Category: FMA Solo 2020

Hello everyone! So a lot has changed since my last post a few months ago. I am happy to announce that I am finally a Private Pilot! I took my oral exam on June 3rd and the flight portion on June 4th. The oral took me about two and a half to three hours total to complete, but it didn’t feel like it. Since Kent State is a Part 141 school, I get a grade for both my oral and practical parts of the checkride. I am proud to say that I received a 97% on both parts which I am very happy with!

The oral was pretty straightforward. My check instructor had me look through the maintenance logs for the aircraft to make sure it was airworthy while he filled out some of my paperwork. Once we were both complete with our parts, I was asked about preflight procedures, such as what documents is the plane required to have, or when do inspections need to be completed, and even some questions about human factors. After this, we then talked about my cross country that I had planned the night and morning before, how I chose my points, and how I calculated fuel burn, time, and other such factors by using my E6B. The next topic we discussed were some of the systems of the planes like the fuel, engine, and electrical systems. We then followed this by aeromedical factors, night illusions, and types of hazardous attitudes. Then came the fun part of the oral: airspace. This part of the oral was surprisingly way easier than I expected it to be. I guess the hours of review on airspace I’ve done with different instructors finally paid off! To finish the oral, we went over general weather items and also decision making based on the weather. I was asked to read METARs, TAFs, and a PIREP, and then we finished off the oral with reading a prog chart and talking about the types of fronts and some of the characteristics. I know I’m definitely forgetting some of the things we discussed, but there was nothing I was not prepared for, making the oral part fairly easy. 

We had to do the oral and the flight part separately because the weather was rainy and the cloud cover was low all of Thursday. The flight portion of the checkride went exactly as I expected it to. We first started by doing a walk around of the plane while I was asked about the different control surfaces, components, and lights. Once that was completed, we got into the plane, started it up and ran through the checklists, then taxied to the runup area. We decided to get the takeoff and landing portion of the checkride done before the winds picked up. We did 3 takeoffs and landings, one normal, one soft field, and then one short field. All of those went fairly well, but my short field landing was a little firmer than I would’ve liked. After the short field, we taxied back to the runup area so I could set up for my simulated cross country. We did the full xc procedures and flew the first 3 checkpoints, and then started the maneuvers. I was asked to perform a power on/off stall with the recovery, slow flight, steep turns, unusual attitude with the goggles, and then a sim engine out to land. After the sim engine out, we headed back to Kent where I demonstrated a forward slip and a no flap landing. The checkride was 1.7 hours in total, which was shorter than I expected. Overall, the flight part went very well, and I received only a few critiques which will be fixed with more time and experience. I completed my private certificate in 63.2 hours, which is more than I would have liked, but I did have to switch instructors back in February because my original instructor found a new job at another flight school.

Now that I have finished private, I will be starting our Commercial 1 course which introduces me to the 172R while building solo and cross country time for instrument. My goal is to complete Commercial 1 over the summer, which is very likely at this time, so I can start with my instrument training in the fall. In addition to flying this summer, I also started a job at Sky Quest at Cleveland Hopkins. Sky Quest is an aircraft management and charter company that was founded in 2001. The company manages 20 aircrafts while still continuing to grow. This job is a great learning experience for me. I am learning about every aspect of aviation from some maintenance, dispatch, and even ordering parts. My favorite part about working at Sky Quest so far is the opportunity to see planes that I would typically never get to see. I am looking forward to this summer to do some great flying with friends and family in addition to learning as much as I can about aviation!

I would also like to mention that the Gleim and Sporty’s Private Pilot Written Test Prep were great study tools that helped me pass the written test with flying colors.

Here are some pictures I took during my cross countries and from my new job!

Hello again! I finally have another update about my training. Since my last post, I took my first stage check for my Private Pilot course, and I performed very well for where I am at. The stage check consisted of an hour and a half oral test, and then an hour and a half flight review of maneuvers, and procedures specific to Kent State’s guidelines. I did very well on the oral portion of the test, but the weather that day (winds aloft of 30-35kt) made it a bit more difficult to perform all of the maneuvers to my true ability, though I was able to do well. After I completed this stage check, I was able to move onto the next phase of my Private course. I have flown into Akron Canton (KCAK), which is a class C airport, and am practicing for my solo flight to KCAK which will hopefully be able to happen in a few weeks. In addition, I have been able to use foggles to track to a VOR which is a whole new experience in itself. To me, the hardest part about doing simulated instrument training was keeping a constant heading.  I am also preparing to do my first night flight and my first cross-country flight. Unfortunately, the weather has been holding me back because during the winter, Ohio has low cloud cover almost all day. I wish I could have more updates about my progression, but hopefully, I will have more to tell you soon once the weather gets better. 

In addition to my flight training, I have product updates from both Flying Eyes Optics and Sporty’s Pilot Shop. I received sunglasses from Flying Eyes and a new flight bag from Sporty’s. The sunglasses (Golden Eagle Sport) from Flying Eyes are perfect for flying. Unlike most sunglasses that have a glossy or metal finish, these have a matte finish. The matte finish allows the sunglasses to slide with almost no resistance under a headset. These sunglasses were so easy to adjust on my head and on my nose with the adjustable nose piece. They also are advertised to work very well under helmets which I will be testing once the weather gets nice again and I can do some biking again.

In addition to the sunglasses, Sporty’s Pilot Shop sent a new flight bag (Flight Gear HP iPad Quick Case). This flight bag has plenty of room for a headset, sectional charts, pencils, POH, and much more. In addition, it has some pretty cool features. This flight bag has Velcro in the middle which can be pulled apart so you can put it over the seatback of another chair in the cockpit. Overall, both of these products are great and I would recommend them to anyone who needs a new flight bag or pair of sunglasses. 

-Jacob Burdette

As the title says, I soloed! I finally got to fly a plane by myself for the first time after 16 hours of training, and I felt invincible. I will never forget November 21, 2020. The night before, I was concerned if I would even be able to fly the next day because the cloud ceilings were forecasted to be about BKN 015, which is the minimum ceiling to do pattern work at Kent. When I arrived at the airport on 11/21, the ceilings were at 012, which had me worried. Though when I called the weather briefer, they said that they expect the clouds to rise, so it was just a waiting game at that point. Thankfully, the METAR updated before my departure time and said that the ceiling was BKN 019, which meant I could fly! Once we got in the air, we did four landings. The first landing was not my best, I came in a bit low and slow, but my next three landings were much better. So much better that after my fourth landing, when we taxied off the runway my instructor asked me if I felt ready to solo. I asked him if he felt I was ready, and he said that I was ready so I responded that I’m good then. I dropped my instructor off and proceeded to Runway 01. I ran through my TILTS check (Time, Instruments, Lights, Transponder, Seatbelt) before I made the call to depart. “Kent Traffic, Kent 2 departing runway 01, Kent Traffic”. I taxied to the runway and lined up with the centerline and pushed the throttle to full power. Before I knew it, I was flying a plane by myself for the first time. Words can’t describe the feeling of freedom and accomplishment I had and still do when I’m writing this post. After I got to 1700MSL, I made the turn to crosswind and climbed to 2000MSL, turned to downwind, and started preparing myself for landing. Once I hit the midpoint on the runway, carb heat hot and then reducing the throttle, lowering flaps, and pitching for my airspeeds, then as soon as I know it I’m already on my final pulling the throttle to idle and starting my flare. The time finally comes where my wheels are back on the ground and I taxi off the runway to do my after-landing checklist. And that concluded my first solo flight.  I only got to do one landing in the pattern, but I know there is so much more to come in my journey to becoming a pilot. 

I would like to thank The Flying Musicians Association and all of their sponsors for providing me with so much knowledge and materials to help me get started in my aviation journey. I can’t wait to keep everyone updated with my future accomplishments through my private license and beyond. Thank you everyone so much for everything!

Here is a video from the Kent State Marching Golden Flash Halftime show!

https://www.facebook.com/kentstatemgf/videos/356248228999088