There were two major hurdles between me and my goal of regaining the ability to fly an airplane solo - and do so legally...
One was (and still is) getting my medical back.
The other was taking and passing my Biennial Flight Review (BFR).
I am (hopefully) making progress on the medical. I was able to find a doctor who performed the required testing last week, and I got confirmation that he mailed the test results to the FAA today. Hopefully, these results will allow the FAA to feel comfortable that I can operate an airplane safely. If not, then all of my efforts (studying, instruction, studying, medical fiery hoop jumping, studying, bureaucratic fiery hoop jumping, studying) will have been in vain, as I do not know if there will be any further recourse, and even if there were, I'm not sure I would be willing to invest more time, money and energy in pursing my medical. But, hope still flickers...
In the mean while, I was able to leap the other hurdle - I passed my BFR today!
Prior to going for my BFR, I read Ron Machado's wonderful Private Pilot Handbook cover-to-cover, and spent alot of quality time in Microsoft Flight Simulator and Comm1 Radio Simulator. While obviously not a substitute for actual flying, I continue to be amazed at how helpful the simulators are in teaching and honing flying skills.
Today, I got to fly with the owner of Empire Aviation, Paul Hesse. Paul was 2002 North Carolina Flight Instructor of the Year, and now I know why. He is an absolutely fantastic instructor. We spent a little over two hours in the air, and a little over another hour on the ground. He thoroughly ran me through my paces, having me perform six takeoffs and landings at two different airports using a number of different techniques, forward slips, power-off and power-on turning stalls, VOR navigation, emergency procedures, radio procedures and turns in the air, and reviewing various topics and regulations on the ground. Were anyone to have had any doubt about the level of effort it takes to fly a plane, they would only to have seen my sweat soaked shirt to have gotten an idea. Interestingly (at least to me) I don't believe that the perspiration was from fear, but rather simply from the intensity of my concentration and focus in order to perform the various maneuvers within the prescribed parameters. Well, maybe there was some emotional element to the moistness of my shirt given that I do tend to get anxious any time I feel that my performance is being evaluated.
Even though I now have my BFR behind me, I am still planning on doing some more flying with an instructor. I still want to do some more stall and emergency practice, do some hood work, have someone with me the first time I fly into Class C airspace, and get re-acquainted with night flying. But, once I get my medical, at least I will be able to do some of my practicing without having to pay for an instructor, and I will have the opportunity to take Jeanie for one of those $100 hamburgers I have been promising her.
This morning was a beautiful day to fly. I couldn't have asked for better conditions. I can't wait to get to the point where I am comfortable enough with the basics of flying that I can take some time to really savor "High Flight."
High Flight
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious, burning blue,
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew -
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untresspassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.
Pilot Officer Gillespie Magee
No 412 squadron, RCAF
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Posted by David at March 07, 2005 08:40 PM | Categorized under: A day in the life