Jack Wright blog

Today I flew to Manchester and got more experience with air traffic control. The Manchester airport was a little more busy than the Portsmouth airport so there was more to do. We did two landings and Manchester and then taxied back to the FBO. we then returned to Laconia and did another 4 landings. The landings were simple full stop and gos. 

Today I flew from Laconia and did a local solo flight around the area. I climbed out to 3000 feet then did lower on and off stalls. Then I went over the lake and flew around for a while before returning to Laconia. I did five takeoffs and landings. Some of them were short field and soft field takeoffs. The landings went well and there was a decent crosswind. 

This week was primarily focusing on studying for the private pilot knowledge test which I am planning on taking in the next month. While I am also approaching 30 hours of flight time. The minimum amount is 40 hours however most people complete the certificate in 50-70 hours. I have been studying each day for the private pilot knowledge test for one hour to two hours a day. This week I also had the opportunity to fly to Las Vegas and back. This was a good preview of what could potentially be my career in the future. It’s always good to see airline operations. Before each flight I was able to visit the cockpit and talk with the pilots about their careers. Even though my parents are both captains at United it is always good to talk and network with other pilots. This is incredibly important because it is always a good idea to now as many pilots as possible. I talked with the Delta pilot and told them i'm planning on going to Auburn University which has a Delta airlines flight program.

Today I flew as a passenger from Boston Logan International over to McCarran airport in Las Vegas. I flew onboard a Delta Airlines Boeing 737-800. It’s always good to watch the procedures and ways airlines operate. The registration for this aircraft was N3755D. There was slight delay due to a disabled aircraft on the runway that required a tug. We couldn’t use any other runways because we were slightly heavy so the engines shut down and we waited for 4R. After no time we were en route to Vegas. Always good to watch the airline side of aviation. I returned on JetBlue onboard an airbus A321. 

I flew from Laconia to Concord. The winds were light and i I was able to head over to concord to gain some experience. I dialed in the concord vor and used that as a my nav source even though it was not needed for the short flight over to concord. The weather was nice and I did a straight out departure off of runway 26 then turned to the south east. I flew to concord then did a few landings before returning to Laconia. I did two more landings at Laconia before heading back to the barn. I did the securing checklist and called it a day.  

Today I flew from Laconia over to Concord. This flight was intended to just gain some experience on flying into different airports. I used the concord vor as my nav source even though it wasn’t necessary for getting to concord. I departed off runway 26 and departed straight out to the southwest. I went into concord did a few landings and then returned to Laconia and did a few landings. I then completed my post flight checklist and returned home.

Today I flew solo in the pattern. I was supposed to do a local solo but was unable due to the ceiling never raising above 2500 ft. Instead I did 7 landings on 26. These were very productive and required me to focus more because the PAPI lights were not working. All large airports and most small airports have PAPI lights. These lights assure pilots that’s they are on glide slope. 2 white and 2 reds means the aircraft is on glide slope. 4 white means way too high and 4 red means way to low. 3 white 1 red means a little high and 3 red and 1 white mean slightly low. 

Today I studied for the FAA knowledge test that private pilots have to take in order to receive their certificate. This test is a multiple choice test. All the questions can be found in an official test booklet and that is how I am studying for it. I read the booklet with hundreds of questions. I have also been taking the online practice test. 

I flew out of Laconia and stayed local working on instruments. After departing and climbing through about 1200 ft I put the hood on which blocks your vision so you can only look at the instruments. I dialed in the Concord and Portsmouth VORS and used those as my priamary navigational aids. I worked on basic maneuvers. We then returned to the pattern and set up a couple landings on 8. Two of these landings I did without my primary flight display so I had to use the backup air speed indicator, artificial horizon, and altimeter. These were pretty easy when flying visually because I am very used to the Laconia traffic pattern and the runways.

This week the weather was much better and I was able to fly a lot more than the prior week. I was able to do two short flights to Rochester and Portsmouth. I was also able to fly locally and work on tracking a VOR. This week I am looking to do a local solo flight with a few landings at KLCI. Then also a solo cross country to Concord or Rochester. I am also planning to do a dual cross country to Keen and Springfield then back to Laconia. Although the weather is not looking amazing for this upcoming week. I am scheduled to fly this Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday so hopefully some of these days will work out.

Today I flew out of Laconia and flew a short flight over to Portsmouth Intl at Pease. Pease Air Field is a little different from Laconia and other small airports because it is a controlled airport like the larger airports (Logan, Manchester, JFK etc.) This is different from my usual local flying because at Laconia I use a CTAF (common traffic advisory frequency) and at Portsmouth I am actually talking to Controllers. I started talking to Boston approach about 20 miles away from Portsmouth and I was transferred to Portsmouth tower about 10 miles from the field. I did a straight in approach and landed 16. I did two landings then taxied to the FBO using the ground frequency. I then departed on 16 at the B intersection and was transferred back to Boston approach and returned to Laconia.

I started my day at Laconia Airport. I departed Laconia and departed straight out to the west and then intercepted the Concord VOR. A VOR stands for Very High Frequency Omi-Directional Range and is a type of short range radio nav system that aircraft can utilize. It has a receiving unit which determines the position and helps keep the aircraft on course. It uses fixed base ground radio beacons.  After working with the VORs I went under the hood for a while and practiced following headings and other basic maneuvers which included steep bank turns. I also worked on unusual  attitudes. 

Today I flew a short cross country to Rochester Airport. I practiced a normal preflight inspection and startup. I also flight planned with winds for the short hop to Rochester. I departed on runway 26 and departed to the southeast. The flight was very short and only required a couple way points. When I arrived in Rochester I entered the right hand traffic pattern landed then repeated that four time before retuning to Laconia. I made two full stop landings in Laconia before retiring to the ramp.

Today I drove to Laconia airport and arrived at the airport around seven. I arrived and briefed with my instructor and waited until sunset at 7:56. Then I did a pre flight inspection of the aircraft and at around 8:20 departed. In order to log hours as night hours they must occur thirty minutes after sunset.  We took off of 26 and departed to the northeast. I reviewed slow flight, steep bank turns, and power on/off stalls. One hour after departing we returned to airport and I logged five night landings.

This week I was only able to fly once due to inclimate weather which I explained on my previous post. Instead of flying I mostly worked on ground school. I drove to Laconia a couple times and received ground training. This included prep for cross country and night flights. I specifically worked on night ground training and different components of night time flight operations. This included the instruments that are required for night VFR flights. In addition I also prepped for the FAA written exam which I am planning on taking later this month. It is one of the requirements the FAA has in order to receive a private pilot certificate. Tomorrow I will have a local night flight. This includes arriving at the airport around 7 and briefing until 7:55 which is the civil sunset time. I will do a normal preflight inspection and then depart. In order for a flight to be logged as night time hours it must be thirty minutes after sunset and in order to log night time landings they must occur one fu

Due to the weather the entire week I have been unable to fly. Student pilots and private pilots must obey a set of rules called visual flight rules. These rules require that the aircraft be 500 feet below any weather and have at least three miles visibility. Obviously this week has mostly been overcast which is not conducive to VFR flight rules. I have been studying for the FAA written exam mostly this week. The written exam consists of multiple choices questions. The weather is supposed to clear up so I will most likely be able to fly the next three days.