Tag: USA

  • Commercial Pilot

    Today was The Day I was waiting for so long: I passed my commercial checkride. Now I have a FAA Commercial Pilot license ASEL (Airplane Single Engine Land). The checkride in the US has two parts: the oral and written one. During the oral part the examiner asks about airspaces, airplane systems, weather and other…

  • FAA Commercial Requirements…

    … or how to waste some money. Firstly I’d like to tell about the FAA check-ride situation in Florida: there are a lot of flight schools, there are a lot of students, and there are only 5 DPEs. In practice it means that usually one have to wait for a checkride more than a month.…

  • Bartow

    Today I finally succeeded in my efforts of trying to wake up early at the weekend. Actually it was a good reason to do it: much more chances to fly cross-country wherever you want before thunderstorm activity. Today I was going to Bartow. It is an airport in about 70 miles to the South-East. Close…

  • Lake-City

    At the weekends I used to fly from the early morning, but this Saturday I decided to sleep some more: it is not a good idea to fly if you’re tired. Today the weather was good, so it was possible to fly to Lake-City. So, why that place? First of all, the weather is much…

  • High-Performance Airplane

    Commercial pilot license requirements contain 10 hours of complex airplane flight time (at least it was so in 2018 – as far as I know, now only technically advanced aircraft time is required). Complex airplane means the one with a retractable gear, flaps and constant-speed prop. But from the April 2018 it is not required…

  • Mastering Spin Recovery: Essential Training for All Pilots

    Spin training is part of the flight instructor course, but I believe it’s valuable for all pilots. While it’s best to recognize and prevent a spin in advance, sometimes sh*t happens anyway, and it’s crucial to know how to handle it. In theory, the process isn’t very complicated: neutralize the ailerons, stop the rotation with…

  • Fly-In Breakfast Adventure: the Fun of a Busier Airfield

    Today we had a fly-in breakfast at a nearby airport, about an hour’s flight away. This airport does not have a dedicated communication frequency, so in these cases in Florida, we should use either 122.9 or 122.75. In our case, it was 122.9. Despite arriving rather early, we heard a lot of traffic on the…

  • Embracing the Complexity: Commercial Maneuvers in a Multiengine Aircraft

    Currently, I am accumulating complex airplane hours to meet the commercial license requirements, opting to do so in a multi-engine aircraft. While the fundamental principles of maneuvering remain consistent between multi-engine and single-engine airplanes, the former involves additional procedures and a broader speed range. The primary distinction, for me, lies not just in the extra…

  • Navigating Summer Skies in Florida

    Summer in Florida proves more challenging than winter for flying. While it’s generally feasible to fly year-round (as we can see in nearly all flight school ads), the extended daylight hours in winter contrast with the limited 2-3 hour windows in summer, sometimes nullifying flying altogether. Anticipating thunderstorms around 2-3 pm became my routine every…

  • Embarking on Multi-Engine Adventures

    I’m embarking on my multi-engine flights. The FAA CPL mandates 10 hours in a “complex airplane”. It means retractable gear, constant speed prop and flaps. Now it changed, but in 2018 this requirement was still in effect. I was set on obtaining the Multi-Engine (ME) rating anyway, and decided to accrue my complex hours in…