What I'm doing...

The story so far is I've got my PPL (private pilot’s licence) now. The next step is a set of 14 exams (ATPL) and build up 150 odd hours of flight time while I'm doing them.

The ATPL (Airline Transport Pilots Licence) exams are set out like this.


To Do


Principles of Flight

General Navigation

Flight Planning and Monitoring

Meteorology
Instrumentation
Radio Navigation

Aircraft General Knowledge
Performance


Complete


IFR Communications

VFR Communications

Human Performance & Limitations

Operational Procedures

Air Law

Mass & Balance


While I'm doing these I'm going to be building up my hours flying family and friends all around Ireland. I've also got to do ratings such as a night rating and maybe a tail wheel course! Hopefully there'll be some interesting cross water flights into the UK, Europe and myself and Pete are taking a plane from Palm Beach in Florida to San Francisco and back in January.

Then once the exams are completed and I've built up enough hours it’s on to the CPL course, the multi engine and instrument ratings. These are the last steps but unfortunately the most expensive and difficult.

I'll post regularly below on the progress and I'll also add the pictures of everyone that’s come with me so far!

Monday, January 12, 2009

USA here we are!!!

We've finally made it to America!!!

For those of you that haven't heard, myself and Pete are intending to travel from West Palm Beach in southern Florida to San Francisco and back again!! I say intending to because there is a multitude of things that could stop us getting there!! Never the less it will be an experience!

We arrived in Orlando on Thursday the 8th..... both of us we're wrecked so it was... find the FAA office, eat and then off for some sleep!!!! The next morning it was off to the FAA to get our licenses validated. Basically asked our names and if we could speak English and we got the piece of paper!!

Then we had a day to get to West Palm Beach which is 3 hours south of Orlando! As we had so much free time we decided to go have a look around! Of course, being such freaks we went straight to another Airport! In Kissimmee we found plenty of cool planes such as P-51 mustangs.... but the coolest by far had to be the T6 Texans of Warbird Adventures. Check out their website, www.warbirdadventures.com. They've got some really cool old planes in their museum including the Aero Car flown by James May in his program last Autumn.

Anyway... as we were looking around we spotted these 2 T6 Texans sitting in the corner. They were available to rent for intro flights including aerobatic flying! with one look at each other both of us were strapped into the planes and off we went! |It has to be one of the most amazing experiences of my life to date! It was amazing! until you've looked down at the earth from 5000ft while upside down you haven't lived!! I'll put up some of the best pics that we took and also the pics taken in air! If you clock them they open up bigger!

We both flew all the manoeuvres ourselves with the instructors only handling the take off and landing and a few other demos of the planes capabilities!

My toy for the day!!

Posing for the camera as we went vertical

Completely inverted

Going Vertical

Back on the ground


More to come tomorrow about our new favourite airport in the world in Lantana, and how our planning and check outs for the plane went!
Posted by Marc Barry at 3:28 AM

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The Band of the Famous door In New Orleans Playing our song for Maeve!!

Maeve recording my landing in Weston! Her shakey hands suggest she might have been a bit nervous!!

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