Pilot.

Last night’s flight in the Cessna 172. In case you’re wondering, you’re looking at one takeoff on Runway 33, followed by three instrument approaches to runway 6R, with a circle to land to a “full stop” on runway 24L. It was windy but I didn’t break anything.

In the desert it often gets too hot or stormy in the afternoon at this time of year for any sort of productive general aviation in a Cessna 172 or a Piper Cherokee. I like checking in to FlightRadar from time to time to see what I’m missing out on as I do my day job. All the smaller airplanes flying in the area at 6:00 AM (when I started my first meeting at work) are likely students getting their flights in before the desert heat makes things too bumpy.

I’m writing this while the blog is down. I’ll post it to this day after things are up and running again.

Tonight I flew with a different flight instructor. Ed was a pleasant guy, fairly new out of flight school but he has all the ratings he needs. He’s now building time so he can make his way to the airlines. We had a pleasant flight.

It’s always important to take photos of the aircraft when doing the preflight, especially slightly flat spots on the tires. Primary students have a habit of having their feet on the brakes when they land and this can cause flat spots and early tire wear. If you blow a tire, it’s your financial responsibility to get it fixed. I thoroughly check the tires during my preflight. Tonight one tire had a slight bit of wear but plenty of tread. I wasn’t concerned about it surviving one of my landings, but I took a picture just in case.

I took my written exam for Instrument Rating-Airplane today. I’ve been not looking forward to this exam because written exams tend to make me nervous. I passed the exam with an above average score and I am quite pleased with the result.

The written exam is one of three tests associated with becoming an Instrument Rated pilot. I now have to complete an oral exam and a checkride with an FAA examiner. I’m about a month away from doing this; and I look forward to that opportunity.

I’m went flying with instructor Prabesh on Wednesday night. It was a bit windy and the desert keeps it quite bumpy in the afternoons and early evening, but I kept the needles pointed where they were suppose to be pointing, the airplane in the air, and I didn’t make a fool of myself on the radio.

I walked away from the flight feeling quite pleased with myself. And that’s a great feeling.

I’ve literally been having dreams about flying. I’ve always dreamed about flying, both in an airplane and just flying around like Captain Marvel, but lately I’ve been having flying related dreams. It’s probably because I’m working on my instrument rating with instructor Prabesh. Learning the intricacies of flying in the clouds can make an impression on the subconscious.

A few of my pilot dreams have involved my Dad. The other night I dreamed that I was my age and Dad was alive and his age and we were at the airport not too far from his house. There was a Cessna 150 and I said to Dad, do you want to go flying? You can ride right seat. And I remember smiling big at him.

I don’t believe in regrets; life is lived on purpose and we choose our path and we follow it. No regrets when looking at the past. However, I do wish I had earned my pilots certificate when Dad was still alive. That was always my plan. It was always something I wanted to do, but I wasn’t in the right place in my life (nor did we have the funds) to get it accomplished. I’m happy that I did. I do wish I had flown with Dad in the right seat at least once, though. That would have been very nice.

I was looking around on Youtube and came across this video my friend Nick had posted. I rode right seat with him on his first flight after getting his Private Pilot Certificate back in 2015 and it was a fun little flight. Nick is a great pilot, had to take a break from it for a bit, but got back into it a while back. I think he’s based in the Capital District now.

I like flying with other pilots. It’s a great way to learn technique and it’s just a lot of fun.

I went flying with Flight Instructor Prabesh yesterday evening as part of our weekly flight together. I’m working on what’s called my Instrument Rating, meaning when all is said and done after this checkride I’ll be able to fly in the clouds and safely fly an airplane in instances where I can’t see the ground or the horizon. It’s a special skill and when achieved I’ll be the first pilot in the family to have achieved this milestone.

We’ve been working on my instrument rating in a selection of Cessna 172 airplanes, which I’ve flown many times before, but not recently. I have to show the new flight school that I’m perfectly capable of handling a C172 in less than ideal conditions, so Prabesh and I went up and did a lot of basic maneuvers to make sure I could handle the airplane in an emergency. This involves pulling the engine and making emergency descents, doing steep turns (showing I can control the aircraft in such a situation), and stalls, showing I can get the airplane flying again after it’s lost lift under the wings and stopped flying.

We had a lot of fun flying last night. We’ve been flying after dark working on my Instrument Rating, since I don’t need to see anything when I’m theoretically flying in the clouds, so it was a nice change of pace to see things and admire the surroundings in the daylight.

I love flying airplanes. It’s a love I did something about rather late in life but it makes me very happy. And as of Tuesday, I’ve been an official private pilot for seven years.

Seven grand years.

Eight years ago today was my first flying lesson. With instructor Chuck in the right seat, we took off from runway 33 at KRME Griffiss International Airport in Rome, New York in a 1966 PA28-140 (or Cherokee 140). The four seat, low wing airplane was my trainer all the way through the following December when I earned my Private Pilot’s Certificate.

My life has never been the same.