Plane Conversations

Caught in the serenity of the vivid 5 a.m. horizon, the aroma of Folger’s Columbian blend engulfed the cockpit of the Cessna 310R I fly for a small Part 91 operator.

-Climb checklist complete-

It’s moments like this that make it easy to sit back and reflect on how I find myself in the position that I am in.  There are, of course, new adventures to be had, banks to reluctantly send student loan payments to, and people to thank.  None deserve more gratitude than my instrument instructor (CFII), who took a 100 hour private pilot, and through coaching alone, dramatically improved my stick and rudder skills and confidence.

–“Twin Cessna One Two Tree Alpha Bravo, climb and maintain One Two thousand”–

The IO-520’s are still giving me a thousand feet a minute at 140 knots indicated.

….Cruise checklist complete

There is one story in particular that stands out in my head worth telling, that, I think instructors and students alike can learn from.

After a long day of shooting ILS, GPS (-Super NES-) practice approaches, Wes (my CFII) and I, were in a portion of the practice area where it would take another 15 minutes to land if we shot the full (procedure turn and all) approach into our home airport.  Mutually agreeing that we both did not want that, I told him, “Well, just give me vectors to final.” I was still under the hood, confident he would be looking for traffic.

“Ok, N123AB turn right heading two-four-zero, descend and maintain One thousand five hundred.”

I complied.

“N123AB turn right three-six-zero descend and maintain 800”

Pucker factor increased (“nice vector jerk”), winds were favoring runway three-six today.

“N123AB right heading 020 down to 615,” he said.

“That is the field elevation!” I chirped.

Out of my peripheral I could see trees whipping by under the wing. “That’s it!”… that was close enough. A split second later I ripped off the foggles restricting my viewing capability, to find myself crossing the runway threshold at 100 feet above the ground and 90 knots.  The trained instincts of a private pilot in this situation were screaming “GO AROUND.”  Wes had other plans.  Within a split second he queried, “How much runway does it take to land?” … “Uh, a thousand feet,” I croaked… “We have 4,000 feet, land the plane.”  Flying by the seat of my pants I grimaced, dumped full flaps, chopped the power, and pitched the airplane into a nose-high slip.  Wes then calmly but sternly muttered,

…KEEP… -[flahy-ing]-

“Twin Cessna One-Two-Three Alpha Bravo, 2 miles from MYRHH, turn right 3 zero-zero maintain three-thousand until established on the localizer, cleared for the ILS Runway 32.”

The phrase and the manner it was spoken has stuck with me as I teach my students.  These two basic words offer encouragement in the face of a trying situation in the airplane for the student. It reassures them of being capable of handling the situation when in doubt of their flying skills.  Was Wes pushing the limits and jeopardizing safety when a go-around would have been the wisest choice? Possibly. But what if you were caught single-engine in high density altitude and low IFR? Or, caught in moderate ice without de-ice or anti-ice capability, and caught a glimpse of the runway?  Are you going-around in that situation?  It is a positive thing to break training instincts in favor of creating a realistic flying environment. It is positive helping a pilot find their limits and the airplane’s limits, no matter what the rating is, no matter what the experience level is.

I ended up bouncing the airplane twice before finally firmly planting the wheels on the ground on the final third of the runway.  It would be the only time that I used the entire length of the runway to get an airplane to come to a stop.

“Twin Cessna One-Two-Three Alpha Bravo, turn left on Alpha, left on Juliet, taxi to the ramp, welcome back.”

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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!

www.wingsmqy.com

“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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Having been born and bred in Australia, I never imagined that I would ever be living my life in Tennessee. But two years ago I made the journey to the United States from Queensland, Australia with the task of starting a new life ahead of me. It was a daunting task, but one I saw as a challenge, and I jumped at it.

I’ve always believed passion is one of the most important things a person can possess, and for me, I have an inner urge to explore and release my creativity. However, I am always eager to add to the list of things I am passionate about. I did add to that list a year and a half ago when I began working for Corporate Flight Management. I had no experience in aviation at all (private jets and corporate jets – these were just aircraft wealthy businessmen and rockstars rode around in, from what I knew). But, having been bitten by the aviation bug and learning firsthand about this industry, I now know the business for what it really is, and I am happily immersed in an industry that I can call fun and exciting. I am constantly being educated about the business of private aircraft charter and management by highly skilled professionals whom I respect and admire. I feel so fortunate to be working beside them on a daily basis.

I was bitten so hard that I am now learning to fly and will soon be a pilot! Amazingly, I am able to explore this beautiful country and release my creativity by having the opportunity to blog about my travel adventures and my experiences as a student of flight. If you have any interest in travel, flying, or just want to know about the fun side of aviation as well as some unique and luxurious travel destinations, then I’m your girl.

In my travel blogs, I will strive to write about the unique, luxurious, and adventuresome destinations I visit in our corporate aircraft, providing stories detailing my experiences at these locations, so you can learn firsthand what they have to offer. These are sometimes going to be destinations that are not easy to get to when flying commercial. The business of general aviation is not about flying rock stars to resorts in private jets but is one in which flying in private aircraft allows the traveler to get to out-of-the-way destinations without having to spend 12 hours and two commercial flights getting there. Your vacation can start when you step onto the aircraft! Whether you are a Cirrus owner, a jet owner, a charter customer, a flight student, or someone who just wants to know, I will share with you the unique places I have experienced, my flight training stories, and maybe some cool tips along the way.

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