The Home Stretch

I feel I've accomplished a lot. I'm on my way to being a pilot. The steps I've taken so far are the most important as they were the planning steps. Gathering information, getting my medical, covering costs, signing up for lessons, getting my course materials, finding my way around and finally taking lessons.

If I had something to do different I would have rather taken this course when I did not have so many other things I had to do. WISE took much longer then a regular English class and second semester senior year was busy for me. Studying the flight books, researching, meetings and actual lessons and time at flight school was so much to fit in with trying to get into college, lacrosse and all my other classes. As far as my project I don't think I would have done anything differentially. Learning to fly is deadly serious and cannot be rushed.

I'm proud I'm actually flying. Not many people, kids or adults have gotten as far as I have. Someday I will have my pilot's license and join a club that not many people ever belong to. I'm disappointed I had to spend so much time on research rather then studying at flight school. I felt this took away from my focus rather then adding to it. I could have used the time I spent researching getting closer to my pilots license.

My research was reading articles from magazines. newspapers and watching airplane movies. The focus from my proposal was to learn more about the whole picture of flying. Some was interesting like learning about electric engines and private space fight but none helped me towards my goal of being a pilot. I would rather have researched my flight school books and movies only.Research showed me different types of flying opportunities, different places to get air related jobs and how big the field is.It did not change my focus but did inspire me to look at ROTC seriously. In college I'm going to take Air Force ROTC. I was unsure of this before WISE so I guess that is how research helped me the most. I would not have made that decision without all the reading I did.

Hands On I am flying. I've taken a discovery flight and two lessons.
In my lessons I control the plane with help and completely at times. I clear with the control tower, take off, maneuver and watch landing. Often I am flying the plane alone and in total control. Flying lessons also include pre checks where the pilot looks over the plane and learning about the facility and air field.I spent many days at the East Hill flying club studying and learning.

WISE was good. I did not know it was going to take up so much time. I'm glad I choose to blog as I like it better then journaling. I think it is more fun to read so people will be more interested. I love that I am on my way to being a pilot and don't know how I will continue this - in college or summers, but I know I will continue and someday be a pilot. WISE helped me get started on the path.

Lesson number 2

Yesterday I took my second flying lesson. I was nervous and didn't want to schedule it because I didn't think I was ready for it. Chapter 3 was long and hard to understand with all of the descriptions of aerodynamics. All my worry was for nothing I was ready for it.

When I got to the air field I had to go over a few thing in my book for last minute information I could use in the air than went over maneuvers that I would be doing in the air. After that we got our head sets and headed out the door to the hanger. We walked over to the plane in the hot sun and did a strict check to make sure everything was working properly and that the plane was fly able. After we went through the check list we pushed the plane over to the fueling station to distribute fuel into each wing where the separate gas tanks are. After that we went through our pre flight check list which was checking all the systems in the plane. We contacted the tower and asked for permission to taxi down the runway. So once we got clearance from "Ithaca Ground" I pushed the throttle all the way in to full power and in a matter of seconds we were in the air. We flew right over the lake and had a beautiful view of Ithaca. I loved flying past the high school knowing my friends were in class and I was just flying over them. Once we got into our practice zone I started my maneuvers and did very well with them even though I was still a little nervous about it. After I had finished we started heading out of the practice air space back to the air port. So I called into Ithaca tower which is the control tower for planes in the air and asked permission for landing. Once we were clear for the runway I lined up the plane with the runway and brought the flaps all the way down. At this point I thought that I was going to give the controls over to my instructor, but he just kept giving me instruction as to what I should be doing so I slowed the plane down to about 40 mph and with just a little help from my instructor I put the plane down nice and easy. At this point I felt like a million bucks because that was my first landing. After landing we taxied over to foxtrot which is a direction on where to go. So I headed to that direction and we did the post flight check list then bought the plane back to the hanger.

Flying is now and I believe will always be a part of my life its just when I am up in the air I feel like nothing can hold me back and I am as free as a bird just flying above everything watching the earth move under me as I'm flying by. I don't think there is another feeling like it in the world.

Air Force One

Directed by well-known action director Wolfgang Petersen ("The Perfect Storm", "Troy", "Outbreak", "Das Boot"), Air Force One is a movie about the US president's airplane. This movie came out in 1997 and starred Harrison Ford; it won two Academy Awards.

On the way home from Russia, the president's plane is hijacked by Russians posing as reporters. The president pretends to escape in a pod but remains hidden on board.The president was in Russia to outline the USA's new "Zero-tolerance" policy with respect to terrorism. So now his wife and daughter are in danger and the US is not supposed to respond to the terrorists.

Planes are featured in many ways in this movie. Air Force One is the best equipped plane in the world and it is interesting to see it shown. The plane has to refuel midair and the viewer gets to see that process...it looks tricky! A KC-10 refuels AF1. A F-15 escort plane follows Air Force One trying to help out. In the end the president is rescued by a C-130 Hercules on a zip line mid air! Not a maneuver I want to try.

Being a pilot has many career paths. From the military helping out to flying for the President of the United States, this movie showed many of the options available to a pilot.

Unrestricted Aerospace

Pappalardo, Joe. Unrestricted Aerospace. Popular mechanics. Aug 2008.
In the Mojave desert a private company, XCOR Aerospace is hoping to build a space craft to take paying customers into space. Other companies also are working in the desert. Scaled Composites is the company that invented the first aircraft that flew around the world without having to refuel. SpaceShipOne became the first private craft to take a pilot into outer space. This ship won the Ansari prize of 10 million dollars!

Aerospace history takes place in secert areas where designs can be tested without people spying and where if a mistake happens the craft will not crash into a shopping mall.The US Air force base was at Groom Lake Nevada; here is where they tested planes for defense contractors. Some tenants work on 'black' projects, this means they are top secret.Mojave is called the New Area 51 - the old Area 51 is where our government is supposedly hiding alien aircraft they captured.

Mojave's first airport was built in 1935. The government took it over in WW II to use as a Marine air station. In 2004 the FAA certified Mojave as a spaceport. This means private companies can launch people into space from here. New Mexico is also building a spaceport.Plenty of jobs exist here from both military and private contractors.

Would You Survive

Segal, Gregg.Would You Survive. Popular Mechanics, Aug. 2005.

As a nice follow up to my last chapter in flight school about airplane collusion avoidance, I'm doing this article about surviving in the wilderness if your plane crashes. Guess he didn't study the aircraft collision chapter very well!

This article is about Scott Thurner who was driving his Cessna 172 from Nevada to Colorado when it iced up. Scott did not file a flight plan and survived the crash landing but was 15 miles from the nearest road. The weather conditions were bad and freezing. Not filing a flight plan was stupid and nobody knew where he was.

The article goes on to say that statistically people are found in 3 days, dead or alive.
It says what you need to pack for survival and constructs a eight piont plan to make it through the first 72 hours. Caleb Randells, a instructor in the Air Force wrote a book, the Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive. It tells how to stay alive until help comes.

Scott Thurner is still alive today. he dug a snow cave and used the plane door as a roof. He set off his emergency beacon and rescuers found him in 24 hours. The strategies recommended are: stay with the plane and signal for help. Drawing a X on the wing can help.

Chapter 4 Section A : Safety Of Flight

This section was easy to understand and because it was related to safety, parts of it related to my life guard training. Pilots operate under VFR/ Visual Flight Rules or IFR/ Instrument Flight Rules. Studies show that the majority of mid-air collisions occur in VFR conditions so many techniques are for collision avoidance. Pilots must developed effective visual scanning which is short spaced eye movements. I didn't realize that if you see another airplane that doesn't seem to be moving your probably on a collision course.
Sky conditions can effect your ability to see traffic, obviously a sunny day is better than a cloudy day but phenomenon can occur that pilots must be aware of and take steps to overcome. Empty field myopia is when your looking at a sky with nothing in it; your eyes only tend to focus 10 to 30 feet ahead, a spot on your windshield can actually be a plane far away. Night myopia is worse because your eyes only focus from 5 to 6 feet in front of you. Airplanes, like cars, have blind spots and pilots learn to look around them. Before starting any maneuvers, like landing, pilots make clearing turns that are at least a 180 degree change in direction, to see around blind spots and better to see the area. The FARs spell out right-of-way rules. When two aircraft of the same category come together the plane on the left gives way. The right away goes in this order...

1. Aircraft in distressed
2. balloon
3. A glider
4. Aircraft refueling
5. Air ship (blimp)
6. Airplane
7. Rotor craft (helicopter)

Another safety feature of the FARs is minimum safe altitude. Over a congested city you have to be 1000 feet over every obstacle like a sky scraper. In a uncongested area you must be 500ft over the land or water. To fly over hazardous terrain like mountains pilots get specialized training. This training teaches you about wind conditions that can happen over open water or around mountains.

This section ended with introduction on Postitive Exchange Of Flight Controls. The Instructor will demonstrate a manuver than pass the controls to me. When this happens the FAA recomend this three step process.... the instructor says "you have flight controls." the student says "I have the flight controls." the instructor says "You have the flight controls." Now we know who has control over the plane.

Section C Chapter 3: Aerodynamics Of Maneuvering Flight continued

Section C goes on to explain the forces that act when turning a plane. Before a plane can turn it must over come inertia. The necessary force is caused by using the ailerons. The horizontal component of lift causes the airplane to turn. The center seeking force that causes the airplane to turn is called centripetal force. Centripetal force works against inertia, this is called centrifugal force. Centrifugal force isn't really a force. Its really inertia wanting to go straight again. Another force is when you roll into a turn one wing has more lift than the other and the inside wing has more drag, this can cause an adverse yaw which has to be corrected by using the rudder. When you enter a turn the plane feels like it wants to keep rolling, pilots have to be careful not to over bank or over correct. Airplane performance is judged on rate of turn and radius of turn. Rate of turn is the amount of time it takes for the plane to turn a certain amount of degrees. The amount of horizontal distance a airplane uses to complete a turn is the radius of turn.

Load factor is the ratio of the load supported by the airplanes wings to the wait of the plane. In turning a airplane you have to know your load factor or you can loose altitude. Load factor is also important because if not correctly maintained it can cause stalls. The limit load factor is the amount of stress an airplane can stand before structural damage starts. Most small planes weighing 12,500 are certified either normal, utility, or acrobatic depending on their limit load factor, you wouldn't want to do tricks in a normal airplane because it could break up. To know what your planes load limit factor is you refer to V/g diagram, staying below the limit load factor will prevent stalls and damages to the plane.