Notes from the field?

Flight Training: My second flight... (aka Damn you iPhone)

I'm sure many of you are wondering to yourself (maybe out loud who knows): "Why didn't we get a blog post after his first flight?"

Well - thanks to the exciting new iPhone 2.2 firmware upgrade and the 1,000,000 rebuilds I had to do to get my phone working again, the photos were lost.  Honestly, how can I post about my flying without a photo.  So consider this my "first flight" photo:

That's the infamous aircraft I'm learning in - the Piper Acher III (PA-28-181).  It's a glass cockpit with the Avidyne system and 2 Garmin 430's.  I love it - really fun to fly and easy to use.  Today we covered stalls which were a lot less than I thought they'd be - very simple recovery and not too much action really.  I guess that's the point.  We did some "Dutch Rolls" which were a lot of fun, followed by some REALLY fun wingovers.  Then of course th landing - which I got to "do" for the first time - Lou is great about letting me handle the controls.  I'm really looking forward to my next lesson - we're planning to do a lot of pattern work at Galt airport - that's next Saturday.  You'll hear all about it I'm sure.

Flight Training: My Marv Golden Order Arrived!

First of all - I can't say enough about how great the ordering process through Marv Golden was.  I decided to call before ordering to clarify the return process in case the headset I got wasn't perfect and they were extremely helpful and prompt.

I ordered 3 items:

• ASA Standard Logbook
• Telex Echelon 20 Headset
• Zuluworks zuluboard Standard Mini-Z knee board

I'm not going to extol the virtues of the logbook - it's an ASA logbook, everyone knows they rock (or so I'm told).

Telex Echelon 20 Headset
This headset was a great buy.  At the moment, without having actually used it, I can say that I will probably need to get new ear cushions - the standard "soft foam" cushions are very comfortable but also pretty flimsy.  Otherwise, it's noise abatement is great and it's very comfortable to wear.

Zuluworks Mini-Z Zuluboard
This thing is amazing.  My buddy Rod has the larger version and it's pretty cumbersome in a tight cockpit.  I can see where this version will come in really handy.  It has all the features of the full sized version except it's a lot more compressed.

I'm really looking forward to trying all of this stuff out!  I'll do a follow up after I've had some time in the airplane with this stuff.

Probably the funniest thing about this order was the packaging - it's definitely a recycled sectional chart.  Awesome!

Flight Training: Coradine Aviation Systems, LogTen Pro...

As I start my flight training, I'm looking for ways to integrate technology into the process.  There are the obvious onboard technologies, i.e things like the Garmin or Avidyne systems, then there are the "fun" technologies I plan to use like Brightkite and this Blog.

I found a piece of technology today that will help with what I assume will be the ongoing and somewhat PITA task of paperwork/keeping track of our time.  I ordered a good ol' paper logbook, but it sure would be nice to maintain that kind of information electronically.  That's where LogTen Pro will probably come in handy, and as a student pilot, I don't have to buy the software until I hit the 40hr mark.  It's like giving someone a taste of crack cocaine to get them hooked - once you've enetered 40 hrs into this thing you're not going to want to give it up...

So far all I've been able to really do is get it configured, but in tru Mac App fashion, it was a very simple process.  The only suggestion I might make to the Coradine folks is a "Let's Get Started" Wizard that launches the first time you use it.  Basically it would populate all the default information - mainly the resources type stuff.  Other than that - this thing rocks - so far.  I'll keep you posted.

Flight Training: First Post and AOPA shout out...

Well people - I'm finally doing it - I'm going for my pilots license.  I joined a flying club, picked an instructor, and started buying up gear.  I also joined what seems to be the quintessential pilots organization: AOPA.

I can already tell that my whopping $25 dollar dues are going to pay off - on Nov 19th, 2008 aka 5 days from now they are launching the AOPA Internet Flight Planner.  I spent about 15 minutes with it this morning, and even as someone who has literally 0 hours PIC, I can tell this thing is going to be VERY helpful.  I've flown right seat on a number of flights with my buddy Rod so I am no stranger to the flight planning process and by the looks of it, this will really make it easier.

I will of course keep everyone posted through the good-ol-notes blog on how things are going.  My first lesson is next Wednesday - There will be photos.