cleared for takoff
well, it's been another long hiatus for me from lj... i figure that i can use it now to post my blogs concerning my private pilot license (PPL) process. that's right, i've finally decided to pursue me PPL after all these years. i've always wanted to do it, but for some reason or another, i never went through with it. my instructor seems like a really good kid, he went to my high school and the same college as my brother, except he's about 10 years younger than me. but way more experienced in the air, which is what counts! i really enjoy his teaching style since the first guy i had at the flight school seemed a little TOO laid back.
so to get you up to speed, here's what i've covered so far:
take offs
basic aerial maneuvers
high-banked turns
slow-flight and recovery
landings
since i'm pretty nerdy about flying, i've had a lot of time using flight simulator. so, i feel pretty comfortable behind the controls. but, i DO need to get used to the actual sensations during acutal flight. the first time i did a high-banked turn, it kind of freaked me out, but just like alcohol, after a few more of them, i felt fine. slow flight is when you basically fly as slow as possible so the wings are still producing lift. if you fly any slower, the wings stop producing lift and "stalls" and if uncorrected, the plane falls from the sky. i had my best landing so far on my last lesson. there was a crosswind, but still managed to land almost on the centerline. unfortunately i don't have a video of it. my parents were at the last lesson to check out what i've been doing, but they left after my take off. oh well.
since i'm between jobs for one more week, i have 4 flights scheduled this week! and my brother is going to come up with me on friday, so that should be really fun.
i posted a short clip of my last takeoff from 17N (Cross Keys airport) on myspace. My dad had my camera, so provided very good narration. thanks dad!
so to get you up to speed, here's what i've covered so far:
take offs
basic aerial maneuvers
high-banked turns
slow-flight and recovery
landings
since i'm pretty nerdy about flying, i've had a lot of time using flight simulator. so, i feel pretty comfortable behind the controls. but, i DO need to get used to the actual sensations during acutal flight. the first time i did a high-banked turn, it kind of freaked me out, but just like alcohol, after a few more of them, i felt fine. slow flight is when you basically fly as slow as possible so the wings are still producing lift. if you fly any slower, the wings stop producing lift and "stalls" and if uncorrected, the plane falls from the sky. i had my best landing so far on my last lesson. there was a crosswind, but still managed to land almost on the centerline. unfortunately i don't have a video of it. my parents were at the last lesson to check out what i've been doing, but they left after my take off. oh well.
since i'm between jobs for one more week, i have 4 flights scheduled this week! and my brother is going to come up with me on friday, so that should be really fun.
i posted a short clip of my last takeoff from 17N (Cross Keys airport) on myspace. My dad had my camera, so provided very good narration. thanks dad!