First BFR & back in the saddle again!

So... It has been almost exactly 2 yrs since I got my ticket to
learn... Today I went and sat with a CFI for the BFR... Finished one
hour of the required verbal. Boy there is a lot of cob webs after 2
years... I did fairly well, huh.... had a brain block on the
airspace... I could not remember what Class D looks like on the
chart... DUH DUH DUH....I flew in and out of a Class D for 3 years and
I could not remember to save my life... Ah well... I know now...
hahaha

Everything else was fine...

So of into the wild blue yander... and boy was it wild... 14G20 and it
was a crosswind at that... I always loved a challenge, but geesh...
that is too much for me... I know it, but I always enjoyed testing
the boundries when an instructor is on board... Anyway, We did Slow
flight, stalls, XWind landings, engine out landing (simulated( and ran
out of time... :-( I will go back next Saturday and finish it up and
get the sign off.. All and all he said my procedures are solid,
Communications excellent... so I feel pretty good... especially
considering that I have been forced to be out of the cockpit since
January 15th of last year.

Most important, It is GREAT to be back in the saddle...



Mike Alexander
PP-ASEL
Temecula, CA
See my online aerial photo album at
http://flying.4alexanders.com

welcome back...
I've noticed that some first time flyers, with brand new certificates...
dread that first Flight Review.
It is nothing to be feared..

BT

"Mike 'Flyin'8'" wrote in message
...
So... It has been almost exactly 2 yrs since I got my ticket to
learn... Today I went and sat with a CFI for the BFR... Finished one
hour of the required verbal. Boy there is a lot of cob webs after 2
years... I did fairly well, huh.... had a brain block on the
airspace... I could not remember what Class D looks like on the
chart... DUH DUH DUH....I flew in and out of a Class D for 3 years and
I could not remember to save my life... Ah well... I know now...
hahaha

Everything else was fine...

So of into the wild blue yander... and boy was it wild... 14G20 and it
was a crosswind at that... I always loved a challenge, but geesh...
that is too much for me... I know it, but I always enjoyed testing
the boundries when an instructor is on board... Anyway, We did Slow
flight, stalls, XWind landings, engine out landing (simulated( and ran
out of time... :-( I will go back next Saturday and finish it up and
get the sign off.. All and all he said my procedures are solid,
Communications excellent... so I feel pretty good... especially
considering that I have been forced to be out of the cockpit since
January 15th of last year.

Most important, It is GREAT to be back in the saddle...



Mike Alexander
PP-ASEL
Temecula, CA
See my online aerial photo album at
http://flying.4alexanders.com

Myself included... I was really nervous about it... It was really
cool.. I even learned a naw pneumonic.... AVIATE

Cool... I LOVE learning new things...

I also learned another definition for ground effect...

leanred 2 new things in an hour....

welcome back...
I've noticed that some first time flyers, with brand new certificates...
dread that first Flight Review.
It is nothing to be feared..

BT




Mike Alexander
PP-ASEL
Temecula, CA
See my online aerial photo album at
http://flying.4alexanders.com

I fly into F70 all the time. My buddy has his Baron there its Black and
White with a silver stripe and looks brand new. If you see someone thats
looks mid 40's in the right seat its probably me.
"Mike 'Flyin'8'" wrote in message
...
So... It has been almost exactly 2 yrs since I got my ticket to
learn... Today I went and sat with a CFI for the BFR... Finished one
hour of the required verbal. Boy there is a lot of cob webs after 2
years... I did fairly well, huh.... had a brain block on the
airspace... I could not remember what Class D looks like on the
chart... DUH DUH DUH....I flew in and out of a Class D for 3 years and
I could not remember to save my life... Ah well... I know now...
hahaha

Everything else was fine...

So of into the wild blue yander... and boy was it wild... 14G20 and it
was a crosswind at that... I always loved a challenge, but geesh...
that is too much for me... I know it, but I always enjoyed testing
the boundries when an instructor is on board... Anyway, We did Slow
flight, stalls, XWind landings, engine out landing (simulated( and ran
out of time... :-( I will go back next Saturday and finish it up and
get the sign off.. All and all he said my procedures are solid,
Communications excellent... so I feel pretty good... especially
considering that I have been forced to be out of the cockpit since
January 15th of last year.

Most important, It is GREAT to be back in the saddle...



Mike Alexander
PP-ASEL
Temecula, CA
See my online aerial photo album at
http://flying.4alexanders.com

So... How did you know I was at F70?




On Sat, 2 Dec 2006 19:26:56 -0800, "Aluckyguess" wrote:

I fly into F70 all the time. My buddy has his Baron there its Black and
White with a silver stripe and looks brand new. If you see someone thats
looks mid 40's in the right seat its probably me.
"Mike 'Flyin'8'" wrote in message
.. .
So... It has been almost exactly 2 yrs since I got my ticket to
learn... Today I went and sat with a CFI for the BFR... Finished one
hour of the required verbal. Boy there is a lot of cob webs after 2
years... I did fairly well, huh.... had a brain block on the
airspace... I could not remember what Class D looks like on the
chart... DUH DUH DUH....I flew in and out of a Class D for 3 years and
I could not remember to save my life... Ah well... I know now...
hahaha

Everything else was fine...

So of into the wild blue yander... and boy was it wild... 14G20 and it
was a crosswind at that... I always loved a challenge, but geesh...
that is too much for me... I know it, but I always enjoyed testing
the boundries when an instructor is on board... Anyway, We did Slow
flight, stalls, XWind landings, engine out landing (simulated( and ran
out of time... :-( I will go back next Saturday and finish it up and
get the sign off.. All and all he said my procedures are solid,
Communications excellent... so I feel pretty good... especially
considering that I have been forced to be out of the cockpit since
January 15th of last year.

Most important, It is GREAT to be back in the saddle...



Mike Alexander
PP-ASEL
Temecula, CA
See my online aerial photo album at
http://flying.4alexanders.com



Mike Alexander
PP-ASEL
Temecula, CA
See my online aerial photo album at
http://flying.4alexanders.com

Temecula, CA


"Mike 'Flyin'8'" wrote in message
...
So... How did you know I was at F70?




On Sat, 2 Dec 2006 19:26:56 -0800, "Aluckyguess" wrote:

I fly into F70 all the time. My buddy has his Baron there its Black and
White with a silver stripe and looks brand new. If you see someone thats
looks mid 40's in the right seat its probably me.
"Mike 'Flyin'8'" wrote in message
. ..
So... It has been almost exactly 2 yrs since I got my ticket to
learn... Today I went and sat with a CFI for the BFR... Finished one
hour of the required verbal. Boy there is a lot of cob webs after 2
years... I did fairly well, huh.... had a brain block on the
airspace... I could not remember what Class D looks like on the
chart... DUH DUH DUH....I flew in and out of a Class D for 3 years and
I could not remember to save my life... Ah well... I know now...
hahaha

Everything else was fine...

So of into the wild blue yander... and boy was it wild... 14G20 and it
was a crosswind at that... I always loved a challenge, but geesh...
that is too much for me... I know it, but I always enjoyed testing
the boundries when an instructor is on board... Anyway, We did Slow
flight, stalls, XWind landings, engine out landing (simulated( and ran
out of time... :-( I will go back next Saturday and finish it up and
get the sign off.. All and all he said my procedures are solid,
Communications excellent... so I feel pretty good... especially
considering that I have been forced to be out of the cockpit since
January 15th of last year.

Most important, It is GREAT to be back in the saddle...



Mike Alexander
PP-ASEL
Temecula, CA
See my online aerial photo album at
http://flying.4alexanders.com



Mike Alexander
PP-ASEL
Temecula, CA
See my online aerial photo album at
http://flying.4alexanders.com

Ahhh Temecula would certainly give a huge hint... :-)

You a CFI?



On Sat, 2 Dec 2006 21:50:30 -0800, "Aluckyguess" wrote:

Temecula, CA


"Mike 'Flyin'8'" wrote in message
.. .
So... How did you know I was at F70?




On Sat, 2 Dec 2006 19:26:56 -0800, "Aluckyguess" wrote:

I fly into F70 all the time. My buddy has his Baron there its Black and
White with a silver stripe and looks brand new. If you see someone thats
looks mid 40's in the right seat its probably me.
"Mike 'Flyin'8'" wrote in message
...
So... It has been almost exactly 2 yrs since I got my ticket to
learn... Today I went and sat with a CFI for the BFR... Finished one
hour of the required verbal. Boy there is a lot of cob webs after 2
years... I did fairly well, huh.... had a brain block on the
airspace... I could not remember what Class D looks like on the
chart... DUH DUH DUH....I flew in and out of a Class D for 3 years and
I could not remember to save my life... Ah well... I know now...
hahaha

Everything else was fine...

So of into the wild blue yander... and boy was it wild... 14G20 and it
was a crosswind at that... I always loved a challenge, but geesh...
that is too much for me... I know it, but I always enjoyed testing
the boundries when an instructor is on board... Anyway, We did Slow
flight, stalls, XWind landings, engine out landing (simulated( and ran
out of time... :-( I will go back next Saturday and finish it up and
get the sign off.. All and all he said my procedures are solid,
Communications excellent... so I feel pretty good... especially
considering that I have been forced to be out of the cockpit since
January 15th of last year.

Most important, It is GREAT to be back in the saddle...



Mike Alexander
PP-ASEL
Temecula, CA
See my online aerial photo album at
http://flying.4alexanders.com



Mike Alexander
PP-ASEL
Temecula, CA
See my online aerial photo album at
http://flying.4alexanders.com



Mike Alexander
PP-ASEL
Temecula, CA
See my online aerial photo album at
http://flying.4alexanders.com

On topic -- I remember being nervous about the early BFRs, and for the
first few I used to spend way too much time trying to re-learn every
little detail that I was sure I'd be tested on. After some 25 years,
I've found the reality of the BFRs tends to be much easier than what you
might expect. They tend to be more of a casual refresher lesson than
the gut wrenching "I hope I don't fail" test that you might have been
worried about. And if the CFI is good, they will quickly evaluate your
experience and skill and find some new things to teach you as part of
the BFR.

Speaking of testing the boundaries with an instructor on board: about
half way through the flying portion of my last BFR we had the power pack
for the gear fail on approach to Palomar. I had to pump the gear down
manually and got a visual inspection on a tower flyby, made a gentle
landing, etc. The CFI kind of sat back and watched how I handled the
situation, and used that to judge my proficiency for the balance of the
BFR. We did get the full hour of flying in, just that the last half was
spent dealing with the gear instead of the rest of the anticipated air
work. So they do have some flexibility in how they assess your
proficiency for the BFR.

Slightly off topic -- I'm based just over the hill at Fallbrook (L18).
If a few more local pilots crawl out of the woodwork, we may just have
to put together a fly-in, or at least swap some 'so there I was...'
stories over a beer at Killarney's. It also can't hurt to know some
local pilots to call on when you get stuck somehwere. Shoot me an email
if anyone in the area wants to hook up.

Steve
N3000A -- PA-32RT-300T



Aluckyguess wrote:
I fly into F70 all the time. My buddy has his Baron there its Black and
White with a silver stripe and looks brand new. If you see someone thats
looks mid 40's in the right seat its probably me.
"Mike 'Flyin'8'" wrote in message
...

So... It has been almost exactly 2 yrs since I got my ticket to
learn... Today I went and sat with a CFI for the BFR... Finished one
hour of the required verbal. Boy there is a lot of cob webs after 2
years... I did fairly well, huh.... had a brain block on the
airspace... I could not remember what Class D looks like on the
chart... DUH DUH DUH....I flew in and out of a Class D for 3 years and
I could not remember to save my life... Ah well... I know now...
hahaha

Everything else was fine...

So of into the wild blue yander... and boy was it wild... 14G20 and it
was a crosswind at that... I always loved a challenge, but geesh...
that is too much for me... I know it, but I always enjoyed testing
the boundries when an instructor is on board... Anyway, We did Slow
flight, stalls, XWind landings, engine out landing (simulated( and ran
out of time... :-( I will go back next Saturday and finish it up and
get the sign off.. All and all he said my procedures are solid,
Communications excellent... so I feel pretty good... especially
considering that I have been forced to be out of the cockpit since
January 15th of last year.

Most important, It is GREAT to be back in the saddle...



Mike Alexander
PP-ASEL
Temecula, CA
See my online aerial photo album at
http://flying.4alexanders.com

Wow... Killarneys's is in my neck of the woods.... :-O



On Mon, 04 Dec 2006 18:10:25 -0800, Steve Schneider
wrote:

On topic -- I remember being nervous about the early BFRs, and for the
first few I used to spend way too much time trying to re-learn every
little detail that I was sure I'd be tested on. After some 25 years,
I've found the reality of the BFRs tends to be much easier than what you
might expect. They tend to be more of a casual refresher lesson than
the gut wrenching "I hope I don't fail" test that you might have been
worried about. And if the CFI is good, they will quickly evaluate your
experience and skill and find some new things to teach you as part of
the BFR.

Speaking of testing the boundaries with an instructor on board: about
half way through the flying portion of my last BFR we had the power pack
for the gear fail on approach to Palomar. I had to pump the gear down
manually and got a visual inspection on a tower flyby, made a gentle
landing, etc. The CFI kind of sat back and watched how I handled the
situation, and used that to judge my proficiency for the balance of the
BFR. We did get the full hour of flying in, just that the last half was
spent dealing with the gear instead of the rest of the anticipated air
work. So they do have some flexibility in how they assess your
proficiency for the BFR.

Slightly off topic -- I'm based just over the hill at Fallbrook (L18).
If a few more local pilots crawl out of the woodwork, we may just have
to put together a fly-in, or at least swap some 'so there I was...'
stories over a beer at Killarney's. It also can't hurt to know some
local pilots to call on when you get stuck somehwere. Shoot me an email
if anyone in the area wants to hook up.

Steve
N3000A -- PA-32RT-300T



Aluckyguess wrote:
I fly into F70 all the time. My buddy has his Baron there its Black and
White with a silver stripe and looks brand new. If you see someone thats
looks mid 40's in the right seat its probably me.
"Mike 'Flyin'8'" wrote in message
...

So... It has been almost exactly 2 yrs since I got my ticket to
learn... Today I went and sat with a CFI for the BFR... Finished one
hour of the required verbal. Boy there is a lot of cob webs after 2
years... I did fairly well, huh.... had a brain block on the
airspace... I could not remember what Class D looks like on the
chart... DUH DUH DUH....I flew in and out of a Class D for 3 years and
I could not remember to save my life... Ah well... I know now...
hahaha

Everything else was fine...

So of into the wild blue yander... and boy was it wild... 14G20 and it
was a crosswind at that... I always loved a challenge, but geesh...
that is too much for me... I know it, but I always enjoyed testing
the boundries when an instructor is on board... Anyway, We did Slow
flight, stalls, XWind landings, engine out landing (simulated( and ran
out of time... :-( I will go back next Saturday and finish it up and
get the sign off.. All and all he said my procedures are solid,
Communications excellent... so I feel pretty good... especially
considering that I have been forced to be out of the cockpit since
January 15th of last year.

Most important, It is GREAT to be back in the saddle...



Mike Alexander
PP-ASEL
Temecula, CA
See my online aerial photo album at
http://flying.4alexanders.com





Mike Alexander
PP-ASEL
Temecula, CA
See my online aerial photo album at
http://flying.4alexanders.com

I want to make a minor correction here... I checked my log book a few
minutes ago.....

My PPSEL was issued on Dec 2nd 2004..... that is EXACTLY 2 years ago
today.... Isn't that Ironic....

Anyway... as I said... I am SO glad to be back in the saddle...

On Sat, 02 Dec 2006 18:40:47 -0800, Mike 'Flyin'8'
wrote:

So... It has been almost exactly 2 yrs since I got my ticket to
learn... Today I went and sat with a CFI for the BFR... Finished one
hour of the required verbal. Boy there is a lot of cob webs after 2
years... I did fairly well, huh.... had a brain block on the
airspace... I could not remember what Class D looks like on the
chart... DUH DUH DUH....I flew in and out of a Class D for 3 years and
I could not remember to save my life... Ah well... I know now...
hahaha

Everything else was fine...

So of into the wild blue yander... and boy was it wild... 14G20 and it
was a crosswind at that... I always loved a challenge, but geesh...
that is too much for me... I know it, but I always enjoyed testing
the boundries when an instructor is on board... Anyway, We did Slow
flight, stalls, XWind landings, engine out landing (simulated( and ran
out of time... :-( I will go back next Saturday and finish it up and
get the sign off.. All and all he said my procedures are solid,
Communications excellent... so I feel pretty good... especially
considering that I have been forced to be out of the cockpit since
January 15th of last year.

Most important, It is GREAT to be back in the saddle...



Mike Alexander
PP-ASEL
Temecula, CA
See my online aerial photo album at
http://flying.4alexanders.com


Mike Alexander
PP-ASEL
Temecula, CA
See my online aerial photo album at
http://flying.4alexanders.com