Cessna 421

Got to fly in this to Topeka, Kansas yesterday!

Funding

Hey guys,
In order to help pay for my training I have created an account on GoFundMe.com. It basically allows anonymous donations towards personal causes. I don't expect anyone to donate but I thought I would put my link up anyways! A poor college student has to exhaust all the options when paying for flight training!

Safe Flying,
Justin

http://www.gofundme.com/StudentPilot

The Check Ride

So a few weeks ago I passed my private pilot check ride. All the sweat and hard work led up to this nerve wracking event. It.started at 9am and I had to fly with my instructor an hour to meet the examiner. ( I would advise scheduling a morning check ride as the winds are usually calmer in my opinion)
The whole ride there my palms were sweating and my stomach churned with nerves. Once we got there the exaimaner wasted no time. He checked over all my paperwork and log book to assure all the criteria had been met. Double check this before you go!! Then we moved right on to the oral exam which lasted about an hour and a half. The oral was not as bad as I thought and followed right along with the oral exam guide. Know your sectional maps and airspace well! My nerves were quickly eased as I realized the examiner was there to help me pass, not fail.
The flying portion was quick and easy. We did basic ground reference maneuvers, vor tracking, shortfield/softfield demos, and some hood work. The biggest thing is to calm your nerves and just fly the plane!
There is not a better feeling than walking away from a check ride with your license. Remember to work hard, study hard, and stay with it. It is the most rewarding experience. Tell me about your check ride stories in the comments! I start my instrument rating tomorrow and there will be many more stories to come.

Upcoming...

Hey Everyone,
Just checking in since I have not written in a while! I recently passed my private check ride and have been very busy prepping for that. I plan to make multiple post about the experience within the week. I will also post a review of the iFly 500 GPS system.

Happy Flying!
Justin Grant

Busy Times!

With college classes back in full swing and flight school I have not had much time to write any new stories. I hope to update the page this weekend with new material. In the mean time, I have been busy working with a local paper wanting to do an article on my flying experiences. The staff of the paper made a great story and it gives a positive view of flying. Here is the link: http://tmn.truman.edu/theindex/2012/09/12/to-the-skies/
I hope this inspires you to follow your dreams. It is certainly working out great for me and the only thing I regret is not following them sooner. Enjoy!

Once Again, My Video From The TV Interview

My 60 seconds of fame!

Here is the link I promised from my TV interview and landing w/o flaps or electrical system. Enjoy!


http://www.heartlandconnection.com/news/story.aspx?id=796039

What a day! In Flight Failure...

Have you ever walked out of your plane shaking from excitement and fear? I can now say I have. Today I was interviewed by a local tv station about aviation and being a student pilot. After being on camera and answering some questions it was time for me to fly so they could "catch the action" on camera. First of all the plane wouldn't start, dead battery. Anxiously rushing with my instructor to charge it I was sweating by the time the camera was on me to fly. I hop in the plane, crank the key and wait... finally it started! End of my problems right? Wrong. Shortly after take off I had a complete electrical system failure. Lights, radios, flaps, all gone. I could hear what sounded like a winding down humming noise in my headphones. Trying to stay calm I turned off all the radios and lights in order to see if that would help the flaps come down for landing. I kept monitoring the engine rpms and oil pressure as I didn't know what else could be wrong with the airplane. I kept saying to myself "just fly the airplane and stay in the traffic pattern". I extended my downwind in order to avoid dropping the plane in with high speed and no flaps. I floated the plane to the runway and let out a sigh of relief when I heard those tires hit the ground. Keep in mind all of this was caught on camera and will be on the local news tonight. Unfortunately, the news crew had no idea anything was going on so my landing will be showed as a normal landing when it was far from that. This just goes to show anything can happen anytime and you have to stay calm and remember your training. I will throw up the video from the news station later tonight!

Off Topic: Flight Sim Review

So there is much debate over what the best home flight simulator is and many are torn between the options. Let me preface by saying I have been using home flight simulators for 10+ years and have flown almost every home sim possible. Today I will give my opinion on two of the most popular and newest simulations. It is X-Plane 10 vs Microsoft Flight Simulator 10. I will break the review down by different aspects of the sims and will present a winner of each category. Hopefully this will help you decide which sim is best for you!

Graphics:
Obviously X-Plane 10 is the newer by 6 years or so but there is still some competition with graphics. In my opinion x-plane has crisper ground textures, roads, and water textures. X-Plane also has an awesome weather system. FSX is a clear winner when it comes to airports though. Without add on's X-Plane does not have any airport buildings, jetways, scenery, etc.. FSX can look as good as X-Plane in all the other departments with things like REX but those come at a hefty price. If you can live without airport buildings or want to purchase some then X-Plane is the winner. If you want jet ways and such but don't mind inferior textures then FSX is your bet.

My pick: X-Plane



Realism: 
I wont go on and on about every little aspect of realism. Simply put X-Plane is more realistic feeling to me. After flying all summer in a 152 and a 172 then flying them on each sim I have to say X-Plane wins. FSX is simpler and more fun sometimes to fly each plane but X-Plane takes the cake for most realistic physics and flight model.

My pick: X-Plane



User Interface: 
FSX has a great user interface and it is easy to use. It also has fun interactive missions and lessons you can take. While the developers at X-Plane are starting to make it easier to navigate it still looks dated and confusing.

My pick: FSX



Planes and Developer Content:
Since FSX has been around a lot longer it has much more add on content and cool realistic programs you can buy. I also think FSX comes with a better standard of airplanes when compared to X-Plane. However, many developers are switching to X-Plane so in a short amount of time this could be reversed. X-Plane is constantly being updated and has a solid future ahead of it while FSX was essentially shut down by Microsoft.

My pick for now: FSX
My pick in a year or less: X-Plane most likely




Overall they are both solid choices. I own both and like them differently for the reasons above. I will tell you the sim I play the most right now is still FSX. The added content I have makes it an attractive choice for me over the new X-Plane. However, X-Plane has been working its way up as I discover new things with it. I think in the future X-Plane has great potential to be THE flight sim for almost everyone. That is just my 2 cents on these sims. Let me know your opinion in the comment section!

My Recent Flying Experience

Recently I traveled on a small commuter airline and had one of the best flying experiences ever. First off this airline doesn't have a co-pilot so they allowed me to ride shotgun on the flight. I brought my headset along and had the opportunity to chat with the pilot for over an hour. He really shed some light on the commuter life and working for a small airline. The pilot broke down the positives and negatives of flying for a commuter. Here is a brief summary of what he said.


Pros

• He is home every night and flies out of the same airport every morning. 
• Works 4 days on and 3 days off (pro or con)
• Pay is over 2x what a F/O at a regional is
• Opportunity to move routes every 6 months
• Build PIC hours
• Other pilots respect 
• Free air travel on major airlines 

Cons

• Flying the same route can get boring.
• Flies all day when working 
• Wiped after working 14-16 hours
• Pay plateaus after a few years
• Being the only pilot can be tough
• Older planes with no glass cockpit 

The young pilot was very encouraging and happy with his job. It made me feel even better about my decision to become a pilot. No job is perfect but seeing someone happy in what is considered the harder years of aviation (first 5-10 years starting off) gave me even more confidence. I would like to be sitting in the shoes of this pilot in the next few years. I hope this is encouraging for those young pilots like myself getting into the industry.  

The Dreaded Private Pilot Written Exam...

The day is your first flight lesson ever. You pull back on the yoke and feel the excitement as you lift off the ground. Anxiously watching, your instructor brings the plane back in for a landing and you are still in the daze of the first lesson. Whats next? Probably not studying for a written test that involves no flying. Well after spending countless hours studying and then acing the test I will give you my advice for your private pilot written test.

I took a ground school at my university as well as ASA's Virtual Test Prep home school DVD set. This was probably a little over kill. Choose one or the other. If you have the opportunity to take a ground school somewhere with a real instructor do this. The DVD's are great and will get you ready but aren't the same as interaction with another person. If you do choose to do the home DVD's I have heard Sportys has a better program than ASA but the local shop had ASA for me.

As far as text books all I used was Jeppesen's private pilot text book and practice question book (Ill post links to everything down below). Just get one text book and one book that has practice questions. I was talked into buying multiple practice test software's and they are all identical.

Ok so now you have your supplies, how are you going to study? Well most instructors tell you "get the written out of the way as soon as possible". While this is extremely convenient I slightly disagree. There were things I learned along the way from my flying lessons that really helped me with my written test. Now I am not saying wait till the last minute to take it. However, if you wait until after you have some flying experience under your belt you might find an added bonus when you do decide to take the test. The way I studied was this. I took the ground school and passed that. Six months later I decided to get my license and didnt really remember much from my class. So I worked through the home DVDs every other night after my flying lessons. TAKE NOTES DURING THE GROUND SCHOOL LESSONS!!! Whether you are learning on the discs or from an instructor make sure you must take notes. After the DVDs all I did was plow through practice test after practice test until I thought i'd seen every question there was. Don't bother re watching the DVDs as the practice tests are crucial. Call the place where you are taking the written as they will allow you to come in and take free practice tests. Get used to the atmosphere there. Once you can get at least an 80% or above consistently then you can think about taking the real test. You only need a 70% to pass.

Now its time to take a deep breath and take your test. You will find the test is very similar to all the practice tests you have taken. Get a glass of water and make sure you have your drivers license and log book with endorsements. If you are taking the test on the computer you can register for your testing center with CATS testing registration and save some time.

So there is my experience with prepping for the test. Please send me comments and questions you have! Also let me know how your written test went!!

Links to books and DVDs:
http://www.amazon.com/Guided-Flight-Discovery-Private-Pilot/dp/088487429X/ref=pd_sim_b_13

http://www.amazon.com/Private-Pilot-Airmen-Knowledge-Guide/dp/0884875164/ref=pd_sim_b_2

http://www.sportys.com/PilotShop/category/1038

http://www.asa2fly.com/Virtual-Test-Prep---Private-Pilot-Widescreen-Edition-P1050_product1.aspx?UserID=21891133&SessionID=tvi3YXJHBvVtysxlwb9G

Prepare to be crammed in the small cockpit of your first training plane!

Just another pic of myself and the Cessna 152 I have been flying all summer!

The day of my first solo!

How To Pick The Right Flight School And Getting Started

Okay so you've finally decided to choose flying as your career, congrats! I am sure you've known all along that is what you have wanted to do. But where do you go from there? I have spent months battling myself on how to pursue this career. Hopefully this post will help save you time and the headache involved. Below are some things to consider when choosing your training route!

• Step 1
• Think into the future!! Don't get caught up in the rush and forget about what lies ahead. Why am I saying this? Most students think to get into a flying career they can skip college and go straight to flight school. While this is true it could be a crucial mistake for down the road. Consider this, all it takes is a medical accident for a pilot to lose his or her license. This means they are completely out of a job and with no college degree to fall back on. Or what if the economy tanks and you are laid off. With a college degree you can work in another field while waiting to start flying again. No ones wants to be out of a job with no back up options. I'm sure your future family will thank you for planning ahead. Another misconception is your degree has to be in aviation. Actually most pilots discourage a degree in aviation as they claim it isn't very useful. The airlines just want to see a 4 year degree, it doesn't matter what its in. My recommendation, go for something technical or with business. This will make you much more versatile and open up a world of opportunities. 
• Step 2
• With step 1 in mind now you can choose how you want to do your training. Here are the options below and brief description of each. 
• University Flight Schools (UND, Purdue, SLU, Embry, etc...) 
• Pros: Experienced professors and instructors, some guarantee an interview, newer planes and technology, financial aid, college atmosphere, in depth, you'll receive an aviation degree, and have connections
• Cons: Super expensive (unless you get a scholarship), could be 3x as expensive compared to other options, you are just a number, aviation degree (read step 1),  and sometimes over glorified.
• If you can afford it and/or don't mind debt surpassing 100k in some cases then a university is a solid choice. However, you are just a number and you leave with the same ratings as anyone else working towards their career. Check the school out and get a feel for it. Don't fall for everything they tell you about pilot shortages and job guarantees. Test the waters yourself by visiting and decide from there! 
• Fast Track School (ATP, Pan Am, etc...)
• Pros: Quick and simple, get your ratings and pay an average price, 120 days or less, all over the country, flexible costs, financial aid, and can be done at your own pace.
• Cons: You'll leave with less knowledge than at a university (instrument rating in 5 days some claim, really??), hidden costs of tests and fees, some locations have gotten poor ratings by students, have to start paying debt off quicker. 
• Do your research when it comes to fast track schools. Some can be a great option to spend a summer or a semester off knocking out all your ratings. But be warned when you start flying for hire you might feel that your lacking some information you missed doing the ratings so fast. Also a faster track means a sooner time to start paying off all that debt! 
• Local FBO
• Pros: Flexible schedule, reasonable, more one on one time, allows time for college or working along side, you get the same ratings, meet new people at the airport, and you can find local flight schools at just about any airport!
• Cons: Some instructors might be less experienced (this can really go for any option though), older planes, can take a lot longer depending on how often you go, not guaranteed a job or interview anywhere. 
• If you are a college student or working a job then this is a great option. Flexible schedules and usually cheaper costs can really help out. But make sure you go 2-3 times a week so you don' have to repeat lessons. And check into the school to make sure the planes are properly maintained and registered. 
• Step 3
• Pursue it! Once you've made your decision start calling the school you have decided on and get all the information possible. Stay on the ball and be prepared to study lots. There is nothing more rewarding than studying your ass off for a check ride or written test and acing it. The more you slack off the longer it will take you and the more money you will end up spending!

So what track am I doing? Well I decided to go through a local FBO for my training. I am going to school for a physics and math degree and flying on the side. I can get all my ratings (including multi engine) right here in town while getting my degrees. Everyone has different preferences and only you can decide your track! Hopefully this helps clear things up some! I am in no way a pro at this but these are just my findings along the way as a student. Please comment, I would love to hear from you! 

How to Finance Your Dream

If your like me then you have struggled to come up with the financing for pilot training. It is even harder if you aren't doing it through a big school or university. But even enrolled as a full time college student and doing flight school on the side I have found a way. And so can you! Below is a list of all the options I explored and whats available to us. Please comment and add to this list if you have any other ideas. Feed back is always appreciated! Keep in mind the banks don't give out loans for flight training specifically anymore.

• Work
• Yes, the best way to stay debt free is to work and fly with the money you have. This happens to also be the hardest way if you are still in college or high school. Working while balancing school can be tough. Not to mention your probably only looking at minimum wage for your first few jobs. However, I have a part time job and any extra money I have goes into the flying fund.  If you are still in high school or younger start saving. Open a separate account for your flying costs and save up. You'll really appreciate it in the future.
• Scholarships
• There are TONS of aviation scholarships that many don't know about or apply for. With a well written essay and solid recommendations you'll stand a good shot at getting at least one scholarship to help training. This can range from $500 to covering the cost of all your training. 
• Student Loans
• Use these as a last resort. Remember anything you borrow you have to pay back with interest. However they are very helpful if you are a student looking for training funds. My parents would not pay for my flight training so I was forced to get some student loans. But you said above that banks don't give out loans for flight training? Correct. However if you are in college there are ways to do it. Check with your university and see if they will honor any of your flying for college credit. My school required me to type up a syllabus and present to them why they should consider giving me credit but it worked. Through your university you can get student loans from Wells Fargo or Sallie Mae. Any extra money not needed for your tuition (or your tuition is already paid for ) will go straight to you. Then you can use this for flying. But remember, lat resort. 
• Pilot Finance
• PilotFinance.com offers loans specifically for flight training. While this can be helpful they do have high interest rates and I have heard they are strict about some limitations of the loan. However if you can pay this off quickly (6 months or so) then it can be a great short time loan for anyone looking to fly. 
• Commercial License
• Once you have this you can fly for compensation as well as build hours of flight time. Look for jobs towing banners or parachute dropping. There are tons of things one can do with a commercial license that will help pay for flight costs.                                                                                        

What To Expect With An Aviation Career Part 1

To many people pilots are high paid professionals who get to globe trot and stay only at the finest places. If there is one thing I have learned along the way it is that this does not represent pilots as a whole. Here are some brief expectations for working at a regional airline. I will discuss the majors and the corporate world in another blog post. Most of this information I have gathered from professionals currently work for regional airlines.

Regional Airlines

• Low pay ($19-$24 per hour)
• Figure 75 hours a month and taxes taken out you could be making sub 20k a year.
• Don't forget you have to pay back student loans and other monthly payment.
• Poor Schedule
• Until you build seniority you don't have much flexibility on when and where you fly. 
• This means possibly working Christmas and other major holidays. 
• Gone 4 days and home 3 inst uncommon. With delays and weather you could be looking at more time away from home. 
• On Call
• Some pilots are on call, meaning they fly on the drop of a dime when the company calls them. 
• This could make for planning anything in advance quite difficult. 
• Building Hours
• Regional's are a great way to build hours towards the majors. However getting into the captains seat is huge. Pilot in Command hours are often more respected by the airlines than Second in Command hours (First officer). 
• Some regional airlines have faster upgrade times. 
• Some pilots get stuck in a F/O position for years because of the economy or any other economic or world event. The airline industry can be a lot like the stock market, up and down
• Locations
• Popular to contrary belief you wont be traveling the world when you first start flying. At a regional airline you will be most likely flying to smaller towns within the country. Of course you'll also hit the large metro areas but don't expect to make any flights over seas. 
• Lack of Sleep
• This has been a huge issue within the aviation industry. Following the crash of Colgan Air 3407 pilot fatigue has become a well known problem. You are at the realm of the regional airline and they will most likely work you until you are too tired to think. But don't expect to get to much sleep. The 8 hours pilots are required to rest also include traveling to the hotel, unpacking, and adjusting to sleep. Then you start all over in the morning. 

Regional airlines are great for building hours and experience. But as you can see they are far from the glamour of the pilot stereotype. Don' let this scare you as the regionals are just a stepping stone for many. 

About me

My name is Justin Grant and I am currently a pilot in training with hopes to make it to the big leagues of the aviation industry one day. My purpose of this blog is to help other student pilots along the way as I post about my experiences (both negative and positive). I am currently balancing college, a serious relationship, and flight training on the side. I hope to inspire and help others as we all track towards our dream of flying. Like many of you I have had a love (understatement) for aviation since a young age. Anything outside of aviation was not an option for myself. As I am just starting my aviation journey I have already learned a lot and continue to do so every day. I know the journey will be long and tough but I am more than excited. Join me on the adventure as I progress into one of the most exciting and challenging industries to date!