Will Samurai Husky pass his checkride?

[Samurai Husky]

Been a while since an update, had a bunch of delays; so here's one. 

1. Had to go away for work... Like a kid i went up into the cockpit and had a nice discussion with the co-pilot before the captain kicked me out

2. Came back and scheduled my first XC; Only.... PotUS was in town TFR over the entire bay area for 2 days.

3. Met with my CFI to go over the flight plan, only to have it cancelled because the XW was higher than my sign off. The unfortunate thing was he left for the weekend a day early. Though we worked it out so that if i called him with the winds and emailed him the updated flight plane calculations then he would give me the go no go for today.

today... At 2PM the winds were 35012kt 1kph over my XC sign off  I called my CFI but he didnt pick up. I sat in the plane for about 30 mins and the wind changed to 33015; Which was just enough for me to do pattern work. So i sent my CFI a txt message asking for him to respond and in the mean time did landing practice with the wind just to make sure i wouldn't get in over my head. 

After about a hour i decided to call it quits. It seemed like everyone in the airport was skipping town and after 6 landings and 2 go arounds i thought i should just call it quits before the wind got to bad. It was now at 33018. So i get the plan back to the tie down and 'just' push it into place when my phone rang. Guess who? My CFI applogized and said he forgot and took a nap. :/

Anyway he asked if i already left, i said no. He asked what the winds were, do i looked at the new Metar and they said 32015. He said he was sorry and that i should schedule it again.... I was like wait dude, its only 4:30... He said, well if you are going to go you better get moving.

I was hot, thirsty and had to pee, so instead of just running off i went back to the club house and 'chilled' for about 30 mins.

Long story longer; First Solo XC is in the books! KPAO> KMCE with flight following. Approach only vectored me twice and changed my Altitude 2 times  But i am glad they were there, they started moving some planes out of my way too; 

Obligatory pictures: BTW, Samurai Husky is starting to get a little Husky

[Guest]

You weren't cheating and letting the autopilot fly were you?

Clarence

[Hank]

Congrats! Another big step forward. I really starting feeling like a pilot after my long XC.

[CaptainAB]

Wow. Your learning in a fast plane. Good for you.  I was in a 2012 sr20 and it was showing 157 TAS on 11gph. I guess they figured out the aerodynamics of a fixed gear speedster

[Danb]

Pretty scenes 

[Yetti]

Yipee.  You were a pilot when you soloed.   You are now a real pilot.

[HRM]

11 hours ago, Samurai Husky said:

I was hot, thirsty and had to pee, so instead of just running off i went back to the club house and 'chilled' for about 30 mins.

A scenario that you will repeat many, many times before you fold your wings.

Other than taking off and flying, one of the wonderful drug-like highs that only a pilot gets to have.

[Samurai Husky]

8 hours ago, M20Doc said:

You weren't cheating and letting the autopilot fly were you?

Clarence

LOL. only when taking pictures and selfies

Its funny, at some point i was over a bunch of farm fields, had everything trimmed out, was in a very quiet area for nor cal and i thought to myself.... Now what? Im so used to being busy every second of the flight that i didnt know what to do once i had nothing left to do

 

[DonMuncy]

1 minute ago, Samurai Husky said:

Its funny, at some point i was over a bunch of farm fields, had everything trimmed out, was in a very quiet area for nor cal and i thought to myself.... Now what? Im so used to being busy every second of the flight that i didnt know what to do once i had nothing left to do

 

That is when you do the "what do I do if the engine quits right here." and "what do I do if I have a complete electrical failure right now."

[gsengle]

When you're flying a 5-6 hour, 1000 mile leg in your Mooney, it can be pretty quiet for long stretches! But yes keep the nearest airport page up, watch your engine monitor and get your leaning right, and listen to music...

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[Samurai Husky]

Yep; I really like the lean assist on the avadyne system. It makes leaning really easy; You cant see it well, but in the picture of the dash on the map screen you can see the CHT's and EGT followed by a 'leaning' title a little higher up. I was always told to lean for best power, but i think there is also a lean for best economy. Either way i think it takes about 2 minutes to do. Once its set just monitor the engine page to make sure that things dont change and you go out of range. I was getting about 11.2gal/h at 4500ft with 135TAS, but there was also a 21knt wind that was helping me along.

-for the nearest airport; You cant see it, but its listed on the top Garman 430 along with distance to next check point. The bottom one has skywatch with 2km>6km; Though it will also put traffic up on the MFD. I normally have the engine page up, but i put that map on for 'effect' i went back to the engine page after the picture;

During the entire flight i kept thinking to myself what do i do next, what am i missing, redo check lists; etc (which was good because i forgot to switch tanks at some point and was 7gal less on one side) . It wasnt until i landed and pushed back into my tie down that it actually dawned on me... This is real flying In that, I actually went somewhere far away, on my own. No pattern flying 15 times in a row, no maneuvers.. just Point A to Point B. IDK, it wasnt until later that i felt a great sense of accomplishment.

[carusoam]

Sam,

How many flight hours have you accrued so far?

X-country flying in good weather makes them stack up quickly and easily.

What is next in your itinerary?

Best regards,

-a-

[Samurai Husky]

Getting a little embarrassing at this point, but 64.2 Hobbs total. To be fair, probably 10 of those hours if not more is me sitting on the ground waiting to take off or taxiing. It is what it is, luckily there isnt a maximum for the PPL

The only thing weather wise to look out for this time of year is wind. I have a 20kph max with 7 XWC limitation. I agree with that limitation, wind is my biggest issue. Not so much staying on the center line, but just transitioning from crab to slip, or if in the slip then keeping the wing down through flare; or flaring late because a gust of wind came down the runway and knocked me down.

When the plane was in the shop for 2 weeks, i can say that my landings regressed a lot. I think going out before my XC yesterday helped a little, but the habit i had of releasing pressure on the stick on touchdown came back, which results in porpoise'ing . Luckily someone on this forum told me about his experience and have burned that into my head; so if im on the air on the 2nd hop, then its a automatic go around. Im slowly working that habit back out, but it just goes to show how important regular training are. 

So whats next? 

I convinced my instructor to give me sign off for another airport (KTCY) which is outside the clubs 25nm range; I asked for this because now i am outside all of the bay area's club training areas and can go practice with little interference. Also its more farm land out there and its flat, so i think it will help with doing 45's; Yes its more time to get out there, but probably only 10 mins or less. I think i waste that or more every time i abort a maneuver in the training grounds because someone isnt paying attention and comes into my 'personal' space.

So Monday i will see what the weather is like and either do more XW landings or go out there to practice maneuvers. 

Tuesday I have the Big XC. I already have my airport assignments, I took the afternoon off of work. I was asked if there was any where i wanted to go... I said Tahoe... He laughed, I laughed, and got a no..... So i asked for a place were i can get a good burger. So I guess i am going to KPAO > KSAC > KLSN then back to KPAO via the 101 corridor so that i can transition through KSJC's airspace or over the airport, not sure which way they will want me to go; But i requested that as practice. Its amazing how many people will skirt around major airports instead of just calling.

After this all of my requirements will be met for the check ride per the FAA. The the club is another matter, for me to get scheduled, i have to do a Club Check ride with another instructor, in order to get that, i need sign off from my instructor. So there will still be a few more lessons of going out on 'mock' tests.

[carusoam]

The reason I asked...

your are coming up on the time where many MS pilots started their Mooney acquisition efforts.

You are now significantly more trained and more knowledgable regarding aviation.

No rush.  You will be more trained and even more knowledgable as you finish the PPL... 

 

 

There is nothing more dissapointing than paying the full price for flight hours that occur while sitting in line to gain access to the runway...

Wait until you go for the IR.  You will learn that there are certain rush hours to be avoided at towered airports.  There are also work-arounds that get discussed here.  More details and location specific fun stuff.

Keep up the diligent work!

Best regards,

-a-

[rbridges]

don't worry about total time.  no one cares after you get your ticket.  I love the pics.  I'm not too familiar with the opposite coast.  I've been to San DIego twice, but that's it.  How far inland before California becomes less congested?

[Samurai Husky]

23 minutes ago, carusoam said:

The reason I asked...

your are coming up on the time where many MS pilots started their Mooney acquisition efforts.

Funny you should say that! I put a bid on a 'J' and they stopped talking to me... I probably need to come back with a better offer, but i have been telling people that I really dont want to commit until after PPL. I haven't really put much effort into it other than the 1 plane, mostly because i dont know if i can afford flight lessons AND a plane payment. I am trying to stay very disciplined, which is why some times i come off as frustrated or overly anxious to get stuff done. Its more or less because i want to start shopping seriously but put that limit on my self.

 

17 minutes ago, rbridges said:

 How far inland before California becomes less congested?

It really depends on where you are. Since i am in the bay area, I am ground 0 for people with a lot of money and plenty of airports. A lot of it is student traffic because we have a lot of foreigners that come in here to learn. We also have 3 international airports within 10km of each other. 

Once you leave the bay area. IE north of SF, South of E16; Over the hills/mountains to the west or over the ALTAM ie KTCY, then traffic drops off significantly. On the last XC once i was over KTCY i think i had 1 Barron the past me on my left and that was it until i got to KMCE. There it was just 1 helicopter landing and 1 plane that landed about 5 mins after i did....  The entire central valley is farms, so there is little traffic; So maybe 35nm from my airport to get to clear air?

This compares to my airport where its not uncommon to have 3 people in the pattern at all times. Yesterday i was sequenced #8 to land, had to do 2 left 360's and extend my down wind to Moffet Field (which makes it a 5nm final); Even at 730PM there were 2 at the run up and 2 in the pattern. I gave up on staying in the area on the weekends or any type of flight training.

I would say that if you come into the bay area, then avoid the livermore area. Everyone uses the Sonol pass to get in and out, The Bravo is at 4000ft the top of the pass is at 2200, and its not very wide. In the bravo you have massive commercial traffic as its basically the root the use to get into SFO and OAK. SJC comes up from the south but it usually a non factor. 

So i would say come up along the V485 to where ever you want to land. 

[gsengle]

Hey just curious have you managed to get a Mooney ride yet?

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[Samurai Husky]

nope; I was in Chicago most of the week; Then came back and did my XC. Today i had to work. I have to go back out there the end of next week, wont know until Tuesday when.  Summer is busy for me, which is why i wanted to be done by now

 

[gsengle]

Will be interesting to get your impressions as they are very different aircraft...

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[bonal]

Sam, looks like your almost there. I remember my first solo X country it was such an amazing experience while I was very focused on the mission I was filled with such a wonderful feeling one I'll never forget. Don't worry about your total time this not a competition every hour you log has value 

[Samurai Husky]

I am anxious to see what all the fuss is about  A plane can look awesome on paper, but like anything else, i think it has to fit the pilot. I just really hope that after all this time of bugging you people that i dont fly one and say... This doesn't work for me 

For the XC, Im having fun planning it out, I haven't decided which way to go yet in my loop and i keep checking the weather for winds... Though in the central valley its supposed to be HOT. 105 at KLSN and 104 at KSAC. No AC or blower on this plane  so i am trying to plan to fly higher, like 7500ft there and 8500ft. Never been up that high so it will be good practice. So far the winds in the forecast look good.

 

[Mcoyne34]

My ears don't always equalize really well when I fly that high unless I am chewing gum. Bring some with you. Def a smoother ride and cooler air up there, so it's worth going up that high. 

[Danb]

Sam make sure you get an oximeter for your flight bag once you start going to 8,500 feet. 

Back in the good 'ol days,really, it took longer to flight plan the trip than actually flying it. Boy how times have changed.

[Hank]

2 hours ago, Samurai Husky said:

I am anxious to see what all the fuss is about  A plane can look awesome on paper, but like anything else, i think it has to fit the pilot. I just really hope that after all this time of bugging you people that i dont fly one and say... This doesn't work for me 

For the XC, Im having fun planning it out, I haven't decided which way to go yet in my loop and i keep checking the weather for winds... Though in the central valley its supposed to be HOT. 105 at KLSN and 104 at KSAC. No AC or blower on this plane  so i am trying to plan to fly higher, like 7500ft there and 8500ft. Never been up that high so it will be good practice. So far the winds in the forecast look good.

 

I went to a WINGS event yesterday, it started at 1000. Temp was 88° when I departed at 0915, but I don't recall the temps at 5500. On my return trip a little after 1100, it was ~94° on the ground but was a pleasant 68° at 6500 msl. By the time I got the plane put away, I was sweating pretty good. The high was supposed to have been "near 100" with heat index up to 107°. I landed back home pretty much at noon, so it wasn't fully warm yet. Plane ran great, though, and I climbed at Vy + 5 mph, the Oil Temp was at the top of the green.

You'll enjoy flying higher in the summer. It's cooler, smoother and can give better tailwinds. It also gives you more options if something goes wrong. "Speed is life, altitude is life insurance." There were no bumps above 3000 msl yesterday (field elevations both ~400 msl), but I did dodge around some cumulus on the way home.

[Samurai Husky]

Any recommendations on a oximeter? Do they all require something on your finger? I have been searching amazon for one for a while and just dont know that much about them. 

Overall it sounds like high is the best way to go, So i think that settles my direction of flight. I was going to fly from KPAO>KSAC>KLSN>KPAO. But going in that direction takes me through livermore and cant climb that high until about 25nm out when i finally get out of the bravo. 

If i head south first i can climb over SJC and stay above the approach. On the way back i can time my decent so that i cross under each ceiling. Welp, back to the drawing board as they say