I’ve got 3 dual instructional flights, 1 solo, and a checkride before I’m done with Stage 2 commercial. This stage I’ve been learning accuracy landings, and maneuvers such as Lazy Eights, Chandelles, Eights on Pylons, Steep Spirals… If my instructor didn’t annoy me quite a bit, I think I’d probably be enjoying it a lot more. Fortunately, Stage 3 is in a “complex” airplane and I’ll have a different instructor. “Complex” probably sounds cooler than it is– all it means is a plane with flaps, retractable gear and a variable pitch prop. Still, it will be the first time I’ve ever flown something other than a Cessna 172. Well, sort of. It’s a Cessna 172-RG.

I just found out last week that I have to have the FAA Commercial Written Exam AND I have to pass an oral exam before completion of Stage 2. It would have been good if I’d known this sooner. Still, it’s not a very big deal. I’ve been studying for the written, and like all FAA written exams I’ve taken before it, it will be a pain.

And it looks like I’m going to have plenty of time since the weather has turned all wintery again. The AWOS this morning was claiming 2 miles visibility, 100 feet overcast and light snow. There’s no snow, so I think the “automated percipitation descriminator” wasn’t doing such a good job of discriminating.

The weather was nice yesterday, which is why the plane I was scheduled in was broken. And the weather is predicted to be bad for the whole week.

So, back to my books. I haven’t scored less than a 90 on any of my written exams so far, and I wouldn’t want to screw that up here at the end. Not that it matters to anyone but me.