The
Flying Page!
After 30 years of looking up, a father who was an Air Traffic Controller, and a Mom who soloed in a Piper Cub in 1942, I decided it was time to learn how to fly. I found that there is nothing like it.
It's really fun to temporarily disobey the law of gravity (as long as the fuel holds out).
This page has a few links, photos, and the flight-by-flight sordid stories of my learning progress, all the way to the checkride and beyond, plus detailed logbooks of every flight since.
Thanks for stopping by.
Here I am posing with N3082U, the 1964 Cessna 172E that I owned with three other Spokane pilots for over 12 years.
Learning
to Fly
How did this get started anyway?
This came about after my friend, neighbor, camping buddy, flight instructor, and daredevil aerobatic Northwest Airlines Boeing 747 pilot persuaded me to learn how to fly. Sure, we'ed talked about it for years, but I never thought he was serious, besides, what would we fly? Then Tommy sold his aerobatic Decathalon and purchased a "nearly new" 1975 Cessna 172 (600 hours total time on the airframe).
He finally talked me into it when we went down to the hanger to pick up some stuff and we ended up "taking a spin" for a half hour. That did it. A couple weeks later, for my birthday, he presented me with a logbook where he had logged 1/2 hour of "aircraft familiarization" time for me.
On his recommendation, I purchased the King Schools Private Pilot Ground School video course and the FAA test software. Much to my family's chagrin, I spent the next month watching John and Martha King lead me through everthing I would need to know to take the exam. OK...it did get a little wierd when I took the videos and laptop camping over Fourth of July Weekend. And the kids would not come downstairs when the "whiney-lady" was on. It was kinda fun to use the same E6B computer to do wind calculations that Dad used when he was in ATC in the Panama Canal Zone during World War Two. That was 1943 BCR (before civilian radar.)
All that dedication paid off. After watching the videos, taking practice tests, and learning how to do mathematical wind problems, I took the FAA written exam on Saturday, August 8, 1999. In just under an hour, I finished with a 97%. (Missed two)
While I was studying for the written, I took the Third Class Medical exam. It was good to get this out of the way before I made a real sizable investment. No medical certificate, no solo. I passed on July 21. Now it was time to really figure out how to do this.
The Learning to Fly Log Book
Here you can find a detailed description of every flight.
The high points...and the low points...and everything in between.
Take a look.
TAKE OFF!
WOW!
On Sunday, October 15, 2000 I took the Private Pilot/Single Engine Land practical test and was awarded my certificate. Check out the flight in my student logbook. Success! Sixteen months after I started the ground school work, I am now a pilot! Keep scrolling for further adventures.
The "Now that I Learned to Fly-Where did I Go" Log Book
Now that I have my certificate, the sky's the limit! Oh sure, I realize that my sky may be somewhat limited. Things like clouds, fog, rain, snow, sleet, wind, gloom of night, availability of aircraft, money, money, and more money may interfere with my aerial adventures. Other than that, let's go!
(When the weather cooperates, of course.)
TAKE OFF!
The "Now that I Own a plane-Where did I Go" Log Book
I got together with 3 other pilots and purchased a 1964 Cessna 172E. Now that we have a plane at our disposal, it's time to start a new online logbook.
These are all my flights during 2002.
The
2003 Logbook
It's a new year and time for a new logbook.
The
2004 Logbook
Another new logbook.
The
2005 Logbook
We keep on flying and keep on adding to this online logbook.
The
2006 Logbook
The saga continues.
The 2007 Logbook
The Anti-Gravity Adventures keep on coming:
The 2008 Logbook
Another year......more fun.
The 2009 Logbook
Now in my 10th year of flying.
The 2010
Logbook
Wow...Now in my 11th year of aviation adventures!
TAKE
OFF!
The 2011
Logbook
The best use for molten dinosaurs
TAKE
OFF!
The 2012 Logbook
Wow! Who'd a thunk
I'd still be doing this?
TAKE
OFF!
The 2013 Logbook
Airplane ownership ended in October 2012, but I’m still flying!
TAKE
OFF!
The 2014 Logbook
Yep, another year to enjoy this hobby!
TAKE
OFF!
The 2015 Logbook
Renting instead of owning, but still flying.
The 2016 Logbook
Yee haw! Still defying gravity!
The 2017 Logbook
Wow..I'm still violating the law of gravity...successfully.
The 2018 Logbook
Sill flying around after all these years..
The 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024 Logbooks
“Flying is like good music: it elevates the spirit and it's an exhilarating freedom. It's not a thrill thing or an adrenaline rush; it's engaging in a process that takes focus and commitment." - Harrison Ford
Flying Photos
Just a few snaps of the pilot, plus his kids
and friends, in action.
There's a lot of pictures
and this takes a while to load on a dial-up connection.
What
I Fly
(Pix of the plane)
Where
I Fly From
(My home airport)
Who
I Fly With
Pix of the passengers)
Where
I Fly To
(Some of our destinations)
The
Las Vegas Flying Adventure!
(We rent a plane in one of Ameica's
most fun places)
Mountain
Flying
(Wow!)
The
Early Flights
(My second solo flight)
Comments
from our passengers
Now
that we can legally take them, a few of our passengers (OK...only one)
have sent in notes about how they enjoyed their flight.
To read them
CLICK
HERE!
Where
do I fly?
It's
a small General Aviation airport called Felts Field just outside
Spokane, WA., USA
(Airport Identifier: SFF)
For a look at the FAA Sectional Chart, the Jeppeson
Low Altitude Enroute
Chart, the airport layout from Flight Guide, and an aerial photo from
the Washington State Department of Transportation/Aviation Division's
"Pilot Handbook":
CLICK
HERE!
Flying
Links
A
small collection of links to some interesting flying sites
CLICK
HERE!
Want to say hi or just babble about aviating?
Drop me a line at my exclusive flying e-mail address:
This page updated on 2/18/2024. Logbook pages updated as flights are taken.