5/5/04 Passed Practice Airline Transport Pilot Knowledge Test - For my ATP ground school class, I needed to take either a practice or real FAA ATP knowledge test as my final exam. Since I wasn't sure whether I'd be ready for a real one, and since I don't really need it at this point, I decided to take the practice test. I passed a practice ATP Part 121 knowledge test. My score gave me confidence and I will probably take a real one this summer just to have it on my resume.

5/6/04 Passed Flight Instructor Instrument Knowledge Test - I took the FAA CFII written today and passed.

5/8/04 Graduation - I participated in the University of Dubuque's commencement today. I'm happy to be finished with classes, but my work isn't over! I don't have my degree yet. In order to earn my degree in flight operations, I need to get my commercial certificate then either my CFI and CFII or multiengine rating. I haven't decided which route to go for sure. I want to instruct as soon as possible to start earning money, but the multiengine rating would probably be a quicker route to that degree. What to do? I'm taking it one step at a time. I need to finish my commercial before anything else.

My family and some friends joined me at the graduation ceremony. I was honored to be joined by David Lammers, who helped me become involved in aviation, and his wife. We had dinner at a nice restaurant. Weather and time constraints prevented me from taking anyone flying. It was a special day today... an exhausting one! When I look back at where I started, who helped me along the way, and how I ended up here, I feel very lucky.

5/15/04 Graduation Party Flying Plans Don't Work Out - I had a graduation party today and planned to take relatives flying. With the 150 long gone and no other airplanes to rent in Clintonville, I had to look elsewhere. I pried myself out of bed at 6 a.m. to get checked out in a 172 in Green Bay. I did three landings in an old 172 with an instructor. Everything went fine minus my morning toungue-tiedness on the radio. My friend Kevin and I were taxiing out to leave when the ammeter indicated a discharge during the runup. We taxied back in and waited a while. A mechanic looked at the plane and decided it was the voltage regulator causing the problem. He fixed it and I taxied out again. The system failed after I put full throttle in on the runway. I aborted that takeoff, taxied back and called it quits. There weren't any other planes available, so my friend and I had to drive back to Clintonville and no one got an airplane ride.

5/26/04 Fourth Trinidad Solo - After a month lapse I found myself in the Trinidad again. The weeks before graduation were very busy, and afterward the weather was mostly stormy. I flew around for a while and then did three landings, logging 0.9.

5/27/04 Another Opinion in the Trinidad - I flew with my instructor friend Kevin in the Trinidad this evening. I wanted another set of eyes during maneuvers and some comment on my lazy eights. I did steep turns, lazy eights, eights on pylons, and a steep spiral. Something about lazy eights just isn't clicking with me in this airplane. I think my problems now are not looking outside enough and not pitching up or down enough on each segment. For me, this is a physically difficult maneuver in the Trinidad - lots of pulling - and I wish I could do it as easily as I could in the 152 and 172. It's very frustrating but I just need practice, practice, practice. I flew 1.6 hours.

5/28/04 More Maneuver Practice - I flew 1.3 hours this evening. I saw some of the river flooding that is on the news! I did a little better at lazy eights. I also worked on steep turns and eights on pylons. I can do eights on pylons very well, which is encouraging since I used to think they were impossible. Hopefully the same thing will happen with lazy eights.

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