1/15/05 Slower than Molasses Running Uphill in January - My flight progress froze to a stop after December 17th due to being gone for Christmas and lots of bad weather. January has always been a slow month here. This time it's endless clouds, fog, wind, rain, and snow. Then there are days like today: clear blue sky, but with a temperature of -6F and a wind chill of almost -20! Ouch! Too cold! Yesterday I could barely get my car to start when I went to work at the airport.

I have been making progress on the ground, though. I'm just about finished making my 4-inch binder full of lesson plans. I have also been studying a lot to prepare for the flight instructor checkride with the FAA. Right now I'm waiting for some good weather to do a review flight or two. Then I'll schedule a check flight with my school and the FAA checkride (probably in Des Moines). Whenever the weather is like this, it's good to stay sharp by studying flying.

Flying the simulator is another thing to do when the weather is bad. I did that yesterday. My instrument currency had lapsed and I needed an instrument proficiency check. I'll need to finish that in an airplane because some tasks can't be done in the simulator.

1/19/05 Five Good Landings - The weather was good today for a short time window that happened to overlap my Trinidad reservation. The clouds weren't high enough for the type of maneuvers I wanted to do, but I took what I could get. I did five trips around the traffic pattern with my instructor. I did normal, short-field, and soft-field landings.

1/21/05 Won Statewide Photography Contest - I was surprised to receive a package in the mail this week. I thought, "I don't remember ordering anything!" Then I was glad when I realized what it was. I won first place in the aerial photography category in the 2004 Iowa Aviation Photography Contest sponsored by the Iowa Department of Transportation Office of Aviation. I got a very nice framed certificate, three calendars, brochures, and a letter. My photo isn't featured in the calendar, but it is in the brochure. The Iowa DOT might use it in other publications.

I submitted this photo because I knew it would be unique. It also shows a typical Iowa landscape. I shot the photo from the back seat of a Trinidad on final approach to Maquoketa Municipal Airport.

The winning photo is featured in the "Photos" section of this web site.

1/27/05 Instrument Proficiency Check Completed Today I flew in a 172 to complete my instrument proficiency check that I started in the simulator a couple weeks ago. If an instrument-rated pilot does not complete certain instrument tasks within a six-month timeframe, he or she gets six more months to accomplish them to regain currency. After those extra six months, a pilot has to complete an instrument proficiency check, which involves flying with an instructor.

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