1500nm Journey and an Instrument Rating!
Hello!
It seems as though life has sped up quickly for me over the past few months and I can't wait to share some of the big things that I have been up to. (FYI this is a long post....)
I was back home in NC for a few days and took some 'unofficial official’ graduation pictures! Here are a few that turned out. I will be sending out either hard copies or digital cards to some of y'all! If you want a hard copy please email me your address. My email is: carteroliviag@gmail.com.
Since February, I have begun dedicated and focused flight training which includes way more studying than flying at the moment. (The Michigan weather isn't helping with this either...) Since I already have my private pilot license, this training is focused on instrument flying, which is the next rating in my intended progression. I found a great flight school and instructor to train with. I have high standards after training with my dad for so long! Last month I was able to get in a few flights in a good 'ol Cessna 172 to get back into the swing of things. I hadn't flown much in the past 6 months as I was finishing up school. Further, it had been about 3 years since I last flew a 172...and I was okay with that. But this was the plane that was available and I needed some hours, so I knocked off the rust with a few hard landings (hey, it was gusty) and got back into a flying mindset. Those first few hours were challenging and the winds certainly did me NO favors.
Instrument flying is all about instrument scan, instrument interpretation, and aircraft control. Yes, private pilots are also taught the basics about their instruments but can also rely on the outside horizon or other features to help in orientation. Instrument pilots are trained so that they can fly into clouds and other adverse weather without having to rely upon visual references. A few difficulties of instrument flying are: orientation, communication and navigation. Clouds are dense and tend to block out all ground references. Consistent communication is necessary to allow Air Traffic Control (ATC) the ability to locate planes in the clouds so that they do not fly into each other. Precise navigation is crucial for both of the aforementioned reasons. Instrument flying is a challenge and requires the pilot to navigate solely by instruments. He/she must ignore any vestibular signals which warn of a bank/roll/ascent/descent unless confirmed by the instruments themselves. Let's just say, it takes lots of practice.
Since my private, I had been doing some instrument practice with my dad in our Vans RV-10 plane. I had a reasonable number of hours under simulated instrument conditions. (I wore special glasses which blocked my view outside to simulate flying into clouds.) In order to get my instrument rating, however, I still needed to go through more practice. After doing some research, I found a flight school that advertised an intensive 10-day Instrument flight training course. This was a perfect fit for me because I just needed to finish up my training. The school was located in Manhattan too! Manhattan, Kansas that is. Which, to most of you, would have probably been a disappointment, but for me, I had not been back to Kansas since I was born there. So, this was a special place for me to do my flight training. The weather also seemed better than Michigan...(spoiler: it was not.)
The Journey to Manhattan
(Check out my Instagram story for a photo tour of the trip...)
This was an endeavor that required a ton of logistics, good weather, hard work and flexibility. In a nutshell, I was to drive down from Michigan to North Carolina with Maverick a week before my start date in Kansas. While in NC, I planned on taking the Instrument Written Exam and hoped that I would pass, because the school in Kansas would not take me if I didn't. After passing, the plan was to fly with my dad to wherever there was good weather so that I could get back into the feel of flying the RV-10. This place happened to be Starkville, MS. We would overnight there, then fly to Amarillo, TX. Why? Because I wanted to. From Amarillo, a flight to Wichita would be necessary so that I could see where I was born. An overnight in Wichita would allow us to arrive in Manhattan the day my school started. The school was supposed to take 10 days. I would need to pass another test, this time flying, before I could receive my rating and go home to Michigan. The weather needed to cooperate for this test and all along my route home, ideally on days close together. I would be flying solo back home for the first time. Whew.
The Written Exam:
The first thing I needed to do before I went to Kansas was to pass my Instrument Written exam. This exam is administered electronically and tests my knowledge. In the aviation world, this is one of the hardest written exams to pass. I took my exam down in NC and about 1hr and 30min later, I came out of the testing room and received my score. I had passed! Cue a big sigh of relief from both me and my family. A lot had been riding on this exam and I had successfully completed the first step in getting my rating.
The Flying Journey:
A few days after passing my written, my dad and I started the long trip out to Kansas. The weather was still looking good in Starkville. We took off from Greensboro mid-morning on March 4 and got into Starkville in the afternoon. We realized there had been a time change, so we had gained an hour! But that was quickly overshadowed when I turned my phone on and was greeted with several messages from Flight Services telling me that my flight plan was overdue and that search and rescue teams would be sent out looking for my aircraft. I had forgotten to plan an extra 30 minutes into my flight plan because my dad had me do some instrument practice. The crisis was averted relatively quickly, and no one came looking for us. I learned a good lesson with not a huge consequence: just don't file VFR flight plans.
After a Cookout milkshake and a good sleep in Starkville, we were ready to head to Amarillo. This leg required a gas stop in Idabel, Oklahoma. I'd never been to OK before so I got to count it as a new state! It was very flat here and I was told that Kansas would be even flatter. I wondered how that was possible.
Our flight was pretty uneventful (a good thing!) as we trekked along toward Texas. We started to get bumped around a bit on our descent into Amarillo by those 'Great Plains Winds' which would soon become my constant, unwanted companion. Winds were doing wind things when we landed. The wind sock was very happy and so was I that I had managed a good landing despite the incessant 25+ kt winds. Oh! to think that this was just the beginning...
I truly can't tell you why I wanted to go to Amarillo, but perhaps George Strait had a role to play (shoutout "Amarillo By Morning"). My dad had been here before and suggested we eat at the Big Texan, which he had visited with his brother back in the 1980s. The restaurant is known as the home of the 72 oz steak. When we sat down to eat some steaks (no, they were 9 oz), he remarked that only a few things had changed since he had been here last. We had a good time exploring other sights like Cadillac Ranch, and I got to drive a convertible mustang down Route 66. Oh yeah, and there was a penguin too.
We were up early for the next leg of the trip to Wichita. I was especially excited about this one because I was born here and hadn't ever been back. The flight over was slightly shorter than the previous flights and also pretty uneventful. I wish I could say that I enjoyed sightseeing along our journey but I had been forced to wear my 'view-limiting device' so that I could count these flight hours as 'simulated instrument' time, which was important for my training. I peeked a lot though.
After a practice instrument approach to circle to land in Wichita, we got tied down at the airport and left to walk around downtown and check into our hotel for the night. We also went exploring around the company grounds where my dad used to work, walked along the riverwalk and drove by my old house. It was neat to hear stories about living there. My favorite one was that my mom didn't like shopping at a certain local grocery because they didn't carry Dukes Mayonnaise. No wonder we ended up back in NC...
While eating a later dinner, my dad and I were looking at the weather for the next morning's flight into Manhattan. We were both wary of the incoming low-cloud layer, which had the potential for ice and low visibility conditions. Low visibility is not a problem, but the RV-10 is not equipped with proper anti-icing equipment so it is imperative that we avoid ice. After attempting to find a better solution, we agreed that the best case was to make the 45 min trip to Manhattan that evening. Neither one of us had ever flown the RV at night, but the previous owner did many night flights. Taking a deep breath as if the oxygen could double as caffeine, we packed up and left for the airport around 9 pm. My dad took the plane up by himself first to do some routine take-offs and landings so that he could be 'night-current.' I hopped in after that and I flew the quick trip over to Manhattan. We slept well that night.
Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) Training
My dad had a flight out of Manhattan the next morning and I didn't feel prepared to be left alone with the plane, especially with such big, daunting tasks in front of me. I was nervous about the large responsibility of the plane as well as all of the training and new things that I would be taking in over the next week. My dad did the best he could to reassure me, but it all came down to my mindset.
Without going into too much detail, the training proved difficult. I was ready and capable but it was a lot of work. The weather refused to cooperate the first few days I was there, but that allowed me to tackle some ground school with my instructor. Once it was finally nice enough to go flying, we regularly spent 3-4 hours in the air and only landed once each lesson. The training approaches were monotonous but so much comes at you so quickly that they are incredibly mentally taxing. The RV is a high-performance gal, and she likes to go fast! So becoming proficient at stabilizing descents and slowing down was one of the hardest parts. The approaches themselves were also challenging to grasp. Each approach into the airport has different five-letter identifiable 'fixes' (which are waypoints that can be located via a GPS) and there are certain restrictions that the pilot must follow at/around those points. All approaches also have 'minimums' which are the minimum visibility requirements for that approach and the minimum altitudes you can descend to before having to go missed (aka you don't see the airport). For example: At DOGGO, you must hold at or above 3000' and descend to 2500' before reaching PUPPR. At PUPPR you can continue a stabilized descent until you reach 1730' (minimums).
Here's an approach plate if you are ~really~ curious...
In this case, you would cross BELVE at or above 3800, stay at that altitude as you crossed ZOBEN, then begin a descent to ADEKE crossing at or above 3000. Continue the descent to 1256'. Go missed if you can't see the airport at that point.
Training would be complete once I became proficient enough in these approaches as well as a few other, complicated instrument procedures. I'll spare you. After training, I was to take the dreaded 'checkride.' The checkride is basically a two-part test that is administered by an FAA examiner. The first part is comprised of mostly scenario-based questions and answers and is used to gauge my general, overall understanding of instrument flying. The second portion is flying, where I am asked to perform multiple instrument approaches, all within a very small margin of error. It is possible to get a general sense of the questions that will be asked as well as the approaches I would be asked to fly, but even still, I had to be prepared for anything. Read: Big test. Very nervous.
Due to weather and examiner availability, my test kept getting moved around which certainly did not help my anxiety. When it was finally test day, I was more than prepared and just wanted to get it over with. If you're holding your breath, you can let go; I passed! There are still a few areas that I am working to perfect, but they were within the testing standards. I breathed a very large sigh of relief and began to plan my trip back to Michigan the following morning.
Back to Michigan
After scarfing down a delicious bowl of mac-n-cheese after my 5hr test, I began working on the flight plan back to Michigan. As a newly licensed instrument pilot, I could finally file an IFR flight plan which basically required ATC to remain in contact with me and track my flight. This helps alleviate some of the pressure off of me watching for other traffic. I needed to make two stops on the way home so that I could use this trip to satisfy a requirement for my Commercial Rating (which is next!). My first stop was in Peoria, IL for some gas and to stretch my legs. The second stop was just a quick touch-and-go at a small airport in Michigan. Just like when you recognize familiar signs on your way home, I began to spot similar features as I neared Ann Arbor. I landed in Ypsilanti, which is where I am keeping the plane for now, and took a second to soak in what I had just accomplished. I had only eaten half of a blueberry muffin so far that day because I was so nervous AND because I was worried to take a bite and then have to talk to ATC. I ate and slept well that night.
Now that I am back home with the airplane (thank you dad) I have been flying every single day I can. My next rating will be Commercial, and I need at least 250 total hours. Currently, I have about 220 and will be continuing to chip away at 250 every day the sun is out! There is also a written test for Commercial that I am studying for. For somebody who hates tests, I really picked a tough job...
Speedy Shenanigans:
Well, I can't say I've done many exciting things with the car since I have been in Kansas. My dad and I did replace a front O2 sensor while I was home which has solved some of the problems I have been having while driving. PSA: when your check engine light comes on and it's emissions related, you can say goodbye to your cruise control. You really take it for granted until you have to drive 10hrs from MI to NC without it.
It's almost racing season again, and I have a few plans which may or may not shape up. If the weather cooperates, I am hoping to fly myself and my boyfriend to Watkins Glen, NY for the Gridlife track weekend at the end of April. We'll see.
Alright, if you've made it this far, congrats and thank you. You are a wonderful human. If you are looking for a recipe, I must be honest, I have been enjoying home-cooked meals and takeout for the past few weeks. I will be back with another great recipe next time.
Until then, enjoy the inklings of spring!
Cheers,
Olivia Carter
