Really REALLY Solo!

John HurlbutFlying1 Comment

So as I mentioned, I soloed on August 21st!  And yes, that means I flew a plane ALL BY MYSELF! I’m still surprised by the number of people that still think that soloing means that your instructor is in the plane, but just doesn’t do anything.  Nope, it’s just you and the airplane all alone.  It’s a feeling I’ll never forget and it’s pretty darn incredible!  But after you solo, you’re only about half way through flight training.  There’s still a lot to do and you’re not only on your own after that.  My last blog post was about my breakthrough.  Finally getting my landings down to the point where my instructor is confident enough in me to let me go to the airport and just rent the plane and go flying.  Do you remember when you first got your drivers license and you were free to just go anywhere … Read More

Break On Through…Signed Off For More Airports!

John HurlbutFlyingLeave a Comment

So I haven’t written much in my Blog lately… I’ve been super frustrated with my flight training as of late.  I soloed on August 21st, then promptly went on a weeks vacation.  By the time I flew again, it had been two weeks since that epic day.  The day I did fly, the winds were pretty strong, I was flying with an instructor I had never flown with, and had a horrible day.  I was really discouraged. I did a couple more flight lessons, and then my instructor and I did a day of nothing but laps in the pattern, my first three takeoffs and landings were great.  So my instructor hopped out, and I was soloing again.  Super excited about it! Finally getting to fly by myself again!  My takeoff was great, my pattern was great, my landing… Excuse my French, sucked ass. I bounced three times, should have … Read More

Just Call Me “Wog”… With VIDEO!!!

John HurlbutFlying, Personal Growth2 Comments

Well today was finally the day!  My first solo flight!  The day started out rather discouraging.  The automated weather at Thun Field (KPLU) is still out, so we’re still going on best information we have available to determine what the weather is doing, which usually means checking the METAR and TAF at McChord Field on JBLM.  They were reporting Marginal VFR conditions with the ceiling between 1,800 and 2,000 feet.  Pattern altitude at Thun is 1,500 feet, but being a student pilot I need to maintain at least 500 feet of vertical separation from the clouds, which means the clouds need to be at a minimum 2,000 feet. I arrived at the airport at 9:30 for my 10AM flight lesson.  I checked the gas and the oil in the plane and began my weight and balance calculations.  Since the automated weather was out, AND I REALLY wanted to fly, I … Read More

The Pilot’s Lounge and a Flight Lesson

John HurlbutFlying, Home Improvement2 Comments

I’m super stoked for how today went! I got to sleep in until almost 9AM!! Teri and I got up and we had some errands to run in our effort to turn our bonus room into a home theater/swanky pilot’s lounge.  First up was a trip to the Old Cannery to see if we could find a TV Stand for the new TV that will be going in the room.  Success! We found one that will fit the new TV perfectly, as well as the front main speakers, center channel speaker and all the AV gear.   The TV will be a Samsung UN65H7150 65″.  I’m going to wire the room for 7.1 surround sound. I’m going with Definitive Technology ProCinema 600 for the Sub, center channel, surround, and surround back speakers.  A pair of Definitive Technology ProMonitor 100’s will provide the front main sound.  Finally to drive everything, I’ll pick … Read More

Stop Wearing Black T-Shirts…

John HurlbutFlying1 Comment

Finally after a couple of weeks off, I got to fly again today!  Last week my instructor was at the EAA AirVenture in OshKosh Wisconsin (Note: Teri and I WILL be there next year) and I was in Las Vegas.  The weekend before that, the winds had my instructor and I in the simulator, not the actual plane, so it’s been awhile. I always try to get to the airport early to do my preflight so I’m not using valuable flight and instructor time to do that.  I had to put a quart of oil in the plane, but no biggie, I’ve done that at least a half a dozen times.  The AWOS (Automated Weather Observation System) was out of service at Thun field today, so I had to look around the area to get an accurate depiction of the weather, but again, no biggie.  I was a little nervous … Read More

One Step Closer to Solo…

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Well since POTUS was in town today, that meant no flying for me!  Thanks Mr. President!  But it didn’t mean I couldn’t do anything aviation related.  I’ve been working on my presolo written exam for a couple of weeks off and on.  I decided to finally finish it today and review it with my instructor.  So we spent an hour or so going over the last few questions we didn’t get to review on Sunday and then I got my first Log Book Endorsement!!  “Presolo aeronautical knowledge:  61.87(b)  John E Hurlbut has satisfactorily completed a presolo written examination demonstrating knowledge of the portions of Parts 61 an d91 applicable to student pilots, the airspace rules and procedures for Pierce County/Thun Field/KPLU, and the flight characteristics and operational limitations for a Cessna 172” I have another flight lesson scheduled for Thursday morning, but I seriously doubt that will be solo day. … Read More