weather...what a buzz kill. ;)

 Huston we have a problem,

 That's a no go for launch, repeat thats a no go.

 Well that was my third lesson, but not my third flight.

 The great thing about learning to fly in Oregon is you finish your training with experience in a wide variety of weather situations.. However the annoying thing about learning to fly in Oregon is sometimes you are hindered by that very same weather..actually a lot of the time. During the winter of course.

 Even though we did not get to go flying, James and I had a good time hanging out and talking about airplanes. Granted we spent more time talking about how they worked, but hey, talking about planes is talking about planes right? 

  The book work is actually really interesting. Knowing how the airplane works helps a lot when your in the air and feel something thats not quiet normal.You can quickly diagnose a possible solution, or if need be, you can foresee a larger problem, and make it to a landing strip before something bad happens.

 When i get discouraged about sitting and just doing book work instead of being able to fly,  I think of  Captain "Sully" Sullenberger, and how he knew exactly what to do because he was able to figure out exactly what was wrong. He was able to diagnose the problem, and decide on a solution before it became a disaster that could have ended to tragically for so many people.

 We talked about fuel system, the oil system, the instruments, the construction/structure and the landing gear.

We also talked about some of the problems the some the instruments can have, and how to avoid, or correct for those problems.

  Lots of information to take in all at once, but i'm glad that we can make good use of the things that good Ole Oregon has to throw at us!

  Huston...we have Preflight done, we are ready for take off when the weather clears!

Okay so we may have sidetracked to some talk about snowboarding and stuff like that, but hey, give a guy some slack ;)

Second Flight!

    I went out last Tuesday for the second flight!

 Great flight! Went up about 4:30 in the afternoon,so it was getting to be dusk about the time we were heading back in to land, making beautiful light on the terrain.

    During the flight, my instructor felt like i was progressing well through the basic turns, climbs and descents, so we moved to steep turns. Which, for those of you who don't know, consists of banking the airplane 45 degrees, giving it full power, and a little bit of back pressure, so you can maintain the correct altitude. These turns are really fun, because you get turned around 360 degrees in very little time.

This is the airplane I will do my training in! It is a Piper Cherokee 180
or PA-18 with a 180 hp Lycoming 0-360 a2a

This is my instructor James Boughen.
He is a great instructor, I have learned a lot just in the few lessons we have had.
 Very fun to fly with and great sense of humor making the flying pretty awesome!

Starting Pre-flight check, filling the fuel/ check for moisture, checking the Pitot tube, and the landing gear /breaks for any leaks, or abnormal wear etc.

Next we Check the oil, break fluid, and inside the cowling for any leaks or wear etc.
 The great thing about the PA-28 is the entire cowl folds back so you can see the entire engine.

 Then we finish off the Pre-flight checklist in the cockpit and get rolling down the runway!

Off the left wing en route 

Henry Hagg Lake- Big lake Looks pretty small from 4500ft!  

Rivers also look pretty small from up there!

  Over all the training is going well. The flying is super fun!

The part that i am having the most trouble with is the studying and book work. A lot of the concepts are somewhat difficult to understand while sitting in a recliner drinking coffee. However the saving grace, is they make way more sense when we get into the airplane, and i am actually able to experience them.

   I have not had much experience in poor weather, because the days i have flown have been really nice! However I am sitting down to study up for my third flight here in the next day or two, and there is a large thunderstorm outside.. So I am really hoping that it will clear up enough to make a good v.f.r flight!

  Then again I don't really mind if the weather is bad, because the next flight we will be working on stalls! 

Actually stalls sound really fun. I'm looking forward to getting more hours and experience, and it will actually be good for me to learn to control the aircraft in windy or rainy weather.

check back for the third flight update!

Tailwinds and happy landings!

First Post-also my first flight!

  Went for my first flight a few weeks ago, and just today decided that i wanted to put up a blog about the flight training. This is the first out of many many years of flying to come and I am very excited to get up in the air and learn all that i can. Some day i hope that my flying ability will be used to help someone,  change lives, like flying has done for my life.


  Because my dad has been so supportive over the years of my flying infatuation, i thought it would be fitting to have him share the experience of my first flight lesson. I was extremely happy the day i started because it was more than a dream come true, but the fresh start that i have been looking for. The transition into the life that i have wanted to live. To commemorate the occasion, i made a video of the first flight. During the flight and the preceding ground lesson, dad took some pictures and video that i have now compiled into a 20 Minute long video . Here is the link, i hope you enjoy it!




 My Aunt Susie moved to Alaska a few years ago, so that she could raise her Siberian Huskies For the Iditarod race. Ever since then i have been interested in Alaska. When you combine my love for flying, and the longing to get outdoors and hike and explore and hunt... you get the dream to bush fly! Thus my interest in the Piper Super Cub, or PA-18.  The ultimate Super cub for me is the aircraft that has 31 to 35 inch bush tires, lifted, with an extra fuel pod,S.t.o.l kit, and a 180hp engine.
But i suppose that is a long way off yet. ;)
 I am excited to start this journey and i am even more excited to be able to share it with all my friends and family..

I look forward to sharing with you, and I hope you enjoy the pictures and videos! Feel free to comment and leave your thoughts! 

 Thanks!

This is the type of airplane that i want to own some day. This particular plane is owned by Shaun Lunt.
 Shaun has his own blog that you should check out with all of his pictures of flying in Alaska Check it out!
http://shaunlunt.typepad.com/