Didn't get in the air tonight, but it sure is a beautiful evening.
Current DYL METAR:
KDYL 292354Z AUTO 25003KT 10SM CLR 25/13 A2951
Perfect night to go flying.
I made a partnership want ad today that I'm going to hang in the FBO. Will see it I get any nibbles. Also listened to an entertaining Uncontrolled Airspace podcast and several great "Finer Points" aviation podcasts during my commute today. Nice way to think about flying during otherwise painfully boring and unproductive time.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
The IR...
Need some thoughts on this one.
Nothing pressing, but Kelly's working this weekend so I'm effectively grounded. I do a lot of planning and hangar flying on these types of days. Much easier to accept when the forecast is for low overcast. These CAVU days that I can't fly are torture. Anyway, here are mental musings for the day.
I'm sort of slopping my way through my Instrument Rating. I've got a great CFII at Doylestown who has become as much a friend as a mentor. However, I've come to the conclusion that I really can't commit to it with any consistency right now. My work schedule is going to get ugly this fall with my upcoming clinicals for my Master's being added to the equation. Childcare has been crazy. And my to-do list has been out of control, even on days when I can get away to the airport. It pains me to turn down the opportunity to get this rating with Travis.
Here's where it gets interesting. One of my best friends, Jason, is an ATC guy. He works at NY TRACON directing lots of heavy iron in and around NYC. He's a Private Pilot with a MEL rating, but no IR. We've talked for years about going to an accelerated course in Florida some winter and just banging out our IR in 10 days. We've been talking a lot lately that this idea is getting legs. He and I would have blast, and he really knows his flying so he's be a great partner in this pursuit. My dilemma is that I don't have the cash for the rating and a parnership, towards which I have redirected my savings efforts.
So what would you do???
1. Pursue the rating at the local field with the known CFII, realizing that doing so would preclude a partnership. Also run the risk of family/work commitments impeding the progress and potentially not competing the rating.
2. Go to Florida this winter and get the rating. Stick with the rental line for the forseeable future.
3. Find a partnership and fly like crazy. Become the best VFR pilot that I can be but postpone the IR for the forseeable future.
Thoughts? I may post this one up on the Red Board. I would expect the responses to be interesting, to say the least.
Nothing pressing, but Kelly's working this weekend so I'm effectively grounded. I do a lot of planning and hangar flying on these types of days. Much easier to accept when the forecast is for low overcast. These CAVU days that I can't fly are torture. Anyway, here are mental musings for the day.
I'm sort of slopping my way through my Instrument Rating. I've got a great CFII at Doylestown who has become as much a friend as a mentor. However, I've come to the conclusion that I really can't commit to it with any consistency right now. My work schedule is going to get ugly this fall with my upcoming clinicals for my Master's being added to the equation. Childcare has been crazy. And my to-do list has been out of control, even on days when I can get away to the airport. It pains me to turn down the opportunity to get this rating with Travis.
Here's where it gets interesting. One of my best friends, Jason, is an ATC guy. He works at NY TRACON directing lots of heavy iron in and around NYC. He's a Private Pilot with a MEL rating, but no IR. We've talked for years about going to an accelerated course in Florida some winter and just banging out our IR in 10 days. We've been talking a lot lately that this idea is getting legs. He and I would have blast, and he really knows his flying so he's be a great partner in this pursuit. My dilemma is that I don't have the cash for the rating and a parnership, towards which I have redirected my savings efforts.
So what would you do???
1. Pursue the rating at the local field with the known CFII, realizing that doing so would preclude a partnership. Also run the risk of family/work commitments impeding the progress and potentially not competing the rating.
2. Go to Florida this winter and get the rating. Stick with the rental line for the forseeable future.
3. Find a partnership and fly like crazy. Become the best VFR pilot that I can be but postpone the IR for the forseeable future.
Thoughts? I may post this one up on the Red Board. I would expect the responses to be interesting, to say the least.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Playing with GPS Track
View flying_june172009 in a larger map
Now that I have *two* followers (thanks Gary and Rob) I'd better make an effort to post here more than every two month.
With Rob's help, I just learned how to import my GPS track into Google Maps. Here's the track from my flight last week. Hope if works. Notice I was too lazy to try to get a clearance to transition through Willow Grove's airspace, so I hugged the Class D all the way around the Wings.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Been a while...
So did you think that I forgot about this blog? Well, I didn't quite forget about it but haven't yet found a way to make updating it a frequent occurrence. Too much else going on I guess.
I attentively follow my flying-buddy Rob's blog. He just landed a sweet deal on a non-equity partnership, so his musing are more entertaining than ever. Maybe once I find a similar opportunity I'll have much more interesting commentary to share.
In the meantime, there are a few new notes from my flying life.
First and foremost, the boat is gone. How is this flying related, you may ask? Well, I've come to the realization that I have far to many hobbies and precious little free time. Something's got to give. When it came down to flying vs. sailing, it's a no-brainer. My beloved Hobie Cat hit craigslist last week. I figured I'd list it at a fair but optimistic price, something I could live with if it sold. Well, the first guy to see the ad came out and took it home at full asking price! It was a sweet set up. The $1500 I got for it won't make or break my flying, but it's another contribution to the "airplane fund." Kelly just kind of laughed. She has agreed not to try to touch my airplane savings so long as the funds are derived from my ebay and craigslist sales, so I can't complain.
I've still got a ton of sailing and Jeep accessories to sell, so hopefully the account will continue to grow. No big ticket items except for the Jeep itself, but that's not going anywhere.
I've been getting in the air about once a week, which isn't too bad considering work, school, babysitting, etc. Last week I took a personal day on Wednesday and flew over the Wings and then home by way of Pottstown/Limerick. I'm trying to save in earnest to I've resorted to the 152. Still a great little plane but seems to anemic and small compared even to the PA-28s that I've been flying lately. But it gets me in the air for $75/hour and that's all that I need. The flight was great. Weather was iffy with a huge front lingering over Lancaster when I departed. I studied the radar loop and spent a good amount of time with the briefer. The front was heading eastward but the ceilings were staying high and visibility reports were good, so I decided to depart and see how things looked when airborne. Climbing out of Doylestown I could see the front but, as briefed, the ceiling was high and vis was great. I began circumnavigating the KNXX airspace keeping an eye to the west. I stopped at Wings and after waiting for landing PennStar chopper, climbed back out. The front hadn't moved so I decided to stop by Pottstown/Limerick. Dialed in the VOR and programmed direct on the GPS, but neither was necessary given the airport's proximity to the cooling towers. Nice landing over the outlets and then followed a Skyhawk who departed from the opposite direction. Back to DYL with 1.1 on the Hobbs and two new airports in the log book.
Kelly was working on Father's Day and the weather was iffy, so I put the kids in the car and we drove up to check out Pennridge Airport. Looks like a nice little field. I think that this will be my next excursion.
I was disappointed to learn last week that that 172M that I rent when we're visiting the inlaws is being taken off the flight line. It was a nice bird. It was a leaseback, so who knows what transpired. But DUJ has a nice, huge runway and 61674 was hangared, so it was always a treat to go flying when we were in the area. There nothing else for rent there so I'll have to explore other options. Punxsutawney, where we stay, has a small field that offers instruction, so I'm going to see if I can check out in their 152.
I think I'm going to create a "Non-equity partnership wanted" sign to hang at the airport. If I can find the right situation, I really think that this could be a win-win situation for myself and the owner.
Just need to make it happen.
I attentively follow my flying-buddy Rob's blog. He just landed a sweet deal on a non-equity partnership, so his musing are more entertaining than ever. Maybe once I find a similar opportunity I'll have much more interesting commentary to share.
In the meantime, there are a few new notes from my flying life.
First and foremost, the boat is gone. How is this flying related, you may ask? Well, I've come to the realization that I have far to many hobbies and precious little free time. Something's got to give. When it came down to flying vs. sailing, it's a no-brainer. My beloved Hobie Cat hit craigslist last week. I figured I'd list it at a fair but optimistic price, something I could live with if it sold. Well, the first guy to see the ad came out and took it home at full asking price! It was a sweet set up. The $1500 I got for it won't make or break my flying, but it's another contribution to the "airplane fund." Kelly just kind of laughed. She has agreed not to try to touch my airplane savings so long as the funds are derived from my ebay and craigslist sales, so I can't complain.
I've still got a ton of sailing and Jeep accessories to sell, so hopefully the account will continue to grow. No big ticket items except for the Jeep itself, but that's not going anywhere.
I've been getting in the air about once a week, which isn't too bad considering work, school, babysitting, etc. Last week I took a personal day on Wednesday and flew over the Wings and then home by way of Pottstown/Limerick. I'm trying to save in earnest to I've resorted to the 152. Still a great little plane but seems to anemic and small compared even to the PA-28s that I've been flying lately. But it gets me in the air for $75/hour and that's all that I need. The flight was great. Weather was iffy with a huge front lingering over Lancaster when I departed. I studied the radar loop and spent a good amount of time with the briefer. The front was heading eastward but the ceilings were staying high and visibility reports were good, so I decided to depart and see how things looked when airborne. Climbing out of Doylestown I could see the front but, as briefed, the ceiling was high and vis was great. I began circumnavigating the KNXX airspace keeping an eye to the west. I stopped at Wings and after waiting for landing PennStar chopper, climbed back out. The front hadn't moved so I decided to stop by Pottstown/Limerick. Dialed in the VOR and programmed direct on the GPS, but neither was necessary given the airport's proximity to the cooling towers. Nice landing over the outlets and then followed a Skyhawk who departed from the opposite direction. Back to DYL with 1.1 on the Hobbs and two new airports in the log book.
Kelly was working on Father's Day and the weather was iffy, so I put the kids in the car and we drove up to check out Pennridge Airport. Looks like a nice little field. I think that this will be my next excursion.
I was disappointed to learn last week that that 172M that I rent when we're visiting the inlaws is being taken off the flight line. It was a nice bird. It was a leaseback, so who knows what transpired. But DUJ has a nice, huge runway and 61674 was hangared, so it was always a treat to go flying when we were in the area. There nothing else for rent there so I'll have to explore other options. Punxsutawney, where we stay, has a small field that offers instruction, so I'm going to see if I can check out in their 152.
I think I'm going to create a "Non-equity partnership wanted" sign to hang at the airport. If I can find the right situation, I really think that this could be a win-win situation for myself and the owner.
Just need to make it happen.
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