up and coming FAA checkride
 

ew boy. here we go again. i haven't been around the cellar too much as of late because i've been training for this coming wednesday, (12/15). i have my multi-engine commercial checkride and the butterflies have already started. i'm so sick of studying aerodynamics, charts, graphs, systems, airspace rules, etc. i could puke. i was supposed to fly tonight but the generator on the left engine said "SEE-YA!" and the voltage regulator ran off with the spoon! that plane HAS to be fixed tomorrow. i must fly as much as possible before wednesday's check ride. this is a big one for me. continental express has lowered their minimums to 600 and 100 which means 600 hours total time with 100 hours multi-engine time. a goal that i can reach in about a year now that i'm flying charters. the plane that i'm taking my check ride in is a piper geronimo although the pictures depicted here are of an apache, the plane that i'm flying has a geronimo tail instead of an apache's. (better handling in single engine emergencies so i'm told) anyway, i need this. i want this. i want the butterflies to go away. more to come........

Good luck! And remember to keep the switch set to "wings stay on".

In a case like this, the proper expression would be "Don't break a leg!".

Good luck, Fred.

thanks guys. and it's a 1958 model plane. i hope the wings stay on! heh. lol. errrr :eek:

Good luck!! You'll do great, I'm sure.

Just put 'er down on the freeway... any landing you walk away from is a good one.

yeah, there are 2 types of landings.....good landings and great landings. the difference being that you can use the airplane again after a great landing :D

I am no longer current on my private license and have been postponing getting checked out by an instructor again... will have to do some studying since it was just before 9/11 that I flew last. Certain I could run through the checklist and takeoff/land with no problems but remembering what all those little marks on the sectional mean is kinda blurry... :3_eyes:

And I am sure the first time PBI approach rattled off alt, speed, heading, and transponder codes to me (all in 2.3 seconds) I would say "aaaah.. what was that?"....and they don't like that!

Fly, little bird, fly!

Good Luck man...it ain't as bad as you expect.

I myself will be returning to the skies as soon as I get a new job and clear up a few pesky bills. Maybe I'll take a cross-country down thataway sometime. Only instead of M.E., I'm thinking of going for rotorcraft...just for kicks. That and my instrument ticket. Commercial I don't really need.

I hope you get in with Continental. It ain't bad to be paid for doing what you love anyway! :D

Brian

thanks wolf, brian and dragon. brian, have you looked into the prices for the rotorcraft? scary!! :eek: get your instrument first. it's well worth it.

well as i expected, the plane wasn't ready for me to fly tonight for training. in fact, i helped get it back to flying condition by putting the left cowl/nacelle back on and also helped bleed the brakes sooooo i'll be doing the oral portion of the checkride tomorrow then get a "continuance" and do the flight portion later this week or this weekend. i don't feel comfortable with my single engine instrument approaches enough to attempt the practical. talk about a convoluted situation. it feels as if (with the left engine at "zero thrust" i.e. just enough power to simulate a feathered engine) your in a awkward situation. indeed you are however, literally putting sooooo much pressure on the right rudder pedal that you pray the seat back doesn't give way and banking into the good engine all while flying a localizer and glide slope (ils) just doesn't seem to work for me. all i need is some practice, of which i missed out on the last two days b/c of the generators going south. oh well. i'll get it. but something that REALLY gets me is the fact that the other two guys who are taking their rides tomorrow as well were there ALL DAY and did nothing but sit in the office while mike (the owner/mechanic) did all the work to get the plane going. hell, our instructor is an A&P (airframe & powerplant mechanic) for crying out loud and sat in there with them!!! i pull up and the plane is obviously not ready, i go into the office and mike is in there handling some business and told me what was going on. i was so pissed i said that i didn't drive all the way down there (45 mins) to do nothing so i turned around and went to the plane and started working on putting it back together. oh, i'm working on my A&P as well so it counts towards that rating. crap, i'm rambling and i'm not even drunk! LOL! ok venting is more like it. anyway, thanks for the support fellas. it really does help.


oh, and brian, or anyone else for that matter, mi casa es su casa! just ask zippyt! ;)

Hey, they built 'em solid back then......and the butterflys help with lift. Not to worry...everything be okey dokey. :thumbsup:

Yes, I've priced that course. It is indeed scary, but I *want* it. And I'll get it too, once I can afford it. But first things first. Bills. Then medical and back to ground school to see what has changed in the years since I went last. Then some time with an instructor to get back up to snuff on approaches and crosswind (my usual weaknesses), then the checkride for Private. THEN I go for my 200 hours and then get instrument. I agree that I want that more than rotorcraft. And can use it more often too. Many is the day when the clouds were just at or below minimums for VFR and I wanted to go fly but could not (or did not dare to) fly. VFR on top is too dangerous for me.

I just gotta find time for all this in between having a real job, which must come before any other fun things. I might be trucking through your town someday though. I'll email you if that happens. Layovers must happen ya know :)

Brian

that sounds like a plan brian.

well, i've gotten through the oral portion of my exam, passed that no problem. now all i have to do is the practical which will be sometime in the next few days when the examiner can meet back up with me.

tuesday, January 11, 2005.....wwwwooooooooooooooooohoooooooooooooooo!
goterdone!!!!!!!! the examiner was very impressed with my check ride! it's the first check ride that i've ever done that i didn't bust on the initial attempt due to nerves! damn i wish my dad were still alive to see this! (he passed last september, i don't think i talked about that here, or anywhere for that matter. anyway, today is a GREAT day! thanks for the support people! it was greatly appreciated!

this is me, "my airplane" and my new temporary airman certificate:
commercial pilot
single engine land
multi-engine land
instrument airplane

Great job, congratulations! :thumbsup:

God job!!

YAY!!

My dad was a pilot for years until the emphysema was noticable. I "took the stick" many times and I know the thrill.

Congrats to you, I know this is a wonderful achievement.

:thumbsup: Oustanding! Now, what are you going to do with it? Continue on to do puddle jumps with lots of airsick passengers? Fly freight? Run rum?

*must... resist..., must... not... start... obvious... threadjack..."

All I can say, Troubleshooter, is that on the old Waffle Cellar that would have gotten an instant cookie nomination.

Cookie nomination?

Way to go, PJ! Be sure and look me up if you ever fly into KC.

Hey, that's awesome!

You should fly all of us Texan Cellarites up to the next Plastic Forks... :)

Cellar Airlines...now there's a chilling thought.

Can you imagine the flight attendants?

"Would you like some whale penis pate, Sir?"

And lumberjim at the ticket counter, no doubt.... "Now, were you looking to buy or lease those tickets Ma'am?"

...and Radar telling the flight attendant, "Don't make him decide on one thing or not! Just put it all out in the aisle and let him choose!" :D

... and Sycamore: "The fucking plane is boarding now bitch, hurry the fuck up."

I love to hear sucess stories, especially from the deserving! Congrats!!

And wolf could be the (very well-armed) air marshall!

thanks guys! for now i'm going to be a "slut" pilot. anyone who needs a pilot contacts me and i fly the plane for them. on demand pilot services for charter basically. there is a local rap artist that i've flown to El Paso a couple of times. they also go to Nashville sometimes too. that El Paso trip was a long one b/c it was in a piper arrow that is about 30 knots slower than the geronimo.

hehe, cellar airlines - "The cheap seats are in the cellar!"

Radar could cater the hot dogs!

Clod - that is doable, as long as everyone chips in on the $150/hr rate the plane goes for. (divided by 5 of course)

Hummm...think you could wing on down to Bolivia and pick something up for me? :yelgreedy



Disclaimer: It's a joke, only kidding! :worried:

Especially if plthijinx would be so kind as to fly low enough that I could shoot stray dogs out the side door ...

Big and extra hearty congratulations!! I'm glad they got the plane fixed, and the weather held out for you. :)

404 - yeah, next time i swing down thataway...hehe, yeah right! lol!

wolf - thx, and i helped fix it too! learn something new everyday. the front gear actuator turned out to be a messy job, along with inserting new front wheel berings and packing them as well.......

:sweat: :sweat: :biggrinpi :thumb: :thumb: :thumb: :notworthy :notworthy :devil: YOU ROCK DUDE !!!!!!

So are ya flying up in April ???

thanks, zip! i'm gonna try. i might take the arrow, it's $45/hr cheaper albeit 10 kts. slower too. so actually it might be a wash with the exception of fuel consumption. i can lean the arrow out to only burn 6-8 gph depending on the weather whereas the geronimo, i can lean it out to roughly 12-14 gph. we'll see.

When you finish your Astronaut training you'll look back at this and say ho hum.

Oh....and Dad knows. ;)

yeah right, and thanks.

hey clod, zippyt called me today and expressed interest in going to philly, the geronimo can catry up to 5 including the pilot and we can split the cost 5 ways......just a thought.

:)

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

MAN! I'm so bummed!! this morning i get a phone call from Mike, my "other" boss and he asked if i could take off friday from my real job to fly a local rapper to cleveland, oh. hmmmmm lemme think.....CHEYEAH!! so i jump through all the hoops in the ol' engineering department to work late today and tomorrow so i can be wheels up by 9:00 a.m. friday morning. got the latest weather and......whoa. icing in cleveland and the surrounding areas from 1,000 to 9,000 ft. so i look at the outlook that's valid for 24hrs and conditions seem to want to improve to "doable" for a 7 hour flight possible on friday. then, the phone rings. it's mike. the agent that booked the flight, well his secretary has already purchased tickets on a carrier. CRAP!! the hours that i would have racked up on that flight would've eaten up a little more than a third of what i need to put out resumes!! granted it's only about 15-18 hours but at $150 an hour......for free!!!!! it would've been awesome! a weekend away from h-town and a chance to roam around cleveland and the rock-n-roll hall of fame! oh well, maybe on their next booking........

Shame the gentleman chose not to display the level of bling of flyin' in on a private ride ... perhaps it's not too late to contact his publicist?