It's official!

[ridethisbike]

I took my PVT check ride this morning and passed! First time go! ALMOST wasn't, but almost only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades!

 

Got some good compliments from the DPE (VERY strong ground, good control of the helicopter, perfect max performance TO), as well as pointers here and there (mainly being "finesse"). It wasn't my best flying by a long shot (nerves and winds got the best of me), but I passed none-the-less.

 

All in all, it was a good experience. I was definitely sweating bullets, but I made it through just fine. The biggest thing I was worried about was missing my spot on the auto but I nailed it WELL within commercial standards. I'm definitely proud of my performance today.

 

Still a long road ahead of me training wise, but I'm happy I can now join the ranks!

[jimbo2181]

Congrats. Good luck on your instrument. After telling you to look outside for 50 hours now its going to all be look inside.

[JCM5]

Well done sir. Congratulations.

[Rockfinder]

Congrats !

[Little Red 22]

C-O-N-G-R-A-T-U-L-A-T-I-O-N-S! Good job! Now go take the CPL written test before you forget too much, and get out there and FLY!

[Parafiddle]

Congratulations! You are officially a HELICOPTER PILOT!!

[Tarantula]

Congrats!

[nightsta1ker]

Well done!

[ridethisbike]

Thanks everyone. Like I said, it is definitely an awesome feeling. I can't wait to get up and actually go fly for fun to the places I want to go to rather than the places I get told to go to and go land on some REAL pinacles!

[Mikemv]

Thanks everyone. Like I said, it is definitely an awesome feeling. I can't wait to get up and actually go fly for fun to the places I want to go to rather than the places I get told to go to and go land on some REAL pinacles!

 

RTB,

 

First off, Congrats on getting your Certificate.

 

Now I want to question why you can't wait to go exercise poor decision making as stated. Was the thrill of flying experienced when you were told where to go? Is this an anti-authority issue? You must decide where to go to be happy while flying?

 

How many landings do you have now? How many on pinnacles? So you think it is good Aeronautical Decision Making and good Risk Management to go land on REAL pinnacles?

 

This kind of thinking is exactly why accidents happen. Your training has not instilled an ADM & Risk Management process within you!

 

I have over 22K landings in helicopters and would still use ADM & RM prior to every one. Do you think you maybe should do the same?

 

Having said all of this, go enjoy flying to where you desire but PLEASE use sound ADM & RM processes.

 

Again, Congrats, Be Safe, enjoy flying and returning safely.

 

Mike

[superstallion6113]

Being in the same class as ridethisbike, I doubt it's an anit-authority complex. I can kinda understand where he's coming from. We do alot of flights to Seligman(P23), and KCMR(Williams, AZ) for cross country, and out to the training area for maneuvers, which are all BFE to me. I'd love it much more to do a flight to Scottsdale for a bite to eat or even out to Lake Havasu Cityfor some kick ass BBQ. But yeah I don't think I'll ever go do a no sh*t on top of a tall narrow rock/hill pinnacle on my own ay my experience level.

 

Congrats on passing! My stage 3 is next week, I'm only at 15hrs this semester so I got another week of practicing al the maneuvers. Mainly pinnacles and CALs.

[ridethisbike]

RTB,

 

First off, Congrats on getting your Certificate.

 

Now I want to question why you can't wait to go exercise poor decision making as stated. Was the thrill of flying experienced when you were told where to go? Is this an anti-authority issue? You must decide where to go to be happy while flying?

 

How many landings do you have now? How many on pinnacles? So you think it is good Aeronautical Decision Making and good Risk Management to go land on REAL pinnacles?

 

This kind of thinking is exactly why accidents happen. Your training has not instilled an ADM & Risk Management process within you!

 

I have over 22K landings in helicopters and would still use ADM & RM prior to every one. Do you think you maybe should do the same?

 

Having said all of this, go enjoy flying to where you desire but PLEASE use sound ADM & RM processes.

 

Again, Congrats, Be Safe, enjoy flying and returning safely.

 

Mike

 

Let me start this off by saying thank you.

 

With that being said, you took that waaaay out of context, and I must say, I'm a bit offended by it. Anti-authority? Just because I want to decide where I go instead of being told to go somewhere doesn't mean I have an anti-authority complex. It means that I want to pick a place I think would be fun to fly to, and then do it.

 

Really? We're going to play the numbers game now? When you were fresh to the game, do you mean to tell me that you didn't feel the EXACT same way? You didn't want to go try more challenging maneuvers? If you say no, I'm calling bullshit right here and now.

 

That's not to say I'm going to go out and try to perform a 300' 180 auto, that would be stupid. Nor am I going to go find the highest, smallest pinnacle I can find and try to land on it. Again, that would be stupid. On the contrary, I want to just go out, find one that I think would be fun that leaves me plenty of "outs" and go do it. No one got better at anything they tried without upping the ante little by little.

 

"What's one you think would be cool" you ask? I think it would be awesome to land on top of a mountain. The first one that pops in my head is Mingus Mountain. Provided the landing spot is acceptable (landing area large enough to give me an error cushion), I can hold a hover (performance check before I leave the airport will tell me that), and there has to be an acceptable number of outs.

 

Bottom line is I'm not an idiot. Progression will be slow and gradual. I DO understand and accept that. Also, I do feel it necessary to mention that my flight instructor would be sitting next to me during all of this since I have more time remaining on the clock for this semester.

 

For the record, I'm sure the post wasn't meant to be offensive, but you were the only one who came in and threw a negative tone in the mix and basically called me the most unsafe pilot that ever existed just because I want to do something more challenging. This is a happy time for me and for someone to come in and rain on my parade, well, nobody enjoys that.

 

 

 

Being in the same class as ridethisbike, I doubt it's an anit-authority complex. I can kinda understand where he's coming from. We do alot of flights to Seligman(P23), and KCMR(Williams, AZ) for cross country, and out to the training area for maneuvers, which are all BFE to me. I'd love it much more to do a flight to Scottsdale for a bite to eat or even out to Lake Havasu Cityfor some kick ass BBQ. But yeah I don't think I'll ever go do a no sh*t on top of a tall narrow rock/hill pinnacle on my own ay my experience level.

 

Congrats on passing! My stage 3 is next week, I'm only at 15hrs this semester so I got another week of practicing al the maneuvers. Mainly pinnacles and CALs.

 

Thanks man. Although I'm sure you don't need it, good luck next week and on your check ride (whenever it may be).

[Mikemv]

RTB, if I stimulated you to be safe at all, I feel good about what I said. That was my intent. I did not call you any names or produce any rain.

 

Having said all of this, go enjoy flying to where you desire but PLEASE use sound ADM & RM processes. "This is the point of my previous post"!

 

Enough said,

 

Mike

[eagle5]

Thanks everyone. Like I said, it is definitely an awesome feeling. I can't wait to get up and actually go fly for fun to the places I want to go to rather than the places I get told to go to and go land on some REAL pinacles!

 

Enjoy it while it lasts (assuming you're in this for the long haul). Once you start working its back to where THEY want you to go! Unless one day you WANT to fly around the Grand Canyon, Alaskan Glaciers, and the waterfalls of Hawaii?

[KBayDog]

ridethisbike: Congratulations on the milestone! As I'm sure you've heard more than a few times by now, passing that check is your ticket to learn. You are never, ever done learning...which is one of the most rewarding aspects of flying!

 

Mike's post may have come across as harsh, but as he later explained, it was designed to be thought-provoking...and keep you alive. You may feel like you have a big "box" right now, but trust me, it'll shrink as soon as you start flying on your own. You'll see, hear, and feel things you (think) you've never heard before, and you'll actually be more cautious than when you had those experienced hands sitting next to you. Over time, and with much practice (and the inevitable flights where you need to pull the seat cushion out of you-know-where), your box will expand. As it does, never lose sight of the fact that our trade is inherently dangerous - there is nothing natural about what we do. Continue to master the art of risk management as well as you have mastered the art of hovering, and you'll have a long and happy life of beating the air into submission.

 

In any event, welcome to the club!

[Goldy]

ridethisbike: Congratulations on the milestone! As I'm sure you've heard more than a few times by now, passing that check is your ticket to learn. You are never, ever done learning...which is one of the most rewarding aspects of flying!

 

Mike's post may have come across as harsh, but as he later explained, it was designed to be thought-provoking...and keep you alive. You may feel like you have a big "box" right now, but trust me, it'll shrink as soon as you start flying on your own. You'll see, hear, and feel things you (think) you've never heard before, and you'll actually be more cautious than when you had those experienced hands sitting next to you. Over time, and with much practice (and the inevitable flights where you need to pull the seat cushion out of you-know-where), your box will expand. As it does, never lose sight of the fact that our trade is inherently dangerous - there is nothing natural about what we do. Continue to master the art of risk management as well as you have mastered the art of hovering, and you'll have a long and happy life of beating the air into submission.

 

In any event, welcome to the club!

 

Congratulations RTB.

 

Nice post Dog,..I was going to use the word "challenging your thinking" but you've said it all perfectly....so I'll shut up now.

[ridethisbike]

It didn't come across as harsh so much as a little over the top and slightly hypocritical. the line that really got to me was "This kind of thinking is exactly why accidents happen. Your training has not instilled an ADM & Risk Management process within you!"

 

When people learn how to do something new, it's their instinct to step it up a little bit. I guarantee that every single pilot on this forum, upon completion of their initial training, wanted to go do something they haven't done yet, such as landing on top of a mountain. Any pilot who says otherwise is lying through their teeth.

 

So telling me what he did is like telling a baby that now that he learned how to walk, that he shouldn't run because that's how people trip and bump their heads. Obviously these are two very different activities, but the theory still applies. Also, anyone who wants mention that people don't die from falling and bumping their heads... quit nitpicking.

 

Anyways, that's the only thing that bugged me. I can appreciate WHY he said it, since he doesn't know me or the kind of pilot/thinker I am, but... well you read what I wrote above.

 

 

@KBayDog: Thank you! I intend on being a sponge that hasn't seen water in 20 years!

 

Nope, my box is small. My solo's put that in perspective for me. I'm taking the same approach to this whole thing as I am with riding motorcycles. I have my limits. Those limits have appropriate times to be pushed. If I ever feel uncomfortable doing something, I don't do it. There have been many times during a group ride up the mountain that I have been the straggler because they were riding outside of my comfort zone, and I have no problems with that.

[silver-eagle]

Congratulations! Go find a nice place for the couple $100 hamburger. And CELEBRATE! You're FREE!!!!

[ridethisbike]

Thanks silver eagle! I would go get the $100 burger, but I feel that I need to spend the remaining hours I have working on a few maneuvers.

 

 

Also, this part is for the entire community. Mike and I have been speaking and he put a few things in perspective for me. I want to apologize for any negative tones I put out there. I don't intend to go out and be an unsafe pilot. On the contrary, I feel it is a privilege for me to be able to fly these crazy contraptions and I intend on doing so in a way that will ensure the safe return of myself and any passengers I may have on board. I fully intend on building my skills and pushing the envelope (ever so slightly), but will be doing so in the safest manner possible. Keep the rotors spinning everyone.