Ask My Sky Mom. Aviation wit and wisdom.

Dear Sky Mom,

How much money do flying instructors make? I want to learn to be one but I’ve heard the pay isn’t so great. Is this true?

Thanks,

So, How Much?

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Hi Much,

How much? Not nearly enough, so go buy your favorite instructor a cup of coffee, stat, and say a great big thank you! No really, here you have somebody making an average of $15-$25/hour to get into airplanes with people who don’t know how to fly them. ‘How can that be,’ you ask yourself, ‘I’m paying more than twice that for my CFI’s time’. Yep. Remuneration for getting into airplanes with people who don’t know how to fly them usually varies from 0 (there are a few schools who don’t pay CFI’s, figuring they should be grateful to log the time), and for some specialized, independent CFIs, as much as $100/hour, though this quite rare. Most frequently, flight instructors can expect to make approximately half or so of what you’re paying for their time. And usually, that’s all they’re making…

OK, you think, about $20 an hour (on average) isn’t anything to sneeze at. Sure, if you’re working 40 hours a week! The typical model sees most instructors only paid for the time they bill their students. This equates to many, many hours spent skulking around the airport for free. No student for a couple of hours? No money, honey! It snows for a week? Unpaid vacay time, my friend. Student is late for a lesson and the instructor doesn’t have the heart (or the permission) to bill them for that time? Unpaid time at work. As you can imagine, CFI pay is a roller coaster ride, with more dips than hills. There are some schools that do pay a salary for their flight instructors, though this is much less common. The average there falls between $25,000-$50,000/year, slanted heavily towards the lower end. Anecdotally, the instructors I’ve known who’ve had that kind of setup have talked about 16 hour days 6 days a week spent washing airplanes, changing oil, and mowing grass when nobody is in the mood to go flying.

You know how to make a small fortune in aviation? Start with a large one! That old saw, sadly, is kind of true. If you’re going to do it, do it for love because the  money is likely to be pretty disappointing, particularly considering that you have likely spent somewhere between  $30,000 and $150,000 (some of those 4 year college programs that include the CFII and MEI are EXPENSIVE) to get yourself qualified for this gig in the first place. Flight instruction is a time honored first professional pilot job, a necessary step up for many to those hallowed airline flight deck seats where the pay will balance out the years of frugal living spent trying to get there. But the times, they are a changin’-Those respectable senior airline captain salaries are likely to retire with the current crop of captains earning them. The union rules have been written and rewritten so that the pilots coming up now are likely to top out around $100,000/year at the end of a long and successful career with a major airline. It aint what it was, that much is certain. This week, we even saw a story about a full time flight attendant fired for revealing to the media that she qualifies for food stamps.

Am I trying to talk you out of your dream? Incredibly, no. Despite the inherent illogic of the situation, I can’t even talk myself out of this one, so how am I supposed to convince you? Just go into this career with your eyes and your check book wide open. If you can’t afford the cost of entry, the low pay, and the financial uncertainty, you may want to make sure you have a back up plan. If you find you CAN swing it, it genuinely is rewarding, fun, interesting, and exciting-sometimes even in a good way!

Good luck as you think this one over. And let me know when you’re ready to get started-I’ll be waiting for you out at the airport!

Mom

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Forget purple, let alone pink; shades of blue were all there was. Pilot Lynda Meeks bought blue shirts with airplanes for her nephews and could only find periwinkle blue outfits with airplanes for her nieces. It always annoyed her that the only aviation themed anything out there was aimed squarely at the boys and only the boys. She finally reached a breaking point on the hunt for a gift to a celebrate a friend’s new baby after hours spent scouring the internet yielded nothing. In exasperation, she spent $2500 on an embroidery machine and started putting her own little airplanes on pink shirts, onesies, skirts, and dresses, surprised and frustrated that nobody had gotten around to doing this yet. Equally surprising to Lynda was how many of her customers seemed to have a story. For some, the story was about dreams deferred or never realized. Many who wanted to fly hadn’t due to discouragement and roadblocks. For those who had, the story was often about overcoming adversity and having to reinvent the wheel. Why did so many of these women have to feel like the first or the only? Where was the sense of community that would have helped them as they worked their way through? And wouldn’t it be wonderful if, instead of having to move mountains, these women had been able to feel encouraged more often? Making flying a plausible option for girls when they’re young and showing them that they aren’t the first and won’t be last could go a long way towards making the sometimes challenging path to the runway feel a little less arduous and a lot less lonely. Normalizing the idea of a life in the cockpit could increase the number of young women pursuing it and decrease the degree of isolation so many felt on the journey. An excellent idea was born.

Girls With Wings is a nonprofit organization meant to encourage girls to develop an interest in aviation, whether that leads to a hobby, a career, or just a good reason to pursue the math, science, and critical thinking skills that will help them in whatever else they choose to do. The interactive website gives them a chance to read about and email civilian and military pilots, air traffic controllers, mechanics, and other women in aviation both young and old. There are even coloring pages to keep the really little ones engaged. Got a group of 15-30 girls? Contact Girls With Wings via the website about a high energy, interactive  presentation sure to get the kids fired up and having fun. So what does Lynda want these girls to know? That they can do anything they really want to do, whether that’s being involved in aviation or something entirely different. The emphasis is on presenting role models and motivation not just for future fliers, but to help girls pursue any other goal they set their sights on. Not everyone wants to be a pilot, and that’s ok. The focus on goal setting, perseverance, skill building, and inspiration is universally helpful, regardless of the direction the young ladies decide to take.

And how did our heroine find the cockpit, herself? Almost by accident, really, seeing as nobody had ever suggested that she think about becoming a pilot, and for many, out of sight is out of mind. She signed up for ROTC with some vague notion about maybe being a teacher or something. Upon joining the army, someone mentioned that helicopter pilot was one of the hardest jobs to get. Always one to seek out and rise to a challenge, Lynda leapt at the suggestion. She was accepted and became a Huey pilot before transitioning to King Airs. Since leaving the military, she’s flown for a regional airline as well as the fractionals.  In her ongoing quest to educate and inspire, she’s pleased to announce that Girls With Wings presently has 2 $1000 scholarships available with the August 31st deadline fast approaching. Who gets ‘em? Lynda’s looking for people who can be good role models for future Girls With Wings. Click here to apply or to donate. For more on Girls With Wings, be sure to check the website!

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You’ve got questions? I’ll find you an answer. Email your aviation related question to mom@myskymom.com and check out myskymom.com to read the answers to questions previously posted. Friend My Sky Mom on Facebook and follow @MySkyMom on Twitter for aviation news as it happens. Find more aviation news and flight training resources on AskMySkyMom’s YouTube Channel.  For up to date aviation news, go to MySkyMom.com and sign up for the free weekly enewsletter. An educated pilot is a safe pilot is a happy pilot.  Remember, the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask! Fly smart, fly safe, fly happy.

Hi Mom,

I’m a student pilot. I have done 2 lessons on cross country going places with my flight instructor but always feel really stupid when I can’t find the airport at the end. The first time, I flew right over the airport and didn’t see it and flew over it a second time going the other way before I finally found it. That was the first time. The second time, I didn’t see the airport we were going to either. Does it count as improvement that I only missed it once though? Probably not, because I was so flustered that coming back to my airport where we started I entered the pattern for the wrong runway. I think I’m airport impaired because otherwise I mostly knew about where I was. Have you seen this before? Is there anything I can do to make myself better at seeing airports from the air?

Thanks,

Please Point Me in the Right Direction

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Please, Point Me-

It’s not really as bad as all that. Yes, this does happen to quite a few people-not all of them student pilots! Your navigation skills must be pretty decent-after all, you did get yourself to the right general vicinity. And you knew when it was time to turn around and look for that airport behind you. That’s actually pretty normal and says that your situational awareness and problem solving skills are up to par. You did find the airport in the end. Knowing when you’ve passed the airport implies that largely, you’ve got things hammered out and you just need to have a better idea exactly what an airport looks like from above.

Let’s start by narrowing down the options. Look at your sectional. Is your missing airport north of the nearest city? South? Beside a river or a lake? Nestled in the dip of the railroad tracks? Pilotage is knowing approximately where to look based on how the major landmarks around you line up with what’s marked on your chart. Be sure to use more than one clue; a lot of little bitty cities and nondescript roundish lakes can stand in for one another if you aren’t careful.  Got VOR? Use it. GPS? Use that, too. ADF? DME? Use everything you’ve got. Yeah, this includes the passenger(s). Offer to buy ‘em coffee if they spot that little bugger before you do. That’s the least you’ll owe them!

OK. You’re pretty sure you’re looking in the right general vicinity. What are you looking for? A big open space. Easily spotted in a more populous area, they do tend to blend into the scenery in farm country. Look for relatively short straight parallel roads that end abruptly and aren’t lined up on exactly the same north/south east/west grid that the other local roads largely are. Those’ll be your runways and taxiways. Look for rows of similar looking shed like buildings. Heck, look for rows of dissimilar buildings unusually small and close together. Most airport have hangers and most of the time they look something like that. Looking at night? The green and white beacon is a good clue. While you’re looking, of course, you’re sticking with the AIM’s recommendation that you lurk AT LEAST 500 ft above pattern altitude. You’d hate to find the airport by suddenly having to dodge the traffic already established on downwind, now wouldn’t you? Right. One more word of advice: you’ll probably want to stick to hunting uncontrolled fields until your confidence increases. You’d hate to bust airspace while you’re looking for your destination. Or alternately, choose a big enough airport to have radar service available. Pick a readily identifiable landmark (backed up of course, by your nav equipment)  at which to call approach control. They can then give you a squawk code and vectors to the end of the runway in question, or at least tell  you if your own navigation seems to have you headed in the wrong direction.

Oh, and about having entered the pattern for the wrong runway? I’m betting you returned to your home airport from a different direction than you would have from your usual practice area. Here we have yet another use for your handy dandy airport diagram. Hold it up in front of you as you approach the airport. Heading east? Turn that sucker so that east is at the top. Heading south? I bet you know what I’m going to say next. The runways on the ground will now line up better with the runways on your sheet of paper. You’re a little less likely to confuse yourself this way. At any airport, mentally draw the takeoff or landing runway on the heading indicator after checking to make sure your DG  hasn’t precessed excessively, of course. One more way to keep yourself headed for the correct end of the right runway.

Hopefully we’ve given you enough pointers to keep you headed in the right direction. In the meantime, carry a decent fuel reserve, a current sectional and airport diagram, and a good sense of humor. This, too, will get easier with experience.

Practice makes perfect, especially if you’ve done your homework in advance!

Mom

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You’ve got questions? I’ll find you an answer. Email your aviation related question to mom@myskymom.com and check out myskymom.com to read the answers to questions previously posted. Friend My Sky Mom on Facebook and follow @MySkyMom on Twitter for aviation news as it happens. Find more aviation news and flight training resources on AskMySkyMom’s YouTube Channel. An educated pilot is a safe pilot is a happy pilot.  Remember, the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask! Fly smart, fly safe, fly happy.

Grissom Air Reserve Base sits hidden about 65 miles north of Indianapolis, Indiana. How can you hide a facility with a 12,500 foot runway, the largest KC-135R wing in the Air Force Reserve Command, and enough ramp and hanger space to take in other military bases’ aircraft and other equipment when hurricanes threaten? Perhaps we can’t see it through the trees- Grissom has been designated a “Tree City” by the Arbor Day Foundation for 9 years running!  Could it be the change of name? Originally dubbed the “Bunker Hill Naval Air Station,” it was renamed, reopened, and somewhat re purposed as the “Bunker Hill Air Force Base” before undergoing it’s last name change in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, one of the original 7 astronauts. Various Navy, Marine, Army, and Coast Guard units have flown fighters, bombers, and tankers here over the years. We’re so accustomed to looking up every time we hear the roar of those mighty engines, it can be easy to forget the many other ways the Air Reserve Base proves itself a valuable neighbor. Last year, the firefighters and EMTs at Grissom  responded to more off base emergencies than on! Despite the fact that the base is the largest employer around with an annual economic impact north of  $100 million as well as home to Marine and Army units, it seems that simply being offset from the road a bit is enough to keep the place a bit of a secret. For more on Grissom Air Reserve Base, be sure to check out their website.

Descended from the venerable “Dash 80″ (Boeing’s proof of concept 367-80), the KC135R has much in common with the Boeing 707 if you overlook the fact that it’s somewhat shorter and has a slightly narrower fuselage than it’s cousin. The first Kc135 went into service in 1957 and the last was delivered in 1965. It’s a long way from retirement, though-the Air Force plans to keep ‘em flying for AT LEAST another 40 years, with some projections going even further out. Yes, these planes are built to last and are expected to still be in use when they’re 100 years old. Not that they look their age. Not by a long shot. A ‘62, the aircraft we flew was meticulously maintained and updated. I hope I look half so good when I’m 48 years old! Our pilots told us they were looking forward to the full glass panels currently being installed.  And the avionics are only the beginning of the the upgrades…

Originally equipped with Pratt & Whitney J-57-P-59W turbojet engines, the fleet has been re-engined a couple of times. Yes, that’s a word. I looked it up. The 4 CFM-56 turbofans these planes now sport boost power by nearly 100% over the original equipment and they happen to be 96% quieter. If this weren’t enough, the KC135R can offload a solid 50% more fuel while being 25% more fuel efficient itself and costing a cool 25% less to operate. What’s not to love?

Load this baby to the gills, if you like. With a maximum takeoff weight of 322,500, you’ve got options. You can take 57 people if you’re so inclined, or 83,000 lbs of cargo.You can go 1500 miles with 150,000 lbs of fuel you plan to give away. Staying closer to home than that? You can offload as much as 200,000 lbs.  If you’re going for distance, the plane has a range of over 11,000 miles. Nope, that’s no typo. One of the pilots told me he’d had one flight of 14 1/2 hours and they could have gone longer. The service ceiling can take you up to 50,000 ft, though you’ll find better performance in the low to mid thirties. Expect to cruise at 530 miles per hour (460 knots) at 30,000 feet. Nice. The folks at Grissom are responsible for 16 of these versatile machines, twice as many as most wings have. Not that there were 16 parked on the ramp this misty Midwestern morning-this is a very active group, after all, and they have planes, crews, and support staff all over the world at any given time. These aircraft are very much in use.

As it turns out, it only takes 3 to tango. Two pilots and a boom operator are all that’s required for a refueling mission. Back when a flight engineer/navigator was a necessity the magic number had been 4, but the advent of GPS and all around better automation has made that position irrelevant. The crew station remains in the aircraft as a handy little desk right behind the cockpit crew. Our crew that day were 3 pilots and 2 boom operators from the 74th Air Refueling Squadron. If you do the math, that leaves one boom operator and one pilot free at any given moment to answer our questions/keep us out of trouble. Excellent!

One of the boom guys was excited to share that he was a fledgling pilot himself, having just soloed a Skyhawk for the first time within the last month. Our pilots were terrifically knowledgeable about the aircraft. They told me that Air Force flight training was simply the best you can get, and that they should know:  The opportunity to practice every emergency, every variation, every possibility, has given them a much greater level of confidence than they had felt in their civilian flight training experiences. Airlines and corporate flight departments take note: With budgets shrinking everywhere, there are some places where scrimping is just not an option. Good and thorough flight training is a crucial investment in safety. For more on this, check out this article on Air Force accident rate stats and how they’re working to reach an accident rate of 0. It’s a good read.

We departed Grissom Air Reserve Base with an impressive roar. I’m a piston engine pilot: 4 engines producing 22,500 lbf of thrust apiece are going to impress me every time, even considering that the KC-135R is storied to be 96% quieter than the original KC-135As were! We rocketed down the runway with our able crew, watching the runway distance remaining signs roll by faster and faster. I didn’t see as many of them as I’d expected (the signs, not the crew!) before we were off the ground. Kinda fun to watch the altimeter wind up; this thing can climb at almost 5000 fpm if there’s a reason.  We climbed to an altitude in the low to mid thirty thousands and stayed up there, plus or minus a few thousand feet and well above the muggy hot conditions at the surface, throughout the flight. Aaahhh…

We launched from Indiana, then headed southwest towards the St Louis area where we adopted a more southbound tack. As we winged our way southward into Missouri, the boom operators (boomers) filled us in on the hows and whys of what they do. Aerial refueling is a visual maneuver. You have two big, fast, expensive machines flying in very close proximity to one another. They really need to maintain visual contact, but surprisingly, less than a mile flight visibility is acceptable. Too much turbulence is dangerous, too, but passing gas in even moderate turbulence can be acceptable. Boomers joke about writing their name in the paint on the other aircraft if turbulence or twitchy hands make the job trickier than usual. Lucky for us, conditions were ideal for our flight. Visibility was excellent and we hardly found a bump in the sky. The Boeing “flying boom” telescopes in and out as far as 47 feet and is actually flown via the two hydraulically actuated small wings known as ruddervators attached to it. The boomer lies on their belly looking out over their controls through the aft facing window at the rear of the aircraft. The stick to the operator’s left is for the telescoping function. The one down lower on the right (that you can’t see in these pictures, I know, I know!) is the one that actually controls the wings on the boom.

So how exactly does this aerial ballet unfold? It’s the responsibility of the receiver aircraft’s pilot to bring that aircraft within range. From there, the boom operator makes the connection by telescoping and flying the boom. Once contact is made, it’s up to the KC-135 pilots to turn on the pumps that start the transfer of fuel. Two rows of lights on the bottom of the fuselage change in relation to the nozzle’s up/down and fore/aft movement to help the receiver aircraft stay within the acceptable envelope. How far off can they get before something breaks? Kind of depends on what they’re flying. The design of some receiver aircraft can limit things a bit, if for example, there’s a canopy that would get in the way. Or in some cases, a really large receiver aircraft can actually interfere with the aerodynamics of the boom, limiting the envelope for that operation still further.

We were somewhere in the general vicinity of Memphis by the time the B52 caught up with us. The Stratofortress crew, members of the 2nd Bomb Wing,  had departed Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana that morning to take part in this training flight. At more than 300 mph, things happen fast. It didn’t take long for the bomber crew to put themselves into the pre contact position behind and below us. We were close enough to see into the other plane’s cockpit! And then, as if it were the simplest thing in the world, our boomer made the connection. To have made such a complex operation seem so easy speaks volumes about the skill and professionalism of all involved. Close up, the bomber was breathtaking. What a sleek and powerful plane! The two aircraft flew in formation through Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana, nearly all the way down to New Orleans, connecting and disconnecting to give all the pilots, both boom operators, and yes, all of us eager photographers the chance to practice it all. They even demonstrated an emergency disconnect for us. Watching that B-52 drop away below us was otherworldly. Watching them come right back up again was just as exciting every time. This is the part where I stop talking for a while and just let you enjoy the pictures!

Our mission completed, our pilots poured on the coals to be certain we’d arrive back at Grissom before the threatened thunderstorms did.  At 500 mph, it was no contest. We were back on the ramp long before any weather arrived. What an experience! I’d like to say a special thanks to our flight crew, pilots 1st Lt. Joel Nickelson, Capt. Matthew Walz , and 1st Lt Jessica Hodson as well as boomers Staff Sgt. Robert Faurot and Staff Sgt. Brandon Toth. Thanks as well to Col. GJ Lockard, his staff, and Roger Bishop for coordinating this event. What a stellar opportunity to see our tax dollars at work training and preparing the men and women of  the 434th Air Refueling Wing for their variable and ever changing missions. It’s inspiring to see the high level of skill at the ready in defense of our country and in support of disaster relief everywhere. And let’s not forget the literally thousands of people supporting the pilots and boomers in everything it takes to keep the base running, er, flying. Well done, everyone. Well done.

Hi Mom,

I’m a private pilot with a question about the transponder. It is connected to the altimeter, I think. Is it? When they say about the static port and pitot tube and everything they don’t say the transponder, but I think it has to be because otherwise how can it know what my real altitude is?

Thank you,

Feeling Mental Pressure Over Altitude

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Hello, my pressurized pal-

You’ve read carefully enough to discover that there is no mention of the transponder when the altimeter and pitot/static system are under discussion. To be clear, the transponder typically shares the same static source as the rest of the system, but does NOT share a connection to the altimeter. And there’s a really good reason for that: if you were to pull that unwary pilot trick and mistakenly set your altimeter a full inch of mercury off of what it should be (this can and has been done) your indicated altitude would be a thousand feet off of what it should be. You are now 1000 feet higher or lower than you think you are. The fact that your transponder isn’t connected to your now dangerously incorrect altimeter means that ATC will see that you aren’t at your assigned altitude and clue you in before things take a turn for the expensive and/or exciting!

So how DO they know? The answer is pretty simple. Transponders transmit pressure altitude by measuring changes in their internal aneroid wafer. This is the same kind of thing you find inside your altimeter but without the capacity for external calibration you have by changing the altimeter setting in the Kolsman window. All transponders are set to reference 29.92, AKA standard pressure, which makes all of us wrong together. All the controllers have to do is input the current altimeter setting into their equipment, and the correction factor is made right there, thereby conveniently pilot proofing the system. Just make sure to check that your transponder (and for IFR, your static system and altimeter, too!) has/have been inspected within the last 24 calendar months and you’re good to go. Don’t forget that being pilot in command makes you responsible for confirming this. Yes, even if it isn’t your airplane!

Squawk VFR and ident (but only when asked!),

Mom

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You’ve got questions? I’ll find you an answer. Email your aviation related question to mom@myskymom.com and check out myskymom.com to read the answers to questions previously posted. Friend My Sky Mom on Facebook and follow @MySkyMom on Twitter for aviation news as it happens. Find more aviation news and flight training resources on AskMySkyMom’s YouTube Channel. An educated pilot is a safe pilot is a happy pilot.  Remember, the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask! Fly smart, fly safe, fly happy.

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You’ve got questions? I’ll find you an answer. Email your aviation related question to mom@myskymom.com and check out myskymom.com to read the answers to questions previously posted. Friend My Sky Mom on Facebook and follow @MySkyMom on Twitter for aviation news as it happens. Find more aviation news and flight training resources on AskMySkyMom’s YouTube Channel. An educated pilot is a safe pilot is a happy pilot.  Remember, the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask! Fly smart, fly safe, fly happy.

On a sultry June Sunday, I found myself enroute to Wisconsin’s Burlington Airport (BUU) at the invitation of one Rob Bach. It was a muggy Wisconsin morning, heavy with the scent of fresh cut grass. BUU, one of those lovely little fields with both a sod runway and a paved one, makes an ideal place for a taildragger adventure and the weather that morning was simply perfect. The kind of day where if it didn’t go well, all of the turbulence would be of the pilot induced variety. Like a (moderately) good student, I’d done a little reading in advance. Rolling up to the hangar door, I couldn’t help wishing I‘d had the time to do a little more…

You can tell a lot about a flight instructor based on where and how they start. After a tour of the hangar and a little Pietenpol history, Rob condensed a tremendous amount of wisdom about conventional gear airplanes into a concise and useful briefing. We talked about the Piper Clipper, the little blue and white beauty parked pertly in front of the hanger. There’s not too many of them out there. Piper only built 736, all of them in 1949. The following year brought a bigger engine and a wheel to replace the stick, and thus the Piper Pacer was born, followed soon after by a version with a nose wheel dubbed the Tripacer.

One of the main differences between nose gear equipped airplanes and the conventional variety is the location of the center of gravity relative to the main gear. In an airplane with a nose wheel, the CG is ahead of the main gear. Clearly. Otherwise, our airplane would be resting on it’s tail on the ramp, the way they do when a load of snow sits parked on the horizontal stabilizer or the shop removes an engine! The CG is located aft of the main wheels in any taildragger. Has to be. If it weren’t, our pretty little toy would fall right over on it’s expensive little prop! The Clipper is an ideal airplane for learning, Rob assured me, since it’s CG is located quite closely behind the main gear. The closer the CG is to the mains, the easier that airplane will be to control. With the plane in motion, if the cg starts to swing around the side, it will tend to keep going, particularly when it’s got a long arm (distance between cg and wheels) to go swinging around.  There’s your ground loop! The greater the distance between the gear and CG, the more easily this can happen. Rob also pointed out how you can tell a lot about a taildragger based on the look of it’s landing gear. The taller and narrower gear sported by a Stearman or a Luscombe helps to explain their reputation as being touchier to handle on the ground and downright exciting to land. So it was a very good thing indeed that we started with that trusty little Clipper…

I had read that steering with the brakes is a must, swerving down taxiways helps with visibility, and more than one pilot has congratulated themselves on a very nice landing only to ground loop the bird on the way back to the barn. So, I taxied like a granny. Of all the ways disaster might strike, it wouldn’t be on my way to or from that runway if I could help it! I taxied slowly, ever so carefully, out onto the grass.

Sod runways are always a sensory experience to savor. The lush green or the dead brown, the smell of the grass. The bumps and lumps as the airplane rolls and the crunching of grass or the smooshing of mud remind you that you’re in a unique place. We can fool ourselves into believing that every paved runway is nearly the same, but each grass runway is a world all it’s own. The runup was short, and then we were off! Our launch into the wild blue yonder looked about as I’d imagined it. For a pilot used to simply letting the nose come off the ground when it’s ready and letting the plane fly away, pushing the nose down as we accelerated felt vaguely odd. Only vaguely. It certainly helped that the nose didn’t have to stay down for long; that airplane wanted to fly!

An airplane is an airplane is an airplane, so I was glad to find that once we were off the ground, there’s nothing new to know. Gear configuration doesn’t drastically alter an airplane’s flight characteristics, after all, so the air work would all be very familiar. A stall is always a stall, and we all know what to do to solve that problem! Coordinated flight is a must no matter what you might be flying, so no new news there. What did surprise me was how graceful the plane turned out to be. How responsive, how sensitive! Those stubby little wings had me fooled. I guess I don’t know WHAT I was expecting, but that Piper Clipper was a real joy to fly. And so, sooner than I had expected, it was time to learn to land.

Landing a tail dragger: the activity that separates the wheat from the chaff, the men from the boys, the inept from their wallets. This is where the real time is spent, and if you’re lucky, where the magic happens. 3 point landings were first. A 3 point landing is just what it says it is: you plunk that puppy down on every wheel it’s got more or less simultaneously and do what you have to do with your feet to keep it moving straight ahead. Ok, fine. The flare felt familiar, the sight picture wasn’t too weird, and the instruction to dance on those rudder pedals was taken to heart. I’d heard from many a conventional gear pilot to always keep your feet moving and honestly enjoyed the chance to do so. Most of my flying these last few years has been as an instructor. It was a welcome vacation to fly the airplane myself and have the freedom to do it as right as I could after literally thousands of hours of letting the other guy screw it up over and over. Boy, did that feel good! It was also interesting to watch another instructor in action. You know you’re in good hands when a question is answered just after it occurs to you to ask it and before you actually have. The ability to explain something cleanly and clearly only comes with time and practice, and Rob had that down pat.

As it became clear that we could expect to survive my 3 point landings, we decided to attempt the dreaded wheel landing. In theory, this shouldn’t be a big deal. Landing on the mains and holding the tailwheel off the ground sounds like a very normal thing to do. I assure you, it’s not. Do you want to know how you keep the tailwheel off the ground after the mains touch? You push the stick full forward. Yeah. I know. I didn’t believe it either the first time. Or even quite the second time. You have to see it to believe it. Shoving the stick as far forward as it can go after the mains touch feels suicidal to us members of the nose wheel set, but surprisingly, it works beautifully. We didn’t die! We landed beautifully every single time. A part of me still can’t help being amazed.

Totally, blissfully surprised by my inability to kill us with the full forward stick, I was even more surprised when Rob suggested I solo the plane. It’d been years since I’d soloed a new plane, and somehow the excitement just doesn’t wear off. My logbook was endorsed and off I went. To buzz up, down, and around Burlington by my lonesome in that graceful little ragwing beauty was a scintillating treat that I hadn’t seen coming. Heaven is summertime on a grass runway in the heartland. Now I know.

Back to the hanger I taxied, granny style. I was full of exhilaration but taking no chances. In true old fashioned airport community fashion, everyone I’d met earlier was there, ready and waiting to tell me the landings looked great and other delightful lies. There’s nothing like the time spent hearing the stories other pilots tell about other airplanes and other places. Efficiency has it’s place, but the time spent in hanger flying is invaluable to community building and the development of good judgment. As the world moves faster, fewer and fewer people find the time to hang out at the hangar, dispensing and absorbing the wisdom accumulated by the ones who went before. I was proud to spend a little time listening to a couple of guys who knew.

And then the Pietenpol, For Piet’s Sake. The Pietenpol was a 1929 open cockpit airplane, a homebuilt with a thousand possible modifications. The original engine was the old model A, and dozens of others have been used successfully since. Brad, Pat, and Rob puttered knowingly about the plane as we prepared to start the engine. A bolt tightened here, a mental note to adjust that part later there are the signs of responsible homebuilders. These guys knew their plane. Comforting. Not to mention simple-this was an aircraft without flaps, without radios, without even elevator trim. I felt a twinge (only a twinge) of worry as we went over the hand signals to be used in flight. Open cockpit, no radio, how else were we going to communicate? Back when I was young and bold, I’d hand propped a Chief or two, maybe the occasional Cub, so I knew the drill. The familiar checks accomplished, with a flip of the prop the engine purred to life and the slipstream rushed around us. Nothing smells better than airplane exhaust. It reminds me of being young, working the line, and falling wildly in love with anything, everything that flies. That rush of buttery air does it for me every time; I’m a sucker for life’s simple pleasures.

An open cockpit airplane is like the best motorcycle ride you never had. It’s that same wind in your hair feeling, but the ground is so far away there’s nothing to fear. The engine sound, the heavy, warm Wisconsin air, and the joy of rushing through the afternoon sunshine and looking down on shades of green is glorious. If you haven’t been there yet, it’s time…

So we played with the plane a little, and then came back to land. A few times. And then Rob got out.

He let me take the airplane by myself. What a gift! I was astounded, thrilled, delighted, and giddy. Wow. Just wow. Taking that airplane around the patch was a thrill. The plane, the people, and the place had come together to make my tailwheel endorsement a really gorgeous experience.

Special thanks to Rob Bach for his time, effort and patience, and to Brad Williams and Pat for the use of their planes, and of course, the hangar flying. Monte, it was great to meet you. For those of you out there looking for a good tailwheel instructor (be advised that you’ll have to scare up your own airplane), someone to ferry your airplane , or someone to consult about a Pietenpol, Rob can be contacted by emailing skybachs@yahoo.com.

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Hello Sky Mom,

I’m a private pilot sort of. I got my pilot license 27 years ago and haven’t flown since. I’m thinking this might be a good time to get back into it. I have sort of a weird question, and since you seem to excel at answering weird questions, I thought I’d send it to you. I live in Southern Nevada and I remember listening to some of the pilots years ago talk about how they would land all over the place and get out just to have a look around. Is/was this illegal? It sounded like fun, and would give me something interesting to do. I mean, I know I’ll probably have to relearn just about everything anyway after all of this time, but is there anything wrong with, say, landing in a park or something? It just sounded really cool.

Thanks for answering my question, and many thanks as well for writing your blog. I feel like I’m remembering a lot and learning even more for the first time!

Moved By the Spirit of Adventure

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Well Moved,

In most cases I’d like to suggest you keep it moving for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, if what you’ve got the keys to is a rental machine, do check into the rental rules. Our flight school, for example, limits renters to paved public use airports unless they get prior permission and/or a sod checkout. Different insurers may impose different limitations, and you’d hate to end up quibbling with the nice insurance adjuster should you bend some metal over something unexpected. Which brings us to the heart of the matter-if it aint an airport, all bets are off as to whether you’ve chosen a responsible place to plunk your wheels down. It can be hard to see gullies, ditches, wire fences, pot holes, power lines, water logged boggy spots, guy wires, and skittish wildlife when making an impromptu landing. Yes, it’s true that back in the romantic days of yore, those daring young men in their flying machines landed whenever and wherever they desired or had to (aircraft were less reliable then). It’s also true that banged up planes, dead or maimed pilots, angry farmers, and other unpleasantries were a lot more common. All worthy considerations. Keep in mind that by default, you’ll only hear those stories about bold old pilots that ended well. Those pilots whose bets didn’t pan out aren’t around to tell their sobering side of the story, now are they?

Have you heard stories of pilots landing on frozen lakes? I could tell you stories about planes going right through the ice. Even if the ice is supporting the weight of vehicles, the impact of a landing can be another matter entirely. Heard about derring do involving landings in farmers’ fields? These days, they’ve been known to get pretty cheesed off about some idiot pilot ruining their soybeans, not to mention trespassing on private property. Landing on a  mountain road sounds glamorous until you consider that there may be power lines, pot holes, or light poles. Or cars. Ooh, and keep in mind that we’re expected to stay at least 2000 feet above wildlife preserves, taking those areas out of the picture too, unless you have a bona fide emergency on your hands in which case anything goes. That part will never change.

Probably best to keep it on the straight and narrow. Speaking of which, if you’ve been out for that long, you’ll need to make sure you get yourself another third class medical and a flight review before you hit the runway by your lonesome. A good rule of thumb is to plan to spend an hour of training for each year you’ve been out of it. That may not ALL be necessary, but it is a good jumping off point in terms of preparation. There have been a few changes in regs and best practices as well since you took your hiatus. Click here for the free FAA flight review prep guide to get yourself started in the right direction.

Welcome back! Best of luck as you climb back into the cockpit. And be careful out there; I don’t want to hear about you on the news, OK?

Mom

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You’ve got questions? I’ll find you an answer. Email your aviation related question to mom@myskymom.com and check out myskymom.com to read the answers to questions previously posted. Friend My Sky Mom on Facebook and follow @MySkyMom on Twitter for aviation news as it happens. Find more aviation news and flight training resources on AskMySkyMom’s YouTube Channel. An educated pilot is a safe pilot is a happy pilot.  Remember, the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask! Fly smart, fly safe, fly happy.

Hi!

I’m 12 years old and I want to be a pilot badder than anything. I heard you have to be 17 to pilot a plane and I heard you have to be 16 so which is it? And can I fly some before that or is it a thing where there’s no flying at all til the age you can do it? I want to be a pilot so much I can’t wait to get that old so I really hope it’s 16!

Thanks,

Watchin’ the Planes and Counting the Days

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What’s up, watchin’?

Count on this at least-if you can talk your parents into a ride to the airport and coughing up the cash, you can fly a plane today! Yes, that’s right. An introductory flight lesson is fine at any age, and for someone as enthusiastic as yourself, it sure does sound like a good birthday present/Christmas present/general-reward-for-having-done-something-right kind of a thing, doesn’t it? So yes, you can take that first lesson no questions asked.

To progress beyond that first experience, though, you’re going to need a government issued photo ID (probably a state ID at your age) and your birth certificate. Or a valid passport. Or one of a short list of other documents to prove your US citizenship prior to plunging into your flight training proper. Can you start now? Well, yeah. Is it a great idea? Well, er. Here’s the thing: those ages they gave you DO mean something. 16 years is the youngest age at which you may solo an airplane. 17 is the minimum age to grab yourself a private pilot certificate. There’s no regulation against you taking flight training at a younger age, but it may not be terribly cost effective in the long run to start so early. What might make sense is to take a lesson every once in a while to keep yourself enthused and stay motivated. As you get closer to the age when you can really do something with it, you can step up your training and make those lessons start to count for something.

The other thing (and I know you won’t want to hear it), is that no matter how smart and responsible a 12 year old you are, you’re just a little young for the responsibility and advanced decision making that comes with being a pilot. Don’t worry, though, you’ll get there! And there are things you can do to help yourself to get there sooner. Read about flying! Knowing something about it before you show up at the airport will make the whole thing go so much more smoothly. Get involved with EAA’s excellent Young Eagles program. They do a GREAT job and I hear it’s a lot of fun.

And on the practical side? I’ve found that kids with more mechanical experience often seem to learn just a little bit faster. Drive a go cart? Lawn mower? Boat? Tractor? Heck, even a bike will teach you a few things about the laws of physics that will help you feel more at home in the cockpit when you do get there. Get out there and have yourself some fun while you’re waiting to fly!

And don’t worry. I know 16 and 17 seem forever away right now, but they get here faster than you think. I promise!

All right. Be good, do your homework, and I’ll see you at the airport soon enough, OK?

Mom

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You’ve got questions? I’ll find you an answer. Email your aviation related question to mom@myskymom.com and check out myskymom.com to read the answers to questions previously posted. Friend My Sky Mom on Facebook and follow @MySkyMom on Twitter for aviation news as it happens. Find more aviation news and flight training resources on AskMySkyMom’s YouTube Channel. An educated pilot is a safe pilot is a happy pilot.  Remember, the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask! Fly smart, fly safe, fly happy.