Back to the Skies

After almost a year of being grounded I was finally able to get back into the air on Sunday October 25th. My personal and financial life are now in order and I can once again pursue my flying goals, which of course is to get my private pilot's license and IFR rating.

I plan on having my check ride some time in early March (or sooner if possible). I currently have about 45.1 hours of flight time under my belt and all I have left is to continue practicing emergency procedures, cross country solos and some more night flying.

I believe flying is about learning and challenging yourself to always do better. You need to always keep an eye on the bigger picture and at the same time manage all of the little things that go into making a flight safe and successful each time. That way of thinking can also help in one's personal life. You know you want to get from point A to point B, then C, D and so on. And on that journey there are things that come up that must be dealt with and managed (turbulence, switching fuel tanks, even a quick landing for the bathroom), as long as you know that in the end, by handling all of these things in between, you will get you to your destination safely.

The same holds true for life, its a journey, you must know where you are and where you want to go, and getting there means dealing with all of the things that come up during that journey, not letting any one thing overwhelm you to a point that you loose sight of your larger goal and journey. Its OK to sometimes delay, choose an alternate plan or even take a detour, in flying we do it all the time to stay safe and alive, it should be no different in life.

My First Solo

Today, Sunday November 30th, 2008, for the first time I took complete control of an airplane and flew my first solo. Technically, it was no different than the hundreds of take-offs and landings I have done in the past with my instructor.

You pre-flight the airplane by checking control surfaces, hinges, oil, fuel, braking fluid, and so on. Once you are assured everything is in order, you settle in on the left seat, go through your checklist and start the engine. Perform a few more checks, listen to the ATIS and request your clearances.

I have been flying the airplane for a very long time, yet today was different. Today as I lined up with the center line for take-off, I was alone in the cockpit. I took a second to reflect on the significance of flying solo. Of what it meant that I have reached a point in my training where I am competent enough to fly and handle an airplane safely. Of what it meant to reach a goal I have had for as far back as I can remember. I thought about my first toy pedal airplane when I was two years old. Of how I used to daydream it was actually flying as I played with it. It is one of the memories from my early childhood that I still remember.

I let the realization of all of this sink in. Took a breath, slowly applied full throttle, I took in the full roar of the engine, the vibrations of the airplane, became one with the machine I was flying.

I slowly applyed right rudder as we, the airplane and I, sped down the runway, watching my airspeed come up, 30kts, and still aligned with the centerline, 40, 50, 55, slightly more right rudder and rotation, 60, the plane comes off the ground and airspeed is building, I raise the nose and settle on a climbout at 79 knots, airborne and clear of the Runway! (and trees).

At 800 ft, I start my left crosswind, and it was all smooth flying from there, LITERALLY!

Pre - Solo Thoughts

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, November 30Th, 2008, I am scheduled for my first solo flight. It is perhaps the single most significant moment for me as a student pilot. It is the moment when all of my training, preparation, practice and patience all come together and allow me to take the controls of an airplane without the supervision of my flight instructor.

It will be a moment in my life that I will never forget. Flying has been a dream of mine since a very young age. I remember being about seven years old when an F-14 jet flew overhead, I could feel the vibrations from the engines as it roared passed causing loud thunder sounds. Those vibrations shook my heart and from that moment on I knew that one day I would be a pilot.

On Sunday I will be one step closer to that goal. I will be at the controls of an airplane with no one else there next to me, my flight instructor will not be there to reassure me that a decision I have made is the right one. I will have to rely on my training and will be solely responsible for the safety of my flight.

I look forward to the moment when the wheels of the plane lift off the ground as I accelerate down the runway. And at that moment, when the aerodynamic forces cause the airplane to fly, there will be greater forces acting on my mind and heart as I get one step closer to accomplishing a lifelong goal, and a goal that man has dreamed of since the beginning of time.

Possible or not?

One of my friends recently sent me this video of stunt pilot James Andersson in a Red Bull Air Race and asked me if this was possible or not. Given some of my ground school and understanding, I wrote him back with the following explanation: "Because this plane is a certified stunt plane, the engine has enough thrust to provide vertical lift, in which case the wings aren't needed for vertical flight (in fact no matter how fast an airplane is flying, if the relative angle of attack (wing to wind) exceeds a certain angle the plane stalls unless the engine has enough thrust for vertical lift. This is completely possible and as I watched the wing come off it is exactly what I thought the pilot should have done. Now whether or not the video itself is real, looks real enough to me." I wonder what do others have to say about this video. Do you think its possible or not? Please post your comments.

Boston City Tour

A few weeks ago I invited a friend of mine to come along for a sight seeing tour with a CFI (Certified Flight Instructor). We took off from RWY 16 at Beverly in a Piper Warrior. We weren't sure how busy Boston Tower was. It was a Sunday afternoon with overcast skies at 9000 and winds negligible, a perfect day for nice steady sight seeing flying. As we approached Logan's airspace, we put in a VFR request and Logan Tower cleared us to fly the Boston City Tour Route at or below 1000ft msl (mean sea level).

As we approached Boston from the North, we overflew the end of RWY 22R at Logan and headed west to enter City at Rowes Wharf, Boston Harbor. There we turned south and circled the city twice. It was an amazing experience, to have a perspective of Boston that few people will ever get to see. We could see people walking on the street, see the sign that lines a side of Fenway about Guns. We even flew over my old college dorm building in West Village, Northeastern University.

Being a pilot is truly a privilege. It literally changes the way you view the world. There are no lines separating states and countries as those you see on a map. Boundaries disappear when you are in the air and its just you and the world below.

Student Pilot

Why I fly

I am a student pilot working on my private pilot's license. Why do I fly?... I get this question from just about everyone I tell that I am a student pilot. The truth is, that I simply enjoy flying and the freedom that it brings. But, there are other reasons as well and I will discuss them here.

First, a little background on myself. I graduated college in 2006, with a B.S. in Computer Science. Most of my peers and friends are looking at going to graduate school, with hopes of getting better jobs and higher salaries. But I thought long and hard about taking that road, and realized that I am comfortable with the job I have now and that more money wouldn't necessarily make me any happier. Additionally I believe in having more than one set of skills, each skill as distinctly different from the next as possible. And so I reasoned that something that would make me happier, give me some freedom and be totally different, was flying. And not only that, if the Computer Science market went down hill, I could always turn to being a certified flight instructor or commercial pilot (which will take about 5 years of additional flying and training) as a backup.

Another reason that I fly, is that it helps me live a healthier lifestyle. I usually schedule flying lessons during the weekends and early in the morning. While most of my friends are out clubbing on Friday and Saturday night, I am at home or mountain biking in the woods near my house, usually going to bed by 2200 hours (10pm). The next day I am up early, with no hangover to worry about, and the entire day to fly, head to the beach, go see a movie, work out, do some house work, go bike riding and still have some hours in the evening to relax and go to bed early again for a similar routine on Sunday. Meanwhile, if I want to see any of my friends, they are not even out of bed or ready for the day until about noon time. And when all is said and done, if I was to compare how much I spend on flying lessons with how much any one of my friends spends on going out on the weekends, the difference is not that great.

Lastly, one of the more important reasons I enjoy flying, and I hinted at it in the opening paragraph, is the freedom which flying brings. Being up in the sky, looking at the scenery, flying at the time you wish to fly, when you wish to fly. Having multiple options as to what airports you can fly into. You have to experience it to truly understand it.

Do not mix the airline flying experience with the experience of being able to fly a plane yourself. We are regulated by the FAA, but their primary job is to keep the skies safe and open. Short of revoking your pilot's license, the FAA (which includes Air Traffic Controllers ATC) does not tell you when you can or can't fly. You as the Pilot in Command have the last word on whether or not you embark on a particular flight, which is different from when the airlines decide to cancel or delay a flight due to weather or some other abstract reason.

Flying is safe. It is safer than driving your car or motorcycle. To learn more about general aviation go to www.aopa.org.