Vectors To Final

I was visiting Williamsburg, VA this week for work-related activities but got to take a break from the computer screen for a while when my friend John invited me to ride in his trike. We went up a bit before sunset and cruised around the city watching soccer games and baseball practice from 2000' above. When you ride in the trike you are out in the 65 kt wind so we bundled up with gloves and coats. I was plenty warm wearing all the gear John found for me, even with the temps falling toward 40 degrees or so. Here's a photo of the view from the trike. With little cockpit to speak of (at least in terms of a typical aircraft) you can look in any direction you like without having your vision blocked by a bunch of sheet metal - including straight down! It's easy to imagine you are flying around on your own wings. That crank in the image can be used as a trim for the aircraft. The prop and engine are mounted in the back, in a pusher configuration, so you have to be very carefu...

This evening my Dad and soon-to-be brother-in-law Tom went up for a great flight in the G1000 C172. My dad got some time in at the controls and I built up more glass panel experience. I spent a good bit of time testing the latest version of ForeFlight Checklist and Mobile as well, running them on the new beta version of iPhone OS 3.0. We flew down I-77 for a bit before pointing the nose to Camden, SC. I did the GPS 6 approach into there and we taxied back to take off again. We saw nary a single other airplane at Camden, though there was some activity to the west at Farifield airport. On the way home we flew over the lake Wateree house to check it out before making a 30 degree right turn to point back to Rock Hill. The winds aloft were about 3 knots. As we entered the pattern at Rock Hill the G1000 was showing traffic a few miles to our right at the same altitude. Since it was dusk I lit our airplane up like a Christmas tree and we started looking for a strobe light or anything el...

As the new year rolls in, which of course happened months ago, people tend to think about "resolutions" - their goals for the new year. I'm a little slow, so mine are just now really starting to take shape. Not surprisingly, mine focus on aviation. My goals for this year are: Become a certified advanced ground instructor Become a certified instrument ground instructor Get my commercial license I have a bonus goal as well, which is less likely to get fulfilled this year: become a CFI. That has been a goal in the back of my head for years now - it's finally starting to break loose and get into the forefront of my thoughts. But first things first - my main goals are step stones on my path to becoming a CFI (what a coincidence!). To become a certified ground instructor my understanding is that I will need to pass two written exams - the first is the "fundamentals of instruction". The FOI tests my knowledge on how people learn. The second is the FAA Flight ...