FLIGHT!

[cjsmith]

I fiiiiiiiiinally did it. I went up for the first session of my BFR!

Previously I'd been thinking of doing the BFR in a Citabria, a tailwheel aircraft with some aerobatic capability. This would kill two birds with one stone: I'd be legal to fly as pilot-in-command, and I'd also be checked out by the flying club to fly an aerobatic airplane. I could fly upside down again!

But that's probably not the most efficient way to go about it. This time I'm doing the BFR in a Piper Warrior, the same kind of plane I once owned and also the type in which I took my checkride. I'm very familiar with Warriors. I should be able to get the basics down more quickly in those. Then I can transition to the Citabria again... and one day, get back into a Pitts.

Several days ago Rob and I chatted about some of the instructors he knows at West Valley Flying Club. I needed someone who wouldn't destroy what little confidence I have left, but who also wouldn't let me get away with anything sloppy or unsafe. That's a difficult line to walk. Rob recommended Benjamin Mendelsohn, a guy I hadn't met, as someone who was likely to be able to achieve both these things.

I'm happy to say Benjamin seems to be a GREAT match for me. He's friendly and outgoing, he's laid back, he's quick with a compliment, and he absolutely will not check off an item on his list until I do it well. He liked my preflight *and* he added a few things to it. He complimented my airwork *and* he made me do several things again.

He particularly didn't like my stall recoveries. That's good; I don't like my stall recoveries either. (Too much acro work, sadly. An acro judge WANTS to see the nose come way down. This is sooooo not what should be done in a "real" (unintentional stall) recovery! MUST retrain myself!)

Other than those, he has no major complaints. He says I'm doing better than some people who are current. (That's downright scary.) I haven't lost as much as I'd thought. My landings wouldn't have hurt passengers or plane.

My landings also weren't pretty by any stretch of the imagination. I'm rusty. I'm not up to passing a private pilot checkride today. We'll whip me back into shape.

Now I gotta schedule the next one.

Comments

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Ah! No problem. Eighty is a good door-opening-and-closing sort of speed. I might want to get checked out in a high-wing, though. :-)

Is 7500 a good altitude? Many jumps in our area seem to be done from twelve thousand or so.

[gdmusumeci.livejournal.com]

Cessnas are sort of classic for this, since that way I get to hang off the strut and wave goodbye. :D With that being said it's certainly possible to leave a low-winged plane without doing any damage to anything.

7500 ft is a nice altitude for screwing around. The majority of my jumps have been from 13500-15000 with the occasional excursion up around 18000. If you're willing to fly with oxygen I am.... It gets pretty messy above 24000, since then I will need supplemental oxygen for the descent, though.

[joedecker.livejournal.com]

YAY!

[joedecker.livejournal.com]

PS: Kick-ass icon. :)

[layer.livejournal.com]

indeed. and maybe someday you can help me get over my terror of flying upside-down.

[ambar.livejournal.com]

Yes! *victory dance on your behalf*

[gjo.livejournal.com]

Congrats. now we just have to get you back flying proper aircraft without those
fans on the front :).
Power pilots get it easy, Australian glider pilots have to have annual check
rides, usually including full spin entry and recovery.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Now I just have to keep on track...

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

True enough! I would want a full checkout to fly a glider again -- I haven't flown one in so long.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks! This was emotionally bigger than I wish it were. (If that makes ANY sense, let me know. Aspiring editors need editors too.)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks! (We won't mention that in the picture, the airplane is actually pretty close to right-side up. It captures the *idea*.)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Sure. It'll take me some time to be ready for acro again, though -- I can't even @#$!ing land a Warrior decently yet. :-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

No worries on that score -- I can't go above 18000 without a new rating. :-)

[joedecker.livejournal.com]

It actually does make sense. :)

[ericainohio.livejournal.com]

CJ! This is awesome news!

See? You ARE Superwoman. You're flying. *ducks and runs*

[sunnydale47.livejournal.com]

Yay! I'm so happy for you, CJ!!!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

*schnorfle* Well, I do need an airplane for it!

Thank you -- I'm glad I'm getting started again.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I soooooooo wish I could take YOU up in the air!!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I don't know whether that's a relief (that it made sense) or a little scary. ;-)

[firecat]

whee!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

It almost feels like "getting back on the horse again (after a fall)", and I guess that's true, in a sense. I attempted the Pitts pretty early in my flying career and that's just not an easy aircraft to handle. I didn't learn to land it to my instructor's satisfaction (before the money ran out, anyway); that was the "fall".

[joedecker.livejournal.com]

Or? ;)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I shoulda known better, huh? :-)

[layer.livejournal.com]

good. that'll give me plenty of time to get used to the idea. :)

[jupiter29.livejournal.com]

Woohoo! Congratulations and I'm glad you found someone who worked well with you.

And it also needs to be said that I am ridiculously envious of you today. I swear, one of these days I will see about learning how to fly a plane. I just have to make myself do it.