Here’s the news you’ve all been waiting for! I passed my flying exam! Now I have my official private pilot’s license! The tests consist of several phases/ exams. I had to take a written test, an oral exam, and a practical exam. The latter two I did on Thursday.
I got to the place in Bowman field where I would meet my examiner and we went over some paperwork and then began the oral part of the exam. He had me plan a route as well as do some weight and balance and landing/ takeoff distance calculations. Together we went over those and then he asked me some questions regarding the map, emergencies, the aircraft systems, and weather. After the oral part was over I went back to the hangar by myself (on the other side of the airport) and did preflight check and then brought the plane over to where I began the test in order to pick the examiner up. He got in the plane and we went over the log books for the airplane and then we were off (well when the tower said we could!). I did a short field take off and then we departed to the North (just across the Ohio River) where I did an S-Turn, a turn around a point, and then several different types of landings at Clark County Airport.
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| S-Turn |
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| Turn around a point. |
We then started the cross country part of the test (I had preset a course and had to follow part of it). He made sure I was where I was supposed to be in relation to the course I set. We went to the town of LaGrange (20 miles East) and then an imaginary storm came up so I had to divert and recalculate my distance and the time that it would take to get to the new destination. After that we did stalls, slow flight, steep turns, and instrument flying (I don’t look outside- only at the instruments to see where I am). At this point we were over the Ford Car Plant and we radioed Bowman to land and they said I could land straight in! Usually you have to fly around the airport before landing but this time since we were coming directly they allowed us to go straight in. I had never done this but I managed to do it all right and had the best landing ever for me. We taxied over to Central American (where I started the test) and then went inside and he signed some forms and that was it! I had passed my checkride! We waited a little bit as the plane was filled up and then I taxied back over to the East Ts where the plane is kept.
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| Bowman Field: star on left = Runway 6/ Central American (where I took the majority of the test), star on the right = Runway 24/ Louisville Aviation- where we keep the airplanes. |
God has blessed me so much with my ability to fly and it is only through Him that I am able to fly. I am working for Him in His Air Force to win the souls of the lost. Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement! Tune in later this week for a trip update before I leave.
Fly with Christ!
Helen
nownow
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