An apple a day keeps the AME away

Today I went to see Dr. Thomas Friddell for a physical.  A pilot is expected to maintain good health, and is required to obtain a Medical Certificate from an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME).  Dr. Friddell is one of the few AMEs in middle TN.  Although officially retired from practice, Dr. Friddell performs these examinations once a week.

Any person acting as pilot in command (except for free balloons, gliders, and ultralights) must hold a current and appropriate medical certificate. This includes student pilots in solo flight as well as private, commercial, and airline pilots.  Technically, I’m not ready to act a pilot-in-command, so I don’t need to have my medical certificate yet.  I would need to have it by the time I’m ready to solo.

Attached to the medical certification is the Student Pilot Certificate.  Once my CFI feels I am competent to solo for the first time, he will document what type of aircraft I’m trained to fly on my own.  Just like a learners permit in high school, I will be required to carry this card with me every time I take a solo flight.  While I am weeks of training away from flying solo, I was given advice to get the medical certificate as soon as possible.

The rationale behind the advice…  If you have a condition which prevents you from flying, it is better to know about it before you spend hundreds of dollars on flight training you’ll never be able to complete.  Appears to be sound advice to me.

Some example of medical conditions which make you ineligible to pilot in command:

·         Diabetes mellitus requiring hypoglycemic medications

·         Angina pectoris

·         Coronary heart disease that has been treated or, if untreated, that has been symptomatic of clinically significant

·         Myocardial infarction

·         Bipolar disease

·         Personality disorder that is severe enough to have repeatedly manifested itself by overt acts

·         Substance abuse within the last two years

·         Epilepsy

·         Disturbance of consciousness without satisfactory explanation of cause

·         Less than 20/40 in each eye separately, with or without correction.

Of course waivers can be received for some conditions and there can be limitations/restrictions placed on your medical certification.  For example, I must wear corrective lenses (contacts) when I fly.

My medical certification is a Class 3.  It has the least restrictive medical requirements and the certificates are generally good for 3 years for applicants under age 40 and 2 years for those 40 and over.

While it didn’t require much effort or skill on my part, a FAA Medical Certificate is an important milestone in becoming a pilot.  Just one more reason to stay healthy.

Cost of the examination: $90.00

Very 1st Entry in My Pilot Log Book

After the years of thinking about it, months of talking about it, and the weeks of waiting, I went for my first lesson today.  My original CFI was unavailable, helping another student with a check ride (the final practical test with a FAA examiner), so I flew with CFI Adam Signaigo.  Adam is another instructor with “Wings of Eagles” flight school.

The weather was perfect for flying.  Sunny and in the mid-80s. 

First, we started off with the pre-check.  This is the process to evaluate the major features of the plane to ensure it is airworthy.  The aircraft was fixed wing single-engine 2 seat Diamond DA20-C1, N362DC.  I took a lot of pictures so I can refer to them later (I’m sure you’ll see the later).  Everything checked out perfect.

Then the CFI communicated with the tower.  The Smyrna Airport (MQY) is what they call a “controlled airport” which means that you speak to the tower and they give you instructions on where/when to land/take off.  An “uncontrolled airport” is much more common, and you speak directly with the other planes in the area to determine the flight pattern.  The theory is that a controlled airport is safer because you have a 2^nd pair of eyes watching out for you.

I think most student pilots will agree; communication in aviation is one of the most intimidating aspects of flying.  It is a completely different language, yet they are speaking English, and the tower speaks quickly so they can move on to communicate with the next aircraft.

Next we taxied out to the assigned runway.  When you taxi the plane, you don’t use the stick/yoke, rather you use the pedals to steer the plane (the wheels don’t have any power going to them, the plane moves using thrust of the propellers).  The pedals control the rudder at the rear of the plane.  Very awkward at first, plus it was much different than the Cessna I have flown in the past.  Well, let’s just say we were all over the taxi way, not graceful at all.

Once we got to the edge of the runway, I put the throttle all the way up, which is about 2500RPMs.  Half way down the runway, I pulled back slightly on the stick, and like magic the plane came off the ground.  The physical feeling of taking off was something like the split second on the top of a rollercoaster, yet without the rapid downward fall.  Yet what I really noticed was the humility that I felt.  It was the aircraft that wanted to fly and it seemed as if I did very little to cause it to lift off the ground.

We ascended to 2,500 feet and headed to the east where we practiced some basic maneuvering of the aircraft.  I adjusted the throttle to 2,000 RPMs to maintain the cruising altitude.  Minor and small adjustments are all that are needed to turn, ascend or descend. 

Next, my CFI asked if I have ever done an intentional stall.  The answer is no.  I’m sure I’ll explain a stall in greater detail in another post, but basically you take the plane from flying to not flying.  A stall, if not recovered quickly can be very dramatic.  I admit, the dramatic stall was what I had in my head, and I felt a bit of panic when he said that he would demonstrate one for me.

First he performed the pre-maneuver check list, and then he adjusted the throttle to idle.  Next he tilted the nose of the plane up and made a few more adjustments.  It wasn’t long before the plane became very unstable.  Remarkably, he was able to steady the plane with just the rudders.  Granted, it wasn’t as smooth as before, but it felt in control.  After a few minutes, he moved the throttle all the way up and ascended to our original cruising altitude.

When taking command of the plane, there is standard communication that goes something like:

CFI: “You have control of the aircraft”

Student: “I have control of the aircraft”

CFI: “You have control of the aircraft”

Next, it was my turn.  He walked me through the process, and I did reasonably well.  Unlike the take off, this time I really felt like I was doing something to control the plane.  It wasn’t long before I recovered the plane from the stall and the flight was smooth again.  I was pleased.

After a few more basic maneuvers, we headed back and he landed the plane safely on the ground.

Once again, my taxi-ing skills were embarrassingly non-specific.  We parked the plane and secured the aircraft.

I couldn’t have had a better experience for my first flight.   One hour of flight time in my log book.

A couple of takeaways:

1. I need to spend more time looking out the window rather than focusing on the instruments.
2. Using a stick to control the plane is going to take more getting used to.
3. I need practice on taxi-ing the plane!

Cost:  Plane rental - $115.00, Instructor Fee - $57.00

Tools of a Student Pilot

One of the questions I often get asked is what type of equipment I have to purchased to learn to fly.  Mostly, it is just training text, but I’ll outline what I have so far.  I’m sure I’ll get more stuff in the months to come, but this is a start.

I had the student pilot manual left over from 2002, and it does not require updating often, so my CFI said it would still be usable.  I don’t recall the cost, but Amazon has it for around $60

Flight calculator – used in navigation.  Even though GPS is widely available now, pilots are still required to know get from point A to point B the low tech way.  About $15



Knee Board – It is like a clip board that gets strapped to you thigh during flight.  Charts or other important documents can be kept secured and available during flight on the board.  Paid $16.93



Flight Maneuver Manual,  Paid $15.49

Pilot Log Book – used to track flight hours and other training.  Every time I fly I’ll make an entry into this log.  When needed, my CFI will sign off that various training goals have been met.  I will keep up with this log book long after I become licensed.  Paid $9.88

The one item I don’t have yet is aviation headphones.  The price of the headsets can range in price from a couple hundred dollars to about a grand.  I will have to purchase a set, but I wanted to wait for a couple of weeks into my training so I can make a more educated buying decision.  My CFI said I can borrow a pair of his while I fly with him, but I’ll need it before I solo. 

Of course aviator glasses are a must.  Gift from my wife.  Priceless!

The Great Tennessee Air show

When I met with my CFI on Monday, he had mentioned that there would be no training over the weekend due to the “Great Tennessee Air show” hosted at the Smyrna Airport.  As a special treat, Kate took Rome and I (well, a few blocks from the show, but still with a great view) to the show.  The weather was marginal when we arrived, but the sun came out and the skies cleared up in time for the main attraction, the F-15 demonstration.  We all had a blast!

Pointing out the wing walker to Rome



Can you see her?

How the planes viewed Kate and Rome

The F-15 in formation

F-15s are thunderous and can be scary to little boys.  Mommy and Rome could view them safely from the car.

But they are majestic with awesome power

What it takes to fly a plane

There are several different levels of pilot certificate

Student

As the name implies, this certification is designed to prepare a student to become “pilot in command”.  While flying with an instructor, you don’t need to hold a student pilot certificate.  Yet, you’ll need it prior to flying solo.  It requires a medical examination and a sign off from the instructor.  While you can solo as a student pilot, there are many restrictions, such as you can’t have any passengers.

Sport

The sport pilot certificate was introduced in 2004. Sport pilots fly smaller, lighter, less-complex, one- or two-seat airplanes. Sport pilots can only fly a special limited class of aircraft known as light sport aircraft (LSA). This requires a lot less training time. Most flight schools will not have light sport aircraft available. Sport pilots are not required to have medical certificates. You can get this certification is as little as 20 hours of flight time.  This didn’t seem like a good fit for me, as you are very limited on the type of aircrafts you can fly.

Recreational

Similar to the sport certificate, yet a little less restricted.  You can carry up to 4 occupants, but no night flying.  I don’t plan to do a lot of flying at night, but I wanted to have the flexibility if I needed.  Min. flight time required is 30 hours, but the average is about 50 hours.

Private Pilot

I’ll discuss that shortly.

Commercial Pilot

This is the start of becoming a professional pilot.  You can actually charge to fly passengers and goods.  It requires around 250 hours of flight time, which normally includes a min. of 100 hours of pilot-in-command time and 50 hours of cross country.  In addition, you must have 10 hours of flight training in an aircraft that has a retractable landing gear.

Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)

This may go without saying, but this is the certification one must hold in order to teach future pilots.  You’ll notice I may mention "CFI" in future blog posts, I would be meaning my instructor.

Airline Transport Pilot (ATP)

These are the pilots that will be flying as an airline captain.  The training and knowledge required is extensive.  For example, a total  1,500 hours of flight time including 250 hours of pilot-in-command time, 500 hours of cross-country time, 100 hours of night flight, and 75 hours of instrument experience.

In addition to the certifications above, one can elect to have endorsements in:

• Instrument Rating
• Multi-Engine Rating
• Seaplane Rating
• Rotorcraft-Helicopter Rating
• Gyroplanes
• Glider Rating
• Lighter-Than-Air Balloon Rating

The certification that I’m pursuing is the Private Pilot.  The private pilot certificate is the certificate held by the majority of active pilots. It allows command of any aircraft (subject to appropriate ratings) for any non-commercial purpose, and gives almost unlimited authority to fly under visual flight rules (VFR). Passengers may be carried and flight in furtherance of a business is permitted; however, a private pilot may not be compensated in any way for services as a pilot, although passengers can pay a pro rata share of flight expenses, such as fuel or rental costs. Private pilots may also operate charity flights.

The requirements to obtain a private pilot certificate for "airplane, single-engine, land", are:

• Be at least 17 years old
• Be able to read, speak, write and understand the English language
• Obtain at least a third class medical certificate from an Aviation Medical Examiner
• Pass a computerized aeronautical knowledge test
• Accumulate and log a specified amount of training and experience, including the following:
• If training under Part 61, experience requirements are specified in Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations section 61.109 including at least 40 hours of piloting time including 20 hours of flight with an instructor and 10 hours of solo flight, and other requirements including "cross-country", 10 hours of solo (i.e., by yourself) flight time in an airplane, including at least
• Night requirements:
1. 3 hours of night flight training
2. One cross-country flight
3. 10 takeoffs and 10 landings to a full stop (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport
• 3 hours of flight training for cross country flights
• Pass an oral test and flight test administered by an FAA inspector, FAA-designated examiner, or authorized check instructor.

While the min. number of flight hours is 40, the average pilot receives their certification in about 70 hours.  With this license, the number of passengers, the speed of the aircraft and the range of the flights are all unlimited.  The flight ceiling is 18,000 feet and I will be allowed to fly at night and internationally (if need be).  The other big advantage is the type of airports I will be able to land at is a lot less restricted than the Sport or Recreation pilot.

The AOPA has a great website to learn more.

Rained Out

After months (even years) of waiting for my first flight class, it was scheduled for Monday, May 2, 2011.  When the 2^nd rolled around, there were severe thunderstorms.  Not the ideal conditions for a student pilot to fly for the first time in years.  I guess I should not be surprised, as it was the one year anniversary of Nashville’s greatest flood…

By the time 4 pm rolled around (class time) the rain has stopped, but the cloud cover and possibility of more storms, still grounded me.  I’ll admit I was disappointed, but I understood.  I did get a chance to talk to my CFI and get a tour of the airport.

Next class was scheduled for Tuesday, still more rain.  My CFI already had another student scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday is Kate and I’s six-year anniversary, and no training on Friday, Saturday or Sunday due to an air show at the Smyrna Airport.  Monday, May 9^th will now be my first class, hopefully.

Actually, this may be a good lesson in patience.  No matter how much I want to push through this training, there are just going to be things out of my control.

Picking a School

There are a few small airports in middle TN, plus one international airport, so I have a few options for schools. I have toured a couple of Nashville flight schools and it appears like “Wings of Eagles” at John C. Tune airport is the option for me. They have more planes than most, so I should have less scheduling conflicts. Everything I have heard about flight training is that it is best to go a few times a week. This way I'm not spending time re-learning what I did the prior lesson.

Next, I sought out a recommendation on an instructor. A friend of ours, Sean Powell, who is also a pilot, recommended an instructor at the same school, yet at the Smyrna airport.

The airport is farther from home than I would have liked, but not too far from work. Since I'll most likely be taking classes after work, I think this is a viable option. They also have a good size fleet.

The other aspect that I would need to consider is the type of aircraft I would be training on. The fleet at John C. Tune are mostly Cessna 172s, where as the Smyrna airport has Diamond aircrafts. They are about the same size planes, but have a couple of main differences. First, the Diamond is a low wing design, and the Cessna is a high wing plane. Not too big of a problem, but does require some getting used to with visibility, glide time and ground effect. Also, the Cessna is controlled with a yoke, where the Diamond uses a stick. Since I'm new, I don't really have a preference.

Cessna Aircraft

Diamond Aircraft

After obtaining my license, I will most likely be renting an airplane rather than purchasing one. The Cessna is a more common plane in general aviation, so I want to make sure that I have some experience flying a Cessna plane. I plan to spend a few hours with an instructor at John C. Tune later in my training.