Posts by Berck

FAA Written Exams


by Berck

I’m done with FAA written exams for a long time. I took both the Flight Instructor Airplane and Advanced Ground Instructor exams today. It’s a pretty difficult exam and I got the lowest scores I’ve ever gotten on an FAA exam: an 83 and an 88. They’re both pretty much the same test. I don’t know that I’ll need an Advanced Ground Instructor certificate for anything, but the only thing you have to do to get it is pass the written exam. (You don’t even have to be a pilot.) Considering the required exam is pretty much the same, I figured I’d just go ahead and take both of them so I won’t have to at some later point.

Unfortunately, because the school doesn’t have a course for Advanced Ground Instructor, they couldn’t issue me the certificate. So I had to drive up to the Flight Standards District Office to get my certificate. They won’t let anyone in the door without an appointment– fortunately I knew this ahead of time. The FSDO is on the top floor of a large office complex. You can tell which door it is because of the absurd security notices posted on the door and the little glass window with a slot underneath. And an intercom thing.

Fortunately, getting in was the hardest part. After looking at all the required paperwork, an inspector issued me the certificate in just a couple of minutes.

I’m not really sure what they’re scared of or just how they think a fancy door and requiring appointments alleviates those fears.

Posted in Flying | 1 Comment

Airshow!


by Berck

Joanna and I went to an airshow at Tinker AFB today. The Thunderbirds were performing… we also got to see a B-1, KC-135, E-6B, F-15, P-47, B-25, MIG-17 among others. The B-1 did a Mach .9 pass over the field. I say it would have been cooler at mach 1.1. The F-15 was pretty spectacular and amazingly loud. The Thunderbirds were, of course, quite impressive… but having seen both, I think the Blue Angels put on a better show.

They also had a fully operational B-1, B-2, B-52, C-130, E-6, E-3, F-15 sitting out on the ramp… They were letting people walk through the C-130, KC-135, E3 and others, but we really weren’t in the mood to wait in line.

I mostly just watched, but here’s a shot of a P-51 Mustang in formation with an F-15 Eagle.

And, here’s a video of the P-51 on a low pass. Video quality isn’t much, but the sound of that V-12 engine….

Posted in Flying, Nonclassified Nonsense | 1 Comment

Fun with Google


by Berck

Place of interest should be in the middle, zoom in for best effect.

We live here.

I learn to fly here.

I used to work here.

At the same time, I lived here. Scroll northwest to see just how close to the airport I was.

I used to live in Georgia here.

We went to school here. I’m not sure why it looks like the bell tower has two shadows?

I lived here.

I spent much of my childhood in Mobile, here.

It would be cooler if I actually put X’s on the appropriate buildings, but oh well.

Posted in Nonclassified Nonsense | No Comments

I passed.


by Berck

Well, I passed the recheck. Now on to finish my CFI and MEL. Considering that I need to fly a complex airplane for a CFI and I need to fly a multi-engine airplane for the MEL, and my flight school has no operating complex or multi-engine aircraft, this could take longer than the week it should.

Posted in Flying | 2 Comments