03/13/02 Work and Reward - I performed two partial panel DME arcs and followed that by doing a partial panel VOR approach and a partial panel NDB approach. I logged 1.2 hours of simulated instrument flight. Then, after landing, I insisted on doing extra landings because lately mine aren't as good as they should be. My instructor rode along as I did an extra touch-and-go, which was better than my first landing, and then one more full-stop landing, which was a perfect "greaser." I was satisfied then. I logged a total of 1.5 hours. By 5:30 the wind was almost calm and the sky was still overcast with high clouds, so it was perfectly smooth. I was very tempted to go do a solo flight lesson in the practice area. But I felt like I couldn't think anymore, so I knew that practicing steep turns, slow flight, and stalls wouldn't be a good idea. I wanted to fly more though! To my luck, just when I got back, two of my buddies were going to go out and do approaches. They let me ride along. It was a fun hour of flight which lasted until after dark. What a nice present to myself after a challenging (and boring) lesson. We did a couple of fun maneuvers too. ;-)

03/17/02 Grounded by Germs - I came down with a cold last week so I didn't fly on Friday. I had to stay on the ground Saturday and look up at the perfectly clear blue sky all day. I'm feeling better today, so hopefully I'll be flying again soon. Meanwhile, I am working on an application for an internship that I've got my eye on.

03/20/02 No More Partial Panel Procedures (for a while)! - I am over my cold and I had a flight lesson today. I finished up my partial panel procedures (YAY!). Wearing the foggles and lacking two instruments, I flew from Dubuque to Monticello, where I did an NDB-A approach. I wasn't looking forward to what came next, but it didn't turn out too difficult: partial panel steep turns and unusual attitude recoveries. By the time I was inbound on the ILS approach to Dubuque, I was feeling sick. I was glad when it was over. Later, I looked at my syllabus and was surprised to see how relatively little I have left to do before my checkride. I need to do a few IFR cross-countries and then a few hours of review. Then it will be time for a stage check and my checkride already. I'm on track to have my instrument rating by the end of this semester. That was my goal.

©2004-2005 Kate Bernard all rights reserved. Mac and the Mac logo are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. The Made on a Mac Badge is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., used with permission.