Keep on Keeping on

What a year its been. I can’t believe it has been so long since I last posted! It’s definately not due to a lack of activity. Quite the opposite actually, it feels like I’ve been moving faster and faster! I wrapped up my instrument training back in the springtime and have been focusing on my commercial training over the summer and into the fall. In the past year I’ve added 81 hours to my logbook for a total of 190 hours.

School courses have been progressing as well. Each term I’m taking a full load of classes which further fills my time. I’ve moved from my two-year school to a four-year school just this past term. That has been exciting as it had been a milestone in my mind ever since I started down this road. It feels good to see some progress. The plan is to have the degree completed in March of 2012.

That is a quick update of where I’m at and I plan on getting updates out a bit more regularly now. At this point there seem to be more and more topics that I want to write about and pass along to you all. It helps me by getting my thoughts together and getting views and opinions from my readers. I hope you find it beneficial as well if you are moving through training yourself.

A few questions for you..

So now that I’ve been posting for a few weeks I’d like to ask you, my readers, what you’d like to see more of! Are there any questions that you would like to have answered? Do you have any suggestions on how I could keep things fun and engaging?

I created this blog as a place where I could put down my thoughts as I progress through my flight training but I really want it to be something that everyone will want to check out and keep track of.

Thanks for reading!

Why I fly

I usually have a flight scheduled for Saturdays but this weekend I have canceled my flight as the RG is not available. There are only five more lessons that I need to complete this term and all of them require a complex aircraft. This was part of my plan as I knew that Winter Term would have less than perfect weather and so that I could get this flying done before going back and brushing up for my instrument checkride. It looks like my plan will pay off as I should be able to complete my complex lessons in the next couple of weeks and then have a couple of weeks to get my checkride done.

I am really looking forward to finishing my instrument rating. It has been a few years since I’ve gone up with an examiner and I know that I am ready. Learning to fly up-into, over, and back down-through the clouds has been challenging but very rewarding at the same time. One morning back in late summer my instructor and I took off out of Troutdale with a low layer of clouds over the airport. The layer was just high enough to meet our minimum requirements to be able to get back in. As we climbed up into the clouds I went through the various maneuvers as assigned and eventually was cleared to climb up to 4,000 feet. Right around 3,800 we came through the tops of the cloud layer and could see the beautiful blue sky above us and all the mountains in the distance. It was a stunning view and one that I had looked forward to seeing ever since I had taken my first lesson. To be able to takeoff on a cloudy day and get up to where the sky is blue while everyone else is still down below living through a gray and dreary day, makes me feel a sense of pride in all I have accomplished. The things I have worked so hard to achieve are in my hands and all I have to do is grab ahold!

Introduction

Hello! My name is Jeremy and I fly fixed wing airplanes out of Troutdale, Oregon.

I have had my Private Pilots License in June of 2004 but did very little flying after that due to lack of time and money. In April of 2009 I decided to get myself current again. That was the point that I realized flying is my passion and that I need to pursue it again. I started my instrument training in June and should be taking my check ride in the next few weeks. I also just passed my 100 hour mark!

This blog will serve as a journal of my progress through my flight training. Thank you for your interest. There should be a fair amount of activity as I will be writing a journal entry for each flight I take.

Questions? Comments? Please feel free to send them my way! I’d love to hear from you!