License to Learn

When I passed my checkride, I was given a temporary pilots, which was basically a print out endorsed by the examiner. From that day, I was given all authority and privileges of every other private pilot. Today

when I got home there was a letter from the FAA. I pretty much knew what to expect, but I tore it open like a kid on Christmas morning. It was my official airman’s certificate! I had never seen a pilot’s license before so I didn’t know what to expect. The letter attached described it as:

Airman certificates have been printed on paper since 1926. A century of extraordinary accomplishments in powered flight is represented by the bold new look of airman certificates printed on composite plastic. The front of the card depicts the qualities of the human spirit that made the first controlled power flight, in the 1903 Wright Flyer, to the billions of commercial flights that followed, a reality. The back of the card depicts Wilbur and Orville Wright and the 1902 Wright Glider, representing the many pioneers, visionaries, and adventurers that dreamed about the possibility of flight and created that reality. The hologram of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) seal, colored graphics, and other features make this certificate worthy of the Civil Aviation Registry’s efforts to celebrate aviation and help chart the next century of flight. We hope you will carry your certificate with pride as it represents your accomplishments and privileges and your commitment to the aviation community.

I will absolutely carry it with pride. To act as a pilot in command, I will need to carry the license, my medical certification and my log book at all times.

I have been asked several times: Now that you have you license, what is next? For most pilots the obvious choice is to seek an instrument rating (IFR). While that is a logical choice, I don’t see much fun in flying in less than ideal weather conditions. While I won’t say I’ll never go for an instrument rating, one of the biggest joys of flying is the view out the window which isn’t possible under most IFR conditions.

There are different type/class ratings I think would be fun. Some examples include: twin engines, sea planes, tail draggers, helicopters just to name a few. Some of these ratings can be completed in just a few hours. Maybe in a couple of years when completing the required continuing education I’ll pursue one of these ratings.

As almost any student pilot can tell you, instructors drive home that Private Pilot’s License is a “license to learn”. When I was tested, I was tested to see if I was a safe pilot. It will take years, both on the ground and in the air, to be truly proficient.

So for now, I’ll bask in the joy of my recent accomplishment and exercise my license to learn.

First Passengers

While Kate was my very first passenger during training, I was now a real pilot and could fly with pretty much anyone. I was honored to have my dad as my first official passenger as a real pilot. I don’t know if he is crazy to fly with a newbie, or if he just has faith in his son, but he didn’t seem nervous at all.  Dad said: “I was very comfortable and very proud of my son.”

My father-in-law, Chuck Stika, was in town and he wanted to fly as well. There are technically four seats in the Cessna 172, yet it would be for 4 very small people (maybe children). None of us would fit into the "small" category, so we would have to split up the flight. The plan was to leave Nashville International Airport (BNA) at about 1 pm with Dad and fly just west of Nashville to John Tune Airport (JWN). From there, I would pick up Chuck and fly back to BNA.

The weather had been looking bad days leading up to the flight, but when I woke up it was clear and sunny. I checked the weather and thunderstorms were due to hit at about 2-3pm (during our flight). Kate suggested I see if the plane would be ready early, and to my surprise, it was available! So I changed the flight to 11am.

At 11am, the clouds were at 12,000 feet, visibility was greater than 10 miles and winds were a gentle 4 knots. Perfect for a flight!

I pre-checked the Cessna 172 (5146R), gave a passenger brief, contacted Nashville clearance and then Nashville ground control for taxi instructions to runway 20C. When we got to the runway and I contacted Nashville Tower, they informed me that there had been a bird strike on that runway and they redirected me to the 11,000 foot runway 31. We took off with no problems and headed over downtown at 2,500 feet MSL towards JWN.



Ready for flight!



Don't you just hate traffic jams



Ready for Takeoff



We Have Lift Off



Nashville at 2,500 feet

 Once we had the airport in sight, I switched over to JWN’s frequency and announced our location. We flew past the airport and just did a little exploring, all while keeping the airport in sight. Dad was able to put his hands on the yoke and really feel what it is like to fly. Finally, we did one touch and go and smoothly landed on runway 20. Success!





  
 

Dad is having fun

 Next was Chuck’s turn. After another passenger brief and an abbreviated pre-check we were ready to fly. At this point, clouds had lowered to 4,600 feet and it was apparent the storm was coming. Without delay we headed back to BNA. While flying through Nashville, ATC alerted us to some radio towers in our flight path. We saw them with no problem, and we were a couple of miles away from them. Chuck was surprised by how high these towers were. We also flew under a small raincloud and through some light rain.



BNA (Green), JWN (Red) and the towers (Orange)



We landed on runway 20C for my third landing of the day. Within 30 minutes, we had torrential downpouring.

Both Dad and Chuck expressed their excitement over the experience. Sharing the joy of flying with others is one of the parts of being a pilot that I looked forward to. It was awesome to see it through their eyes.  Dad said: "This was truly a great experience and one that I will treasure forever. I look forward to being able to fly with my son again."



Thanks Dad and Chuck for a great Flight!

Flight Time: 1.6 hours

Final Summary

It took me 65.5 hours to become a private pilot. This includes 13 hours of solo flight, of which 7.2 hours were cross country flights. In addition, I also had 3.3 hours of simulated instrument flight and 4.2 hours of flying at night.


In those 65.5 hours, I made 237 landings. Total costs, including plane rental, instruction, equipment and fees were $12,002.60, about $1,000 below budget. I finished in 10 months and 3 days.



I had anticipated finishing in about 6 months with about 55 hour, making it much cheaper. Yet, there challenges I hadn’t expect, some of which were outside of my control. If I was to look back on my training, I think the biggest mistake which cost me the most amount of time/money was switching planes near the end of my training. I think that tacked on an addition 10 hours on my time. I wouldn’t recommend it.

All being told, I’m still very proud of my accomplishment and take great satisfaction in my dedication towards a goal.

I’m not kidding myself into thinking I didn’t spend a lot of money on this dream. Was it worth it? Being that I’m basking in the glow of a success, my gut tells me to say yes. I have learned a lot about myself, which I hope I was able to share with my friends and family via the blog. I suppose the real answer will come if I ever have an urgent need for $12,000, and I don’t have it.

In the end, my gratitude goes towards Kate and her support of my dream. Thank you, my love.

FAA licensed Private Pilot

A lot has happened in the two months since my last check ride. Most importantly, my daughter Antonia Juliet Palmissano was born on January 27th. Our family is overfilled with joy and love.

With all that comes with a newborn, it was hard to focus on flying. I did have a couple of practice flights in and even a checkride scheduled on February 21st which was canceled due to strong winds. As a side note, the winds that day were less than the day of my first checkride. Shortly after that date, the FAA examiner, Bill Barton, had a mild stroke. He was fine, but has (or at least chosen) to temporarily give up flying. This means my CFI, Mark Clark, had to schedule me with a new examiner.

Mark was able to get me in with Don Crowder. Mr. Crowder served in the United States Air Force and is a retired MTSU Professor for Aerospace. I was told I needed to plan a flight from Murfreesboro airport (MBT) to Huntsville International - Carl T Jones Field (HSV).

MBT to HSV

During our practice flight on March 6th, Mark and I flew to MBT and practiced a few landings, including a go around. MBT is one of the busier small airports in the area because of the aviation program at the university. While I was in the traffic pattern, there were at least 4 or 5 aircrafts there as well. Next we flew east of the airport and practiced stalls, steep turns, and simulated engine failures. Even though I lost a bit of my confidence with the first checkride, I felt much more prepared this time.

As the day approached, the weatherman was predicting a 30% chance of rain and I expected it to be canceled again.

To my surprise, the weather was great. Winds were a little breezy, but well within the normal limits. Clouds were at 12,000 feet, so plenty of room to fly under them. Plus, the clouds kept the sun from blinding us.

Once we landed at MBT, we spoke to Mr. Crowder for a few minutes. He explained that he had reviewed Mr. Barton’s notes about my last checkride and didn’t expect the flight to take much longer than 30 minutes. He wasn’t going to re-test me on everything and there was no need to fly the cross country flight I had planned. My first impression of Mr. Crowder was that he was very calming and reassuring. What great attributes to have as an examiner.

Next, we went out to the Cessna 172 (N434EP) and I pre-checked the aircraft. After finding it airworthy, I took off of runway 36. He asked me to perform a soft field takeoff, which I did perfectly. We flew in the left traffic pattern and he asked for a short field landing. It wasn’t my smoothest landing, but adequate. Next time as I was about to land, he ordered a go around. I fully expected it. I gave it full throttle, pulled back on the yoke and raised the flaps half way. Once I got a little more altitude, I raised the flaps fully. It was perfect, and I smiled to myself knowing I had passed this maneuver.

Next, we flew about 8 -10 miles to the east and he asked me to demonstrate steep turns in both directions and then a power off stall. Once again, I executed the maneuvers well within the standard. Still feeling good that I had demonstrated everything to a passing level, he had me fly back to MBT.

On the way back he provided some feedback on my prior landing. The advice he gave was to keep my right hand on the throttle and completely steer the aircraft with my left.

Finally, he asked me to complete a soft field landing. I nailed it! Mr. Crowder even complemented it. I taxied back to the ramp and secured the plane. It was on the ramp that he told me that I passed!!!

What a great day. I allowed myself to feel the pride of a hard-worked for accomplishment. It is nice to finally say that I’m an FAA licensed Private Pilot. I am part of an elite club.

I received a copy of my temporary license before I left, and I’m legally able to exercise all of the privileges of being licensed. My permanent license should arrive within the next 4-6 weeks.

I had hope to have my license back in October, but sometimes extra unforeseen challenges arise, like bad weather, changing instructors, changing aircrafts, babies, and more. Yet, the goal was still achieved by not giving up - plus the support of great friends and family (especially my beautiful wife).



Don Crowder and I



Newest Private Pilot



I came home today to find that Kate had baked me a cake to celebrate. I am so blessed!





Failed the Checkride

This morning started off chilly. In fact there was frost on the plane we were going to use, which can be a big problem with proper air flow over the wings, so CFI Mark Clark manually moved the plane into an area on the ramp where it would get more sun.


Today another student from Nashville Flight Training was taking his private pilot check ride so we traveled together. He flew us there and for the first time, I sat in the back seat as a passenger.

He went first, and while he was completing the oral section of the test, Mark and I practiced more. The main maneuvers I would be testing on such as stalls, steep turn and short field landings I have only done 3 times in the Cessna 172.

Once we landed, the other student took his flight for the practical exam and I finished my cross country flight planning. He passed both exams.

Next, it was my turn for the oral exam. The DPE (Designated Pilot Examiner) was Bill Barton. There is no formal oral test. It is simply whatever the examiner believes is important to cover (from my understanding the FAA routinely suggests topics to cover based upon recent accident trends). When talking to pilots about their check rides, you’ll most likely get horror stories about ridged and tough examiners. I was pleased to say that Mr. Barton was nothing but helpful.

We covered some FAA regulations, types of airspace, airport markings and a handful of other aviation related items. I was familiar with most everything we covered and was able to answer confidently. Of the few items that stumped me (mostly because he asked me as an acronym I wasn’t used to hearing), I felt no anxiety about saying, “I don’t know.” When that happened, the test turned into an instruction and he provided me with the information. Overall, I was very excited about my performance and believed that Mr. Barton was satisfied as well.

Next was my practical exam. It didn’t start off well. The winds had picked up to a bumpy 30 knots and at 3pm the sun was setting to the west, exactly the direction I was going to fly. One bad omen (very embarrassing) was that during the pre-flight check of the aircraft, I opened the door of the plane and my charts flew out the door. I probably ran the length of a football field trying to catch up with it. Each time as I got closer to it, the wind would blow it a few feet more. It must have been a sight from inside the airport to see the wind so easily get the best of a student pilot before he even left the ground. Luckily, I don’t think anyone actually saw.

We took off and the sun was in our eyes the whole time. Plus, the wind was making it difficult to stay on course and at altitude. We climbed higher (to 4,500 ft MSL) to avoid it, but it wasn’t helpful. As expected, once we hit the first check point, he diverted me to a different airport, in this case it was Winchester. I was glad not to be staring into the sun anymore.

As we passed the city of Tullahoma, Mr. Burton had me head back to McMinnville Airport. While in route, he had me fly in slow flight, perform a power off stall, power on stall, steep turns and simulated engine failure. My performance wasn’t what I had hoped and I knew it. There wasn’t anything unsafe, but there are margins of expectations which I knew I didn’t meet. For example, during a steep turn, I need to maintain the same altitude (plus/minus 100 feet), and I had deviated from this. Yet, he was very reassuring and I felt with I was still hanging in there. I think the strong winds were working against me and he was giving me the benefit of the doubt.

Next he had me enter the traffic pattern for a normal landing at McMinnville. All was going ok, but I came in a little high and bounced once. I thought it was best to abort the landing and execute a go around. This was perfectly sound judgment, but by this time I was starting to lose my confidence. I engaged full power and pulled back on the yoke, and started to once again ascend. When we were about 100-200 feet off the ground, he pointed to the flaps lever and said, “We have a problem.”

I had forgotten to neutralize the flaps. The flaps are a portion of the wings that the pilot is able to adjust to alter the air flow over the wings. When landing, the pilot will often use full flaps to increase drag, thus slowing the plane for the landing. I had engaged full flaps for the landing, but without neutralizing them again, it made the wings work inefficiently. It is like driving a race with the parking brakes on. Yes, you are moving, but it is not performing as it could.

This error does have the potential to be unsafe. The cool January weather helped to mask my error as I hadn’t really noticed the performance drop. Had the weather been warm, the plane would have really struggled to get the weight of two grown men into the air. Without a doubt, I knew how to complete a go around, it just slipped my memory. Once he pointed it out, I instantly knew what to do to correct the situation. It was a rookie mistake. One I hadn’t made in the last six months.

Once back the air, he had me do a couple different types of landings and take-offs, which I performed appropriately.

We taxied back to the ramp and I shut down the engine. It was here that Mr. Burton informed me that I did not pass. He was very kind. He told me that he would discuss with my CFI some of the issues that he saw, including the go around, and we can re-test.

I’m sure he was just trying to be encouraging, pointing out that I have been with four different instructors, but yet the real challenge was having my training in two very different aircraft types. I thanked him for his time and told him I was disappointed, but I would rather be a safe pilot than a pilot.

I won’t lie, I was devastated. It is hard to put everything you have into something just to miss it because of a small error. An error that I will NEVER make again! I look back at my life and I haven’t often failed. I passed the firefighter’s exam, EMT exam, SCUBA exam, black belt test, and all of my college courses on the first try. This was a hard pill to swallow.

In addition, the blog made me feel foolish. Week after week I talk about my success and boast about how much I know about aviation. I have been blessed with the support of so many of my friends and family. I felt like I let everyone down - my wife, parents, son, and the readers of the blog (mainly Chuck and Gene). I was not looking forward to writing this post.

Then again, this is exactly the reason why I write this blog. I want my children to see that I struggle, too. If I look at every accomplishment in my life I’m proud about (such as those listed above), none of them were easy to achieve. In fact, I’m not sure if I would have even wanted to pursue them if they were. Pretty much everything I have is not because I’m particularly talented or smart, it is because I’m persistent. If I continue working on a challenge, I usually reach my goal. I want to pass this trait on to my children.

I will re-take the test and next time I will pass. I will eventually write on this blog that I’m a FAA licensed pilot, just not today. The example I set will hopefully be a better lesson than anything I can tell my children.

An expensive lesson…

Test Fee: $350.00
Plane Rental: 495.00

Checkride Re-Scheduled

Yesterday I took a flight with CFI Mark Clark to prepare for today’s checkride. The weather was marginal but we were still able to practice stalls, slow flight and landings. The clouds were about 2,800 feet MSL, so a few times we came closer to them than would have been ideal.


This morning, when I woke up the weather had gotten worse. At Warren County Memorial Airport (RNC) in McMinnville, TN the visibility was poor and it was overcast at 200 feet. Absolutely not visual flight rules (VFR) conditions.

The checkride has been rescheduled to Saturday, January 14, 2012. I guess today will be a work day. Like the saying says: “Born to fly, forced to work.”

Regardless of my disappointment, I would rather not fly when it isn’t safe. Today is not a safe day to fly.

Check Ride Is Scheduled

My check ride is officially scheduled for January 10, 2012. CFI Mark Clark is helping me prepare for the check ride. As mentioned before this will be the final step to becoming an FAA licensed private pilot. The examiner is located out of Warren County Memorial Airport (RNC) in McMinnville, TN, so the flight will start there.

Warren County Memorial Airport (RNC)

I have been directed to plan a flight from RNC to Northwest Alabama Regional Airport (MSL) then to DeKalb Peachtree Airport (PDK). The RNC to MSL leg of the flight will be 88 nautical miles, and the MSL to PDK leg will be 156 nautical miles, which is by far my longest flight.



Flight Plan - starting point maked with a star




Northwest Alabama Regional Airport (MSL)




DeKalb Peachtree Airport (PDK)



In addition, this flight will take me right into the heart of some of the most complex/busy airspace in the country, into Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airspace. This is class B airspace which is reserved for only a small number of airports in the country, for example: New York, L.A. or Chicago. There are special credentials and equipments requirements to fly into that airspace.

PDK is North Northeast of Atlanta

That being said, I will most likely come nowhere near to completing this flight. The examiner will be more concerned about my planning for the flight then actually flying it. The first hour or so will be the “oral” section of the exam, while he will review my flight plan and ask me details of why I selected one route over another. He may ask me what my plan would be if I had some type of problem mid-flight. He may also ask me some general knowledge questions. The overall goal is to determine if I use sound judgment and if I understand how to apply the knowledge that tested on during the written exam.

The second hour or so will be the “practical” section of the exam. We will fly the flight plan I drafted. He will observe my pre-flight inspection of the aircraft, note my radio communications, and evaluate my ability to safely operate an aircraft. Maybe 20-30 minutes into the flight he’ll create (simulate) some type in-flight emergency. Maybe, he pull back the throttle so I have to execute an emergency off-airport landing (he will not actually make me land in a field somewhere, but I’ll have to show what I would do if that happened). He may even create some type of distraction during the flight (example: bump my charts off my lap or talk to me while I need to listen to the radio) since numerous studies have indicated that most accidents while the pilot is distracted, I have to prove I can divide my attention while maintaining safe flight. Or maybe he’ll tell me I have sick passenger and I have to divert to another airport. This will require me to determine the course to the new airport and land safely at that location. In the picture below highlighted in red the possible airports I’ll have to divert to.



Next, he is likely to have me perform different maneuvers such as short field landings/takeoffs, turns around a point, forward slips, slow flight and more. I may have to explain the process for a spin recovery, but the private pilot exam does not require me to demonstrate it (actually, only the CFI exam requires it, since being with a new student is when it would most likely happen).
All in all, I feel like I’m prepared and confident. Now I just hope I remember everything and hope the weather is mild on the 10th.

I will have my results immediately following the exam, and if I pass, I can exercise the privileges of an FAA licensed private pilot the same day.