11 Nov 2001

Flight to Madison with a Friend

I flew a cross-country flight from Dubuque to Madison and back. I hoped to visit the East Towne Mall with the friend that came with me. But I had to leave Dubuque much later than I wanted and didn’t have time to do that. We had to come right back after I got fuel in Madison, and squeaked onto the runway in Dubuque at sunset. The ride was unbelievably smooth, especially for a sunny afternoon. In fact I actually made a pilot report to flight service stating that it was “smooth as silk.” It was fun.

7 Nov 2001

Great Weather, Flight and Sim Lesson

The weather this week has been wonderful. It has been sunny and unseasonably warm. I had an instrument flight lesson on Monday, practicing VOR approaches. The air was smooth as silk. Today I practiced ILS approaches on the simulator. I reserved a Cessna 172R for this coming Sunday and hope to do a cross-country. Destination? I don’t know yet.

6 Nov 2001

Bringing my Aviation Journal Online

Hello, welcome to my website and my online aviation journal.

Ever since I got involved in aviation in 1998, I have kept a journal about my experiences, hoping to preserve all of the memories for myself, for some day after I’ve forgotten them.

As they say, a good pilot is always learning. The funny thing about flying is that even though you can fly thousands of times, each flight is unique, and each experience is different. I think it’s fun to look back at different experiences and think about what I’ve learned.

I could just keep all of this stashed away for myself, but I chose to share it with the world in the hopes that it will entertain, inform, or inspire others. I hope to give an insider’s look at what learning to fly is like, and what it is like to be a pilot. Everyone’s experiences will be different, but I hope that my example will give you ideas, make you laugh, or let you know that you’re not alone in the challenges you’re facing.

This online journal picks up where my notebook paper and computer-based writings left off. If I ever get really ambitious, I might transfer my older journal writings to this site. The story really isn’t complete without the part of how I got involved in aviation through EAA and Pioneer Airport, and how I earned my private pilot certificate. For now though, we’re starting off in the midst of my instrument pilot training in college and I will continue to write about my aviation experiences here.

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