As mentioned in my previous blog entry, I am on my way to Fort Wayne, Indiana for work. My flights are by way of Detroit. The hop from Detroit to Ft. Wayne is short. I’m not worried about the 30 minutes of layover time, if I miss the connection I can just drive the two hours by car tonight.
I feel quite relaxed.
I spent the first few minutes of our flight reading about becoming an Instrument (IFR) Rated Pilot and listening to the radio calls between the flight crew on our flight and ATC. I had to stop listening when I lost cellular service. Yes, I was breaking a rule.
I just realized that I am probably breaking an FAA regulation right now by using my Bluetooth keyboard with my iPad. Perhaps I should stop.
The flight attendant’s name is Josie. She is very nice and organized. I am enjoying this flight on Delta 3389. It’s an ERJ145. I thought I had flown DL 3389 before, but I can’t find any earlier flights with that flight number on the spreadsheet I use to keep track of these things. Maybe I’ve just heard so many ATC calls over the years for 3389 it’s just ringing a bell.
The climb from KSYR through the clouds was short and fairly smooth. I watched for ice because I had heard earlier calls on ATC mentioning ice around 6,000 feet, but I didn’t see any ice accumulate on the wings. I looked back to make sure.
The decision to become an instrument pilot has been a tough one for me to make. This is venturing into territory beyond the ratings that my dad and grandfather had, but I love flying so much, including the challenges of being a great pilot, that I don’t want to limit myself to just flying in clear skies. I want Earl and I to be able to travel, and if our airplane is able to fly in the clouds, then I should be able to fly in the clouds as well. I’d never fly in scary weather, that’s just stupid, but having an IFR rating would allow us to worry less about weather when trying to come home from a weekend getaway or something like that. Plus, becoming an IFR pilot will greatly improve my piloting skills in general, and I’m always looking to become a better pilot.
Always learning. Always having fun.
