Day 29 ( 91.1 TT, 16.2 MET )

This is the post where I will whine a lot. I don't mean to be so negative all the time, I just want to get the facts out and be realistic for anyone considering Aviator. I waited for my EOC ride for several days, delayed by weather and maintenance problems. Then I waited for a designated examiner for more than a week. Today was finally the day for my multi-private check ride. Got to the airport at 7am, got my $400 bucks ready and waited. The examiner NEVER showed up. He forgot, even though I was on his schedule for more than a week. If a student doesn't show up for a check ride, he/she will be charged a "no show" fee, I wish that would work both ways! Now I have to wait two more days until wednesday. Keep in mind that I haven't flown for a week, and I can't start my instrument flying until I pass this ride.



This is a typical schedule for Aviator. The first 12 aircraft are Duchesses, the rest are Cessnas and Pipers. As you can see, two airplanes are down for more than a week (red) and others for several days (yellow). The aircraft are constantly squawked for different issues, however the instructors DON'T squawk everything, because there would be no airplanes to fly!


On friday I back-sat a flight during which we had a door pop open at 5500'. This is apparently quite normal around here, and most instructors said that it's "good practice". Except we had to fly back to the airport to shut the door, and at the rate we pay, that poor guy paid around $90 for that wonderful "practice" time. During which, as you can see in the picture, he is hanging on to the door with a scared look on his face, and the instructor is flying the plane.

On a different note, an open door in the dutchess produces as much drag and yaw as a failed engine, so if you lose a left engine in flight AND the left door opens, you will have a bad day! (in this case there may not be enough rudder authority to counteract the yaw and roll of the aircraft)