Teaching from the right seat

After the initial flight instructor certificate CFII - instrument airplane - we continue to the additional and most important instructor rating - the airplane single engine - or in other words, the CFI.

Now I'm flying the PA-28R, Piper Arrow, a complex old aircraft.
Very maneuverable and nice to fly, we are working now in this airplane on teaching take-offs and landings, power-off 180s, chandelles, lazy eights, steep spirals, stalls, emergencies and so on. It's not as simple as just flying it, you now have to explain what you are doing every step, and detect errors, analyze them and suggest corrections. Exciting though, you feel finally the end of the training is close now, and you can start seeing the light in the end of the tunnel, the first aviation job knocking on the door.

Pretty short, 10 days of ground and flight training, we now wait for the FAA checkride, hopefully the last paid training flight! Once it's done, we'll look for a job and start to slowly get back our investment, and get some experience in the crazy flight environment of central florida.

have a great weekend!

One more to the team - CFII !

On the picture above, nothing to do with this post, it's simple the AIW, my loved airplane that I miss so much since my private pilot days...

So let's go to the news:
Finally, after 9 months and 28 days of flight training, today I received my first flight instructor certificate - the CFII! For an unknown reason, the flight was awesome, really smooth, I flew it really good, almost no mistakes, it was one of my best flights ever! Interesting fact is my flying recency was ZERO, last time i flew before the checkride was 3 and a half weeks before, on the part 141 end-of-course flight. Since then just microsoft flight simulator and Garmin G1000 simulator.

So I will tell how it was.... after engine start, i was told to load a flight plan from KDAB to KTLH via some published airways, directly into the G1000 without using a low-enroute-chart. After that, the examiner taxied and took off, then at about 500ft AGL he passed me the controls. I flew manually until out of charlie airspace, and then we squawked 1200 and started to intercept my first cross country leg. After established in my navigation, the examiner announced and AHRS failure and dimmed my PFD. I did the checklist, used backup instruments and request for "ATC" (in this case it was him) to cancel my flight to Tallahasse and head back to the nearest airport, in the case it was Flagler (KXFL). On the way to Flagler, i was cleared to hold as published and expect the RNAV (GPS) 11 approach, what I did partial panel. After an incredible low approach at around 600 ft over the field, we went missed and started to head to HANAV, the initial approach fix to join the 16 DME arc for the ILS 7L approach at Daytona Beach, heading back home. From there was pretty simple, he tried to distract me asking me to check METAR's on the G1000 right before I intercept the arc and things like that, but besides that was fantastic!
We finished with a 12kt crosswind landing, this one now not perfect, but reasonable.... Still, was a great flight.

Now I wish it was finished and I could start working, but so far I need to do my CFI add-on, all in the Piper Arrow, a complex plane I never flew before. Supposed to be a short and easy course, hopefully.

Have a great week everyone, and let's celebrate!

Almost there

The Certified flight instructor instrument course part 141 is over!
After only one month of studying and about 10 hours of flight from the right seat, it wasn't too bad... now there's just the long wait for the FAA checkride.

All being good, I will soon start to fly the shitty 1968 Piper Arrow from school, a plane that's more grounded than flying, but it's the one used on the CFI add-on training. Hopefully soon I could start making some bucks as a pilot!

Cheers, and let's have some beers.

Passing the Torch

I had a week off from activities, due to the latest bad news that you could read in my blog. It was a time of reflection, a time of re-thinking of values, and total dedication to our friends and loved ones. But as this short life is cruel and many questions will be left unanswered, we have to wind out, regain forces, and keep fighting the long battle of life.

So this Sunday I started over again, went back to fly.
After doing the everyday "IMSAFE" checklist, I decided I'm fit to fly again. For you that are asking what the heck is that checklist, is a very basic checklist we should do every day in the morning before you think about flying:
I - Illness. Am I sick? Have I any medical condition that could compromise flight?
M - Medication. Am I taking any medication that might affect my ability to fly?
S - Stress. Am I under stress? Is this going to impair my judgement?
A - Alcohol. Have I been drinking alcohol in the last 24 hours?
F - Fatigue. Did I have enough sleep?
E - Emotional. Am I emotionally affected by anything that might affect my ability to fly?

After I rechecked the last item 3 times, I went to the plane for another meticulous pre-flight.
I had 2 flights and 2 orals this day, happily it all went smooth.

So I'm working on my CFII, that's my initial flight instructor certificate. I managed to finish all the course activities, and now I 'm only waiting to the final school exams and the FAA check ride.
It was pretty fast actually, in our school our pace depends mostly on instructor availability. And since I got this new instructor that has a lot a free-time, i took a lot of advantage, why not?

I am realizing day-by-day that the best way of learning something in depth, is to teach someone else. It is so good, you review the subject to yourself, you have to do some extra research about it, and when you are able to explain to someone else, it means that you really have it. And the more you teach the same thing, the more you know it, and every time you discover something new you didn't know! A new detail, a new comment, a new perspective, a new view.
Definitely worth it!

The awkward thing of instructing in the beginning is to start flying from the right seat. Oh, my landings were so student-pilot landings in the first couple of flights!! It's unbelievable how bad is your coordination using opposite hands after flying more than 150 hours in the left seat. But as we should expect, a little practice and you get used to fly from both seats.....

No pics from this course.... hopefully ill have some when i indeed start instructing!
Fly safe.

Tiago Preti, and Anna Mattioli - Rest in Peace

Yesterday something really bad happened. My roommate and his girlfriend were both killed in a car accident at I-95 northbound, near the city of Fort Pierce.



Tiago Preti, 23, was a good man, great pilot, excelent friend. Anna Matiolli, 20, his girfriend I happened to know for 3-4 weeks was such a beautiful young woman, dancer, dance teacher, shining so much happiness around her, so kind to the others and so respectful, so sweet, so loved.
All students from our school are deeply shaken, specially we the brazilians that were so close to Tiago, we are mourning for their death, and we will never understand why such bad things happen to good people. The pain is too big to describe...

Tiago was finishing his Single-Commercial certificate, so many plans ahead of this young man. And the fate is so strange.... A pilot, that used to ride his sports bike every day, happened to end in a car crash. Why G'd, why?? We can't describe and imagine the pain that his family is probably having, in the other side of the world.

Tiago and Anna, your bodies are not here with us anymore, but your souls will forever stay with us, shining your lights upon us. You were so happy together, such a special and beautiful couple, and forever you shall be happy together, for all eternity.

Love you and miss you.
Roni and all the Daytona Beach family.

Back to the Cessna

The multi days are over, for now.
Since my commercial checkride, I said goodbye to the good old Piper Seneca, and went back to the traditional Skyhawk. Such a difference! The controls feel so soft, landings look so easy, everything is in slow motion :)

Yes, I've been training the traditional commercial maneuvers now, working on the single commercial add-on to my current license. Steep spirals, chandelles, lazy eights, eight on pylons and power-off 180s. Not that those are hard maneuvers, but it indeed is hard to do all of them perfectly in one flight. And it all depends so much on the weather and winds - you might get to fly those maneuvers in a beautiful sky clear day, weak winds, perfect! But you might also be unfortunate and have your checkride in a hazy day, low visibility, low clouds and strong winds - and all the hard work is worth nothing - you hardly will be able to do the maneuvers properly. So I guess I need a little bit of luck as well :)

Actually I don't really understand why you have to do this add-on license, you're working on Lower Category (ASEL) than the one you already have, so it doesn't make much sense to me. Complaints aside, it has to be done - no way out :(

We're almost there... I can't wait to CFII.
Have a good week!

Video: Instrument to Multi-Commercial

Hello guys,
I know it's been a long time I don't post, i've been so busy with Flight Instructor Ground School. We happened to be only 2 guys in class so I've been preparing classes and presentations every day! Well, it was a good training though... Was, because we just finished ground school this friday!!
Now I have to finish my single add-on, take the FOI written and then start flying CFII.

For my readers not to be so disappointed at me, I'm posting a video that resumes my course here since the Instrument Rating until the end of the Commercial license. It took me the whole day to edit it, but was worth it.

Full screen, full volume - and enjoy it.

Commercial Pilot: From passion to profession!

5/29/2008
After 6 months and 17 days, the day came: I earned my multi-commercial pilot certificate!
The FAA examiner was really nice, I was expecting someone to be screaming at me the whole flight... The checkride oral was pretty fast, only 1 hour, really basic questions, we didn't really get deep into any subject, and for some reason the examiner was satisfied, and we went to fly.

After a meticulous preflight, we took off from 7L to the north practice area. After leaving Charlie Airspace, I squawked VFR, changed frequencies and climbed to 4500 ft. I started to head to my first previously planned checkpoint on my route to Savannah, and then he diverted me to Palatka airport, about 30 miles northwest from were we were. After the inflight calculations of magnetic heading, time and distance to Palatka, the examiner told me forget about Palatka and we started doing all the commercial maneuvers. Then he cut my left engine, I feathered it completely and after flying a couple headings we restarted it, did a Vmc demonstration, and emergency descent to Flagler were I did some various types of take offs and landings. Finally we headed back to Daytona, when he cut my engine again, and I landed single engine back home.... That's it now there's still a lot of work to do.................... single add-on, instructor.... looks like forever!

Hope to post here more often, and keep you guys updated.
Have an awesome weekend!

Marathon: the last XC

"Miami Center, N787PE, 7500, shoreline, southbound to Marathon, KMTH."

I've been to Marathon, on the Keys of south Florida.
Hopefully that was my last paid XC... So i introduce you, the keys!




...After a nice dinner by the beach


Heading back home...

Navigating with a Sectional

I miss my old private days, navigating at 500 AGL. Well, i missed it so much that I decided to do the same on my commercial: navigate from Daytona Beach to Lake City at 500 to 1000 AGL. It was quite an adventure, because the sectional chart here is 1:500,000 and not as much detailed as it should be. Too many airspaces, prohibited areas, but not enough information about the terrain contours. Many roads and small rivers are not depicted and the lines of height as well are not shown. For someone that loved to do that low-"contact"-navigation using really amazing maps, 1:250,000 with every road and river, contour height lines, it wasn't an easy task... Yeah, i miss flying in Israel!

But anyways, it was harder to follow the planned route here, at such a low altitude. But the checkpoints were found - you can't miss the big lakes here, and are airports everywhere :) Here people fly higher, and simply use Airports as checkpoints. No one really invest all that time planning the chart, with the minutes along the route and everything. Although the Israeli military and old method is not used here at all in navigation, it is printed in my subconscious instincts - "heading, speed, altitude, clock, map, terrain" - I used it again at the lowest possible altitude and guess what - it always work! My instructor was impressed with my map and dead reckoning, and another instructor said in my stage 1 check ride that he is sending students to have tutoring with me for flight planning :))

Enough talking, check out some pictures!
Daytona Beach - Lake City Municipal - Cecil - Daytona Beach.

Cecil Airport

Don't bother the picture, that's our 737PE, the oldest lady of the Seneca fleet. It still flies exceptionally well, VFR , off-course.

Flying to Naples

Naples, the beautiful city of Florida's west coast. I went there for a short visit on my last cross country, and experienced very good service starting from the airport. The "follow me" guy promptly appeared to help us park the airplane, a crew car waited for us to go eat in the city while they refueled the plane for our flight back at the same night.

The city is so cool, you can spot some old-style buildings and european-like coffee shops everywhere downtown. Not to mention the peaceful beach and the huge fancy houses and cars.

Me and my instructor had dinner at Tommy Bahamas, an expensive cafe in town, great music and atmosphere, but not sure if it was worth my $30 plate of food. Well, who cares, after a flight that cost me more than $1000 who is counting more 30.... sad for the money but happy for the experience, we had a great time!

Piper Seneca on Multi commercial

Who says the Senecas are old, ugly and bad to fly? Well, there might be a little truth on the first adjective, old. But that's all, the old ladies are beautiful and so nice to fly!

I am lately working on improving my flight skills - doing things I've done before, like visual approaches, steep turns, slow flights, VMC demos, Instrument approaches, single engine patterns, diversions, and more. Yes, it looks like a waste of time and money but it's actually good I guess. First of all you improve your skills. Second, you get more experienced with the plane and with VFR flying, as you are applying for a commercial license with just a little more than 120 flight hours. Third, you get confident, so confident! Yes, experience makes you confident, point. I feel lately that I finally "got used to flying", it looks normal and so natural for me now. I don't get nervous anymore during a simple take-off or a controlled stall, or during bumpy conditions. I don't get anxious before the flights and I can sleep well the night before. The cockpit environment, during my private was so full of mixed feelings like tension, pressure, fun, joy and even fear at sometimes, now starts looking more comfortable, like your new office.



Yeah, I am starting to like this idea.... waking up, having your breakfast, taking your flight bag and heading to the airport, checking the weather and W&B at dispatch, going to the plane for another flight, and another and another.... Sounds too good to be true!
Even simulated emergencies are handled almost automatically, you perform the checklist items like a robot. Yeah, it's becoming a profession, I guess...

Have a nice week, and Pessach Sameach!