Sometime Friday night some Waitress at Denny's stole our digital camera. Not good.
Saturday we saw Dan in Real Life. A good movie.
Sunday I took Kelli up in a plane, she did very well for her first time. We even joined the "mile high club" by kissing at 5500 feet.
Monday first day at a new company.
Tuesday Kelli is getting sick. Not wanting to take or look up what medications are safe to take annoyed me.
Wednesday....that's right now. Gotta go to school.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Good weekend
We had a very fun party Friday night. I would love to post photos....but some waitress at Dennys stole my camera. Well I did leave it behind....but when I returned early Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening no one turned it in. Nice. I will have to ask one of my students to email the photo we all took together.
Sunday Kelli and I went up for the first time in a "little" airplane together. We flew from Grand Prarie to Stephenville. I would have liked to have left from Arlington....but Grand Prarie is only 5 miles east. Bleh. The weather was perfect...cool, low winds and good visibility. I let Kelli take to controls a few times. She did very well only straying a few feet off altitude and a few degrees off heading. My landing in Stephenville was a 9...almost perfect. Kelli thought it was nice. I am pickier.
We each had a very good lunch. Part of the fun of Stephenville is being able to hop in the golf carts and drive to the resturant. Kelli thought it was odd that we could just take one without telling anyone. Heading back to Grand Prarie I let Kelli fly a little more. She did very well again. My landing back in Grand Prarie was a 9 again. Smooth...but I had a double bounce....a very slight bounce....but again Kelli didn't notice.
So from here on out I will be updating four different websites. Do I need four websites ? Absolutely..................
Sunday Kelli and I went up for the first time in a "little" airplane together. We flew from Grand Prarie to Stephenville. I would have liked to have left from Arlington....but Grand Prarie is only 5 miles east. Bleh. The weather was perfect...cool, low winds and good visibility. I let Kelli take to controls a few times. She did very well only straying a few feet off altitude and a few degrees off heading. My landing in Stephenville was a 9...almost perfect. Kelli thought it was nice. I am pickier.
We each had a very good lunch. Part of the fun of Stephenville is being able to hop in the golf carts and drive to the resturant. Kelli thought it was odd that we could just take one without telling anyone. Heading back to Grand Prarie I let Kelli fly a little more. She did very well again. My landing back in Grand Prarie was a 9 again. Smooth...but I had a double bounce....a very slight bounce....but again Kelli didn't notice.
So from here on out I will be updating four different websites. Do I need four websites ? Absolutely..................
Friday, October 26, 2007
Plastic Chairs...not available
So yesterday I flew the Skyhawk for the first time in 5 months. Yeah. I went to Aviator Air (www.aviatorair.com) to get checked out so I can rent a plane to fly Kelli and myself to Stephenville for BBQ on Sunday. I can also rent a plane whenever my heart desires. The Skyhawk is such a simple plane. So much slower than the Seminole. Thankfully the winds were right down the runway, even if they were gusy, so my take off was smooth. My first landing was a 7. I was on centerline, but a little bumpy. My second was much better, bounced the third, and but the next two were nice. Aviator air only charges for air time...not "on time"...like ATP. What's the difference? Well at ATP the student is "charged" from the moment the battery master switch is turned on. This can easily add 20-30 minutes to the flight due to start up, taxi, runup, waiting for takeoff and then taxi back after landing. It's legal according to the FAA....just kinda unfair to the student. Aviator air only charges for air time. The flight to Stephenville will only take 45 minutes or so air time while total time will be an hour. The cost will be much less than I estimated. The cost to get checked out was only $75. I paid for 1/2 an hour or air time plus 1/2 an hour of instructor time.
We want some simple plastic outdoor chairs. Ya know the ones everyone has....$5 or so a piece. We went to Garden Ridge Pottery, Big Lots and Home Depot....no luck! WTF!?!?! We are having a small get together tonight and we have no outdoor chairs. I am gonna swing by Wal-Mart this morning and check there as well.
Sunday is going to be a busy day. Sunday morning we are going to fly to Stephenville at 11 AM, returning around 2PM. I then check in to my hotel for training. Then take Kelli to the airport as she is going to Los Angeles to testify Monday. I will then check in to the hotel and stay at least the first night.
Today.....I have request to clean my office, the living room, Kellis desk and....I think that's it.
We want some simple plastic outdoor chairs. Ya know the ones everyone has....$5 or so a piece. We went to Garden Ridge Pottery, Big Lots and Home Depot....no luck! WTF!?!?! We are having a small get together tonight and we have no outdoor chairs. I am gonna swing by Wal-Mart this morning and check there as well.
Sunday is going to be a busy day. Sunday morning we are going to fly to Stephenville at 11 AM, returning around 2PM. I then check in to my hotel for training. Then take Kelli to the airport as she is going to Los Angeles to testify Monday. I will then check in to the hotel and stay at least the first night.
Today.....I have request to clean my office, the living room, Kellis desk and....I think that's it.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Flight Instructing is dangerous
Not coming home was in my mind every now and then. Lifting off the earth into the skies...I would sometimes think "what if". Well "what if" happened to two aviators this week. Godspeed.........
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=268140
Civil Air Patrol says UND plane, bodies found
Annette Klosterman (left) and Adam Ostapenko
A flight instructor and a student pilot died when a University of North Dakota airplane crashed in a swampy area during a training flight from St. Paul to Grand Forks, the Todd County Sheriff's Department confirmed Wednesday night.
An air crew from the Minnesota Wing of the Civil Air Patrol found the wreckage near Turtle Creek Township northeast of Browerville around 4:10 p.m., the CAP said.
A search and rescue team from the sheriff's department and a CAP ground team from St. Cloud confirmed the find.
The pilot, Annette Klosterman, 22, a UND flight instructor from Seattle, and Adam Ostapenko, 20, a junior aviation student from Duluth, were killed in the crash, authorities said.
The UND plane had left St. Paul shortly before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. Air traffic officials in Minneapolis last spoke to Klosterman and Ostapenko in a routine conversation at 10:15 p.m., in the St. Cloud area.
The plane was due to arrive in Grand Forks at 11:45 p.m. Tuesday, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said. The FAA sent out a notice at 1:46 a.m. Wednesday, alerting airports and law enforcement officials along the flight path, when the pilot did not close out the flight plan that had been filed with the agency before takeoff, she said.
"What (the notice) does is alert airports and sheriffs and local law enforcement on the path ... and asked them to start looking," Isham Cory said.
A ground search of all airports from St. Cloud to Grand Forks was conducted early Wednesday, UND said, and the Civil Air Patrol sent five aircraft at daybreak to continue the search.
Civil Air Patrol Capt. Al Pabon said more planes joined the search Wednesday afternoon, with volunteer pilots coming from several Minnesota cities.
The crash site is about 20 miles northwest of Little Falls.
Last December, two UND students were killed when a single-engine Cessna left the Crookston airport and crashed into a farm field. Friends said pilot Jacob Rueth, 18, of Orland Park, Ill., and passenger Jacob Allen Sundblad, 19, of Annandale, had gone to practice takeoffs and landings.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=268140
Annette Klosterman (left) and Adam Ostapenko
Civil Air Patrol says UND plane, bodies found
Annette Klosterman (left) and Adam Ostapenko
A flight instructor and a student pilot died when a University of North Dakota airplane crashed in a swampy area during a training flight from St. Paul to Grand Forks, the Todd County Sheriff's Department confirmed Wednesday night.
An air crew from the Minnesota Wing of the Civil Air Patrol found the wreckage near Turtle Creek Township northeast of Browerville around 4:10 p.m., the CAP said.
A search and rescue team from the sheriff's department and a CAP ground team from St. Cloud confirmed the find.
The pilot, Annette Klosterman, 22, a UND flight instructor from Seattle, and Adam Ostapenko, 20, a junior aviation student from Duluth, were killed in the crash, authorities said.
The UND plane had left St. Paul shortly before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. Air traffic officials in Minneapolis last spoke to Klosterman and Ostapenko in a routine conversation at 10:15 p.m., in the St. Cloud area.
The plane was due to arrive in Grand Forks at 11:45 p.m. Tuesday, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said. The FAA sent out a notice at 1:46 a.m. Wednesday, alerting airports and law enforcement officials along the flight path, when the pilot did not close out the flight plan that had been filed with the agency before takeoff, she said.
"What (the notice) does is alert airports and sheriffs and local law enforcement on the path ... and asked them to start looking," Isham Cory said.
A ground search of all airports from St. Cloud to Grand Forks was conducted early Wednesday, UND said, and the Civil Air Patrol sent five aircraft at daybreak to continue the search.
Civil Air Patrol Capt. Al Pabon said more planes joined the search Wednesday afternoon, with volunteer pilots coming from several Minnesota cities.
The crash site is about 20 miles northwest of Little Falls.
Last December, two UND students were killed when a single-engine Cessna left the Crookston airport and crashed into a farm field. Friends said pilot Jacob Rueth, 18, of Orland Park, Ill., and passenger Jacob Allen Sundblad, 19, of Annandale, had gone to practice takeoffs and landings.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
All done
I am no longer a flight instructor at Airline Transport Professionals. My tenure is over. That being said. A new site is up that will track my progress at American Eagle and all of my flying bits. Kinda catchy eh? It's up...go take a looksee. Speaking of new sites Kelli has an all new site back at www.richmo32.com . Suposedly she will keep it up. Time to relax for a while....another life changing event is coming up.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
$5K To go to American Eagle now....I jumped too soon
So I got this email today. If I would have waited until now to apply at American Eagle....I would get $5K. I emailed to see if I qualify as I haven't technically started yet. Bleh.
Great news! ATP will now reimburse $5,000 of training costs for graduates of ATP's Regional Jet Standards Certification program who go to work for American Eagle and successfully complete training. In our continuing efforts to help you in your career, ATP has worked out an arrangement with American Eagle that makes this cash tuition reimbursement possible.
If you are interested in flying for American Eagle and receiving the $5,000 tuition reimbursement, your next step is to email <rjadmissions@allatps.com>. Include the following information:
- Name
- Total Time
- # of Months Instructing
- Regional Jet Standards Certification Class Date
Under the new arrangement, American Eagle is hiring for November and December classes right now.
It is essential that you handle all your American Eagle employment communication through ATP to ensure that you remain eligible for the reimbursement. For complete details, email the RJ Program office. DO NOT contact American Eagle directly.
We will be making a formal announcement soon on the web site, but we wanted to distribute this new information to all current ATP CFIs as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
XXX
--XXXX XXXXXX
Regional Jet Program Director
Airline Transport Professionals (ATP)
800-ALL-ATPS / 800-255-2877
Web: www.ATPFlightSchool.com
Great news! ATP will now reimburse $5,000 of training costs for graduates of ATP's Regional Jet Standards Certification program who go to work for American Eagle and successfully complete training. In our continuing efforts to help you in your career, ATP has worked out an arrangement with American Eagle that makes this cash tuition reimbursement possible.
If you are interested in flying for American Eagle and receiving the $5,000 tuition reimbursement, your next step is to email <rjadmissions@allatps.com>. Include the following information:
- Name
- Total Time
- # of Months Instructing
- Regional Jet Standards Certification Class Date
Under the new arrangement, American Eagle is hiring for November and December classes right now.
It is essential that you handle all your American Eagle employment communication through ATP to ensure that you remain eligible for the reimbursement. For complete details, email the RJ Program office. DO NOT contact American Eagle directly.
We will be making a formal announcement soon on the web site, but we wanted to distribute this new information to all current ATP CFIs as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
XXX
--XXXX XXXXXX
Regional Jet Program Director
Airline Transport Professionals (ATP)
800-ALL-ATPS / 800-255-2877
Web: www.ATPFlightSchool.com
Last flight
I flew the Seminole for what I bet was my last flight last night. I flew to Lubbock again. This time it was much smoother air. On the return flight we got back early so we took turns landing. I made two really nice greasers. I touched down on the main wheels first and then slowly let the nose down. Awesome. My last landing was filmed by my student. I will post it later, but it was not smooth. I was making a short field landing and well...it was firm. Bleh.
Below is a photo of my last flight. James Webster is to the right. He is an awesome guy....even if he is a crazy liberal democrat.
I go in today just for some paperwork. I might stick around for a little while. Tomorrow....who knows. I am not sad right now. Hasn't really sunk in. I don't think it will until Thursday morning....when I don't wake up and go to the airport. Oh wait....I am going Thursday to get checked out in a plane so I can fly Kelli around Sunday. Hmm...then Friday it will sink in. Bleh.
Below is a photo of my last flight. James Webster is to the right. He is an awesome guy....even if he is a crazy liberal democrat.
I go in today just for some paperwork. I might stick around for a little while. Tomorrow....who knows. I am not sad right now. Hasn't really sunk in. I don't think it will until Thursday morning....when I don't wake up and go to the airport. Oh wait....I am going Thursday to get checked out in a plane so I can fly Kelli around Sunday. Hmm...then Friday it will sink in. Bleh.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Return to Lubbock
I haven't been in Lubbock since May 1996. A long time. Well a long time ended last night. I flew to Lubbock with a student on a crew training flight. The flight out there was interesting. We flew across a front which caused a severe pressure/temp change along with a good dose of turbulence and wind change. The turbulence was enough to throw us into the roof a few times as well twist the plane every which way. I was smiling. I enjoy turbulence.....it makes flying interesting. The approach to the runway was fun as well. The wind was blowing from the right at 23 MPH gusting to over 30 MPH. Our airspeed indicated 100 knots while our ground speed was only 60 knots. Yeah. We were coming in almost sideways. Crazy. The air was cold as we opened the warmed cockpit.
On the way back to Arlingotn we hit more turbulence, high winds, steady rain and clouds. The temprature was near freezing at 9000 feet so we kicked on the pitot heat (heats up the tube that we use for airspeed indications) and the heater ever higher. We were in the clouds for over an hour straight...fun.
I do the same flight tonight.
Three more days and I am done at ATP. Gonna miss my students the most. All of them have been fun. I still keep in touch with Version 1.0, 2.0 and of course 3.0. I am sure the communication will continue....hopefully for the rest of our careers.
I figured out how to post my video...which is only working in Firefox and not Internet Explorer...If you see a empty box below click this link . My ATP video.
On the way back to Arlingotn we hit more turbulence, high winds, steady rain and clouds. The temprature was near freezing at 9000 feet so we kicked on the pitot heat (heats up the tube that we use for airspeed indications) and the heater ever higher. We were in the clouds for over an hour straight...fun.
I do the same flight tonight.
Three more days and I am done at ATP. Gonna miss my students the most. All of them have been fun. I still keep in touch with Version 1.0, 2.0 and of course 3.0. I am sure the communication will continue....hopefully for the rest of our careers.
I figured out how to post my video...which is only working in Firefox and not Internet Explorer...If you see a empty box below click this link . My ATP video.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
My First Video
I made a video of my time at ATP. It's 7 minutes long....but I have been here for 17 months! Turn up your speakers...grab some popcorn...and enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI0emmuoBng
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI0emmuoBng
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Airshow!
Today is the Alliance Airshow (www.allianceairshow.com). I am going with one other instructor and 5 or so students. Should be fun. Kelli thought about going....but I don't think she would have fun. Being around airplanes makes me happy. Fun day ahead.
Yesterday I started the crew training for two students, James and Nick. These students are "special". Why? Well I was supposed to be their instructor. When my jet course was moved up I had to change the my schedule for starting new students. I instead got Derrick and Lauren. The instructor the James and Nick got was the same one they had for their private...one that didn't care a whole lot. They got a sub-par education for the multi-engine and instrument ratings. I felt pretty bad for them. Yesterday was a crash course in instruments. I feel really rewarded when I teach. Gonna miss it. I spent 4 hours lecturing. They were wide eyed soaking it all in. I think I am going to fly with one of them to Lubbock, Texas and the other to Alexandria, Louisiana. I want to go somewhere I have never been. I would love to go to Galveston....but I doubt ATP would approve it. I also want to go to Nacogdoches. Bleh.
Yesterday I started the crew training for two students, James and Nick. These students are "special". Why? Well I was supposed to be their instructor. When my jet course was moved up I had to change the my schedule for starting new students. I instead got Derrick and Lauren. The instructor the James and Nick got was the same one they had for their private...one that didn't care a whole lot. They got a sub-par education for the multi-engine and instrument ratings. I felt pretty bad for them. Yesterday was a crash course in instruments. I feel really rewarded when I teach. Gonna miss it. I spent 4 hours lecturing. They were wide eyed soaking it all in. I think I am going to fly with one of them to Lubbock, Texas and the other to Alexandria, Louisiana. I want to go somewhere I have never been. I would love to go to Galveston....but I doubt ATP would approve it. I also want to go to Nacogdoches. Bleh.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Friday!
Credit card companies are so damn greedy. I signed up for paperless bills. I was 1 day late paying off my balance on a card...and they charged me $39! I have never been late before. I am going to cancel paperless statements on all my cards AFTER I cancel with the company in hand. I called them and very nicely asked for a refund. They refused! This is my "Drivers Edge" card that I get rebates back for car related purchases. The rebates go toward my next car. Hmmm maybe I will just not use the card anymore until I get my next card. Citibank you're evil!
I don't get some of my fellow flight instructors. They are putting their own lives and outside activities ahead of students. I do the opposite. My job is to teach students to fly. I do whatever it takes to get the job done. I don't schedule students training around my partying or going out with friends. Lot's of other instructors do though. One I know has rushed students through training that normally takes 3 days into just one day. What does the student really learn? Nothing. I promised a student weeks ago that I would fly with him after his instrument check ride and that I would do his crew training. Another instructor wants me to fly with another student instead so they can go out this weekend. They said, " you get $100 either way what does it matter?" That really pissed me off. I don't think they love teaching. I really do.
What's on the board today? Well I am going in around 10 or so to start the crew training. That's about it. Tomorrow is the Alliance Air show. Sunday is Sunday. Next week is my last week. Then off to American Eagle.
I don't get some of my fellow flight instructors. They are putting their own lives and outside activities ahead of students. I do the opposite. My job is to teach students to fly. I do whatever it takes to get the job done. I don't schedule students training around my partying or going out with friends. Lot's of other instructors do though. One I know has rushed students through training that normally takes 3 days into just one day. What does the student really learn? Nothing. I promised a student weeks ago that I would fly with him after his instrument check ride and that I would do his crew training. Another instructor wants me to fly with another student instead so they can go out this weekend. They said, " you get $100 either way what does it matter?" That really pissed me off. I don't think they love teaching. I really do.
What's on the board today? Well I am going in around 10 or so to start the crew training. That's about it. Tomorrow is the Alliance Air show. Sunday is Sunday. Next week is my last week. Then off to American Eagle.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Finally took the check ride
So the two students I trained finally took their check rides Wednesday. They were supposed to go Monday. Thankfully they both passed. They are both very good pilots. One of them was my Version 2.0 student. What's next? Well I only have 6 days left. I am going to provide crew training for one student...maybe two. Then I hope to fly with Joe for his commercial multi-engine check ride...then that's it.
The new look. I am not married to this layout 100%. Expect to see small changes over time. I do like how my Flickr photos show up in the bottom right hand corner and will be updated as I take new photos. One thing I don't like about the layout....no log in link. I have to jump through hoops to log in. I am sure it's an easy PHP thing......but I don't know PHP.....I know HTML! I remember writing in HTML way back in 1995. Crazy. It's still the defacto standard for web pages.
Saturday is the Alliance air show. I have organized a few students and instructors to go. Should be fun. Kelli is NOT invited. She was waaaaay bored last year. I plan on staying all day this year.
I slept in today. I am going in at 10 AM. I have gone in at 6 AM for the last 4 days. Yuck!
The new look. I am not married to this layout 100%. Expect to see small changes over time. I do like how my Flickr photos show up in the bottom right hand corner and will be updated as I take new photos. One thing I don't like about the layout....no log in link. I have to jump through hoops to log in. I am sure it's an easy PHP thing......but I don't know PHP.....I know HTML! I remember writing in HTML way back in 1995. Crazy. It's still the defacto standard for web pages.
Saturday is the Alliance air show. I have organized a few students and instructors to go. Should be fun. Kelli is NOT invited. She was waaaaay bored last year. I plan on staying all day this year.
I slept in today. I am going in at 10 AM. I have gone in at 6 AM for the last 4 days. Yuck!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Come to Texas!
So I must has pissed off mother nature. Yesterday the clouds stayed low all day. In fact thick fog moved in in the morning reducing visibility to less than 1/4 mile. So check rides didn't go again. Yeah. Probably won't go today either. This sucks.
People who live in Frisco complain about the traffic. Hello!??!?!? Your silly ass moved to Frisco knowing they had traffic issues. If you didn't know then you didn't go research. A city that has grown by more than 100% in the last few years is bound to have traffic issues. I love Euless.
I am at the airport now...started this page at home...had to drive. There are supposed to be 6 check rides today. No one is here! I am the first one to arrive! WTF?!?!? I really don't want to sit here all day again. Bleh.
Ever since I got a job I have been looking online less and less. There is nothing else to really research. I won't know exactly what plane I will be on until the 29th. I guess I will start the transformation of this website to the PHP format. I am REALLY nervous about it. I like being able to easily look back at any day for the last 4 years right here on my local computer. The PHP format stores everything in a database. Bleh.
My sister in law might be looking into moving to Texas. That would be way cool. We will have babysitters close by. The house across the street is for sale. How cool would that be if they moved right to our street. They could sale their house in California and probably pay cash for the house here. Gotta start the Pro-Texas campaign.
People who live in Frisco complain about the traffic. Hello!??!?!? Your silly ass moved to Frisco knowing they had traffic issues. If you didn't know then you didn't go research. A city that has grown by more than 100% in the last few years is bound to have traffic issues. I love Euless.
I am at the airport now...started this page at home...had to drive. There are supposed to be 6 check rides today. No one is here! I am the first one to arrive! WTF?!?!? I really don't want to sit here all day again. Bleh.
Ever since I got a job I have been looking online less and less. There is nothing else to really research. I won't know exactly what plane I will be on until the 29th. I guess I will start the transformation of this website to the PHP format. I am REALLY nervous about it. I like being able to easily look back at any day for the last 4 years right here on my local computer. The PHP format stores everything in a database. Bleh.
My sister in law might be looking into moving to Texas. That would be way cool. We will have babysitters close by. The house across the street is for sale. How cool would that be if they moved right to our street. They could sale their house in California and probably pay cash for the house here. Gotta start the Pro-Texas campaign.
Same site......new look
After using HTML forever....it's now PHP. I did use PHP for a short time.....but I hated it. I am jumping in head first now. This should be better. This new format will allow me to update from my phone...from my home computer...or any computer. Jumped in head first.
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