Checklists

When it comes to knowing and making sure everything is how it should be checklists are very important. Especially in aviation, while extremely safe if something is out of place or not how it should be you could be in for a very bad day. This is why having a following checklists and procedures is very important to hopefully catch any abnormalities and to make sure everything is done the right way. Getting your pilots license can also seem like another checklist, in a way it is. There are many requirements that go into getting your license and proving that you are a capable pilot. Recently I have checked off several of those items. This past Friday I passed the private pilot written exam. Although this is just one of many requirements it was a huge relief to have completed. The test is a 60 question multiple choice test that you have 2.5 hours to complete. You need to have at least 70% to pass (I had above 80) oh and it costs $150 (one big reason I was happy to have passed on my first try). I took the test at Stearmen Field (Identifier 1k1) which is a small airpark just to the north west of Wichita and only about 10 minutes from our house. Stearmen has a some really interesting planes (and houses) and a great restaurant on the field. One of the great things about Wichita is that you never know what you are going to get see. As I was leaving Stearmen a B-24 made a low pass down the runway. Later in the day on Friday I solo'd up to Hutchinson, Kansas (KHUT) which is a class D airspace about 45 north west of my home airport on the east side of Wichita. The main purpose of that flight was to take care off the requirement of having three solo landings at a towered airport. Just to be sure I did five. Several of which were some of the best landings I have ever done. The main thing that I have been needing to work on is letting the plane come down more before flaring and having more airspeed. On my way back to Augusta I was reminded of just how busy the airspace around Wichita can be. The ceiling of the Wichita class C airspace is 5,300 feet and I was cruising at 5,500 . Technically I would have been fine to fly right along above it but that would have made for an interesting decent into Augusta just outside of the airspace and well that is just a little too close to a congested airspace with no radio communication with them for my comfort. Every time I went to key the mic and call Wichita Approach someone else started talking. So to avoid the airspace I decided to divert around the north side of Wichita. I was finally able to get in contact with the controller which allowed me to proceed through the airspace. Since they were departing out of Wichita Mid-Continent to the north he also had me decent to 3,500 to stay out of the way of the jets departing and going over me. That controller eventually handed me off to an equally busy controller who after finally responded and just cleared me direct to Augusta and terminated my radar service. Sunday morning I got up early and enjoyed flying with my instructor on a perfect morning and did some "hood time" simulating using only the instruments for navigation and operation and not looking outside. After flying around for awhile east and north east of Wichita we headed direct to the Wichita VOR on the west side of town. From there we "shot" an ILS approach into Mid-Continent. Although it was difficult at first I thought that I was staring to get the hang of everything the more I did. I still have two more hours of the three required to complete but hopefully at least another hour if not all of it will get done this coming weekend. This coming week and weekend will be full of more items getting checked off. If the weather cooperates I plan to do some night flight with my instructor Friday night (3 hours required) and then Saturday I hope to do my solo cross country. Still need to figure all of that out. Depending on my instructors availability I hope to get pretty much done if not done next weekend. We will see. Sometime this week I will update about a trip to a small grass trip my instructor and I went to for a burger last weekend...my main point of that. Get out and fly there are countless cool places you can visit while flying that are just a lot cooler when you fly there then drive.