So far, after about a weeks worth of effort I'm removed the interior entirely from 103 including the instruments, rudder pedals and bars (no easy task there) all plastics and anything not riveted to the frame. Just finished cleaning off what little corrosion could be found inside the fuselage and removed the hydraulic fluid that had pooled over the years in the floor boards. Interesting tenancy I've discovered, Hydro fluid degrades into a substance not unlike Jello after a few years exposed to heat and air. Edibility on the other hand is questionable but if you've a sibling or a roommate with a pet you don't particularly care for I suggest giving them a sample first before any experimentation of your own. Remember 9-1-1 is the stateside emergency number, you may want to contact your lawyer as well...just in case.Day in the life of a Line guy at *insert company name here as not to be sued*
5:00 am: Crawl from bed, half awake, wondering what that damn noise is and why the sun isn't illuminating the world as its contracted to do. Contemplate calling in (even though no one is on station to pick up the phone) and blowing off the day to fly the coast line of Florida, pay extortion like prices for bad breakfast and lunch later but enjoy every second of it.
5:15 am: Slam the alarm clock again and repeat the above steps. Add to list critical decision point: Price of AVGAS vs. current bank account. Grit teeth, head to shower, go to work.
6:00 am: Meet disgruntled flight crew at front door, stranded from the night before. Demanding as much coffee as you also need in order to function. Weigh options of vacating again in exchange for day of flying.
6:20 am: Fellow gas monkey arrives 20 minutes late, believes nothing is wrong with this. Sump storage tanks, note 2 or more gallons of water in Jet Fuel tank 3 from thunderstorm the night before. Think nothing of this as Jet Engines are known to run on crude oil if heated properly. Decide to not tell the flight crew from earlier this fact. Continue sumping, lawsuits are not fun, nor is being bought and sold for cigarettes and the local penitentiary.
6:30 am: Complete sumps, begin paperwork
8:00 am: Complete paperwork, file paperwork, loose paperwork, hand deliver paperwork to abandoned file cabinet, backlogged 1964. Suggest a new filing system to fellow gas monkey. Abandon idea as realization that more paperwork would be involved in order to start a new system...only to be more confusing than the last. Question ethics of current management and consider implications of accusing *insert company name here* of harsh work environment. Reason: One and a half hours wasted on paperwork, cruelty.
9:00 am (Weekends) Begin the mass Gen Aviation landings for the local restaurant. Spend the next few hours on the ramp, marshalling, fueling, remarshing, ducking, refueling, running, hiding, praying that the "international" flight student doesn't kill you with his Cessna 150 via his taxi skills (or lack there of), fueling, swearing at the aviation gods, contemplate RAMP CLOSED sign at the Taxi entrance, neglect to tell tower of this plan, giggle at the ensuing pile up/confusion. Instruct next three arrivals on which airport has the REALLY cheap gas, prominently display wrong name on work shirt that you stole from another fuel monkey earlier in the week. Return to line office, hide in small corner, study for IFR written.
11:00 am: See above, only in reverse for breakfast club departures. Prepare for inbound lunch fliers looking for the $100 burger. Remind yourself that as a pilot, you could be doing the same thing, only at another airport. Graciously accept the one dollar tip from the pilot who almost killed you and the entire FBO weekend crew by fast taxing himself inches from the fuel truck "to make it easier on you guys when you top off my bird." Question the current FAA training standards. Blow tip on Rolaids from vending machine.
12:00 pm: Check schedule in-between arrivals to note who to call at end of shift for being late. (Plan on it happening) Note the unexplained change that has you working a double on Sunday. Also note lack of managers to justify this small detail. Cancel afternoon flight plans. Swear again at Aviation Gods.
12:00 pm: Receive phone call from slacker line monkey (ironically the one from which the afore mentioned shirt was stolen) informing you that he's not coming in and that you're now a solo act till 10pm. Demand head on platter, contents of wallet, first born and keys to his car. Make mental note to run him down with lawn mower barrowed from airport maintenance. Reluctantly call in back up monkey, prepare to endure tales of other *insert FBO name here* adventures where life was better, only dealt with jet aircraft, high fashion models and *baking soda* shipments. Question ethics of management again, question character of back up monkey.
1:00 pm Remember that the rest of the day will be low and slow, slack off on the computer, surf Sporty's pilot shop online, cruise eBay looking for Citizen aviation watch, also look for anti aircraft cannon for ultra light/cirrus defense. (F&#KING cirrus pilots....) Laugh at "international" flight students attempt at radio work, hide in line office to avoid being run over by 150 that's better placed in local airport bone yard.
Remember, YOU'RE a pilot first, a line guy second and despite your education; you've no problem living off Ramen noodles if you get to fly the rest of your life.
...Chicken and beef are the best flavors.
Contact local avionics shops and offer to fly for food/hours, no matter how questionable the airframe is.
The House got it right; an FAA funding bill that would modernize the air traffic control system, increase airport funding, and do it all within the existing tax structure. And no ATC user fees!
"The leadership of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and aviation subcommittee refused to be bullied by the airlines or accept the FAA's claims of poverty," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "They took a reasoned, rational look at what needed to be done and how to pay for it, and delivered a solution that promotes the interests of all segments of aviation.
"We will ask AOPA members to let their congressional representatives know that we support the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2007 (H.R.2881)," Boyer said. "And we thank Transportation Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), aviation subcommittee Chairman Jerry Costello (D-Ill.), and ranking members John Mica (R-Fla.) and Thomas Petri (R-Wis.) for their vision in crafting this bipartisan bill that would ensure America's air transportation system remains the best in the world."
Working within the existing funding structure of aviation fuel taxes and passenger ticket taxes, the bipartisan House bill would provide historic funding levels for the FAA over the next four years.
The long and short of it...
The last few weeks have been an adventure. Beyond scoring my pilot's license and having a damn good time on clear days, I've been traveling a great deal but more by roads than by air. Something that I've learned is that if you have a pilot's license a 14 hour drive that was already a soul crushing mindless zig-zag of highways becomes an absolute teeth grinding annoyance when you're forced by weather to long haul it from 
If you've never been to the Derby or experienced Louisville the week NAY the month leading up to the race then you, my friend, have no idea what kind of place that city really is when it turns on. Between the Pegasus Parade, the Air Show, Thunder over Louisville, The Great Bed Races (don't ask, I still haven’t figured out what it has to do with the event either) The Great Steam Boat race, the fashion that appears everywhere, concerts downtown, the food and multitude of festivities that can be found from block to another, a better time in another city, save for Marti Gras in New Orleans, is a hard thing to locate. The alcohol flows just as freely. If I didn't have friends and family in the
Speaking of friends and family, I spent this particular trip visiting previously unexplored areas of 
showing me exactly how Old Louisville gets things done. In addition to hoping from place to place, including café 360, as well as the old watering holes down Bardstown road (Oshea’s, Flanagan’s, Molly’s respectively) I also spent a great deal of time with Aaron Mitchell, Jamie, and the rest of the house crew a mere block and a half away from the Downs. During our Derby Party/Cinqo De Mayo celebration I bartended for the back porch event, and raked in more than Aaron and crew spent on the supplies. Job well done, free alcohols to the bar keep, and thank you Jenny G for a solid night of festivities/distraction.
Words will never do the
Off To The Race! For the first time I placed bets on a slew of contenders for the run for the roses. Two of them actually came through in spades. I've had a feeling that a change of luck was forth coming; especially after picking up my wings, this little bonus added to it that much more. It's going to be a good year.
On the
Pre-Derby news, the Sun-N-Fun event passed while this page sat idle. What a treat that turned out to be, especially being an insider who's also in good graces with the board of directors or the event. Open pass to anything and everything, free demo flights and the watchful guide from a good friend who's leading me through the steps of self made employment. After Sun-N-Fun this year I stumbled onto several ideas that could improve not only the fly-in, but the general well being of aviation all together. Some are specific to
To wrap it up, this blog will go to a once a week updated basis, simply for the practice more than anything else, and ultimately a running commentary on the up and coming battle for the future of General Aviation. During the fly-in I became a member of AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilot's Association) for the sole purpose of getting into the fight against the Proposed "Next Generation Air Transportation System Financing Reform Act." To me as well as thousands of others I imagine the fight is personal. We've all come this far to be Pilot's and we will all be damned before someone else tries to restrict us even further from the thing we love most in this world. This is not
KW
There are times when toiling in the slave trade that is work in order to do the very thing you love to do, you find yourself stepping back and asking, “Just why the hell am I doing this again?” Tonight was such a case in point.
Amongst the regular faces we see so often at the this particular airside restaurant, there are those nights when a totally different crowd comes completely out of the blue and on those night the most important thing to remember (in my case anyway) is that 100 low lead gasoline is expensive enough o cause even the best of men to commit devious and murderous acts that even Jeffery Dahmer would find to be in poor taste. As such, I must remain on my best behavior in order to reel in enough of the glorious green in the nights earning to keep my ambitious arse airborne. Lest I be left with an unfueled aircraft, an unpaid instructor, and ( and this is probably the more important of the three although debatable if you’re a hardcore aviation addict) food in the stomach. So even though I would love nothing more that to choke to death the two picky whiny mothers and their collective total of five or six urchins, or beat the on the go jet setter, who believes that he or she has walked into a Starbucks rather than a restaurant, with the nearest blunt object I can get my hands on, I must instead remain cool, let the dice roll and play the face of charming, helpful guy who’s trying to better himself though humiliation against his college degree…
If the winds don’t lay low tomorrow and allow me to get off the ground, I’m totally going to lose my sh&#^….and take everyone who works with me out with me….
Picked up a new toy however that has brought me a good deal of satisfaction and entertainment. I’ve managed to get my hands on a Garmin GPS 195 and for a mere $150 which beats the bejebus out of the two or three hundred I’ve seen these units sell for. Quite the steal and within flying distance, so I not only got in a few worth while hours, I also had a purpose beyond learning on this particular week. A stones throw from LAL is BOW, that would be Bartow for the not flight oriented. Three runways and class D airspace, nothing I couldn't handle. By air it’s only about five or six minutes away. Of course I didn’t waste this opportunity to fly and so a ten minute there and back again trip turned into something like 1.3 hours in the log book as I stayed up s long as I could before having to report to the aforementioned means to the end. A few cross winds landings, some bumpy air, S turns over a road, steep turns, point turns and stall work, all to keep it fresh in my head and hands. For my next magic trick, a cross country with the instructor on board, hopefully with a little night time wedged in as well in the coming week. Till then, short hops and slinging food.
KW
Stay tuned Kids, next entry I rant about the up and coming proposals for General Aviation Fuel prices by our dear and lovely congress.
February 17, 2007
SOLO
I’ve been told that certain experiences in life will never be forgotten, others that can never be described, and still more than can only be appreciated by being there for yourself. I’ve been trying to put into words what it feels like, what one thinks and experiences when, for the first time, they climb into an aircraft and successfully fly it totally reliant upon themselves for the success (not to mention the survival) of the flight. What it is to fly a perfect pattern altitude, to set up each approach and smoothly glide to perfect greased on landings, turn around and do it again just as smoothly, just as effortlessly with out hesitation, without second guessing, for the first time to slip the surly bonds and fly free.
I don’t have clue about those perfect pattern altitudes, the text book approaches, or the greased on landings, I can tell you about bobbing up and down within 100 feet, a few S-turns and slips here and there, and wobbling on the mains after the initial contact, and above all I can say it was the most significant and gratifying moment of anything I have ever done. I don’t believe I’ve ever smiled so wide before, or held it for two days straight.
I can also tell you about taking the Option for 27 instead of the full stop and making a low pass (maybe 150 ft) at 120 on the airspeed indicator, the instructor didn’t see that coming.
Only one sentence I’ve ever heard or read sums up what it is to fly Solo for the first time.
“The most fun you can have with your pants on”
‘Nuff said.
Total time at Solo 11.9
Total PIC time .5
Total Landings 4+One pass for the fun of it.
