Yeah, I know, I owe a post (and pix) about Nicaragua, but I’m not blogging about that tonight. I just got done updating my web logbook, I updated the underlying database on Tuesday, but I use static web pages for this, so that I don’t have to constantly query the backend databases. I went flying on Tuesday. I originally thought I’d just go around the pattern a few times and get the landings to remain current to rent at VTA, but when I actually got airborne, I felt the pull to just go fly a little. It was a little bumpier than I anticipated, some clouds were rolling in as I flew though no rain even that evening. You can see the logbook entry, so I won’t bother recapping that here other than to note that I tracked radials to the APE VOR, practiced some steep turns and generally enjoyed my day.
Category: flying
A good evening for flying
It was a pretty nice day today, so I called over to the airport and checked to see if they had a plane available. They did, I got to fly the G-1000 equipped Cessna 172 again. I took off late enough that I decided to make my landings night landings, so I’d be current again for carrying passengers at night. I’ve updated my various web pages that have my log book info linked from my web page. It was 1°C with light winds out of the southeast. I mostly practiced normal stuff, tracking a course, holding at the VOR, slow flight, steep turns, etc.
So, I’m reading the 2008 FAR/AIM tonight…
Okay, how geeky is that? Don’t answer that. How silly is it that the new requirements for charity flights require 500 hours, but a commercial certificate only 250 hours? So, I started looking at the aeronautical experience requirements for a commercial ticket (airplane), beyond the total 250 hours (I currently have 185.4, so I need 64.6 more).
- 100 hours in powered aircraft – okay, I have 165.1 in ASEL as of today, so I’ve got that covered
- 100 hours PIC time
- 50 in airplanes – I have 129.3
- 50 cross country – I have 86.2
- 20 hours training in commercial areas of operation – okay, I need to do some of that
- 10 hours of instrument training – I already have an instrument rating (total of 32.1 hours sim & actual)
- 10 hours complex time – I have 0.0
- 2 hour/100 mile straight-line day VFR cross-country – VTA-CKB-VTA qualifies, so I have one, but does it count if I wasn’t officially a commercial student at the time and it wasn’t dual, probably not. I’m not sure if any of my dual cross-countries were 100 mile straight-line, I have plenty of solo VFR cross-countries that would qualify
- 2 hour/100 mile straight-line night VFR cross-country – either the VFR or the 100 mile straight-line would be an issue here, so I need one of these
- 3 hours in practical test prep in 60 days preceeding checkride – obviously this will come later
- 10 hours solo in commercial areas of operation
- 300 mile cross-country/250 mile straight-line – nope, don’t have this one yet
- 5 hours night/10 take-offs & landings at controlled airfield – I have 25.3 hours of night and I’ll have to see if I have 10 t/o and landings at controlled fields at night, I think I do, but I could easily get those if I don’t have them or if they need to be done while “officially” a commercial student.
So what does that prove? I dunno. I obviously need to get instruction in the commercial maneuvers, etc. I also don’t need to do all that much “hour building”. If I assume that the 20 hours dual and the 10 hours solo need to happen after I’ve “officially declared myself” as a commercial student, it is probably time for me to talk to Harold (or Clint or some other instructor) soon. BTW, they have a 182RG at LHQ now, so even if I didn’t go for the commercial yet, I could look into getting the complex and high-performance endorsements.
Peace.