Update! Finished My Instrument Rating Today!
 

That's right! Officially licensed Private Pilot in the house!

Ok, so I still have a long way to go before I become an instructor, but it sure does feel good to be able to take a plane out on my own! I had my oral exam and checkride starting at 5 a.m. this morning, and after I passed I scheduled a plane so my wife and I could go flying at 6:30 this evening. It was a blast! I may have some pics to post tomorrow.

:woohoo: :woohoo:

Congratz.............. I see another WCBF attendee for next year :lol:

The above announcement + Announcer's location = :lol: :lol:

vrrrrrrrrmmmmmmm...... crash!! Suprise Arizona!!! :shock:


Congratz!

And just think, kids. You too could be a pilot when you mail in the secret decoder ring and four proofs of purchase from your Corn Flakes boxes!

Grats man. Now fly your car here. I have some things to do to it yet.

Way to go.

Now on to the instrument rating. That is proving to be the hardest for me, time wise.

Are you in a 121 school or is this all being done Part 91?

Awsome Ben.... Glad to see you doing good man... ;)

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Thanks Don and everyone else (except for Blackbird :P )!

I think you meant Part 141 or 61... I'm Part 141 right now.

Congrats Ben 8) < --- aviator glasses :)

Alright, here are 6 pictures from my first licensed flying venture yesterday evening. The inflight photos are while climbing out of KGEU heading north toward Lake Pleasant (if you're familiar with the Phoenix metro area). It was a lot of fun, and we stayed out long enough that I logged a night landing without even planning on it.

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Cool...............

:shock: That's a mighty cute co-pilot ;)

that is AWSOME! Congratz Ben!

Wow, Can you tell that I haven't looked at the FAR for almost 4 years.

How cool was that feeling to go out just you and the lady and do whatever you wanted?

Again, congratulations

So when's the Bonne flying home with you?

Have to agree there...

Great pics BTW... Been a long time seince I have seen Arizona ;)

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Maybe in 15 years I'll be able to fly a 747 cargo hauler... Then the Bonnie can come with me. Until then you're outta luck, buddy!


Thanks for the kind comments, everyone. Yeah, Holly's definitely my co-pilot babe! It was great to be on our own and have the freedom to cruise around the valley and see the sights.

I'll have to get some good shots of the area dragstrips, Phoenix International Raceway, and the multiple proving grounds that dot the landscape around Phoenix. It's fun to head out to the southern aerial practice areas, because there are two huge test tracks near the town of Maricopa that we're always flying over for maneuvers. There are many times that you can see different cars, trucks, and SUVs zipping around the turns or doing other kinds of data collecting. Pretty interesting, though I don't know which manufacturers use which tracks.

congrats ben!

Congratulations, Ben. You are on your way. Good to see you are licensed now, so I can tell the family it is safe to go outside, again. :P

Proving grounds and test tracks are numerable. Pretty much everybody...Ford, GM, Toyota, Chrysler are the big ones.....hot weather testing, you know.

So let me get this straight... once you are up in the air you're free to roam arround the sky? wow, talk about the ultimate date! 8)

Congrats man PHX doesn't look half bad from the air!

Thanks again for the congrats, folks.

Ya know, I've got to say that this is one of the coolest things I've ever done. I would recommend flying to anyone who is remotely interested. It's not as difficult or costly to get a license as you might expect. And it's fun as heck to go roaming around the sky!

Scared of heights....

The last time I flew, the PILOT came out to make sure I was OK.

After almost a month of downtime due to moving, in addition to waiting for an FAA examiner to get a schedule opening, I passed my checkride to become an instrument rated pilot! Now I can fly in zero visibility conditions, which will give me a lot more flexibility in the trips I can make. This is a key component for some of my upcoming trips to visit different members.

Within the next few weeks I will be starting my commercial multi-engine rating in the Beechcraft Duchess. Should be fun!

Congrats on the Private and the Instrument Rating. A little bit of advise from an old timer. Don't start out flying in low IFR conditions at first until you get a little time under your belt. As an example, limit your approaches to a 1500' ceiling and 2miles visibility and gradually work your way down to lower minimums. Keep her straight&level. ATP, 18,000+ hours. ;)