ATM has a $160 limit. So I have to go to another. That one has a $200 limit, so I have to go to a third. Get to the third and realize I left my card in the last ATM. Head back to that bank, fill out paperwork to get my card back, and then back to bank #3 to get the rest of the cash. Back to the airport, only to sit around and wait for another hour as the examiner hasn't finished with his previous student. The examiner and I hit if off really well, as he's an older guy and shares my haircut :)  During the oral I answered every question and the examiner finally said "it's clear you know this stuff, let's go fly." The flight exam couldn't have gone better. I nailed every maneuver. We landed for the last time and he said "congratulations, you passed." Now I have a multi-engine rating.

Day 10

The last two flights of Phase I are supposed to be VFR cross-country flights to build cross-country time towards the commercial rating. Since I already have enough cross-country hours for the rating, we elected to fly these flights as IFR to get an early start on my instrument training. IFR means "instrument flight rules" which basically means flying while blind - i.e. flying in clouds without being able to see anything outside. We filed an IFR flight plan to Yuma, AZ, and took off around 3:30 PM. It was a fun flight, but flying only by looking at the instruments is very hard. In addition to flying the plane, you have to talk to ATC on the radio, and anticipate everything that's going to happen next. There's a million things to deal with, and if you can't multi-task you're in big trouble. It's definitely going to take awhile to get used to this.  

On the approach to Yuma, we did what's known as a "PAR," or Precision Approach Radar approach. This means that instead of getting guidance from your instruments, a controller verbally talks you down. He continuously talks to you through the radio telling you if you are too low, too high, or left or right of the flight path. These kinds of approaches are almost exclusively done at military airports, and Yuma is predominately a Marine Corps base. It was pretty interesting. 

Upon landing we taxied over to the civilian part of the airport, and parked at the local FBO called "Million Aire." The place is VERY swanky. When we parked the airplane, A line boy ran up and as soon as we opened the door he handed us a couple of ice-cold bottles of water. We went inside and the place was gorgeous. They had private pilot lounges with big overstuffed leather recliners where you can relax and sleep, and they will run out to any of the local restaurants for you and get food for you. They also offer all the free sodas you want. They also have a free courtesy car, and unlike most airports that beat up old clunkers, this place had a brand new Mercedes Benz. We decided to order some awesome shrimp tacos from a local Mexican restaurant and watch the presidential debate on a big screen TV. 

Once it got dark, I pre-flighted the airplane and we headed back to Mesa. Flying across the desert at night is very cool. It is absolutely pitch black, except for the occasional light on the ground, or from another airplane. We had a small UFO encounter, when we saw a bright light at our two o'clock exactly matching our pace. We couldn't figure out what it was. After a couple of minutes we called ATC and asked if there was any traffic around us, and he said that it was an A-10 Warthog ground attack plane flying next to us. Eventually he turned the light off and disappeared. It was pretty trippy.

We finally landed back at Mesa around 9:30. I was exhausted, so I drove back to my apartment and crawled into bed. Thus marked the end of phase I.

Well, that's the recap of phase I. Today I started the instrument phase. We did a little bit of ground school and then hit the simulator. My instructor said there was only one person he's ever seen do as well as I did on the first day, so I'm hoping that bodes well for the rest of phase II. The instrument part of the program lasts a month, and some say it's the most difficult. There's a LOT to learn, and your flying has to be very precise, so I have a lot to learn before my checkride on Oct. 30. I have seven more simulator flights before we go back up in the plane again, and a ton of material to study by then.

Now I'm off to hit the books.

And so it begins...

After a long, hard drive I made it to Arizona. Day one of the drive took me from Seattle to Twin Falls, Idaho. Overall it was a fine drive, with the only downside being the thick smoke that hung in the air all the way across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The visibility was only one or two miles; it was like driving in a smoky bubble. By the end of the day my eyes were burning.

The next day was a trek across the Nevada desert. The smoke was still in the air, and it lasted all the way across the Northern part of Nevada. It was the most difficult part of the drive, as the altitude across much of Nevada is around 6000', and my little Smart car was really sucking wind. I did nearly the entire drive with the pedal firmly to the floor just to be able to do the speed limit. Unfortunately my car doesn't have cruise control, and my right calf is still sore from mashing the gas. But I made it to Vegas, and that evening I went to the Aria casino for the buffet. It was excellent, and had the added perk of being lobster night with free wine.

The last day was a fairly easy drive to Mesa. I watched as the temperature slowly rose from 90 in Las Vegas, to a high of 109 in Arizona. When I finally got to Mesa it was 105. Ugh. The first thing I did when I got to Phoenix was stop at a car wash to scrub the layer of bugs off the car. Then it was off to the ATP office at the airport to pick up the keys to my apartment. Finally I arrived at the apartment, met my two roommates, and got unpacked.

The apartment is OK. It's a three bedroom, so we each get a room to ourselves for now. Another guy was supposed to be arriving by today, but he hasn't shown up, so hopefully I'll get to keep a room to myself for awhile. There's not much for amenities in the apartment. I have a small bed and a dresser, and that's it. There's a couch and love seat in the living room, and a dining table with four chairs. Fortunately we have a washer/dryer in the apartment. We're on the second foor, and our balcony overlooks a beach volleyball court and a nice pool. The complex also has a fairly nice gym.

On Sunday I relaxed after the long trip, and then went out to pick up a few things I needed. I also bought some glassware since there were only two cups in the whole apartment. In the evening one of my roommates and I went across the street for a beer, and some of the instructors were there as well. It turns out that one of them was my instructor, so it was great to get a chance to talk with him before class. The instructors were also having a BBQ that night, so we all went over to the their apartment for beers, and then grilled carne asada and steaks out by the volleyball court. It was a lot of fun.

This morning I woke up bright and early to get ready for class. I had a quick breakfast and made the five-minute drive to the airport. I met the other student that will be going through the multi-engine and instrument phases with me, and we spent the first couple of hours doing paperwork. After that, we kicked off ground school with a 50-question general aviation test. I was worried I wouldn't do well, since a lot of that stuff I haven't reviewed since I got my pilot's license 13 years ago, but I ended up only missing a couple of obscure questions, so I was happy about that. My instructor seems to think I'll do pretty well.

Then we headed outside to check out the planes (HOT HOT HOT), and then back inside to see the simulators. We fired one up, and I took the opportunity to take off, kill an engine, and then land. I didn't crash, and was able to breeze through the engine out checklist from memory, so I think that's a good sign. When I got home, some of the other books I had ordered were waiting for me on the doorstep.  So I have a whole pile of stuff I need to study.

Once it cooled off to a chilly 98 deg. tonight, I walked about a mile to Staples to pick up a couple of things. It's funny how after just a couple of days 98 deg. feels pleasant.

Tomorrow and Wednesday will be spent in the simulators, and hopefully I'll get to fly on Thursday.

T-7

At this time next week I will be attending the first day of flight school in Phoenix. I'm very excited, but also fairly anxious as, until I get there, I don't really know what to expect. I've been spending time studying for the first phase of training every day, and I think I'm ready, but we'll see. The book learning I'm doing now isn't quite "real" until I put it in practice in the plane.

Today I'm having lunch with a guy who just graduated from the program, so I'll have an opportunity to get some solid inside knowledge from someone who's "been there, done that." The rest of the week will be spent getting everything packed up and ready to go. It's hard to believe that on Thursday morning I'll be leaving home and won't be back until November for Thanksgiving.

I've mapped out my route to Phoenix. Since I've taken the I-5 route South numerous times, I decided on a more Easterly route that goes through Nevada. On day one I'll head East on I-90 to Ellensberg, WA, then Southeast on I-84 to Twin Falls, ID. That should take around 10 hours, and I'll spend the night in Twin Falls. Day two will be a straight shot through the Nevada desert on Highway 93, and that should take about nine hours, which leaves the final push to Phoenix on day three continuing on Hwy. 93. My first stop in Phoenix will be at the ATP office at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport to pick up the keys to my apartment. Then I'll head to the apartment to meet my roommates and unpack. I'll have all day Sunday to get settled in, go to the store to pick up anything I forgot to bring, and get ready for training to start at 0800 Monday morning.

View Larger Map

T-14

I ordered my school uniforms today. Royal blue dri-fit golf shirts with chinos. That's all I'll be wearing for the next nine months, so at least getting dressed in the morning will be simple!

I'm continuing to study the materials for the multi-engine rating. It has taken a few days to shift back into student mode, but now things are starting to click well. I've got the V-speeds memorized, and now I'm focusing on emergency checklists. I think I'll have no problem passing the oral exam part of the checkride.

And in case some haven't seen it, here's a video that helps keep me motivated:

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.