Day 5: 5/31/11

As I have mentioned in previous posts, flying is not all about stimulating maneuvers in the air, but rather the technically demanding skills that are developed in both the plane and the classroom. Although a day spent studying flight plans, area charts, weight and balance information, weather briefings, and navigation technique is not as fun as a day in the air, for someone who is as passionate about aviation as me, I still thoroughly enjoy reading about anything aeronautical. Today was one of those days... Today I finalized my flight plan to Camarillo so I will give a brief outline of what it consists of.

First, I will depart from KSNA via a Long Beach departure. Next I will climb to a cruising altitude of 4,500 feet, and turn to heading 264. I will proceed through the LAX class Bravo corridor VNY140 until I clear the airspace. After this, I will track the Ventura VOR108.2 on heading 116 then track the Camarillo VOR115.8 to arrive at the destination. 

Of course, the actual flight plan is much more technical, but this is a good overview of what I will be doing. Aside from planning my course, I worked on calculating my fuel consumption, load, cruising and climbing speeds, and adjustments for weather. This will be a great flight and I feel very prepared!

Day 4: 5/27/11

Today was another productive day at the airport, and a good way to wrap up a weeks work of aeronautical training. I arrived at KSNA this morning, and after a flight briefing, practiced flying the traffic pattern and landings. To expedite landing practice, pilots execute a procedure known as a touch-and-go landing. The landing takes place like normal, but instead of braking and turning off the runway once all three wheels are down, the pilot engages full throttle, retracts the flaps, and takes off again without ever bringing the aircraft to a full stop. This procedure saves lots of time and money because the pilot does not need to taxiback to the runway threshold and wait for clearance after every landing.

I did not bring a camera today, but I thought you guys might want a couple more pictures to get a better idea of what I have been doing. These pictures were taken by my instructor during my first solo flight. Although you probably cannot tell from the picture, I am alone in the plane and my instructor is standing near the runway.

This is one of my three landings I executed on the day of my solo flight.

P.S.... I have a full video of my first solo flight, but because it did not take place during spring at sage, I won't post it on this blog. If anyone is interested just let me know and I will send a copy.

Day 3: 5/26/11

Again, I spent today at the airport, but unfortunately, it was a little too windy this morning to get up in the air. Out on the tarmac, I got a chance to observe airport operations and continue to plan for my flight to Camarillo. Also, I had the opportunity to spend a couple hours with one of the mechanics that my flight instructor knows. The mechanic, who works next to my flight school, showed me the interworking of several different types of aircraft engines and gave me the chance to do some hands-on work with the engines. In the Atlantic Aviation Hangar, I had the opportunity to watch the mechanic fix the engine of a Piper Cub aircraft. Although I didn’t get a chance to fly today, I made the most out of my time at the airport by working with the mechanic. 

This picture is taken from the section of the tarmac near the runway that we park our planes and is of a Piper Cherokee taking off from runway 19L. 19 stands for the compass heading that the runway aligns with, and L designates that this is the leftmost of the two runways at KSNA.

King Air 350 taxing to runway 19R

A mechanic working on a nearby cessna 152 type aircraft

Day 2: 5/25/11

Although I was stuck in the classroom yesterday, I was able to get into the air today! I arrived at the airport this morning and spent the first hour or so prepping for my flight. The most important part of my flight preparation is “pre-flighting” the aircraft, which entails checking the avionics and structural integrity of the aircraft before the flight. Today’s flight was spent in the traffic pattern, which is the air operation in the immediate vicinity of the airport. Flying the traffic pattern is a very important part of training and often the most nerve-racking because I am constantly in close proximity with other aircraft. Also, landing the aircraft is the most involved part of each flight, so the more practice I have landing, the more natural it becomes. Landing does not come naturally to most pilots because in order to make a safe landing, the pilot must flare the nose of the aircraft, which causes he or she to lose sight of the ground for a brief moment. After many, many landings, I have honed my skills, but there is always room for improvement, which is what flights like today are for.

I know that some of you guys requested pictures so here are a few. Enjoy! 

Here is a picture of me in the cockpit of the Cessna 172R aircraft. I wear a headset when I fly in order to communicate with air traffic controllers and other pilots.

Here is another picture of my with the Cessna 172R Skyhawk aircraft. As you can see, the plan is very small and light (I push the plane to move it around the parking area). Notice the single propeller that provides thrust for the aircraft; this is a scary thought for most people who get in the plan. Also, notice the fixed landing gear of the aircraft; unlike the jets you fly on for vacations, this landing gear stays down for the duration of the flight.

Finally, here is a picture I took of the interior of the aircraft. The major features of the interior that we can see here are the yoke, instrument cluster, and throttle controls. The yoke is the handle like piece in the middle of the picture and pulling it back causes the airplane to pitch up, and similarly it controls left and right movements in the air. The yoke is not solely responsible for movement, but rather the rudder pedals located on the floor assist in changing the yaw of the aircraft. The red handle in the bottom right hand corner of the screen is the mixture control. This richens (Increases the fuel air mix in the engine) or leans the mixture of fuel and air in the engine. This knob is red and textured because improper usage of the mixture control could cause engine failure. located next to the mixture control is the throttle, pushing this knob in increases engine output while pulling it out does the opposite. Finally, the instrument cluster helps the pilot monitor his surroundings. the primary six instruments include the airspeed indicator, attitude indicator, altimeter, turn indicator, heading indicator, and vertical speed indicator. Accompanying these instruments are two VHF omnidirectional range dials which aid in navigation. Along with other engine dials, these instruments comprise the majority of the instrument cluster.

Day 1: 5/24/11

For five years, I have taken flying lessons and studied aviation in pursuit of my Private Pilot License. After hearing about Spring at Sage, I realized that it would be a perfect opportunity for me to continue to reach my goal. Although my age has placed a restriction on what I can achieve, I am now old enough to finish the final stages of my training and receive my license. I have already flown solo and I will continue to do so until I get my license. Due to cost and scheduling, flying each day is impractical, so today was spent studying for the FAA written examination. My studies today focused on chapters pertaining to FAA regulations and airspace operations (yes it is as boring as it sounds). Although these topics are tedious, they will prepare me for my solo flight to Camarillo airport, for which I must travel through Los Angeles International airport’s complex Class Bravo corridor system. Also in preparation for the flight, I plotted a course and prepared my flight plan which is a specific list of course headings and altitudes for my journey ad must be submitted to an FAA controller before I take to the air. I’ve scheduled meetings with my instructor to fly and continue ground work. Despite conventional wisdom, most of the time learning to fly is spent planning and studying versus actually flying the aircraft and for every hour spent in the air, I spend approximately three or four on the ground. Aside from my planning, I also purchased current Airport/Facility Directory books, small green books that detail airport layouts and operations, along with current terminal area charts, charts that detail airspace and terrain of orange county. I look forward to getting into the air, but the preparation for each flight is just as important as the airtime.