Samurai Husky

The suspense is killing me!!!..... Dont type out a 3 page review just give us the thumbs up or down! then write the 3 page review.

Sorry forums glitched on me; All of this is good info.

yup, but i have backup plans for that; Go missed, transition out to Tracy and call up a buddy that lives only a few miles from the airport; Crash there, or borrow a car for the night. Even then that would be highly unlikely since i would check the weather ahead of time and figure out if it was worth coming back or not. Really the IFR is for mostly leaving, not necessarily coming back. The marine layer normally burns off in the day time, then creeps back in at night and sticks around until morning-mid afternoon. So where ever i am coming back from i know to target certain times and if its passed a certain time, then just wait it out somewhere else. Also i am not taking this lightly, i know IFR is a tool, but it can also mean putting yourself in worse situations. I look at it as just a tool for those 1 off times where i am going down for a holiday or coming back; coming back normally i can scheduled myself in a way where i take half a day and just get back, my concern is more about the unpredictability of the marine layer; Some times it comes in at 11pm, some times 8pm some times 6pm; you just never know and my concern is leaving thinking i have nothing to worry about only to get 10miles away and see a blanket of clouds ahead.

Working on the plane part; Max introduced me to someone with a sr22 on the line that isnt being used at all; After talking with him and explaining my prior experience with the club planes, he was willing to give me a special block rate. The reason that i want to do IFR sooner rather than later isnt so that i can fly in a rain storm or anything like that, but just to get through the marine layer here in the bay area. Its becoming that time of year where as a VFR pilot, the available flying days are getting less an less. i wish there was a mini ifr endorsement for just flying in and out of 1 airport; because really thats all i need right now

I am, but he is up to $100/hr; So i want to try and get as much done as possible on my own. Things like the knowledge test and PIC xc should be doable on my part. Also he doesnt seem to be very structured. I have asked him a few times to layout a plan for me of what i need to do, what needs to be done etc, but i never get one. So i feel rather lost in where to start and what to do. His schedule is also pretty tight; He has other clients and taking PTO time etc, So its hard to get on his schedule. I really need a syllabus that says 'do this monday, do this tues, meet wed' etc. etc From what i understand you need: 50hrs of PIC XC of which only 10 need to be in a plane. -i have the 10 part met since i have 15.9 PIC XC in a plane. 40hrs of IMC (sim or not) of which 15 hours need to be from a instructor and of which 3 hours need to be in a actual plane within 2 months of the test -I have 8.7hrs in a plane with max for this, so the 3 in a plane is met, i would need 6.3 more hours with max in a simulator to finish that off. I have 4.6hrs from the ferry flight starting sept 26th, so it makes sense to want to get this done before the end nov. or put in another 3 hours prior to the test. Maybe that adds up quick doing approaches and what not, but i would rather 'want' to do them rather than 'need' to do them. The other 25 hours should be doable in a simulator on my own? a flight of 250miles along airways, 3 different types of approaches, and interment approaches at each airport. -havent done. So it would seem that i can do the rest of the training in the simulator out side of the 250nm trip. Since you dont need a safety pilot for the simulator, thats another savings there. I like getting the requirements out of the way so that i can focus the hobbs time on what i need to improve. $30/hr is a lot easier to swallow than $200+100cfi. Im just a bit cautious because after adding up what i spent on my PPL, well, its probably double or more the national average and i really dont have the money to do that one again. Thats why these fixed boot camps sound so good. Drop in, spend a week flying all at a fixed rate, take test, leave.

I was looking at PIC and some of those other '10 day' programs. But i dont have the PIC time yet. Also i was hoping for something that would also do ground, but it appears they only do the flight part, so its on me to do the IFR knowledge test. Unfortunitly the book I have is god awful horribly written. The first chapter they seem to be jumping all over the place from safe taxi to departure procedures etc. So if someone has a better book they recommend for the IFR knowledge test I am all for it. I put on 4 hours of PIC time this weekend when i took a trip down to KSMO with a friend; But there is way more to go.

Went on my first PPL w/ passenger trip there on Sunday I figure it was better to get it off the list now then wait and see what happens. Ate at Typhoon (which i learned is closing in Nov), watched a bunch of students practice landings and slip to landings, then headed back. Weather was amazing and so was the scenery. When I left i took the shoreline until the restricted area then cut back. Overall a great day, only would have been better if i didnt have a head wind both ways

I dont know, my CFI would mess with my trim; Also my DPE made me feel like we were inverted. First time i felt like i was going to lose my lunch since day 1. So i think its ok to be prepared for the worst. In the end it doesnt madder what they do to you, the process is always the same. If trim is messed up, just over come it with force until level then retrim. If you feel like you are going to puke... dont.... Just follow the same procedures and you will be fine!

no; that just happen to be the town we got diverted to when we ran into a line of thunderstorms on the ferry flight. All i know about the town is that it has a class D, American Air stores a lot of planes there, it has 100k people and no uber.... Oh and they are known for sheep.

I did The it was 19.2 all dual. 17.2 came in the cross country, so it was a lot of climb to alt and look out the window. For the full flight we only got in 4 landings and all of them were at large runways. So we went out on Tuesday where there was some good Xw and did landings at KPAO. I think we did about 15 TO/L total, 2 were go arounds, but a lot were right on the money smooth as silk. I was surprised how fast you get to pattern Alt and how much right rudder was needed. It really is something to be climbing at 1200ft/m.

IF your town has uber... When i landed in San Agelo Tx, they didnt have uber or taxis. It was 1 of 2 shuttle companies and it was $35 per person from the airport 3 miles to the hotel.

its fold-able. i would hope that it fits through the door! Click the link, its folds down to the size of the 20" tire. So 20x20"? 70lbs is with the ginormous battery. Im sure that number could go down. Im almost tempted to fly down there an talk with the guys because they sound like they will customize something for you. Just an idea, Its not cheap, but if you upgrade it, it will do 50mph But to get to a burger joint or a rental place i think it will work. Its light enough to get 2 in the back, so that was the intriguing factor. I looked at a lot of mini motorcycles and what not, but they arnt street legal. This solves that.

High Performance Endorsement unlocked (#MORERIGHTRUDDER :P) Though it felt like i was cheating because it was in a SR22; I also showed my Temporary Airmans Certificate to my CFI... He said i can stop being in denial now... Almost took a PnP mission today. There was a Shepard with horrible leg dmg and they need to evac from Monterrey to some hospital out by SAC. I would have taken it, but it was 4pm and the sun sets at 7pm, i didnt think i could get there, to the destination then back home in time before the sun went down. I need more night practice and KPAO isnt the best place to do it. Still having flash backs from the pictures, sure hope she makes it. Nope, still in denial. the thought that i can jump in a place and go where ever still doesnt seem real

man for what ever reason the forums dont say when there has been a reply. So as far as the puppies; When i flew from AZ to CA the only time it was nice to go high was when we had clearance to go through all of the restricted area's at or above 10k; So we were able to pop up to 12500 and cut the corner there at palmdale. Probably saved at least 30 minutes or more. Outside of that, any time we got up to 10k we would then find a hole in the clouds and get below them, especially if it was around noon and we knew the clouds would keep climbing. So while i think O2 would be good for trips by myself, i dont see the dogs getting above 10k unless its on the way to AZ and even then, for a very short amount of time. I would like to get up to FL's if i am flying far and by myself, for that i want to look into o2d2 and the .... i forgot what its called... its a arm that comes off your head set and has nostral plugs on it.... I have to do some googling and write some of this stuff down..... Im also looking at ground transportation. There are a few folding elctric bikes out there that look really interesting. http://www.hi-powercycles.com/hpc-recon-2000w-folding-mountain-bike/ this one for instance has the ability to get up to 50 with a 30mi range at under 70lbs. Obviously this wouldnt be for the doggies, but if i am out getting a $100 burger or get stuck somewhere on a long distance flight, i now have a option. That F looked really interesting. I was shocked by the payload... is that right? 750lb payload with full fuel? For the lease back. Yea, If i had a plane i would put a 'no trainer' tag on it. I really feel sorry for these guys because there is no way they are going to get the money they are asking with the condition they are in. In general i would put my plane on the line with a crazy rent rate only so i can take the tax deduction and depreciation on it. This way its too much to get rented, and i still get the write off.

To all their own i guess. As a new pilot it's what i am comfortable with; Maybe as time goes on and I have more confidence in my approaches I too will transition over to steam or just not care what i use.

no they are on a 50/100/annual schedule; Not a CAMP program.

Yup; I like numbers and trends and all sorts of information, more importantly, i like exacts. With glass i know I am doing exactly 121kph at 5020ft. Not 'well it looks like 120, but i could be 124, let me break out the magnifying glass so i can see the individual lines'. There is nothing wrong with steam; If i just had to fly a plane from point A to B and not worry about being right on the numbers all the time like when i train, then i would be fine with it; So its not a 'need'; but its more of a 'want' and there is nothing wrong with wanting; Since passing my test, my level of paranoia has dropped

Bingo! they have seen more use than a las vegas prostitute. The SR22's which arnt used for training look a lot better. They have been trying to sell 490CD for about 4 months; When i flew 532PG for my PPL i shed a tear. They need a detailer to go through it and clean it up; I mean it was pretty dirty and i couldn't believe how people treat something as valuable as a plane. 490CD is about 100hrs over OH; They put about 1000hrs on it in the last 6mo; No so sure on 532pg. To top it off the clubs mechanics arent the best either. I think they try hard, but they are just limited in what they can and cant do. Plus there is the constant pressure of keeping the plane on the line and making money. The best mechanic they had broke away and started his own business one hanger over. I talked with him while he was doing a inspection on of all things a mooeny. Very nice guy, its him and his wife running the place (the wife is also a AP); If i got a plane i would put it with them and not WV.

Nope. At the time it was a investment. Last year when oil was at 60 and we were still socking 5+mb/w away and output was increasing i bought DWTI and held on until oil hit the upper 20's; I tried getting in and out a few times, but it was to volatile for me. I think we are in a range of 40-50, so i dont short oil any more. If it were to drop below 40 i think i would buy some. Right now i am looking at dividend stocks. Companies like CXW, BP, NAT, SJR etc. Im trying to use this money to generate a 2nd income. Problem is, the market is so overbought that i dont see any real good bargains right now. Full time job is a IT manager. I mange 14 people across 30 or so customers. But Thanks Everyone! Im glad this chapter has a happy ending. Now its time to start saving to put a down payment on a plane.

Stayed out;; Been slowly adding to my CXW position. If you want to see what a short squeeze will do, thats the stock to be in. Over 10% of float is short, Dividend is now paying 15% and really nothing has changed yet as their contracts arnt up for renewals yet. So they have time to find new suitors. Still some headwinds, but really has just been bear raided to death. Though i wont lie. I saw UWTI at $19 and almost jumped in for a quick buck, messed up on that one!

100% agree! I am just stating the current options at the club; It seems like its either all steam or all glass. When you own your own plane you can customize it as you like

Well crud, i had about a whole page typed out and the browser crashed I guess i will just do the abbreviated version; 1. Cirrus has a bad rep in the training world, especially with DPE's so just know going into it that you will be graded harder than if you were in a 172. I think this has a lot to do with just the DPE's not knowing enough about cirrus and just being more comfortable in planes they do the most check rides in. The first guy didnt even understand what the standby battery did and when he saw it not working thought that it was a major failure.... Well its for IFR, it has nothing to do with VFR. but i digress. 2. I dont regret learning in the cirrus, the cirrus connected me to my CFI and allowed me to have opportunities that i dont think other CFI's would have offered me. Things like saying 'i know we are supposed to do this today, but hell these crosswinds are horrible, let see how you do in them' or offering to take me on the ferry flight. Things like that which i dont think the other CFI's would have offered. I also think the extra time made me more prepared for the real world. The last flight out to KSAC for my check ride, i dont think i had ever been so calm and on point as i did then. This is just from building time and confidence. 17knt winds? HA! try that with lighting flashing and heave rain comming right at you with your place bouncing around like a mexican jumping bean!. It seems that a lot of students rush through their training, and frankly some times it scares me, NTSB confirms that fear. In general all of these set backs have made me a better pilot and stronger person. Every wall that was put in front of me i was able to knock down and keep going. Sure at the end i was tired of the walls, but looking back i think it was all a invaluable experience. So in short i think having the right CFI for you is the most important decision then the plane you learn in. 3. I would still learn in a glass cockpit. the bay area is just too crowded and full of pilots that just fly the magenta line with out caring about others around them. Having the traffic scope saved my bacon a few times. If i were learning out in KSAC or those area's where you can go hours with out seeing another plane, then sure i would try steam out. But for my situation, it game me the situational awareness i needed. 4. If i were starting over today, i think i would try out the DA's. It seems that is the new trainer of choice out here in the BA. The club has 3, there are 3 more coming as well as a DA42. The wet on them are 165 compared to the sr20 i am in at 185. The 172's are still up in the 170-200 range, but i imagine those numbers will come down with the new competition for student time. At the time i think maybe i might have finished sooner in a 172 and with less hours, but i dont know if i would feel as prepared as i do now. Nope; it has 200 exactly. I was told that it didnt qualify for HP as it states more than 200HP not 200 or more. So literally 1hp difference, but if its going to be a trainer, then for insurance purposes it shouldn't be a HP plane. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I didnt know how long IFR takes; I hear some people work on it for months, some people only a week; so i didnt know if i needed to prepare for another 20k bill or not; If it takes months, then i need to save up again before i start. I think that was everything!

So for the hours its a little messed up because there were so many outstanding factors; The Journey began on March 8th 2016 - The day I got my medical, that was the start of the drama, only then i didnt know it! First flight was 3/12/16 - Bad weather moving in, was rocked around like a pin ball; Maintaining altitude? HA! started to rain on the way back in, thought i was going to puke. 5/17 - Solo Check ride with club 5/30 - Solo was at 45.1; But we had already done XC. 6/4 - XC check ride with club (accidentally did this early still had one more XC lesson). 6/24 - Solo XC ~60hrs 7/25 - Check Ride Endorsement was at 74.7 8/20 - The First Check ride was at 83.1 this was because it was a 3 week waiting period and i kept going up to practice. 8/27 - 2nd one was 84.1 - i didnt do any air work for the 2nd one 9/2 -3rd one was at 89 - this was where i came back here contemplating if i should just give up. Long break here because we were trying to find a new DPE; Did my REAL XC on a ferry flight so gained 17.1 hours Lastly, XC to KSAC (its 74nm away); so that was +1hr Ending the Journey on 9/30/16 - Just shy of 6 months.... Im almost afraid to see how much money it cost. I am guessing well into the 20k's; So before the final check ride 106.8 - though i am going to have to put all this in excel and double check, it seems off. With the check ride and the flight back i have 108.8 of which 19.1 is in a HP SR22 (mostly because of the XC); Next? Next is to officially get HP sign off. I dont think there is anything more to learn other than demonstrating that i know what i am doing now. I think my CFI said just a 1 hour flight should be enough to make sure i know what i am doing. He wants to take me high and see if i can properly take off and descend to a airport while maintaining all the proper fuel flows and speed. Plus a few landings, take offs etc. It should be really quick and easy i think. I also need to lose some damn weight. All the stress has caused me to put on 15lbs! After that? I need a financial break. I spent a ton of money lately and need to get caught up on all the bills. I have been paying for all this flying out of my paycheck instead of loans or borrowing out of my retirement, but i want to get started on IFR next. I was able to log about 4 hrs Simulated instrument with a few inst. approaches on the XC; We are moving into the winter months here in the bay area and its easy to get locked in because of the marine layer. The marine layer is only from 800ft to about 3000ft, so once you are above that you are golden, but coming back you never know when its going to move in. Normally the colder it gets the sooner it moves in so its easy to get locked out of the bay area. I will probably work on complex and IFR at the same time; But do IFR in a non complex and just treat them as 2 separate things. I also want to work on my landings more before i decide to take people up; Friday was the most confident day i had as far as winds and landing, but that doesn't mean that the passengers will feel the same way. I know how bad it can look, they dont. So what i consider a good landing they might be silently screaming inside (or outside) I still dont feel like this is real!

I think the funniest part was when he was getting frustrated that i was babying it do much, he said 'you are such an abused child, what did they do to you over there'.... I cracked up because i thought that was probably the best description of what i had been through. It was good to know that i was in good hands. We even bonded over the game 'pilot wings'. Remember pilot wings? that game was awesome, now fly like that! Im still cant believe its done... The weight that has been lifted from my shoulders is insurmountable and i am still waiting for the 'gotchya!' moment. But yes... To close the thread... He came, He flew, He conquered Good Luck Skates! Your turn!