The pace is picking up! 100 Flight Hours Logged...

As the title of this post suggested, the flying is really at full throttle at the minute and it is extremely tiring. The holds seem to be going reasonably well, which is good seeing as I have my PT4 on Wednesday. I'm pretty nervous for this next PT as it is a big one and there is so much to do and think about, it would be very easy to make mistakes... but that isn't going to happen!

I officially logged my 100th flying hour today during my 2 hour invoice flight, which is a milestone entry into the logbook!

The rest of my week is as follows:

• Tuesday- 0700 Seneca Brief, 0730 AP76 for 2:00, 1100 PT paperwork, 1230 Invoice flight and 1515 PT4 Brief
• Wednesday - PT4
• Thursday - CPL Cross Country Qualifier (5 hour navigation flight with 2 land-aways)
• Friday- AP81 in the morning then Seneca flying in the afternoon

I will be flying on Saturday too, however the schedule hasn't been released yet. I am hoping to have my CPL either a week on Friday or Saturday after only 7 or 8 days flying the Seneca.

It really is amazing how fast the time has gone out here and each successful flight is one step closer to home!

Sam

PT3- Busy Busy Busy

Today I passed my PT3, with a grade 2.

Seeing as it is graded officially from 1-6 (1 being perfect and 6 being a re-take), I was very very pleased!
It didn't look good when my upper winds were forecasted as 25kt and the winds were gusting 20 when I was landing but there isn't time to delay my flights so I went for it.

It was a really good flight and the only thing that prevented me from getting a 1 is that, on one of my practiced engine failures, I was too high on final on the dirt strip I chose to make a forced landing on.

I have four flights flights over the next two days (26th & 27th Jan) which will then leave me with only 2 lessons before PT4 and then my CPL Cross Country Qualifier (a 5 hour flight with two land-aways) and then any invoice time (when lessons get cut short, the time gets banked and this banked time is known as invoice flights).

I aim to have my first flight on the Seneca next Wednesday (1st February) and cannot wait! First I have to focus on the holding procedures and PT4....


Sam

PT3, New Instructor and Holding Patterns

Good morning/afternoon/evening everybody!

I thought I would just give you a quick update on what has been going on over the past week or two.
Well I passed my PT2 with a score of 3, could have done better but, onwards and upwards and won't make the same mistakes again!
I have also said goodbye to Martha, my instructor, who has picked up some new students, who I am sure she will mould into fine young pilots very quickly indeed! She's taught me a lot and I am only thankful for everything she has done. My new instructor is awesome though, he's called Matt, drives an awesome looking Ford Mustang and has christened me 'TP'!

"You're Kettle right? From now on you'll be known as Teapot, is that ok TP?"
"I guess it's not the worst thing I have ever been called"

 I can tell I have been very lucky with the instructors I have been given as they both have excellent records with students in the past, so it's nice to know I, or at least my parents, are getting their monies worth. I'll have Matt now until the end of my Goodyear phase, which is proposed to finish in approximately 24 days and what a 24 days that is going to be! He will be taking me through the hold procedures, which I have already started and also through the twin engine phase of flying all the way up to me leaving here.

A hold procedure looks like this:

Needs Rotating 90 Degrees Clockwise to be Read From Top to Bottom

Here's my schedule for the remainder of my time out here:

I have 3 dual flights scheduled then PT3 on Saturday 21st January. I have already done 4 post PT3 flights, leaving only 7 duals to complete before my PT4. I also have to factor in my cross country qualifier which is 5 hours of navigation flying to Ryan and Chandler fields as well as any invoice time that I may have missed out on throughout the course of my single engine training. Once that is complete I will then move on to Seneca, the twin engine aircraft (as seen in the picture below). After 10 flights and 2 sim rides in it, it's CPL skills test time. Upon successful completion of the CPL skills test, I will be a professional pilot, get to fly back home and be awarded the two gold bar epaulettes and the all important wings. There is a lot to do in such a short space of time, but I prefer to be busy, as opposed to sitting around waiting to fly, watching awful American TV!

Take care and I'll speak soon

Sam

Happy New Year!

Hello all,

Well here goes, what I hope to be an even more successful year than the years passed. I had an amazing 2011 and 2012 is possibly one of the biggest years of my life, considering what I have proposed within it.
I have my Commercial Pilot Licence test in the next month or so, then I will have my Instrument Rating (IR) to finish off my training at Oxford, then it's interviews and hopefully a job offer at least before 2013, but let's not run before we can walk.

I hope you all had an amazing NYE, I certainly did, spending it with new friends who I have got to know really well out here in Goodyear. Had an absolutely awesome party on the campus which was a great success and was a fantastic way to see in the new year.

I also had an incredible time in Las Vegas over Christmas with my parents. I really cannot thank them enough for coming out here and making Christmas just unbelievably great, it certainly made a change from the normal Christmas back home, that's for sure!

I have been really, really busy flying and have flown 14 hours in the last 5 flying days, which has really taken it out of me. However, I have pretty much caught up with the guys who are furthest ahead with regards to lessons completed out here now which is motivating as every time I fly, not only is it amazing, but it's also a step closer to the twin engine (Seneca) aircraft lessons for my CPL, but also a step closer to going home. Don't get me wrong, Goodyear and my time out here has been the best time of my life so far, but I'm missing so many home comforts now, it's starting to get a little frustrating that I can't have them!

Anyway, I have 4 hours of flying to do tomorrow and I am up in 7.5 hours, so best get some sleep.

I hope the frequent followers continue to read and stay interested in where I am up to this year and I continue to invite people for feedback or questions regarding the course, no matter who you are or where you are, as there are too many questions to ask that are impossible to find on the internet. Many people message me from all around the world with questions and I enjoy helping them out!

Take care,

Sam