The system must be broken, because they let me slip through the cracks: I am the world’s newest FAA certified flight instructor! (Be afraid. Be very, very afraid.) The checkride was a textbook flight. Once we got in the air, that is. The DE thought he heard something odd coming from the left engine, pehaps a stuck starter. So we… Read more →
ATP Total CFI Program Day 8
The first checkride is officially upon me. The oral portion of the practical test for my initial flight instructor certificate was this afternoon, and it wasn’t that bad. It only lasted perhaps two or three hours. The flight portion is tomorrow. I’ve heard stories of CFI orals taking eight or ten hours, which seems a bit excessive to me. On… Read more →
Baron to BUFF: Thanks
I thought this was pretty cool. Read the whole thing. (via Speed of Thought) Speaking of radio messages, I was on a training flight near Indian Springs the other day and kept hearing what sounded like an instructor talking to a student over the practice area frequency. My first thought was that a CFI was inadvertently holding the PTT (push… Read more →
ATP Total CFI Program Day 7
Despite my longstanding reputation as a night owl, I’m actually getting used to being up at 3:00 a.m. Maybe it’s just the Vegas effect, but when you’re flying at that hour, it doesn’t really matter if it’s early or late. In reality, it’s both. You’d think that walking through the casino at that hour, the place would be empty. You’d… Read more →
Ocean’s Twelve
Looks like Ocean’s Twelve is going to be a success. Hey, it could happen. LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) — “Ocean’s Twelve,” the heist caper that George Clooney, Brad Pitt and their A-list pals shot in their spare time while living it up in Europe, stole the No. 1 slot at the North American weekend box office. According to studio estimates… Read more →
ATP Total CFI Program Day 6
Okay, getting up at 1:30 a.m. wasn’t as bad as I thought. Flying in the middle of the night has it’s advantages, especially in the desert. I’ve never seen the air so smooth. It makes the flying easier and more enjoyable, but of course it also leaves a pilot with little excuse for deviations in altitude or heading. McCarren Int’l… Read more →
ATP Total CFI Program Day 5
I’m starting to form an opinion on ATP’s instructor program. I’ll reserve final judgement until I’ve completed the course, but my thoughts thus far are that your average pilot is probably not going to be well equipped or well served by this kind of thing. Allow me to explain. My class is comprised of five people of widely varying experience.… Read more →
ATP Total CFI Program Day 4
The ground school portion of the program ended today. I’m tempted to think that this will free up a lot of time between flights to do things like study and maybe even sleep a bit. Somehow it probably won’t work out that way. The folks who are in the preceding class are currently in the second week of this 14… Read more →
ATP Total CFI Program Day 3
I haven’t used dial-up since the mid 1990s, and now I remember why. I’m 99% sure this is a problem with the ISP (Netscape Internet), because I have no problems connecting, it just says my password is incorrect. Which is, in itself, incorrect. I even had Netscape’s tech support confirm it, after spending half an hour on hold. Why do… Read more →
The Virtual Orchestra
I received an email from a fellow musician that bodes ill for the future of the performing arts. It’s bad enough that the arts have essentially been eliminated in our schools. Must professional theatres go the same way? If major arts facilities don’t understand this issue…. well, I just wonder who’s going to pay $100 (or more) for a ticket… Read more →