I can fly.

December 19th, 2002

First flight at Executive Flyers Aviation. Pretty good, all in all. The people there seem nice and professional, if a bit stiff.

Got to practice steering and braking the plane on the ground. Walk through the pre-flight and pre-takeoff checklists. Sort of helped with takeoff. Practiced turns, changing elevation and got a good idea of some of the controls and instruments.

Had fun.

Total flying time: 1.0 hrs
Cost: $59.00

December 30th, 2002

Took an intro flight at ADS Flight Center which is based out of the airport in Norwood. First of all, I didn't know there was an airport in Norwood. You turn down a road that in any other place would end in a cul-de-sac and there's a little airport. It's even got a tower and everything. Second, it's only 15 minutes from my driveway. Much better than the 90 minute drive through the hell that is downtown boston to get to Hanscom.

On the downside, ADS is slightly more expensive and doesn't have some of the slick computer training manuals that Executive is offering. I'm not sure how much those manuals really offer, though.

The instructor was relaxed and friendly and was willing to let me take control of the plane pretty quickly. We practiced more turns, turning through ascent and descent and changing speeds. I learned what an airplane will do you you are flying straight and level and you just jam the rudder most of the way over to one side. "I wish we were at 2,500 feet instead of only 1,500 feet because the plane is falling over." (Note to readers: the instructor did this as an example - I know better.)

I got a better sense of approach to landing and discovered another simple and elegant piece of technology in use: the Visual Approach Slope Indicator*. This is a system where you have a row of lights at the end of the runway in a horizontal row. If you are in your glide path properly the two lights on the left are white on the two on the right are amber. Too low and they are all amber. Too high and they are all white. It's a simple system that uses lights and fins to control the angle of the colors of certain lights but it frigging works. I was so impressed with how well the technology works but how simple it really is.

Also, we were flying a Piper Warrior at ADS instead of a Cessna 172, which I used at Executive. I'm still not sure which one I prefer. The Cessna was a little bigger and I thought that certain parts of the controls were laid out better. The flaps on the 172 are powered by electric motors and have a guage whereas on the Warrior they are controlled by what looks like an emergency brake lever in between the two seats. The trim control on the Warrior is also buried deep in between the two seats and seems hard to get to and is hard to check if it's in the neutral state or not. Also, you can't see out of the rear of the Warrior where you can on the 172 so you can't see the tail as easily. Of course, you don't spend a lot of time looking out of the back of the plane but it's still a little discomforting.

On the other hand, I thought that the Warrior was easier to fly and seemed to handle turns more naturally than the 172, which I always felt like I was fighting. Also, I liked the visibility on the Warrior more than the 172. The Warrior is a low wing aircraft where the 172 has a high wing. Basically, in the Warrior you can't see the ground and in the 172 you can't see the sky. On reflection, I think that liked the feeling of the Warrior because it made me feel a little less claustrophobic since you felt like you were sitting on the wing instead of underneath it.

The guages of the Warrior and the 172 are more or less the same, however I seem to remember the 172 guages beeing a little harder to see than the same ones in the Warrior. I can't remember for sure.

At the end of the flight, the instructor suggested that I pick up a copy of Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying. This is apparently the classic book about flying technique and was written in 1945 by Wolfgang Langewiesche (say that 5 times fast.) I had to visit a couple of stores in the area but I managed to dig up a copy. It's written in a strange style, a lost instructional prose that feels like a badly fitting shirt to my modern pallet.

The instructor said that he has read it four or five times over his flying career and he's gotten more out of it every time he's done so which is a good sign for a book. Something akin to my relationship with Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I've read that a few times and I do get something more out of it every time I read it. Anyway, I'll get into the book when I have a bit of time. I'm really looking forward to it.

* The previous piece of technology was the stall indicator on the Cessna 172 and is used on the Piper Warrior as well. It's a slot on the front of the wing. If you are flying in such a way as wind is moving across the leading edge of the wing instead of into it the slot will act as a whistle and make a ton of noise. Simple, and it works.

Total flying time: 1.0 hrs
Total cost: $102.28
Total book cost: $25.00

January 5th, 2003
Today was my first first "real" flight lesson. I met Brian at noon at the flight center in Norwood. Beautiful day. Lots of sun, nearly no wind at all and just at about the freezing mark. I couldn't ask for a better flying day.

When I signed up for the lesson I decided that I was going to train in the Piper Warrior instead of the 172. I just felt more comfortable in it.

Last night's weather was kind of crappy so the wings and control surfaces of the plane were covered with ice and there was a bit of snow stuck to parts of the plane as well. On a day like today the easiest way to clean it off is to let the sun do most of the work. We had to turn the plane around by hand and let the sun bake the ice off the wings. You could just knock it off easily at that point. (Side note: I love being able to move the plane by dropping all of my weight on the back of the plane and seeing the front wheel just come off the ground. On the other hand, maybe I just need to eat fewer cheeseburgers.)

Pre-flight: learned about the "tabs" in the gas tank. They indicate at least 17 gallons in that particular plane. Got to see some water in the gas since the tank hadn't been full overnight and some condensation built up. Went over the control surfaces and learned what to look for to make sure they were operating properly. (The ailerons are held on my frightningly small pins.) Learned what to look for in the landing gear and brakes (no leaks, please!) Also, check the engine oil to make sure that it looks OK and there's at least 6 quarts.

Got into the plane, went through pre-engine startup. Took a while to get the engine started and it was running rough. Let it run for a bit to get it warmed up. Tried to bring it down to 1000 RPM for the magneto test and it was running like crap. You could hear it missing all over the place. At least one cylinder was missing on almost every cycle. There was no chance that the plane was going to idle. Tried to run it for a while and see if it was just some ice or snow causing problems. Leaned it out and tried to get it to idle. It ran really rough for a while and then just stalled. No dice. Plane broken. Oh well.

Sadly, there were no other warriors available for practice at that time so Brian and I did some ground work instead.

We went over strategies for changing from steady flight into climbs and then leveling out again. Same with changing from level flight into descent.

Initiating a climb is pretty easy:

  1. Set pitch
  2. Set power to full
  3. Set trim for the climb
Leveling off is a little more tricky because you need to start levelling off before you get to your desired altitude. You do want to start setting the pitch before changing the power so you build up a little bit of speed to get back up to your cruising speed. However, this is done pretty quickly so you don't build up too much speed so this is really one smooth operation.

He gave me a rough idea of how to guess when you wanted to start coming out of your climb to end up at your target altitude. If you're climbing at 500ft/sec and you expect that it will take about 5 or 6 seconds to come out of the climb, you will want to take 10% of that value. So in that case you want to start coming out of your climb about 50 feet before your desired altitude.

You really want to return to level flight at your original cruising speed, if possible. Anyway:

  1. Set pitch
  2. Set power
  3. Set trim

Descending is somewhat different and different types of descents require different kinds of power and pitch settings. When you are starting a descent, you usually follow the following steps:

  1. Set power
  2. Set pitch
  3. Set trim
Sometimes when you are doing a cruise descent all you have to do is change the power setting. The nose will dip slightly as a result of the power change and you might not even have to change the trim. However, other kinds of descents require you to change your pitch and trip. For example, an approach descent (I'm not sure but I think this is what is called a "Mushing descent" in S&R) you might have to change both the settings.

Pulling out of the descent is very similar to the way you have to stop an ascent. You want to do so ahead of the actual elevation according to your best guess with the same types of calculations listed above. You usually follow the following order, more or less doing it all at once:

  1. Set power
  2. Set pitch
  3. Set trim

A couple of other notes about the VSI (Vertical Speed Indicator). It's always a little bit behind in reporting your vertical speed, however any movement in the needle is accurate. This means that while you can't always tell exactly what your vertical speed is, you can tell that you are changing the rate of that speed.

We also talked about where the pitch of the airplane should be for level flight, descent and ascent. Brian was also nice enough to take me over to the flight shop across the street and recommended a couple of books. I picked up a copy of the Airplane Flying Handbook and the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge both of which are published by the FAA. I haven't read them yet but he says that they are pretty good and full of useful knowledge.

He also suggested that I pick up a copy of the Illustrated Guide to Aerodynamics and the Pilot's Operating Manual for the Piper Warrior. I'll get those soon, I think.

I also got to meet Don, the owner of the local school, and Jerry who I think is the lead pilot. I'm not sure how to describe them. They seemed to remind me of two gray-haired italian guys who would hang out outside one of the italian places in the north end of boston, sitting in lawn chairs and discussing old times.

I have time scheduled on Tuesday, the 7th. We'll see if the weather holds up.

Total cost: $57.00
Total book cost: $37.70

January 7th, 2003

After putting off flying for a while in order to wait for the weather to get better I got to the airfield at about 2:45 or so. Got out at about 3:15 or so to do a pre-flight on the plane. It was really cold and the fuel drain points were all frozen and covered in ice. That ate a little more time. Once we found some hot water to steam the ice off of the drain points and got them freed up and tested it was getting a little late.

Intercom problems in the plane kept me from actually talking to the tower. Once we got out to the runway, though, I handled most of the takeoff which was nice. We picked up some height and I practiced turns, ascents and descents. It was a little more choppy out than it had been in the past and there was a small wind so the plane was getting thrown around a little bit. I was fighting the gusts too much and overcorrecting.

I did a decent job on the ascents and descents, though. I still have to learn to properly use the trim and I haven't got the process of hunting for the right attitude when coming out of a climb or descent quite right yet. Also, I'm somewhat afraid of muscling the controls which you have to do, especially when coming out of a climb.

When you come out of a climb you have to push the nose down, pick an pitch that you think will give you level flight, and let the plane pick up speed while making sure that you keep your flight path level. This includes either finding a new pitch, or maintaining the one that you already have. Anyway, as the plane picks up speed the nose really wants to come up. Or you could say that the tail really wants to go down, depending on where you stand. Anyway, you will find that you're pressing really hard on the stick. It's pretty unnatural and it takes some getting used to.

Also, I apparently bank pretty hard in turns. I think the phrase used was "like a fighter pilot." I'll be a little less brutal in the future, I swear.

After the sun set we headed back to the airport. As dusk was falling and we were making the approach into the airport it was quite beautiful. The lights of the runway were quite welcome.

I learned a bit about power descents on the way into the airport. As we got closer to the airport, I switched to a approach descent that is at a lower speed and higher angle of attack. As soon as we got below 1000 feet the air got pretty choppy. I was fighting the airplane pretty hard, sliding all over the place. And once the flaps came down my level of control continued to decline since they make the controls really mushy. It wasn't too bad, but it was kind of surprising.

We landed safely on the slightly icy runway. I didn't handle the actual landing bit but I did have my hands on the controls and had control up until the bitter end. Lots of fun.

Total cost: $152.00
Total flying time: 1.1 hours

January 8th, 2003
Today I picked up a copy of the pilot's operating handbook for the piper warrior, which is the plane that I'm training in. It's full of all sorts of information about the plane. Stall speeds. Engine performance. Fuel usage. Emergency procedures like this one: 

ENGINE FIRE DURING START

Starter.................................crank engine
Mixture.................................idle cut-off
Throttle........................................open
Electric Fuel Pumps..............................OFF
Fuel selector....................................OFF
Abandon if fire continues
Are there really people who would stay in the cockpit because it doesn't say to get out at the end of the directions? I figure this was written by an engineer who either has a great sense of humor or none at all.

Total book cost: $25.20

January 9th, 2003
Today was a really great day for flying. Lots of sun, a few clouds and the winds weren't too bad, either on the ground or up at a higher elevation.

We managed to get going more or less on time and took off. We practiced climbs, turns and climbing turns. I was a lot more confident this time and was a lot more comfortable with the airplane. I still tend to overshoot or undershoot when coming out of an ascent, but I'm getting much better at it. I usually get distracted when Brian talks to me right as I'm trying to negotiate all of the things that need to happen at once when changing pitch and power all at once. But I know he means well.

One thing I did not do well was handling a descending turn. I managed to pitch the airplane pretty hard down and ended up descending at over 1000ft/sec which is pretty damn fast for a plane like that. The really scary thing is that I didn't really notice. I did a lot better on my second try, though. Something else I need to practice.

Also, I managed to talk to the tower without fumbling too much, at least during take off. Talking to the tower when getting ready for approach was a different matter, though. I was confirming a transmission and fumbled the call sign of the plane and just got stuck. Brian finished that particular conversation. Then I burst out laughing because it was such a silly thing to stumble over. Also, I had been strangely nervous about talking to the tower and always have been. I guess I don't want to sound like an ass. Well, now they know I'm an ass so I guess I have nothing to lose.

I managed to handle most of the approach to the airport. We were closely following a cessna that was cleared to land before us so it was kind of an odd landing and approach. We were apparently moving a good bit quicker towards the airport so we had to do some S turns to keep our distance from them. Anyway, it went pretty well. Not too much of a crosswind to make things hard. However, I managed to get us almost all the way there. It was really satisfying.

Total cost: $191.76
Total flying time: 1.5 hours

January 14th, 2003
It's been incredibly cold this week. At least it hasn't been snowing, though. Anyway, it was a great day for flying. Really cold, clear and not windy at all. We even managed to get out at a reasonable time so we were able to fly for a full hour and a half.

I've noticed that I've started to get a lot better at controlling the plane on the ground. I've got a much better sense of how to control both the rudder and front wheel when taxing and how to use the brakes on each wheel to control the plane in slightly sharper turns. However, every time I get in the plane I try to control it using the wheel when I need to make that first turn. It's just so instinctive after years of driving cars.

I managed most the takeoff myself, even if I was all over the runway trying to compensate for the torque of the motor. Up too 600 feet above field elevation, turn off the electric fuel pump and climb up to 2000 feet while turning to head east.

We practiced climbs and descents and turns and then started to practice slow flight. This involves trying to fly at much slower speeds than cruise. Try to find level flight at 80 knots, 70 knots and finally 60 knots. At slower speeds the controls get a little more mushy and less responsive. Then we brought down the flaps and praciticed some more slow flight with the flaps at various heights, trying to find what different speeds felt like with the flaps down.

Then we practiced power off stalls. Oh, man. Practicing stalls is a blast. You bring the power to idle, bring the nose up to the horizon, and just hold it there. Wait for your airspeed to drop and it feels like someong pulled the rug out from underneath you as the plane stalls. If you really hold the plane on the horizon even after the plane stalls you will start to feel the air turbulence coming off the wings and buffeting the tail, making the plane shake and rattle. It's a blast. In a power off stall you just push the nose forward and push the throttle all the way up and let the plane recover. It's not too bad to recover from one, assuming that you have at least a 100 feet of altitude. Recovering from stalls is pretty intutive for me so I didn't have any problem with it.

Brian also showed me how to do a power on stall, which looks way more fun and was even a little frightening. We also practiced stalling in turns and how to recover them them. They are roughly similar to a regular power off stall, except due to the plane's extra "weight" in a turn, you tend to stall at a higher speed.

Anyway, we headed back to the airport and practiced some of what I had just learned. I handled most of the approach into the airport and even though I came in a bit high, I managed to get us within about five feet of the pavement before Brian needed to make a correction to get us on the ground. I almost landed! It was so cool.

Oh, and I completely boggled communication with the tower. I just freeze up. I don't get that.

Next lesson: Sunday.

Total cost: $191.76
Total flying time: 1.5 hours

January 19th, 2003
Yet another great day for flying. I've been getting pretty damn lucky with the days I've been picking for flying. I got down to the field a little early and got some much-needed reading in. While Brian finished with his previous student I went out and did the pre-flight on the plane. Plane 51F is the plane which has the radios from the mid-1960s and the trim tab you need a profressional wrestler to turn. However, I love the way that it flies even if the amenities aren't the greatest.

We taxied out to runway 28 which I've never used before. I handled most of the takeoff but I don't think I was prepared for the torque since as soon as the wheels came off the ground the plane started pulling and rolling over to the left. It wasn't the greatest takeoff that I had done, to be sure. As I said to Brian, "I think it's way to early in this flight for me to be crashing us into the field." I also had problems levelling off from the climb, just like I always do. I never get that damn nose down low enough. We headed out east to the practice area.

Once we got out there, we practiced some more power off stalls. Last time, I did them really well. However, this time I just couldn't seem to stall the plane hard enough to make the nose really break. I'm not sure why. I just couldn't. It was really strange and I got really frustrated. We gave up after practicing for a while and Brian tried to show me a stall in a turn. Funny thing was, he couldn't get it to stall in the turn. He muttered something about "this being a really stable airplane." After running through a few more exercises, mostly related to slow flight, we headed back to do some takeoffs and landings.

This was a lot of fun. I managed most of the first approach myself and managed to get pretty close down to the runway before letting Brian handle the actual touchdown. We taxied back to the front of the runway and took off again. This time, I managed the takeoff pretty well, compensating for the tourque pretty well. We climbed up a bit, turned around and did another approach into land again. I managed most of this landing as well and got pretty close into the landing. Around again. This time on takeoff I managed to do it nearly perfectly. I managed to get us off the ground and managed to get down the runway nearly centered on the center line and off the ground with almost no effects from the torque of the motor. It was really satisfying.

Final approach. I managed all of the approach myself and except for maybe the last five feet above the ground, I did it all myself. I think that next time I'm going to be able to manage to land the plane all on my own. That's going to kick ass.

Total cost: $186.59
Total flying time: 1.4 hours

January 23rd, 2003
Another great day for flying. Cold as all hell, but still a great day. Got out to the field at about 3pm and got off the ground about half an hour after that. I think that I've got taxing down cold. I didn't have any problems on the ground which was pretty satisfying.

We did four takeoffs and landings in a row. I did reasonably well on the takeoffs, and the second landing I managed to do all on my own. That's right, folks. I landed the airplane all on my own. Of course, I was half cocked and waaaay off the center line, but at least I was able to do it. The other landings were of varying degrees of quality. I still tend to overcontrol in the approach which causes a lot of self-induced lateral instability, but I'm getting much better. Also, I still don't have a good sense of when I should start my flare so I tend to pull out too early and hover over the runway for a while. I'm sure I'll get it eventually, though. I'm definitely getting better.

I did have this amusing conversation at one point with the tower, right before I was trying to cross the hold short line to takeoff. It went something like this: 

    Me: "Norwood Tower, Warrior four-one-niner-niner-lima, holding
    short at runway three-five, ready to taxi."

    Norwood Tower: "Norwood Tower, niner-niner-lima, cleared for
    takeoff.

    *laughter*

    Me: "Cleared for takeoff, niner-niner-lima."
OK, maybe you had to be there to appreciate it. Considering some of the stunningly stupid things that I've said to the tower in the past, and are probably required by FAA regulations to be on tape for all eternity, that's pretty tame.

Anyway, we headed out to the usual practice area for a while. We tried a power off stall. We ran through the procedures that you would use to set yourself up for a landing from the pattern, which I'm really starting to get a handle on that part of it. What speeds to use, what angles to use, when to use the flaps, etc. It's starting to feel natural, which is a good sign. I'm decent at keeping my decent rate constand through the decending turns and the final leg which also gives me some confidence.

After that, we headed back to the airport and did a couple more takeoffs and landings. It was quite beautiful since it was just about sunset when we were doing them. I actually took the time to look at a little scenery. Normally, I'm concentrating pretty hard when I'm up there and I never have time to look around but I was actually relaxed enough during this lesson to look around a bit and actually enjoy the view.

Also, they finally had some kits in, so I can have a text book and a log book and other various preparatory materials. Oh, and a free bag. A bit expensive, but a decent value.

Total cost: $191.77
Total book cost: $184.75
Total flying time: 1.5 hours

January 26th, 2003
Quite possibly a perfect day for flying. Cold - but not too cold - and nearly calm winds. Today I spent over two hours flying and all we did was practice takeoffs and landings. Over and over and over.

I managed to do a couple of the landings by myself, but I still don't have the flare quite right so Brian had to catch me on most of the landings. I apparently don't bring the nose up early enough or high enough since I'm afraid of ballooning and Brian's concerned that at some point I'm going to damage the front landing gear. Halfway through the lesson I had a mini-epiphany when I realized that the point was to actually stall the airplane six inches off the ground. I did a little better after that.

I made real progress on the approach, though. I feel like I have a good sense of how a glide path looks and when I'm high and when (one of the rare times) that I'm low. I also have a good sense of what power and pitch combinations and speeds I should be using for the approach, including where I should be for the base leg. So, I feel really good about the approach but I'm still a little shaky about touchdown.

Total cost: $268.47
Total flying time: 2.1 hours

February 6th, 2003
It's was the first time in a long time that I've been able to fly. The weather wasn't great - it was kind of breezy. Anyway, I get down to the field and have this conversation: 
<blizzard> Hey, I have a two o'clock with Brian.
<other_guy> Oh, you're flying with me today.
* blizzard looks confused
<blizzard> Oh.
* other_guy hands blizzard a clipboard
<other_guy> Go ahead and start the pre-flight.  I'll be out in a minute.

So I go ahead and start the pre-flight.

Turns out that Brian, my previous instructor quit. I don't press for a lot more information and not a lot more is offered either. Now, this kind of sucks because it means that I have to re-lean how another person flies, what they expect, and how they teach. Also, he doesn't have any idea how I fly, what my current abilities are and how fast I learn. This is going to put me back hours, I can tell already.

On the flip side, the new guy, Dave, has a very different teaching style. He's very focused on test prep and spends a lot of time talking about what the FAA inspector is going to be looking for on the check flight. This is actually kind of nice since Brian never talked about what a tester might be looking for, instead trying to just instill good flying techniques. Dave also seems much more structured than Brian was and also seems interested in going some ground work, something that Brian never seemed interested in doing. In fact, Brian didn't seem all that interested in teaching me (or anything) in any case so it's not all bad. Still, he and I were just starting to get along and get to the point where we were talking like people a bit instead of just filling the airtime with small talk.

Ahh, well. We'll see how it goes.

In any case, we got started and Dave showed me a couple of things that I hadn't seen before during the runup. We took off and went out and did some maneuvers. Some power off stalls, some power on stalls, a few steep turns and I picked up some new things. Dave points out very different things when compared with Brian. Dave points out (rightly so) that I don't work the rudder enough. However, Dave seems to treat pitch and power differently than Brian did. He suggests adjusting power to change vertical speed instead of changing the pitch, as Brian did. It's hard to say. I think that Brian's might actually be better. I'll have to experiment more.

After doing that for a while, we headed back to the airport and landed. It was a rather confusing and unsatisfying lesson, all in all. Next time I'll try to be in a better mood and won't be so thrown off by the new guy.

Total flying time: 1.4 hrs
Total cost: $178.99

Febrary 11th, 2003
It's been damn cold out. Damn cold. Got to the airfield at about 2pm. I had to wait until the plane was cleaned off and pre-warmed so we didn't get off the ground until 3pm. We did a bunch of takeoffs and landings. I'm getting much better at the flare, but I'm not good at aligning myself with the middle of the runway right before the landing. The plane tends to drift because I'm so intent on getting the flare right. I'm hoping that next time that it will all come together.

Halfway through our flight, a plane that had just taken off at the airport declared an emergency. I was right in the middle of my final approach so I had to do a go-around and let the plane in distress land. It's interesting to listen to the tower frequency because all the other planes in the area and in the pattern become very quiet and just watch as things unfold.

Apparently, the font strut of the landing gear of the plane in question had collapsed halfway through takeoff and the props had hit the ground. Apparently they were far enough along so that they had to complete their takeoff and go around. They managed to land without incident. I saw the plane when taxing back to the ramp and the props on the plane were all chewed up and bent on the ends. With that kind of damage I'm amazed that they managed to make it around.

Total cost: $127.85
Total flying time: 1.0 hours

February 14th, 2003
I was supposed to go flying today. On the drive down to the airport, I noticed the winds were pretty intense. When I got down there and started to do the pre-flight on the plane it was still pretty windy. When I was sitting in the plane listening to ATIS, the plane was actually being moved around by the wind. Yes, it was actually rolling. ATIS said that there were gusts to 13kts. It was a lot worse than that.

Anyway, I went back in and David and I did some ground instead. We went over the pattern, strategies for speeds in various components in the pattern, etc. We also went over the basics of how to file a flight plan, how to change a flight plan in flight. Really quickly we went over the check ride and what the major components of that are. It doesn't seem so scary now.

I peppered him with various questions for an hour and a half and it was really worth it. I feel like I've got a good feel for what's coming up. I also picked up a NY sectional map which I need to learn how to read.

Total cost: $57.00
Total book cost: $8.40
Total ground time: 1.5 hours

February 15th, 2003
It was kind of windy today. Not too bad - not like yesterday, but still a pretty steady wind. And cold. Oh, it's so cold out right now. I froze my ass off doing the pre-flight.

Today I practiced landings. We took off from Norwood and headed over to Mansfield airport, which doesn't have a tower. We stayed there and just stayed in the pattern for over and hour doing landing after landing. There was a pretty steady crosswind and some pretty impressive gusts. Still, I managed to do a couple of the landings really well and managed to do a bunch of landings in a way that would make an engineer at Piper have a heart attack.

"I think the left wheel just took the entire brunt of that landing. Oops!"

You know, stuff like that. The wind was pretty intense, though, so I'm not all that worried that I flubbed some of the landings. I only really screwed one of them up really bad and had to do a go-around. On a good note, my takeoffs are getting pretty good and my approach is getting much better, not that it was terrible before.

While I was there I learned how to operating out of an airport that doesn't have a tower. This was really helpful because I just got really comfortable on the radio, telling other planes what I was doing. I think that next time I want to practice landings I'll try to do them at Mansfield again. I actually had fun during this lesson which I think is a great sign. David and I seem to be getting along really well as well. Better than Brian and I were getting along before he left, I think.

We headed back to Norwood and I landed there, too. It was even a pretty decent landing. I was even able to prove that I can, in fact, do straight and level flight on the way back since the winds weren't kicking our asses.

Total flying time: 1.6 hours
Total cost: $204.56

February 16th, 2003
Went out and flew today. The skys were kind of hazy and gray, but the wind was almost nill which made for some great landing training. Headed out to Mansfield Airport and did takeoffs and landings. We had to share the airspace with a couple of other planes also working in the pattern, practicing takeoffs and landings.

I only had to do one go-around from a landing that I couldn't save and I bounced pretty hard on one of the landings. However, on quite a few of the other landings David never touched the controls, even if they did look a little bit rough. I'd say that more than half of the landings today were entirely me, which feels great. I'm starting to get the flare down. It's not anywhere near perfect, but I'm making real progress. I still have real problems with trying to get on the centerline and keeping the plane from drifting when I get down to the pavement. I'm overcontrolling less than I used to be, though, so I'm making progress here too. It's only a matter of time.

I feel like I've got the takeoffs pretty much down. I did a couple of short-field takeoffs today just to know how to do them. They are pretty easy, so I'm not concerned about them. However, the information in the POH for the Warrior II seems to be wrong. It says that I should be accellerating to 52 KIAS, but that's way below Best Angle, which is 63. I don't even think I can get that thing off the ground at that low speed. Anyway, David corrected me on that and I think he's right.

Also, Shona came with me on this flight. I think she was bored out of her skull because I kept looking back to see her reading a magazine.

Total flying time: 1.5 hours
Total cost: $191.77

February 19th, 2003
We had that huge-ass snowstorm during the last couple of days and there's tons of snow on the ground. I feel like I'm driving through tunnels on the little one way streets around my house. Today, though, the weather was beautiful. Sunny, calm winds and above freezing.

I got down to the airfield and lucky for me they had managed to get the snow off the plane and had dug around the wheels of the plane so I could get out pretty easily. Did an uneventful pre-flight and headed out to do the run-up. However, when we got out there ther plane sputtered and stalled when we tried to idle it. We had to go back out to the end of the line and try to figure out what was wrong. Switching to the other tank and running the rpms up a bit seemed to clear it out. It was probably just water in the fuel. At that point the engine was running really really well so off we went.

There was a bit of ice and snow in the runway, but it wasn't too bad. I did a couple of takeoffs and landings to get warmed up. (Holy cow, I can land - I had no idea!) Then David showed me how to do a soft field takeoff. From where I was sitting it looked kind of terrifying. On the next takeoff I did one and it wasn't anywhere near as scary as I thought. You just can't be afraid of the rudder, that's all. Also, there was no crosswind which helps a lot. I did them for the rest of the lesson, just trying to get used to them.

All in all, we just did takeoffs and landings. And I managed to get just about every landing right. Some were just beautiful but I didn't really screw any of them up. My flares are getting better and I'm getting much better about keeping centered, compensating for drift and not over-controlling. As David says "You can get 'em on the ground now."

I had a really good warm feeling after today's lesson.

Total flying time: 1.4 hours
Total cost: $178.99

February 20th, 2003
Another great day for flying. Got there early and did the pre-flight and got off to an early start. Went down towards Mansfield, and did a couple of stalls. Power off stalls went well. The nose wouldn't really break during the power on stalls. It's just too cold.

Did a bunch of landings and none of them were terrible. There were a couple where I was too high and a couple where I was too low and one where I bounced pretty hard, but nothing that I wouldn't have walked away from.

Total flying time: 1.6 hours
Total cost: $217.34

February 21st, 2003
Another beautiful day out. Went flying and did some slow flight and some landings down at Mansfield. I learned how to do slips today. Pretty interesting. The landings went pretty well, but still not consistent enough. The weather is supposed to be shitty for the next few days, which is actually kind of good. I've been doing enough training that it's making me really tired.
February 26th, 2003
Went down to plymouth airport today. Dropped off one of the instructors who was picking up a plane. Did a few landings there. Did pretty well, all in all.

Oh, yeah. My instructor tells me that he just got a job in Colorado teaching air force cadets how to fly. Looks like I've sent another one screaming off into the sunset. *sigh*

Total flying time: 1.5 hours
Total cost: $191.77

February 27th, 2003
Last time flying with David. We stayed at norwood and did a few landings. The wind was pretty steady and kept changing directions. I had to do a good number of crosswind landings, and not all of them were pretty. I feel bad for N4395D's landing gear.

David also graded my Written pre-solo and he signed off on it. I start with Brian next thursday. I wonder how long it's going to be before he lets me solo.

Total flying time: 1.0 hours
Total cost: $146.85

March 6th, 2003
Huge snowstorm here in Boston so my flight lesson turned into a ground lesson. I braved the amazing snows in order to get down to the airport to meet with Brian. We went over some history, since this is my first real lesson with him, and talked about ground reference maneuvers. We also talked for a while about landing strategy. He seems pretty competent.
March 7th, 2003
Blue skies and light winds. I get to the airport and go down to find N4359D which has just had some work done to it. I clean it off and Brian wanders down at some later point. We head out and do a few circuits in the pattern.

He's a grabber. That is, he likes to grab radio calls and touch the controls a lot when I'm not doing something right. I guess I'll have to get used to it. The original Brian used to do that, too. Maybe it has something to do with it being our first first time, I dunno. He's a pretty strong teacher, though, and has a lot of constructive things to say about my landings. I think we'll work well together. I hope that he'll help me clean up my flare, which is still pretty flat.

Total flying time: 1.3 hours
Total cost: ??? (the computer was having issues, so I just put some money on account)

March 11th, 2003
Went down to do some flying today. It was a windy day, but not too windy - just enough. Brian and I took one of the older Piper Cherokees (fire-one-foxtrot) which has a very different feel than the usual plane that I fly. It's very touchy on the controls, very responsive and not as fast as the others.

We went down to the old Waymouth air station, which is abandoned, and took some turns around the field, using the old runways as good guides for rectangles. It was interesting to do the maneuvers and learn how the winds affect your path over the ground. I did a pretty good job of it, even if I kept raising the nose too high and gaining altitude.

We went back and did a couple of landings back at Norwood. They went OK, even though I had to do one goaround where I ended up too close to the runway. The ground reference maneuvers really helped a lot. I wish that I had done them a long time ago.

Total flying time: 1.3 hours
Total cost: $177.41

March 25th, 2003
It's was a windy day which made for an interesting lesson. It started off pretty well. Took off, went down to the now defunct waymouth air station and did some ground reference maneuvers and slow flight. I think I did pretty well. We also did some on-the-horizon stalls which really helped with my later landings.

Back to Norwood and did two landings. They were pretty rough. The winds (290@12KTS, Gusting to 19) made things interesting. However, the previously mentioned stalls did help with the flare.

Total flying time: 1.6 hours
Total cost: $202.75

March 27th, 2003
It was pretty damn windy out today. Brian and I went up and did some VOR training. Catching radials from the boston VOR and correcting for wind, etc. It was pretty good training.

Then we went out a little training with the hood, which was a completely different kind of experience. We did climbs and descents and level flight and turns with the hood on. It was really good training but, holy cow is it tiring. I have new respect for people doing IFR flights.

Back to the airport and did a couple of landings, one of which wasn't really good another of which was decent. I haven't had the chance to practice my flare too much since every time I've had lessons it's been really windy. I haven't really practiced landings in quite a while and it shows.

April 2nd, 2003
It was a very strange day. By the time that I got down to the airport it was raining lightly. Clouds were overcast but still pretty high up and winds were nearly calm so it was still OK to fly. Brian and I went up for a bit and did a few takeoffs and landings in the questionable conditions. Eventually the tower decided that we were in IFR conditions and we had to come back down. It was my first real flight in questionable weather and it was pretty neat. Flying in the rain can be quite beautiful.

I managed to do a couple of sort-of decent landings. My flares continue to improve, I think because of that simple horizon stall practice I did a while ago.

We went in and did a unit on weight and balance. Pretty simple stuff, it turns out but it neatly filled the rest of the two hour block.

Total flying time: 0.7 hours
Total ground time: 0.7 hours
Total cost: $104.79

April 14th, 2003
Today was a windy, windy day. And it was the first day that I've been able to fly in almost two weeks. Instead of doing pattern work, Brian and I made up a quick flight plan to a nearby airport (the wheel is hard to get my head around sometimes) and went up and executed it.

We flew down to Marshfield Airport did one landing and came back. We were more or less on time and it went pretty well. Splitting attention between the map and the flight plan and actually keeping the plane in the air was challenging, especially since I felt pretty out of practice.

Total flying time: 1.0 hours
Total ground time: 0.5 hours
Total cost: $145.72

April 16th, 2003
It was incredibly windy today. Winds were in the 20-25kt range, gusting to 30 or so and anywhere from 250 to 350 on the compass rose. Oh, and it was really warm at the same time, too. We had to keep opening the door in the plane whenever we were taxiing. Anyway, it made for some interesting patten work. And that's all I did today. We did takeoffs and landings, riding through some of the roughest air I've ever flown in. But it's good practice, and the rough air didn't really bother me too much. Just keep a gust from getting the nose up too high in a gust and keep the rudder and ailerons in check, and it's not too bad.

Brian said that he thought that I was doing pretty good. My flares are getting better and my approaches were all pretty good. I have a good sense for when we're pretty low or pretty high and I seem to know how to compensate. I still need work in that area, though. We'll see how it goes tomorrow when it's supposed to be a lot less windy.

Total flying time: 1.5 hours
Total cost: $190.08

April 17th, 2003
It wasn't as windy today as it was yesterday so I got some good practice in the pattern in. Not much to report except I managed to fix a couple of things: 1. Don't force planes around in a turn with the ailerons, carry it through slowly and 2. work the angle in a descent and worry less about your speed. Anyway, my approaches got better and because of that my flares also were much better. I actually had one or two really good landings.

Total flying time: 1.2 hours
Total cost: $152.06

April 24th, 2003
Today was probably one of the best lessons I've ever had because so many things clicked. When I left the house to head down, it was raining a little bit and was windy and overcast. By the time that I got down there the winds had died down and the weather had moved off the coast, out to sea. It turned into a beautiful evening, weather wise. Almost no wind, clear skies and moderate tempratures. We watched lenticular clouds moving with the storm system moving out to sea. They are just beautiful.

We stayed in the pattern for a while, doing landings. It was odd. For such a beautiful evening we almost had the entire airport to ourselves. My flares that evening were much much better. They are really starting to come along and I did a couple of absolutely beautiful landings.

After doing that for an hour or so, we went a couple of miles off and did steep turns, which also went well. I would have passed the exam on the turns that I did since they were well within specs.

In the middle of the last turn, Brian reached over and brought the throttle all the way to idle and we set up for an emergency landing at the airport. It went pretty well. We were able to glide all the way back to the airport (it was only 3 miles or so) and I didn't touch down right at the thousand foot markers, but it was pretty close. I also got to try out my slipping skills on the way in since we ended up kind of high.

Total flying time: 1.3 hours
Total cost: $161.82

April 30th, 2003
It was a very nice day out today. Mid-50s, sunny and breezy. I went down and did some pattern work. The air above the field was choppy as hell and there was one pretty terrifying approach where just above the runway the air just seemed to crazy, pushing the plane all over the place. That landing turned into a quick go-around.

I had a couple of really good landings and a couple of not so good ones but I'm making real forward progress in my landing technique. Brian says that he's about ready to send me up with Jerry (the head instructor) and try to get me soloing soon. Yay!

Total flying time: 1.5 hours
Total cost: $186.19

May 5th, 2003
Nice day out. I went down and did pattern work. My first few landings were off the mark. Sometimes the approach was kind of off, sometimes the flare wasn't quite right. The last two landings that I did, though, were pretty good. I'm doing better at getting things right. Both Brian and I were pretty tired, though, so we quit early.

Total flying time: 1.1 hours
Total cost: $135.50

May 10th, 2003
I have to say that today was one of the better lessons that I've had. I went down and did pattern work. All of the landings that I did were pretty good. Things are coming together quite nicely.

Total flying time: 1.2 hours
Total cost: $151.09

May 16th, 2003
Went down and did pattern work at the airport today. The landings were decent but the approaches weren't great. I think that I'm travelling back in time or something. I think Brian had a much higher opinion of my flying that day than I did. Anyway, it didn't really feel like a great lesson to me.

Total flying time: 1.1 hours
Total cost: 139.40

May 18th, 2003
Today at my place we had an open house so I decided to kill a couple of hours and went down and read in the instruction room. While I was there, Jerry asked if I wanted to go up for a quick flight just to see where I was with my training. He had a lot of feedback. He didn't really like how I held my feet on the pedals and the turns that I did with him were kind of messy. (I know I can do better turns than I did on that particular day - I've done them.) He had some notes about my approach as well. I think that I picked up a lot even in the short time that I went up with him. He's a pretty good pilot, and seems to know how to teach as well.

Total flying time: 0.6 hours
Total cost: $88.71

May 20th, 2003
I had scheduled some time with Jerry down at the school today to go over some things. It was, quite possibly, the world's most perfect day for flying. About 73F, sunny, no clouds in the sky and - amazingly enough - almost no wind.

Jerry and I took off and went out to the practice area and did some steep turns, some dutch rolls, and just worked on my rudder control. The man has some 17,000 hours of flying and he has an uncanny ability to detect if you've even got slight pressure on one of the rudder pedals. It's pretty amazing. We also did some basic attitude control and sort-of-stalling-sort-of-slow-flight. Really, it was just flying around with the wings buffetting and the horn blaring for fun.

We also worked on some ascents and decents. Nothing too scary. He also showed me how to use the localizer for runway 35 at Norwood which I've never used before. That was kind of interesting since I've never done it before. It's just like a VOR station, but with only one radial.

When we got back to the airport, Jerry wanted me to solo. I went up, did a landing with Brian and then went up and soloed. The landings were even decent. I'm still high from it.

Total flying time: 2.4 hours
Total cost: $299.26

May 22nd, 2003
God, the weather sucked today. We got up and did one pattern. On the next pattern our visibility dropped from 3SM right down to 1.5SM. So that was our last pattern.

Total flying time: 0.5 hours
Total cost: $63.36

May 27th, 2003
Today marks the end of a few days of really crappy weather. Finally, the ceilings have lifted and the sun has peeked through. I went down to the airfield and went up with Brian for a few landings to get back into the swing of things. I was a bit rusty. The landings got better as we went, though. So after doing 5, he let me loose.

I went around and did 6 landings, each one better than the previous one. The first three landings weren't very good because I screwed up my approach, trying to cope with landing at a slightly slower airpseed than usual and having almost no headwind - the winds were totally calm. Basically, I was doglegging it a bit and would end up to high coming over the threshold and then would land pretty far down the runway.

The last two landings that I did, though, we're pretty sweet. On the last landing I finally got off on the first taxiway, which I think might be the first time that I was able to do that. I'm finally getting the stall horn right before I touch down, which is good news.

Total flying time: 1.8 hours
Total cost: $221.29

June 3rd, 2003
Today was the single day of good weather in what has been a week of rain. We had a nor'easter here in Boston. On June 1st, we had a weather like that. It was pretty amazing.

Anyway, I went down to the airport and did a few landings with Brian in the cockpit and after doing a set of OK landings, he cut me loose again and I went up and did a few on my own. Of the six landings only one was kind of rough and reminded me that I really am up there on on my own. I flared too high and ended up dropping the plane hard enough to make me want to go out and make sure that everything looked OK with the landing gear. In all honesty, it probably wasn't all that bad (Brian didn't notice from the tower) but it was pretty shocking for me.

So from here I can actually schedule my own solo time. Yay!

Total flying time: 1.5 hours
Total cost: $190.09

June 6th, 2003
Today was my first day where I soloed entirely on my own. That is, starting the plane, taxing out and doing my first takeoff and landing entirely on my own. I had some good landings and some bad ones. I had one where I dropped on on the runway pretty hard. But, it was really educational. Good practice in light winds.

Total flying time: 1.0 hours
Total cost: $88.72

June 8th, 2003
Went down today and flew in N5951F, which is actually a PA-28-151 instead of the PA-28-161, which is what I usually fly. The controls are a lot more responsive and it has a lot less power. This means that you can actually manhandle it bit.

As a result of the different characteristics, it means that it doesn't climb as fast and that the approaches feel a bit different. It's pretty easy to end up doing 72 knots and dropping at 1000 ft/sec without really thinking about it. You really have to push that nose down and carry a bit of power late into final. On the good side it also means that it corners well, really loves to dance on takeoff and just wants to get right off the ground. It is also very easy to slip if you want to lose some altitude on final and is very easy to round out and land.

On that note, I had a couple of very good landings where I was able to get off at the first taxiway, one go-around where there was a sudden gusting crosswind and didn't feel that I could make it, and one hard landing where I rounded out too high and dropped in like a stone.

All in all, though, another good solo.

Total flying time: 1.1 hours
Total cost: $97.59

June 12th, 2003
Today was my first day soloing out of the pattern. The weather was overcast at about four thousand feet, and kind of hazy. I went down, did a few turns in the pattern, and went down and did some maneuvers over Gillette Stadium. I did some slow flight (wandering around with the stall horn just staying on) and some steep turns. Turns out I'm not really good at keeping my altitude in the steep turns. I think I need to work on that.

I came back and did a few more landings in the pattern, the last of which turned out to be sweet. Managed to get the stall warning about 1 second before the wheels hit with the yolk all the way back. That was a good feeling.

Total flying time: 1.5 hours
Total cost: $133.08

June 15th, 2003
Went out and did some more pattern work. It was gusty as hell and it was probably one of the first times I was a little nervous. It was good practice, though.

Total flying time: 1.2 hours
Total cost: $106.46

June 23rd, 2003
First time I've had good weather in a long time. Went out, did a few circuits around the pattern. I wasn't really all that happy with them, though. It's been a while since I've been up there. Short flight, too.

Total flying time: 0.8 hours
Total cost: $70.98

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