Checkride or Bust

All about flying, training, pilot gear, and $100 hamburgers

Experiencing Hypoxia Over Denver

By 1 Comment

I tend to travel a fair amount for work.

And occasionally, I get a little down time when I’m on a business trip. One of the best ways to spend it is by renting a plane, grabbing a local CFI, and going flying. There’s no better tour guide than a flight instructor — and no better souvenir than a logbook entry.

I’ve had the good fortune of buzzing down the coast of Los Angeles (many times, actually), shutting down departures at Indianapolis International Airport to get good iPhone shots of Indy Motor Speedway (with ATC permission, of course), and island-hopping in the Outer Banks.

One of the more unique experiences, though, came when I was in Denver earlier this year.

Denver means high altitudes. For instance, Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (KBJC) sits at a lofty elevation of 5,673 feet MSL. That’s higher than my typical cruising altitude here on the East Coast!

[Read more…]

Flying in the System

By Leave a Comment

One of the biggest perks of having an instrument rating is being able to fly “in the system”.

That means playing by the rules of the big boys — and not having to worry about things like airspace or clouds. Flying here, in the airspace alphabet soup of the Washington D.C. area, that’s a huge benefit for longer cross country flights (especially those that cross the SFRA).

But flying in the system can also be intimidating, especially if you don’t get a chance to do it often. I recently posted a few videos for IFR students, including one that shows flying IFR real IMC conditions. One I didn’t include was a video that I took while “hunting” for some IMC to fly in — this flight didn’t get more than a quick blip of actual conditions, but I edited it down anyway to include all of the ATC radio communications involved in a typical IFR cross country flight.

It was also a chance to test a new two-camera setup for recording flights going forward…

Enjoy:

 

IFR to LNS from Checkride or Bust on Vimeo.

The Road to Becoming CFI

By Leave a Comment

“Great job — I really like how you talked through everything. You should think about becoming a CFI!”

That’s the first thing the designated examiner said when we got out of the airplane after my instrument checkride. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. After all, becoming a certificated flight instructor is a lot of work. The CFI checkride is regularly considered the hardest of any flight test — in no small part because the oral portion of the test can stretch up to 8 hours frequently, and national failure rates for first time CFI applicants hover around 80%.

For freshly-minted commercial pilots looking for ways to build time, becoming an instructor makes sense. But not for me.

I’ve got an established career outside of aviation that I love. And, frankly, CFI jobs don’t pay quite like the investment world does.

Still, that conversation with my examiner kept popping up in my head.

Let’s face it — I enjoy flight training. I enjoy studying for a new rating. And I like having a “mission” when I fly.

And the more I thought about it, the more pursuing a CFI certificate started to make sense. After all, it gives me a good excuse to hang out around the airport, get paid to fly, and subsidize my own flying. It’ll also add a lot of value to this nascent blog.

So, yup, I’m starting on the road to earning my CFI.

No, I’m not planning a change to my day job. I’ll set my sights on instructing part-time or independently. I’ll be documenting the process in these pages from here on out. First things first, I need to build time and earn my commercial pilot certificate. Stay tuned.

[Edit – in the years since posting this, I have indeed become an active CFI. For more information on flight training, click the Training link at the top of this page.]

3 Must-Watch Videos for IFR Students

By 2 Comments

Student pilots are spoiled these days. With video services like YouTube and Vimeo, it’s possible to back-seat-fly with in all sorts of conditions and in all sorts of aircraft. That’s especially true for instrument flying, where the procedural stuff makes the difference between staying ahead of the plane, or getting bogged down.

So, here’s a look at 3 videos that every IFR student should check out…

Getting Set Up on Any Approach

The first video comes from Dick Rochfort, a master flight instructor who specializes in the PA-46 (aka Piper M-Class). Dick’s videos are phenomenal — I highly recommend checking out his YouTube channel — but this one takes the cake. In it, he breaks down a flow you can use to get set up on any instrument approach. I was lucky enough to find this video early in my instrument training, and I still use the flow today.

If you want to impress your examiner on an instrument checkride, use this flow and verbalize everything you’re doing.

[Read more…]

Garmin D2 Pilot Watch Review

By 4 Comments

All Garmin’d out on this cross country from Sporty’s Pilot Shop

For years, Garmin’s line of watches have been a familiar sight on the golf course or at the running track. But how about in the cockpit?

Of course Garmin is no stranger to aircraft gadgetry. After all, I can’t think of a single new aircraft today that doesn’t come equipped with Garmin avionics.  So, how does the firm’s first aviation watch measure up? Read on to find out…

[Read more…]