Well hello again...or if this is your first time landing here...I do apologize (this will assuredly be the last time you let your hand just wander with a computer mouse in its grasp until you wake up and say "what the hell am I looking at?") Since my last post I have had two more FAM(iliarization) flight and one BI (basic instruments) simulator.

FAM 3 was last Thursday, and it went alright. I had not been in the cockpit for a week, and I could tell. Everything was slow, even my ground procedures. However, I was able to cheat death once again on take-off and head over to one of the outlying fields for some pattern work. It was my first time in the landing pattern doing touch and go's, and it seemed like every T-34 out at that time was at the field. Sweet...now everyone and their mother can hear and watch the new kid try and land the plane like a real pilt...this should be a treat! Things went alright with the full flap landings. It was nice having that soothing voice from the rear cockpit..."trim, TRIM...alright, get the nose down, power, right wing down, top rudder, OK...wave-off, Wave-Off, WAVE OFF!!!!" Luckily I did not have too many of those.

Anyways, after five of those or so, my instructor offered to take the controls and give me a break while he demo'd a no-flap landing. (The difference being that no-flap landings are flown at a higher airspeed through the approach). Damn, he makes it look easy. Alright, my turn. I would say my first attempt could best be envisioned by picturing the WWII dive bombers bearing down on a Japanese battleship. The exception was of course that the "battleship" was in fact the runway. So, needless to say, I had a touch (wait, lots) of trouble at first. However, I started to get a better idea of the procedures, scan, and sight picture I needed to have on the approach. The best part of the flight was the home field break...it was the best break, landing pattern, and approach I had flown to date. While that was a good feeling, I was still somewhat frustrated with my earlier attempts in the pattern.

Before my FAM 4, there was a little thing called the three day weekend! That was a welcome time as the group of us trotted up to San Antonio and the river walk. A good time was had by all....y;all understand...no need to elaborate on that.

So, finally, this past Tuesday I had my FAM 4 flight. I was looking forward to some more pattern work and a bit more basic maneuvering at altitude. However, as I drove to base that morning, I could not help but notice those large anvil shaped clouds over the bay that I had been warned about so many times in API. As we started our pre-taxi checklist we were hearing over the radio some instructors debating on whether to launch or not. Thankfully, as we taxied to the run-up area, we heard that while there was a touch of rain over NAS Corpus, one of the the outlying fields was clear as day. So, We took-off and quickly scampered out of the rain and into a clearing. Again, the radio call must have gone out that I was coming to the pattern because everyone and their mother decided to do pattern work that day too. So I took the controls and went in for my first pass of the day. Rusty was I...the pass, ugly. However, after that first pass things got a lot better. In fact, the rest of the flight was great. Obviously, I still had lots of necessary and timely input coming in from the back seat, but I could tell that I was starting to shorten the gap between me flying the plane and the plane flying me. Trim was coming quicker, procedures were going better, and maneuvers were the cleanest they have been yet. And to top it off, I flew my best break, pattern, and pass ever at the end of the flight over NAS Corpus. I was pumped...on the inside of course.

With the first four FAM flights done, I moved yesterday to my first BI sim. That went well, nothing too big to report...just that the simulators are a pain to try and trim. Anyways, I have rambled long enough. Take care.