Desert Pilot Podcast

Some of you might think that I have fallen off of the blogging world. Well you would be kind of right. With work, home, and trying to finish up my bachelor's degree blogging kind of took the back burner but I haven't stop flying. Last year I got checked out with the Plus One Flyers flight club here in San Diego. I've posted a few of these pictures on twitter and some on facebook I post more in real time there. Here are a few photos from some flights from last fall. Took my son up in Sep for his first flight in the front seat. we flew over San Diego bay he was the photographer In Oct my brother-in-law few to Arizona was a good cross country flight on the ground at Chandler Muni (CHD) just in time for the wedding I flew back alone a few days later  rare clouds sand dunes by Yuma, AZ On Halloween my son and I took a flight to French Valley (F70) in Temecula, CA when we landed back home in El Cajon (SEE) t...

If you are like me you listen to a plethora of aviation podcasts. I think some of the best aviation news comes from them and they stay on the topic I most care about most... aviation. A few months back I was listening to an episode of the Airplane Geeks Podcast and they were talking about the airplane of the week. One of the choices was the Aeronca Champ. If you didn't know back in the fall of 2008 I received my tailwheel endorsement in a red 1942 7AC Aeronca Champ. I don't think I've loved and airplane more then the Champ. I think it's a smilier experience to a first car or girl friend you never seem to forget it. Flying the Champ is real stick and rudder flying. Like any tail dragger you have to be quick on the rudder peddles but not hard I can still hear my instructor saying toe pressur that's all you need to control the rudder, sometimes not even that much just thinking about adding left or right rudder wo...

It was that time again to renew my FAA medical, and if you are like me then you are new to the FAA's online process. The FAA have stream lined the process on a new web site at   medxpress.faa.gov . The Stuck Mic AvCast did a recent episode on the process on MedXpress. Having just finished I'll recap what I did. First if you are a 20-something like me the the online form at MedXpress is extremely easy to fill out to set up an account on the MedXpress site. The site only has one form to fill out. FAA Form 8500-8. This is the old form that you used to fill out at the doctors office. After filling it out online you can print it out and save it as a PDF file. I love saving things as a PDF I have a folder in the DropBox cloud service that I keep all of my important papers so I don't lose it. This online process is just for the FAA Form 8500-8 so if you have any special considerations those must still be filled out by hand. I recently ...

This poem has been around the internet a while and probably on paper longer. Just a quick search I found it on AvWeb in 2006 and on an Airline forum in 2003. Another had posted it again this year and it made my smile so I thought I'd recored it here .  I got bored and added the links in below. T'was the night before Christmas, and out on the ramp, Not an airplane was stirring, not even a Champ . The aircraft were fastened to tie downs with care, In hopes that -- come morning -- they all would be there. The fuel trucks were nestled, all snug in their spots, With gusts from two-forty at 39 knots . I slumped at the fuel desk, now finally caught up, And settled down comfortably, resting my butt. When the radio lit up with noise and with chatter, I turned up the scanner to see what was the matter. A voice clearly heard over static and snow, Called for clearance to land at the airport below. He barked his transmission so lively and quick, I'd have sworn ...

Today I official graduated from ASTAC school I received my call sign "Atlas". Not the paper map, the greek god charged with holding up the entire world. Ya I know I'm awesome at least today. The story behind a call sign is never really fully told but I did have a lot on my shoulders during the course and still made it through, now on to the fleet. The middle 5 is our class with instructors on the ends. From left to right our class call signs: Jeeves, Snorlax, Atlas, SAP, Siri In Greek mythology, Atlas was the primordial Titan who held up the celestial sphere.

I passed my last section and the finals week. The last thing that we had to learn was P-3C Orion employment. They are the only fixed wing aircraft that we control on a regular basis. That is because  they like to fly low and they do ASW . I passed that week's test and then move on the to the finals week which was a recap of all that we learn through the couse in one week it was 4 different tests and I passed. We get our call signs and graduate next week. P-3C Orion

The next part of our training we were tested on was the implantation of the MH-60R Seahawk  . Up to this point we had simulated controlling the capabilities of a SH-60B which has been the work horse of the Navy since the 80's.The new "Romeo" has all the latest and greatest equipment and the tactics are slightly different. Passed the test. Just a few weeks until graduation. MH-60R with it's dipping sonar hanging below, you can also see the sonobuoy launchers on the side.