^^^ Click on the photo to see the set. Note this photo was from a lesson in the weeks leading up to the exam, so you cant see the snow band! This picture is now on airnav.com for KELM, credited to Miney Hall (with yours truly in the pilot seat) ^^^
The day started out with my mind waking me up at 5am in a crappy hotel room in Elmira NY. My arms and ass cheeks were still sore from 6 injected vaccines I received the day before, for my upcoming Africa travels. I tried to sleep to the 7am alarm, but gave up about 6am. Peering out the window all I could see was grey sky and a few light snow flakes - not good for a VFR pilot! My instructor had not called me, so I figured we were still on. I turned on the weather channel and the radar showed a cloud mass over Elmira, but NOTHING to the north. I grabbed coffee and went to the airport (KELM). Sure enough, looking northwards I could see blue sky and a bright sunrise. We're good to go ... :)
We pulled the plane from the hangar and called for fuel. She was a beat up old thing, but she looked great to me today, although I was hoping this would be the last time I would have to fly her.
We were wheels up (well wheels off the runway in the case of the Cessna 172) at 9am off runway 6 - a straight out on course departure - everything was going right for me today, I didnt even need to change course off the runway heading. We climbed to 5500 and I leaned out the plane - normally in lessons we left this full rich (safer for students who might forget to enrichen the mixture on the way back down), but that altitude needed some leaning. No wind, blue sky, bright sun, perfect day for flying. There was some snow on the ground, a light dusting at the higher elevations. In the distance we could see Lake Ontario with a power plant giving a hint at the wind direction (060 at about 2 kts - not much at all). My instructor and I went over oral exam questions on the way up - about a 2 hr flight.
We eventually found Malone NY, a small little town sandwiched between 3 water towers supporting 3 prisons and a Walmart. We landed on runway 5 and backtaxied on 14 to a little shack. The examiner came out to meet us wearing one of those leather flying caps like Charlie Brown would wear. Another student (female) and instructor were there - she was taking a multi engine checkride. Her instructor was a constant talker with a 9mm pistol under his belt which he proudly showed us. At one stage a guy came in and asked who the examiner was taking up and was he a guy - this instructor responded from the toilet "Yeah its a guy - a guy with tits". Lots of crass humor in this little hut.
I was extremely nervous when we arrived. My heartrate was probably in the high 90s. I jogged back and forth between the hut and the plane just to try to relax the tension. The time between arrival (10:30am) and when I finally got started with the exam (2pm) was actually good - it gave me a chance to relax. If you do get some time before your exam, try to just hang out for a while - Id suggest a half hour - just to relax your nerves from the flight in and the importance of what you are about to do.
My exam started at 2pm with an oral exam. The examiner asked all sorts of questions about my plane - some I knew, others I needed to refer to the manual on. Knowing the voltage of the electrical systems might be useful - but Id argue knowing or not knowing it doesnt make you a better pilot. I was told at the end of the exam that Id done well in the oral component - but at the time it didnt feel like it as I missed on a few. I erred on the side of caution - better to be wrong on a question such as "Is it legal to land at an airport where the runway lights are inoperational" than say "yes its legal" and then find out it isnt. Apparently it is legal - but not recommended!! The oral lasted about 45 mins to 1 hr.
Finally we got into the practical. I had to add some oil, impressing the examiner with my method of running oil down the dipstick which my instructor had showed me early on in my lessons. Good start I figured. He asked me about the cooling vents for the electronics - just a couple of small vents behind the engine cowling about where the firewall is - I didnt know about them, but I muttered something about making sure they were clear and saying they were obviously there to cool something.
We taxied out to runway 5 where the examiner asked for a short field takeoff. Before I could do it he said "I have the controls" and proceeded to taxi around a metal part that had fallen off some aircraft during the day which was lying on the runway edge. Phew - hearing those words before youve even had a chance to start was unsettling. He lined me up again and I fed in full throttle holding the plane back on brakes, then releasing and rotating at about 60 kts and climbing out at that speed for best angle of climb. The cold air (25F) helped the engine pull harder and she climbed out strongly.
My first task was to set myself onroute for my planned destination - Maxton Airport - about 70NM away. I departed the downwind leg a little too early, putting myself to the west of my intended flight path. He picked up on this immediately of course and I rectified after seeing Route 11 extending away from me on my flight path (that route was clearly visible on the map). As expected he asked me to divert - to Cornwall Airport. I responded by changing course to Cornwall, which by chance was on a course of 360 due north - easy to find and follow. Yes things were going well today.
With the pilotage tasks out the way it was time for maneuvers. We went through these in this order:
- Steep turns
- Dirty Stall
- Dirty Stall with a 20 degree bank
- Clean Stall
- Clean Stall with a 20 degree bank
- Slow Flight - Dirty
- Continued under the foggles
- VOR navigation
- (foggles off)
- Regular landing
- Go around aborted landing
- Short field landing with a forward slip to land
- Soft field landing
- Emergency on cross wind - soft field landing with a simulated freaking out passenger
My only mistakes were that I didnt switch to left rudder after my initial right hand steep turn (I just left the right rudder in on the left turn!), and trying slow flight at 40 degrees of flap instead of the recommended 20 degrees. He did ask me to do some things Id never done before also, such as a no flap landing, and stalls with a 20 degree bank. He also showed me a great trick on the 20 degree stalls - I had a tendency to bring the plane back to straight before the stall, but he showed me how to quickly flick the alerons in the direction of the break of the stall to bring the plane back level. (ie. if the stall occurs and your banking left 20 degrees the plane is likely to go left wing down - to avoid this just watch the nose and if you see it go left, twitch the yoke to the right quickly and it will fall straight instead of left). I really appreciated this attitude by the examiner - although he was judging my ability to fly, he was also teaching me at the same time - skills which make me a better and safer pilot as I continue my learning after the exam.
The final maneuver was a multitasking one. On the crosswind out of runway 5 he pulled the power and so I setup to land on the cross runway 14. He also started to act like a frightened passenger - making me fly the plane and speak in soothing terms to my passenger at the same time - which is a likely event if you experience a problem with non pilot passengers aboard. Then on approach he asked me for a soft field landing. All these things going on at once was a good test as you had to absorb and process all this information at once (flaps, calm passenger, soft field - where you were landing, slip if too high, etc).
Once we landed he took the controls and taxied back to the ramp - I wasnt sure if Id passed yet, but I felt pretty good about what Id done in the air. As we got near the ramp he said "Well Id let my mother fly with you son" and shook my hand - so I figured Id passed - and yes it felt good.
After we paid our money and said our goodbyes we left Malone at 5pm, this time as a Pilot without the prefix of Student (although part of me knows Im really still a student as my experience level isnt there yet). We landed at Potsdam NY to refuel as night fell, and then on to Rome NY where I would leave my instructor to take the plane back to Elmira. The feeling in the cockpit on the way back was great - my instructor was happy, I was happy, and as we flew and talked it felt like we were two pilots sharing the duties, not just instructor and student. 6500ft over black forest, the red glow of the cabin light, keeping an eye on the GPS to ensure we were on course, talking with my buddy about the mysteries of women, the joy of succeeding at something and trying to work out whats next in life for both of us. Ill never forget that feeling as we flew over the darkness of the Adirondaks.
Rome is the former Grifiss AFB so the runway is ridiculously long - we actually flew down the runway to land closer to the first taxiway. I left my instructor with the handshake and a hug - he ended up having to divert from Elmira to Penn Yann NY as the snow line we'd just escaped in the morning dumped freezing rain all over that airport - my luck had held just enough for me to capture my prize.
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