Plane Conversations

I was just reading through some of my past blogs, and realized that I have gone through an enormity of ups and downs in my journey to becoming a pilot.

A PILOT!  I’m a PILOT!  It’s still seems surreal at this point.  Probably because the elation has not yet worn off.  But I did it.  I realized a dream.  And it’s a wonderful feeling.

It was a long time coming.  One year, and 19 days.  There were some obstacles which were unavoidable, like weather of course, but also the fact that I had to switch from the Cessna 152 after 10 hours of flying, to the Katana DA20 (with 7 months of no flying in between) because of an engine issue.  But looking back, switching to the DA20 was the best thing that could have happened to me.  It has a GPS!  And is a joy to fly.

The weeks leading up to my final test (check ride and oral) were the hardest I’ve had to endure in a long time.  The stress was building, knowing I would have to sit with my examiner while he asked me questions which, at the time, I was not sure I would be able to answer.  Why would anyone voluntarily submit themselves to this much pressure, I wondered.  My fear was that I would not retain all of the information that I was forcing into my head.  But my instructor went above and beyond and spent hours going over what he thought were my weak spots.  This helped enormously, and built my confidence to a point which allowed me to push on.  It’s amazing how a glimpse of success motivates you to push through the tough times.  Looking back, it’s moments like those which make me proud of the tenacity I showed.

I’m not sure how it all came together, but it just did.  I have to give thanks to my Instructor Kirk, who spent hours teaching me to aviate, navigate, and communicate.  I said it in the beginning and I will say it again, choosing a good instructor is invaluable.

So if your instructor signs you off as ready for your check ride, then you probably are.  Have faith in that.

These are some things which I found extremely useful in the lead up to my check ride:

-          Work on your weak areas – of theory, and in the airplane.

-          Fly as often as you can in the week before your check ride to be completely comfortable.  Leaving a week in between shouldn’t matter too much, but I was glad to have gotten in a few good mock check rides before the big one.

-          Nice segway:  Do mock check rides with your instructor.  This will allow you to feel comfortable with the process and to see the order of how things will likely go along.

-          If you can, do a mock check ride with a different instructor – sometimes something that they do differently may help you in your learning process if something is not sticking.

-          Know your aircraft – where everything is, and how it works.  And how it flies best (e.g trim, speeds, etc)

-          You won’t know the answers to all of the questions the examiner will ask you, but know where to find them.  Tab your books if you have to.

-          Know the area – if you can find your first few points on your mock check rides, this will take the pressure off a little so you can ensure you will not miss them.

So I did all of these things, but still, everything did not go perfectly.  But I’m happy to say I wasn’t a complete bumbling fool in the oral.  Somehow, I was able to dig the answers out of my brain.  I guess they did stick!

And just like clockwork – the weather came down after my oral.  So we deferred the flying portion to a better day.  Four days later, weather and I had coincided.

Right before my Examiner arrived in the FBO on the day of my checkride, I was sitting, looking for the millionth time at my flight navigation log, nauseous from anxiety.  Within ten seconds of Reece arriving, he had put me at ease.  I gulped and just decided to do what I had done many times before.

I went through my navigation log and my first leg to Chattanooga, explaining my check points, my heading, my altitude, the weather.  This was nowhere near as scary as I thought it would be.  Feeling ok with my paperwork he said “Let’s go terrorize the skies”.  Ok, lets!

I flew well, but they were definitely not the best take-offs or landings I’ve done.  But they were to standard.  My steep turns were great, my power on and power off stalls were pretty darn good, and I even used the VOR without messing up.  The entire check ride turned out to be fun, which was very unexpected.

It was an unbelievable experience which I will never forget.  Taxiing in along Alpha and Juliet to the ramp I could see Reece signing “S” in the columns to the right.  I can only assume “S” was for satisfactory, which would mean I had passed.  When I turned off the engine he smiled at me and said “you did it”.  Nothing could have made me happier than hearing those words.

I did it.  I am a private pilot.

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I haven’t written a blog in some time, and that really goes to show I’ve been busily trying to finish up my private pilot.  A few weeks ago I was studying fanatically for my written test.  Not being one who likes to “have my head in the books” (I learn better by doing), I pushed myself to put in the time to study. It paid off, because I easily passed, which was a huge relief to me.  It seemed at the time just before the test that it would be the biggest step in my path to becoming a pilot.  (I understand that would not be the case for everyone, but for me, takings tests is nerve-wrecking and makes me entirely anxious.)  But now that it’s done, I realize it wasn’t the hardest step. 

Now I’m of the opinion that my solo cross country is going to be the big one.  But wait a minute!  Wasn’t my first solo supposed to be the big one?  What I’m getting at here is that I’ve discovered that the path of becoming a pilot has challenges the entire journey – once I got over the hump of my solo, I then had the written test hump.  Now that I’ve done the written test, I’ve got the solo cross-country.  So, I can now see that once I’ve done the solo-cross country, it will then be the check ride and oral that will likely give me a few sleepless nights.  And after that, well, after that I have my license to get out there and REALLY learn how to fly!  I just need to relax and enjoy the feeling of achieving my goals.

So in a few weeks, I’m hoping to be ready for my check ride.  This is what’s left:

              
DUAL NIGHT X-COUNTRY      
          
LOCAL SOLO TIME 4 HOURS 
                  
SOLO 50 MILE X-COUNTRY 
                
SOLO 2 STOP 150 MILE TOTAL X-COUNTRY

CHECK RIDE PREP 3 HOURS

Am I still anxious about any of this?  Yeah, but my past accomplishments help me every day.   There really is no better feeling than that of accomplishment.  It is a motivator and a confidence builder, and with the highs and lows of learning to fly, it is as satisfying as clear blue skies.

 One more noteworthy comment:  having a great instructor helps.  Kirk has been invaluable in my progress.  He has pushed me when I’ve needed to be pushed, been patient when I’ve stumbled on the radio, praised me when I’ve done a great landing, and slapped my hand when I’ve taxied too fast!  Thanks Kirk.  I promise to slow down for my check ride!

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“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure , the process is its own reward. “ Amelia Earhart

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