Cross Country down to Stearman Field and more!

Hello All,

I hope you are all doing well. I thought I’d share with you all about my most recent cross country down to Stearman field in Wichita, Kansas. As part of part 141 commercial training, I am required to do what we call a “long cross-country”. This is a flight that consists of one 250nm leg with no stops in between and then stopping at two other airports. All of this is done solo as well. I started at KCBF and flew down to KWLD, then to 3AU, and finally stopped at 1K1 for some dinner before heading back to KCBF. In case you don’t know about 1K1, it is an airport with a restaurant right on the field. In my opinion, it is the best on-airport restaurant in the midwest. Everything is pilot-themed and the service/food is phenomenal. I logged a total of 4.8 hours that day and it was a blast! I’ve included a couple of photos of the trip along with this post.

I’d also like to add that I’m nearing the end of my commercial training as I have my check ride scheduled for March 18th. The one thing I tend to struggle with is the power-off 180, so if any of you have any advice, I’m all ears!

Over my winter break from school, I also went down to St. Augustine, Florida, and got my spin endorsement with Patty Wagstaff. This was arguably the coolest flying experience I’ve ever had in my life as I got to not only fly an Extra 300L but also fly it with Patty Wagstaff. I also had upset recovery training that day with Spencer Suderman in a Super Decathalon. For that flight, I learned how to do aileron rolls, recover from different flight attitudes, and even did a loop! (but by the time we did loops I was ready to get back on the ground). It was VERY beneficial to my confidence in the airplane. Now, I feel like I can recover from just about anything in an airplane. If you are thinking about doing upset recovery training or aerobatic training, I highly recommend going to Patty.

Anyways, I hope you are all doing well, and thank you for your continued support!