Letters: My Flight Training Story

Overcoming obstacles

September 1, 2016

Family demands as well as being a U.S. Army officer had stalled my flying plans for years. At the age of 33, I decided that it was finally my chance to learn to fly. I was stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, and the U.S. Air Force had just given the old Biggs airfield to the Army. The Army decided to have a flying club. I wanted to learn in the Cherokee 140, but there were no instructors for it, so it was the club Cessna 150 for learning.

As seen on Facebook

Got my instrument rating today in Chattanooga, Tennessee! This was the culmination of many hours of hard work. Effort + passion = success! —Karen Atkins

We’re kicking off the first weekend in June with a #solosmile. Join Elon Aviation LLC in congratulating Zach Tran on completing his first solo today at Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport. His takeoffs and landings were superb. —Elon Aviation LLC

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NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF MEMBERS
The annual meeting of the members of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association will be held at 9 a.m. on Friday, September 9, 2016, at the headquarters of AOPA, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland, 21701, located on Frederick Municipal Airport (FDK), for the purpose of receiving reports and transacting such other business as may properly come before the meeting, specifically including the election of trustees. If you are not able to attend, but would like to appoint your voting proxy, please go online or call 800-872-2672. —Kenneth M. Mead, Secretary

The 150 instructor was an alcoholic. That little Cessna 150 cabin reeked with his breath. Fortunately I had already learned the basics. On one flight when he was really wasted, he reached over and turned the fuel valve off! Thinking he knew best, I waited until the engine stopped. He then started into a tirade about how I had failed to ensure the valve was turned on when we started the flight (we were 20 minutes into the flight). I turned the fuel back on and the windmilling prop restarted the engine instantly.

It was nearly impossible to get him to instruct on my time schedule, so I became a professional student pilot, only having to schedule him every 90 days to recertify my student solo status. He finally quit, and the only instructor available was instructing in the Cherokee 140. I quickly soloed in the Cherokee 140, only to discover that scheduling time in it was about impossible, since it was a choice airplane for those who wanted to schedule long vacations.

I was transferred to Germany before advancing beyond student pilot status, and never happened upon an assignment where there was a flying club again. I retired and went looking for a sober instructor who liked to teach in a Cherokee 140. I then shopped around and bought a Cherokee 140, and never had a problem scheduling an airplane again. I earned my private pilot certificate in 1987 and have enjoyed flying ever since.

Donald Schwanke
La Feria, Texas

Abbreviations in brief

It’s always great to get the new issues of Flight Training. Even more fun to see my name and idea featured in “Technique: Brief with a CTAF” (July 2016 Flight Training). I especially enjoyed Ian J. Twombly’s comments on abbreviations and acronyms.

I hate TOMATOFLAMES, so I came up with my own version: SEA × 3.

S = Safety. The three items are seatbelts/shoulder harness, ELT, and anticollision light.

E = Engine. The three items are tachometer, fuel gauges, and oil pressure/temperature.

A = Aviate. The three items are compass, altimeter, and airspeed.

For Complex we add C × 3: gear, flaps, and constant-speed prop.

Mary Latimer
Vernon, Texas

Do you fly with on-board weather information?

Yes 69%
No 31%