Mazel Tov!!! A few posts ago I said I would pour a glass of wine and toast your great accomplishment when it finally happened. It's a Baron Herzog Sauvignon Blanc Clarksburg, 2013.
Here's lookin' at you kid! Blue Skies and Happy Landings! Now move to south Florida where it's VFR almost always.
Congratulations indeed on your accomplishment. Now you have one more thing to look forward to; waiting for your Certificate/card to arrive in the mail! Good job Bunkie!
I'm certainly very pleased. I've had this dream for over 50 years. But I'm even more pleased with how things went yesterday. As we all know, there are ups and downs, sometimes we just can't get the aircraft to behave just the way we want. But yesterday was not one of those days. Everything came together. the DPE wanted to see all three types of takeoffs and landings: normal, short-field and soft-field in that order. There was a 10G15-knot wind blowing right down runway 25. I made the mental notes to make sure that I got enough altitude on departure before making the crosswind turn as I knew that the downwind leg would be quick. I had good position, good pitch in slow flight and I did a nice, stabilized approach, making the flair right at 5 feet and had a sweet touchdown. On the short-field, the DPE called for me to hit the numbers. Again, I took my time, thought things through, made a nice approach and flair over teh grass and nailed the numbers. "You really brought your A game today, that was competition quality!". On the soft-field, I did a proper takeoff, lifting off below normal rotation speed and accelerated in ground effect then climbed out. I turned downwind and the DPE chopped the throttle. I started making the turn to return to 25, but she said, take 27 instead. 27 is a grass runway that spurs right off 25, with a short asphalt portion right at the spur. "Put it down right where the grass begins". Again, nailed it after a nice flair. While rolling out I told her "That's my first grass landing." She laughed and said that she had thought so.
I know that not every day will be like this. But it was a glorious way to complete the process of earning my certificate.
Congratulations, Bunkie! It's good that the weather finally cooperated. You're on the brink of a lot to learn and a lot to enjoy. Make the best of it.
Larry N.
Best thing I have read today. Man, I have said some prayers for you, lot's of people would have quit by now.
How sweet it is?
There is another man who didn't find immediate success, Abe Lincoln lost almost every election untll he became President.
And there was a football player who came out of a small 3A Texas high school as all state in 3 sports. The first year in college he caught the coaches eye. Then he broke his leg in preseason. He couldn't play all that year, had to let the leg heal and then do arduous rehab. Next season he might be starting, the coach said, "He's fast and catches everything". No such luck. In spring practice he torn his ACL. and missed another season. The coach even said, that if it was him he probably would have given up. He rehabbed all year and finally got to play next year, and the next, Jordan Shipley became one of the top 2 or 3 receivers ever at U, of Texas, not only catching passes but returning kicks. In the national championship game his senior year he got two touchdowns playing against Alambama, the no 1 team in the country even though Texas had to play with a freshman quarterback due to an injury to the starter. He also was drafted and made a pro team!
Last edited by Bill Greenwood; 10-29-2014 at 11:20 AM.
Congratulations, Pilot!!!!!
Now, go find some gusty crosswind days when everyone else is to scared to fly, and practice, practice, practice!
The more you do, the more it becomes second nature to you.
Congratulations Bunkie!
Jim Hann
EAA 276294 Lifetime
Vintage 722607
1957 Piper PA-22/20 "Super Pacer"
Chapter 32 member www.eaa32.org
www.mykitlog.com/LinerDrivr
Fly Baby/Hevle Classic Tandem
Congratulations!
Nothing like that feeling of passing the checkride!
I think the Bunkie demons are targeting me. I need a BFR, and my plane is in for annual so I found a CFI who has a similar one, at a nearby airport. I was to do the flght with him yesterday but when I drove to his airport it was windy and rough alorft, so we did the hour of ground instruction. All went fine, no really difficult questions and I had read a briefing booklet on the ground school part. So we hoped to fly today, but no such luck. We have had weeks of "Indian Summer" and warm CAVU weather, but it changed this morning, in came cold and even light snow.
So I will be patient and look for this to pass.
If you are a skier, come on out, several of the ski areas are open and many more like Aspen open for Thanksgiving.
Just for the info I phoned FSS this morning. They were full of warnings, moutain obscuration, icing, and turbulence, most everything short of ebola. In somoe ways I kind of like days like this when there is no question that you are NOT flying at all. so no if and or buts and no grey area to try to analyze or work your way around.
Last edited by Bill Greenwood; 11-10-2014 at 03:27 PM.