12/10/05 Instrument Instructor Training Progress - I'm wrapping up my training to become an instrument flight instructor. I had a ground lesson Wednesday, a simulator lesson Thursday, and a flight lesson today (Saturday). Pretty soon it will be time to take my checkride. I have a few more lessons scheduled for next week.

12/15/05 Ol' Man Winter - I keep getting the same question over and over these days: "Do you fly in the winter?" It comes from coworkers, family, friends, and strangers.

Part of the reason people ask is that they wonder how I don't freeze to death up there in the winter sky. Like most airplanes, the 172 can be heated by air flowing over the hot muffler and into the cabin by your feet (my student calls this "Volkswagen-style heat"). The engine of the 172 I fly at Brennand is preheated before flight by plugging a cord into a wall outlet for an hour or two. This turns on the Tanis heater, which warms the oil and the cylinders. We put a heavy blanket over the nose between flights to keep the engine warm. Airplanes get great performance in the winter due to the cold, dense air. A couple of weeks ago, conditions were such that the airplane "thought" it was flying at the equivalent of 1,800 feet below sea level. We had a great climb rate.

There are a few reasons you don't see as many small airplanes flying around in a Wisconsin winter as you do in the summer. Sunny days can be few and far between. Winter just has more cloudy, windy, and of course snowy days. Runways need to be plowed, which doesn't always occur immediately. The days are very short and this can prevent people from flying after work or school. The holidays can take away people's time and money as well.

All of this gives flight instructors like me a case of cabin fever and and a lighter wallet. Yesterday a major snowstorm dumped at least six inches on us and it is still snowing today. I try to make up for the lack of flying by working on my computer, continuing to work in the factory, teaching ground lessons, and doing my own studying.

But yes, I do fly in the winter. If the runway conditions are decent, if there is some clear sky, and if it is above zero degrees, my students and I head for the airport. This weekend I'm scheduled to fly at night to show my student some Christmas lights.

12/16/05 More Simulator Practice - I had a 1.6-hour simulator lesson today. We practiced the worst-case scenario of two important instruments failing with no warning in the middle of a critical flight operation. It took me two attempts to survive that, but everything else went pretty well. I'm moving along in my instrument instructor training and have three lessons scheduled for next week.

12/19/05 Three More Approaches on the Sim - I flew the simulator again in Green Bay today. I haven't flown with my own students since December 7th. The weather has been pretty unpredictable. On the PCATD today I flew three approaches, a DME arc, and a VOR hold. My instructor made sure to keep it interesting by having me do an NDB approach with failed attitude and heading indicators.

12/21/05 0.2 Actual - Until today, I hadn't flown through clouds since the fall of 2003! Today I had a flight lesson towards my instrument instructor rating and I had to file an IFR flight plan. There was a low, thin layer of clouds that were going to get in our way. I did three instrument approaches and ended up in the clouds a few times. It was neat to be reminded what that is like. I logged 0.2 hours of actual instrument time, and when we were up in the sunshine, I logged 1.2 hours of simulated instrument time wearing the foggles.
 

12/29/05 Four Lessons, Two Lunches - Somehow I managed to log almost seven flight hours between December 26th and today despite the weather. It was cloudy all week. The ceiling stayed high enough Monday and Thursday that my students and I were able to fly. It was never good enough to do higher-altitude maneuvers like stalls or steep turns, but it was okay for low-level work like takeoffs, landings, and short flights to other airports.

My students and I logged 20 landings in all of that, so I definitely saw enough of the traffic pattern. I mixed things up a little by visiting four other airports. It's always good for a student to land at new places and see what's out there.

I even got to combine a couple of those lessons with fun lunch trips with other people from Brennand Airport. On Monday, one of my students and I met up with six people (two planes' worth) in Shawano. (I just about have a trail worn to the Launching Pad by now.) On Thursday, my newest student and I met up with three people in Manitowoc. The airport restaurant closed this week but we got a courtesy van to a nice place in town. When it fits the lesson and when time permits, it's always fun to show my students where to go for those hundred-dollar hamburgers.

12/31/05 Reflections on 2005 - Another year, almost over! This one was a blur. Highlights of each month:

January - Photography contest award
February - Finally finishing most of my flight instructor training
March - Getting ready for my flight instructor checkride
April - Earning my flight instructor certificate; flying to California
May - Flying a Cirrus SR22 in California and Oregon; job hunting
June - Leaving Dubuque after five years; new job as flight instructor
July - Young Eagles flights; new students; AirVenture Oshkosh
August - Being in a newspaper; getting a 2nd job
September - Busy, busy, busy!
October - Being a guest speaker; becoming a CAP check instructor
November - Hitting 400 hours
December - Working hard on CFII training

Looking ahead at 2006, I see a lot of opportunity. Now that I have my feet on the ground and have mostly adjusted to the year's big transitions, I think things will get better next year. I know I will get busier flight instructing toward spring and hopefully have a summer filled with flying. There's a good chance I'll get to go to Sun n' Fun in Florida in April for the first time. I'm counting the days until I can leave my factory job. I might get back into volunteering at Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh. I'm not sure what else next year might have in store for me, but I bet I will do a few really cool things.

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