Pilots need to have something called a "Flight Review" every two years in order to be a "pilot in command" which means you can fly an airplane by yourself. Every pilot has to under go a flight review. So you sit down with a flight instructor and he asks questions and you give answers, and if you don't remember the correct answer, then the two of you discuss it. It is a learning process. So I spent three hours today with Michael, a flight instructor and we discussed all kinds of things, like FAA rules and regulations, and aircraft performance and reading charts and types of airspace, among other subjects. I haven't been a pilot in command for at least 15 years. I have flown with other pilots but that's not the same as flying as pilot in command, solo. So it was a really rich day, and fun to discuss aviation, something I am so passionate about, for three hours. I will go back for perhaps two more hours of this. Then the second part of the flight review, happens in an airplane, and that's the next step. when I was flying regularly, a flight review might take an hour on the ground and perhaps two hours in the air, so that the instructor can see you are a competent pilot and that you haven't developed any bad habits. This is a brilliant FAA program that was started after I first started flying and it adds a great deal to aircraft safety to have everyone have to take this time and to "get reviewed."
Just in case you wondered how I approach the Flight Review, this the dining room table where I have been studying all the materials I need to know! I know, it's a mess, but Kathy is away, and it will all be cleaned up by the time she arrives home tomorrow night! And, you should know that I have actually been studying for the past year, taking an online course with videos, reviewing all the topics and reading books like "The Airman's Information Manual" and "The Private Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, and the "Pilot's Operating Handbook" for the Cessna 172 R the aircraft I will be flying. I am really serious about really knowing all the subjects well. It is exhausting, and, it is absolutely wonderful at the same time!
4 comments:
It appears you are preparing for a big adventure. If this is true then it begs the question as to where and when? A cross-country flight would surely tic off a major item on your Bucket List!
You continue to amaze me with your passions for flying or astronomy or life in general. And you do need to know everything well. I look forward to the continuation of this journey.
Joan
Sounds like an arduous process, but a necessary one. When you're passionate about something, the difficulty of the process seems to lessen a little. Kudos to you for your sticktoittiveness.
No long trips forseen. Thank you all for your nice comments. This is all about just getting back to be able to fly alone in the aircraft. To be "the Captain of my Ship!"
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