Well finally after four months, my 3rd class medical certificate and my student pilot certificate showed up in the mail! Some of you might be wondering what all the fuss is about. Well I’ll tell you. First of all your 3rd class medical serves as your official student pilot certificate. Kind of like your learners permit when you’re learning to drive a car. “But John, you’ve BEEN flying, so why do you need that?” That’s true, I have been flying. According to Part 61.109 of the FAR/AIM I need to have a minimum of 40 hours of flight training, of which 20 hours must be dual instruction and 10 hours must be solo flight. So I’ve been doing my dual instruction flights in the absence of my Student Pilot Certificate, so technically I haven’t been a student pilot until now. I must have my Student Pilot Certificate to Solo. So … Read More
Great Flight Lesson Today!
Today, as I posted about earlier, I found out on the FAA’s database, my 3rd class medical is in the mail. With any luck it will be here Thursday or Friday. I had a flight lesson scheduled for today and when I arrived, Meg, my instructor, had a present for me. My presolo written exam. Fortunately it’s a take home test, and there is no time limit. So I’ll be hitting the books over the next week or so making sure I get this done. Can’t solo until it’s done and I’ve passed it. That “S” word is coming up more and more lately. I’ve really got to work on my landings before I’m going to feel comfortable soloing. I don’t know if ANYONE feels comfortable soloing?? But it’s an incredibly special thing and I’m super excited that Meg is even HINTING at it!! I mean what percentage of the … Read More
Time To Start Wearing Shirts I Hate to The Airport!
Last week I called the FAA office of aerospace medicine here in WA State and inquired about the status of my 3rd class medical certificate. The guy I spoke to, Shawn, was really helpful and told me that he could see all my medical records were received, they were scanned in, and a letter had been written with a special issuance 3rd class medical attached. It was just waiting for a signature. So I put a note on my front door telling the letter carrier I was waiting for a VERY IMPORTANT letter from the FAA and if she could, pleas call me when it arrives. (All of their communication thus far has been sent registered mail). Nothing all week. So yesterday I called again. The nice lady that picked up the phone gave me the same story that it was there (In Oklahoma City) just waiting to be signed. … Read More
Just a Couple Random Notes…
Personal – I weighed 275.7 pounds this morning. That officially puts me lower than the lowest I got after lap band surgery. It also means that when I walk into my office on Monday morning, no one there has ever seen me this “thin”. The next milestone to fall will be when I hit 266 pounds. That was the lowest my weight was in 2002 after a few months and losing 50+ pounds on Weight Watchers. When I hit 265 and change, it’s a good bet that no one in the past 18ish years has sen me at that weight? I think I was around 270 in 1997 when Teri & I started dating. There was a lot of working out then, but I don’t think there was much weight lost at that time. I have 12 or so weeks to go on 3010 Weight Loss For Life. If I … Read More
Density Altitude – Flight Lesson 07-02-14
After a week in California helping my dad recover from his Pacemaker surgery (read: laying in the 105° sun), I have been itching to get back in the air and continue my flight training. I called the FAA on Monday to make sure they had received all my medical records and letters from doctors, etc. I was told that everything was received and scanned in, a letter had been written and it was just waiting for a doctor’s signature. It sounds like FINALLY, the wait for my 3rd class medical certificate might be over! According to the person from our local office of aerospace medicine, I will be given a “special issuance” 3rd class medical. Which means simply that in addition to my regular flight physical every couple of years, I’ll need to provide them with additional information. Specifically about my sleep apnea and usage of my Cpap machine. No … Read More
A Couple of Flight Lessons and Cpap Update
Last week I flew a couple of times. Once on Wednesday and again yesterday, Sunday. I scheduled both lessons later in the day so as not to have to deal with the low clouds. Wednesday at 3 PM was great! We took off from Thun field (KPLU) and headed to Tacoma Narrows (KTIW). Meg told me she didn’t want to do anything that day but be in “Toad Mode”, meaning she wanted to just check my proficiency and listen to me talk to the tower at KTIW. KPLU is a non-towered airport so the pilots just talk to each other to let one another know what they’re doing. At KTIW you have to talk to the tower and ground control to get instructions on what to do. We took off from KPLU without incident, I think my takeoff was better than most of them. A bit of a crosswind, but … Read More
Flying Today! And Excited About CPap?
I have a flight lesson today at 1:30PDT and I’m super stoked to get back in the air!! It’s been a few weeks since I’ve flown, so I’m sure I’ll have to relearn some stuff, but I’m excited none the less. Last time we flew my flight instructor said we’d head over to KTIW (Tacoma Narrows Airport) and do some pattern work there. I hope that’s still the case because it would be REALLY cool to actually land at another airport! (Baby steps!) But of course I’m still waiting for my 3rd class medical to come in as well. After my Sleep Study last week, I’ve been bugging the ladies at the sleep clinic to push my results through to the Pulmonary Specialists that have to review them and dictate them. After that happens, it goes back to my doctor and she can write a prescription for a new CPap … Read More