Winters Last Blast?

From Saturday night to Sunday morning, we got about 6 inches of heavy wet snow. It stuck to trees and power lines causing big problems in some areas. Our power was out for 6 hours Sunday morning and for another 2 hours in the afternoon. The weather kept me from doing any flying over the weekend but, this should be the last big snow storm of the year. Next it will be spring thunderstorms and strong winds that we Midwestern fliers need to watch out for.

Club Signoff

I hadn't anticipated all the delays that have come up in getting my complex endorsement. It has been dragging on since the end of December. I though I would be signed off to fly all the club aircraft a long time ago. Now, a new set back has come up that I should have known about but somehow didn't. In addition to the 10 hours, 25 landings and 5 go-arounds in the Cutlass , the insurance company also requires 25 hours of PIC time in a C172 or equivalent since getting the private pilot certificate before being signed off for the 172RG. A look at my logbook shows I am a few hours short of that. So, yesterday, I diverted course.

I booked a couple hours in the non-complex C172S and a couple hours of Pete's time. In the end, we only used .9 hours of the time. During my training at Skill, I flew R model Skyhawks. The S model at Stick & Rudder is almost identical. The fuel injection system and the avionics are virtually the same so the transition was easy for me.

We went to the practice area for a steep turn in each direction and a stall. Then Pete had me line up on a smoke stack and do a slip to the right and then one to the left while holding heading. After that, he dialed in a VOR station and had me intercept the inbound course and track it for a couple minutes. Done with that, we called the tower to let them know we would be entering the pattern for some touch and gos. In all, I did 5 landings, including one with no flaps, and a full flap go-around before we called it quits.

I taxied back, we tied the airplane down and Pete endorsed my membership card for all the club aircraft except the Cutlass. My new plan, now that I can fly on my own again, is to build the required 25 hours then use the last 2 hours I need in the C172RG as a review before adding that endorsement. After that, it will be time to start instrument training.

As long as I fly, there will always be new things to learn and that is the way it should be. I just have to stay flexible and willing to adjust to what ever comes up along the way.

Safety Day

Stick & Rudder Flying Club is holding a safety day on Saturday. The public is welcome so, if you are in the area, please stop by to visit the club and learn something at the same time. Hope to see some of you there tomorrow. 

Update: Sunday 3/16 - The Safety Day was a sucess with good attendance and some very helpful information provided by knowledgable speakers.  I look forward to this being an annual club event.  A special thanks to club member Robbie C. for organizing it.