Flying a 737: My Experience with Instrument Flying

I’m proud to say that I flew a 737! It was so cool that I’m going to tell all my friends about it!

Okay, not exactly. It was not a Boeing 737, just a small Cessna with the registration number N737HW. But hopefully I’m on the way!

Almost Boeing

Actually, the airplane itself flew a little worse than the one I flew yesterday. I remembered the Czech OK-STB: it was also pretty old and had a flaps switch with fixed positions (it was a Cessna 152 though). I am used to a different flaps switch: I had to push it and hold for some seconds, and the longer I hold it, the lower the flaps position.

The airplane’s takeoff run was longer, and the climb rate was less. The outside view was pretty much covered by the instrument panel, so I wanted to stand or even jump to look outside while taxiing and landing. I remembered my early driving experience with my father when my head was barely above the dashboard.

Today, we were practicing stalls, slow flight, and steep turns. Everything was “under the hood,” i.e., wearing “foggles,” so I had to fly solely by reference to the instruments. Initially, I struggled to maintain altitude, especially in steep turns. I definitely need more practice.

When we’re not flying, I prepare for the written test. I already feel rather confident since I studied in Moscow, but it’s better to keep it up.


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Milestones

04/09/2017: My First Flight
04/25/2017: EASA PPL written exam (6 exams passed)
05/21/2017: Radio Operator Certificate (Europe VFR)
05/22/2017: EASA PPL written exam (all passed)
05/26/2017: The First Solo!
05/28/2017: Solo cross-country >270 km
05/31/2017: EASA PPL check-ride
07/22/2017: EASA IFR English
08/03/2017: 100 hours TT
12/04/2017: The first IFR flight
12/28/2017: FAA IR written
02/16/2018: FAA IR check-ride
05/28/2018: FAA Tailwheel endorsement
06/04/2018: FAA CPL long cross-country
06/07/2018: FAA CPL written
07/16/2018: FAA CPL check-ride
07/28/2018: FAA CPL ME rating
08/03/2018: FAA HP endorsement
06/03/2019: EASA ATPL theory (6/14)
07/03/2019: EASA ATPL theory (11/14)
07/15/2019: FAA IR IPC
07/18/2019: FAA CPL SES rating
08/07/2019: EASA ATPL theory (done)
10/10/2019: EASA NVFR
10/13/2019: EASA IR/PBN SE
11/19/2019: Solo XC > 540 km
12/06/2019: EASA CPL
12/10/2019: EASA AMEL
02/20/2020: Cessna 210 endorsement
08/30/2021: FAVT validation
05/27/2022: TCCA CPL/IR written
05/31/2022: Radio Operator Certificate Canada