Great video Pokette! East Tenn was so much fun!

I flew around in circles with my instructor who signed me off to take my check ride. Got it Scheduled for Friday, or Wednesday depending on weather.

Only thing is, it will have to be a short check ride. Me + Examiner + empty airplane = room for 3 gallons of fuel. Just enough to taxi to the run up pad and still have reserve. I guess I need to figure out how to ask if it's ok that we fly over gross weight without failing the test right then.

Cessna 150's really don't have any utillity at all to them do they ? My Champ will have more load left over with the tank full, and it only has 75 HP.

DavidB. wrote:I flew around in circles with my instructor who signed me off to take my check ride. Got it Scheduled for Friday, or Wednesday depending on weather.

Only thing is, it will have to be a short check ride. Me + Examiner + empty airplane = room for 3 gallons of fuel. Just enough to taxi to the run up pad and still have reserve. I guess I need to figure out how to ask if it's ok that we fly over gross weight without failing the test right then.

Cessna 150's really don't have any utillity at all to them do they ? My Champ will have more load left over with the tank full, and it only has 75 HP.

This isn't the first time I have heard of this problem. Defiantly talk to him before you decide your good to go, from what I have heard is that they went over gross or didn't take the fuel required for the simulated cross country. I guess I was lucky (or maybe unlucky) that I did all of my training in a C172.

DavidB. wrote:I flew around in circles with my instructor who signed me off to take my check ride. Got it Scheduled for Friday, or Wednesday depending on weather.

Only thing is, it will have to be a short check ride. Me + Examiner + empty airplane = room for 3 gallons of fuel. Just enough to taxi to the run up pad and still have reserve. I guess I need to figure out how to ask if it's ok that we fly over gross weight without failing the test right then.

I would call him ASAP and ask him. Check rides and flight reviews are all a basic test of your skills and judgement... this doesn't fair well in the judgement department if you happen to ask that day.

Good luck (with the diet )

mountainmatt wrote:

DavidB. wrote:I flew around in circles with my instructor who signed me off to take my check ride. Got it Scheduled for Friday, or Wednesday depending on weather.

Only thing is, it will have to be a short check ride. Me + Examiner + empty airplane = room for 3 gallons of fuel. Just enough to taxi to the run up pad and still have reserve. I guess I need to figure out how to ask if it's ok that we fly over gross weight without failing the test right then.

I would call him ASAP and ask him. Check rides and flight reviews are all a basic test of your skills and judgement... this doesn't fair well in the judgement department if you happen to ask that day.

Good luck (with the diet )

I would talk to the examiner or at least your flight instructor right away, too. I think it would be in good judgment as well on your part. May even work out in your favor even before the check ride begins. Heck, they may even be sitting back expecting you to bring up the issue Part of the test?

mountainmatt wrote:

DavidB. wrote:I flew around in circles with my instructor who signed me off to take my check ride. Got it Scheduled for Friday, or Wednesday depending on weather.

Only thing is, it will have to be a short check ride. Me + Examiner + empty airplane = room for 3 gallons of fuel. Just enough to taxi to the run up pad and still have reserve. I guess I need to figure out how to ask if it's ok that we fly over gross weight without failing the test right then.

I would call him ASAP and ask him. Check rides and flight reviews are all a basic test of your skills and judgement... this doesn't fair well in the judgement department if you happen to ask that day.

Good luck (with the diet )

I will call him tomorrow, my CFII and I talked about it and he usually suggests about 2.5 hours of fuel. I have flown the 150 planty of times with 2 200 pounder in the front, and full fuel. In the early part of my training I didn't even realize it was a problem. Flys fine like that and gets off the ground plenty fast for what it is.

And yes, I am on a diet. Been loosing 3 to 4 pounds a week. It seems the more time I spend on my MT bike, and still not eating much, the weight seems to come off way slower. They say muscle is heavier than fat, thats my excuse.

Find a woman Examiner. They're lighter, smell better and when your jammed in a 150, it's a lot more cozy than being glued to the door

yeah they know that if you are in a 150 as I was... I advised him that we were over gross.. he wanted to see my calculations... showed him and he said good ... you know how to do it... what would you do .... told him , take out gas, go on a diet, get a bigger plane..... he passed me on that part and said "lets fly"...Now that was my flight examiner who had been doing it for decades... This all took place in the fbo on the morning of my flight check many years ago... don't know what your guy will do....they want to know if you know how to do weight and balance and make the right decisions...and haven't you been flying in that plane with your instructor... if so you probably were in the same situation all along unless the examiner is some 300 lb gorilla...

DavidB. wrote:Me + Examiner + empty airplane = room for 3 gallons of fuel.

Wow, and I thought I had to plan carefully when computing my W&B for my checkride (this coming Thursday)... But my 14 gallons allowable seems down right generous compared to your 3 gallons! Just make sure someone doesn't try to be helpful and top off the tanks the night before.

It's really pretty interesting how the means and methods of checkrides vary from examiner to examiner. My guy looked at my logbook, asked me if I thought it would be OK to fly the airplane without a spinner, (answer was no, I said yes) then we went flying for about 45 minutes. I hardly flew the airplane at all. He demonstrated a bunch of maneuvers from the commercial test and then we went back to his office for about a three hour oral. We spent the time looking at and analyzing GA accidents, working through the POH from cover to cover and talking about emergency procedures. That was it. I think I learned more from him than I had from all my instructors combined.

DavidB. wrote:Only thing is, it will have to be a short check ride. Me + Examiner + empty airplane = room for 3 gallons of fuel. Just enough to taxi to the run up pad and still have reserve. I guess I need to figure out how to ask if it's ok that we fly over gross weight without failing the test right then.

Cessna 150's really don't have any utillity at all to them do they ? My Champ will have more load left over with the tank full, and it only has 75 HP.

Definitely not legal either way.

Reduce weight, fly naked. You definitely want a cute examiner.

Run through the calcs again and make sure you didn't make a mistake, then talk to your CFI right away. I'd strongly suggest getting a lighter examiner or using a bigger plane, the former being a much better option.

This examiner has had 3 students in the last year in this aircraft. Not one was under 175, most were more. I talked to hime and went over the options and how over gross we are, but that it is in balance. I discussed the fast that we would need about 900 feet of runway, and all the airport we plan on visiting are 6000 or more (heck, MWH is 13500 feet) He cut me off mid explanation and said "just put what we will need plus reserve"
I am sure it will be fine. My test is Wednesday. Will probably also put paint on the Champ fuselage the Wednesday after this one. I am excited about both equally.

D.

see I told you.... It's no big deal... as long as you made him aware that you know it's over gross.. He flies over gross on every test he gives...but then all aircraft can fly over gross to a certain extent... it's built in by the factories.. It's just "Technically" not legal but we've all done it... Well maybe not all of us... I haven't

so,,, back to "Where did you fly"..... flew the back country of San Diego SUnday.... gave the Border Patrol something to talk about.... Touched down on an old Forestry strip in a canyon about 10 miles north of the border.... Saw a green pickup screaming down a dirt road in my direction about a mile and a half away....... Exit stage left.....

Went for a fun little evening flight after work tonight. Had a ginormous bug do a hole-in-one through the ventilation intake at the wing root shooting bug guts all over me from the overhead vent. It was pretty gross.

Due to my crane being in the shop, the last couple days I borrowed one from a fellow craner/pilot. The first day I drove to his shop to start the day: 1.5 hour drive one way, on top of the work day, then another 1.5 of driving to get home. Today, the second day, I flew to his neighbors airstrip , in 35 minutes. Did the crane thing for half the day, and then jumped back in the plane and on the way home (90 miles by car, 55 by air) hit about 2 dozen gravel bars and off airport landing areas. What a difference compared to driving! More fun and safer too.

I flew to the flight physicians office today..got signed off for another two years..was soooo happy I got in the plane and flew it around the countryside and did some slow flight (80mph) along side a flying buddy in his Champ. Beautiful day and evening for flying...life is good!

Just killed another logbook today. On to the next one

-DP

Got a few new ones today! Good times!




AKT

Ouch! At least it was just the tip, it could have been worse.