Been a few flights since I have updated, but let me tell you what I’ve been up to. I got checked out on 29W a week after my first flight. James came along as ballast! She flies so much differently with a little more weight in the back. Was really fun!

Next flight was taking my uncle and cousin up for a tour around downtown. About halfway through the flight I looked over at my uncle and realized that the door was open! No big worries, she still flies fine. Just noisy. And if you happen to go searching for the ATC recordings (I’m too embarassed to post them here) you can hear how loud it was, and how hard communication was. Next time that happens, its an immediate landing to get the door shut, then we can go again.

Our club just got a new plane as well, a 1961 172B. Boy, she is a SWEET bird. She may not fly fast, but she is clean and has many upgrades both inside and outside the plane. I got checked out on her early this AM and loved every minute sitting in her left seat. I’m really looking forward to spending time with her in the air. Now, I also realized I have been counting my cross country hours incorrectly. According to FAR §61.1(3)(i), any flight as a private pilot where I land at another airport is technically cross country. So I’ve WAY underestimated my cross country hours. I fixed it on this page, but won’t go back unless I need it to justify a rating of some sort. Here are the stats.

• 104.1 total hours
• 294 Takeoffs/Landings
• 6.1 night
• 3.1 Simulated Instrument
• 40.0 Cross country
• 32.7 Dual
• 75.5 Pilot in Command

Will see you guys in the sky soon!