Please take a look at this owl flying up to a perch recorded by a high speed camera. Brilliant.
Thanks to a member of my most excellent EAA chapter, EAA73 for sending this out!
http://www.dogwork.com/owfo8/
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Cessna 162 SkyCatcher Sample Weight and Balance Spreadsheet
Please feel free to use this spreadsheet to help with your weight and balance ground instruction if you are in a 162.
Please note that you use this information at your own risk and that it intended as a study aid only. This spreadsheet is not a substitute for your own pre-flight calculations.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApoOdr0mcq7bdDJ5cFF1elNJUXR6V19EeTQ2SkE0NVE&hl=en_US
#mysportpilot
Please note that you use this information at your own risk and that it intended as a study aid only. This spreadsheet is not a substitute for your own pre-flight calculations.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApoOdr0mcq7bdDJ5cFF1elNJUXR6V19EeTQ2SkE0NVE&hl=en_US
#mysportpilot
Student Weight May Cause a Wait - The Gravity of the Problem in LSAs
This is a cautionary tale with a positive outcome - however, it could have ended up rather poorly, and I want to share my experiences so that others can understand how this sensitive issue can affect those who wish to pursue the SP rating or transition to an LSA.
Ok, so it's not exactly the start of a stellar joke. However, if you are considering being a student Sport Pilot, or are looking to get checked out in Type (LSA) or regain currency and transition to LSA Type, you may find yourself in an unexpected situation, and this is before actually getting airborne!
To put it simply and without further corny joking, I think it is important that we 'pilot types' (who may sometimes be accused of being overly optimistic) be advised to heed the 'Light' part of 'Light Sport Aircraft'. Unlike the many articles and publications already written about what the characteristics of a conforming LSA are, I instead want to focus purely on the general concept of 'useful load'. For detailed information about LSA conformance specs and useful load, please refer to www.eaa.org
To the point: The useful load of an LSA may be less than you think. Further, if you (like me) are an optimist, then hearing the words "The useful weight of our C162 is 480lbs" may not give you pause until you consider that 24 Gallons of Fuel @6 lbs/g + yourself and your instructor my be problematic.
I submit my own experience with the amazing folks at Aero Safety Training Lincoln Park, NJ...
For those who have never met me in person, please assume that I am a broad shouldered, 6'4" weighing 220. For those who have met me, you can assume that I am not that tall, and weigh less, however the proportions are different!
So, (once again), a student walks into a flight school for his first lesson in a Cessna 162 (SkyCatcher). He is early. There are nice people around chatting enjoyably. There is coffee. The mood is infectious, and I soon find myself kidding around with students and instructors alike and then I confirm that I am the 'new' SP student and do my ID paperwork etc.
After this is complete the gentlemen who will be instructing me takes me into the nicely appointed conference room and I get set to resume the familiar rhythms that pervade all flight training. Instead, my instructor fixes me with a compassionate gaze and gently says "It's not you... It's me..."
Now, I have been known to tell joke or two, so I retort, "I haven't even blown a maneuver yet and already you're BREAKING UP WITH ME?????"
Truth be told, he was. Despite the care and consideration with which he handled the situation, the simple truth was that my instructor is indeed quite tall. Between the two of us, we would only be able to take 1 hour of fuel (with reserve of course) on all my dual instructon flights! Although technically doable, such an arrangement would be sub-optimal for both my progress and the school.
Fortunately for me, there are several talented instructors at Aero Safety, and one of them was shorter and quite thin.
With weight and balance calculations verified, I was on my way - though not that day!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Getting Started.... Again!
Hi Folks,
I am one of those people that always wanted to be a pilot. However, it wasn't even remotely practical until a few years ago. I accumulated a number of hours back then in 172s and a Cub-J3 - all pre-solo. But, as so often happens, life got in the way and my focus was diverted elsewhere.
It may not even be practical now - but I have found myself an amazing flight school, Aero Safety and Training in Lincoln Park, NJ, and I have decided to pursue a Sport Pilot rating. I am also fortunate to have a great group of aviation friends who share their time, experiences, and the right seats of their aircraft with me. I belong to an amazing local EAA chapter, http://www.eaa73.org and have also been privileged to provide the liveatc feed for Newark Tower in the past (it is now hosted by a really awesome feed-host). All of this has allowed me to stay involved in aviation as much as I could over time.
What may make me slightly unusual is that I aspire to be a Sport Pilot CFI just as much as I aspire to be a licensed Sport Pilot. Teaching is something that I personally love to do and I am fortunate to be able to teach in my other endeavors.
Also, by having accumulated time in different types, and by having had my studies interrupted, I find myself at the beginning of the journey with some obvious advantages compared with students who are 'brand new' to aviation. However, there is a definite cloud around this silver lining. For instance, there is much I thought I knew from my previous studies, but have either forgotten, or never _actually_ knew to the extent required by regulations. This is an important point for me to make. I have been struck time and time again over the past 4 weeks at how easy it is to sit next to a friend who is a Licensed Pilot and/or CFI/II and nod - after all - they are the Pilot in Command. I humbly submit that this is a far cry from actually mastering the subject matter!
What I intend to do with this blog is to chronicle my experiences as a SP Student in the hope that by doing so it will make me a better instructor when I achieve that goal, while hopefully helping other student pilots along the way!
-Jonathan
#mysportpilot
I am one of those people that always wanted to be a pilot. However, it wasn't even remotely practical until a few years ago. I accumulated a number of hours back then in 172s and a Cub-J3 - all pre-solo. But, as so often happens, life got in the way and my focus was diverted elsewhere.
It may not even be practical now - but I have found myself an amazing flight school, Aero Safety and Training in Lincoln Park, NJ, and I have decided to pursue a Sport Pilot rating. I am also fortunate to have a great group of aviation friends who share their time, experiences, and the right seats of their aircraft with me. I belong to an amazing local EAA chapter, http://www.eaa73.org and have also been privileged to provide the liveatc feed for Newark Tower in the past (it is now hosted by a really awesome feed-host). All of this has allowed me to stay involved in aviation as much as I could over time.
What may make me slightly unusual is that I aspire to be a Sport Pilot CFI just as much as I aspire to be a licensed Sport Pilot. Teaching is something that I personally love to do and I am fortunate to be able to teach in my other endeavors.
Also, by having accumulated time in different types, and by having had my studies interrupted, I find myself at the beginning of the journey with some obvious advantages compared with students who are 'brand new' to aviation. However, there is a definite cloud around this silver lining. For instance, there is much I thought I knew from my previous studies, but have either forgotten, or never _actually_ knew to the extent required by regulations. This is an important point for me to make. I have been struck time and time again over the past 4 weeks at how easy it is to sit next to a friend who is a Licensed Pilot and/or CFI/II and nod - after all - they are the Pilot in Command. I humbly submit that this is a far cry from actually mastering the subject matter!
What I intend to do with this blog is to chronicle my experiences as a SP Student in the hope that by doing so it will make me a better instructor when I achieve that goal, while hopefully helping other student pilots along the way!
-Jonathan
#mysportpilot
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