Anyone Remember The Cannonball Run?

John HurlbutFlying, Private pilotLeave a Comment

I wonder if anyone other than Scott remembers the movie “The Cannonball Run”?  Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, lots of famous folks set off on a race across country and as was bound to happen, hilarity ensues. I’m considering a Cannonball Run of my own this summer. It won’t be a race against anyone per se, it’ll be more a race against myself and proof that having my pilot’s license is valuable beyond simply going for sight seeing adventures around Mount Rainier. Read on oh faithful follower… So I’m now checked out to fly 5 different Cessna 172’s at two different flight schools.  That’s great, for the most part right now, whenever I want to fly, there is a plane available. It ALMOST feels like I’m an owner. However, there are a few things I could do as an owner that I can’t do as a renter.  Land on a beach. … Read More

Cathartic, That’s as Good A Word As Any…

John HurlbutFlying, Private pilotLeave a Comment

I went flying Saturday for just a bit. About 0.7 hours actually. The last time I flew was February 2, 2016. The time before that was November 27, 2015. I’m clearly not flying enough. I’ll post the draft from my February 2 flight as well, I never got around to finishing it. Flying between October and April in the Northwest is somewhat difficult. Lots of low clouds, lots of rain, lots of wind. Certainly not conducive to VFR flying. Yesterday my friend Gordon gave me crap for flying. He said “I’m surprised you’re flying today”. When I enquired why, he said “Because there are clouds”. I called him a dick in jest, because that’s what guys do. It’s true my personal minimums are probably a bit higher than most pilots. My flight instructor was extremely conservative when it came to flying in weather that was maybe ok to fly and … Read More

Sleep Study – 3rd Class Medical Adventures Continued

John Hurlbut3rd Class Medical, Private pilot, Student pilotLeave a Comment

As previously mentioned, I received a letter from the FAA requesting more information from me regarding a variety of things they found in my medical records. Specifically Sleep Apnea.  I had severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) in 2008ish and went in for a sleep study and was placed on a BiPap machine. Now I never felt like I got a great nights sleep on that machine, but it was better than dying.  After losing 70 ish pounds the BiPap pressure was too high and I never went in to get it adjusted. I just stopped using it. Fast forward 5 years and in trying to obtain my 3rd class medical the FAA notices Sleep Apnea in my medical records and they want reports from my machine stating it’s controlled. Since I can’t produce those reports, I had my doc refer me to get another sleep study. I just returned home … Read More