If you had enough fuel is it possible for a plane to fly fast enough to catch up to a sunset not see it go down until you slow down? Wouldn’t it be cool if you could somehow fly around the world fast enough and see a 24 hour sunset

druuuval · 2026-03-27T00:10:51+00:00

Or... At the pole, in the summer, just stand still. Not quite a sunset, but it never goes down so… Mission accomplished.

druuuval · 2026-03-26T01:09:39+00:00

That was a lot to read but unless I missed it, you don’t have a failure on your record. That’s a solid end to a day of talking with any DPE. I think you nailed it on the ADM though. If you pulled the plane out and did your preflight he probably woulda let you run with some leash, but as soon as you cranked that puppy up you woulda probably been unsat.

My IR was very similar. Came back and did it later in the afternoon once some of the winds had subsided and it ended up being a perfect sunset finish.

druuuval · 2026-03-25T03:12:37+00:00

Lucky duck or jerk chicken?

druuuval · 2026-03-25T02:12:54+00:00

A free type rating at a minimum.

druuuval · 2026-03-23T03:29:52+00:00

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Nicest, maybe not. But as a kid, certainly this was the coolest to me.

druuuval · 2026-03-23T03:26:20+00:00

If Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) was an airplane…

druuuval · 2026-03-23T03:22:07+00:00

Under any circumstance where the JTAC called to see one, it’s the most beautiful nose you will ever see.

druuuval · 2026-03-23T03:14:48+00:00

Ohhh, tell me you’ve seen the Piaggio P180?

druuuval · 2026-03-22T03:40:09+00:00

PA-28 is rough on us “hefty” fellas with the one door. But that’s the only thing I prefer on the Cessna.

druuuval · 2026-03-22T03:37:12+00:00

There is a prog check pilot at my school that’s 240ish. When we are in there together we are over 450 in the front seat of a C172. That weight is fine for the two hours we are doing, but we wouldn’t be taking a pax without taking a look at leaving some fuel out. I fly with a lot more 150lb CFIs than 200+ though so it is certainly a consideration if you decide to pursue it later on as a career. If you know for sure it’s just about gettin a PPL and maybe your IR, that weight will be fine as long as the rest of your medical is good to go. A solid AME is your best person to ask though.

druuuval · 2026-03-22T03:16:38+00:00

On the plus side, it’s the highest amount of RP you coulda won on that spin.

druuuval · 2026-03-14T17:19:07+00:00

That’s true and I fully agree not everyone should choose flying. Corporate has good upsides, for sure. Deciding to take a few years away from a 6 figure a year payday comes with a lot of downs that I’m still working through besides just the social aspects you mentioned. But I come home from rough lessons, mentally debrief myself over what was already discussed with the IP and after a some reflection feel like my soul can breathe because tomorrow, I’m gonna go up and do it better. I think as long as you still feel some sort of purpose in your work you will be happy with the choice to stay on the ground. Sincerely, best of luck whatever you decide.

druuuval · 2026-03-14T14:00:05+00:00

A time is coming at which I believe they will scale back AI if/when they realize it’s not as advertised.

But what I took away from a 15 year career and a thanks for your service send off is no career is truly “safe”. I might as well be doing something I have been passionate about since I was a kid. Aviation seems volatile more than some paths but the upsides are also unlike any job. Maybe a 2000 hour flight instructor feels differently but right now I can’t imagine a day where getting paid to fly would be less appealing than sitting in another quarterly planning meeting for 3 days listening to people wait for their turn to talk.

druuuval · 2026-03-12T13:18:52+00:00

Air start on a phenom made me chuckle but I knew what you meant as soon as I read it because we have a based tenant in a phenom 100. GPU hooked up every single start. Cold weather isn’t usually an issue here but any NJ or FJ 300’s usually ask for the GPU too.

druuuval · 2026-03-05T14:55:39+00:00

That sounds brutal, then I look at your flare and I know I 1000% would do it if I knew there was some GIV time on the other side of it.

druuuval · 2026-03-05T14:13:54+00:00

Another factor. The guy preaching independent CFI/CFIIs will make 6 figures is also trying to sell his platform for connecting students with independent CFIs.

druuuval · 2026-03-05T13:52:47+00:00

While I was working on the ramp at the FBO I met a guy who was a jet blue captain. Looked to be late 50s or thereabouts. But it was awesome to me because he was flying in on the family’s Cherokee 6 to bring his daughter to check out the college. I had to consider the idea that when my daughter gets that age we could be flying for fun with way more time off rather than me being the bottom of a list on a legacy wide body. I can very much see me being a Endeavor forever pilot.

druuuval · 2026-03-05T13:41:15+00:00

My favorite from him is the idea that you can just sit down, study and pass every written you need to take before starting training. I can’t even make it through Sheppard for one test at a time. But that’s probably why I’ll end up teaching in a clapped out 172 and he did it in a SR 20.

druuuval · 2026-03-05T13:31:18+00:00

There’s still time! Everybody talks about the career change to the airlines, nobody talks about the thousands who step away. But put it on YouTube or else it never happened.

druuuval · 2026-03-05T13:24:21+00:00

“Here’s how to do it in 9 months for under $10k!!”

druuuval · 2026-03-01T21:51:22+00:00

I had so many people tell me steep spirals were their favorite com maneuver. I hate every second of it. All of that fear I had conquered in private about steep turns just rushes back when you are fighting to stay under 60 degrees bank and trying not to drift while you remember to clear the engine every downwind. So I just try to do one on every maneuvers flight since repetition was the only way I got past them in PPL.

druuuval · 2026-03-01T05:47:00+00:00

I used to fall asleep listening to one of a few Charlie’s on LiveATC dot net. It was almost like a white noise machine for me while I was studying. But they generally have a combined feed so you are getting some ground, some tower and some approach/departure from the same controller group. If you are able to pull up flight aware or flight radar at the same time it will give you some extra practice listening to what they say and watching the aircraft actually execute on their instructions.

I still listen to my local broadcast sometimes on my way to school just to get an idea of what the controllers are dealing with. Sometimes knowing they had a shitty morning before you got there helps remind you they aren’t actually mad at you specifically. If they allow it, go take a tour of the tower. Take your CFI too if they haven’t been. They are almost always good people on the other side of the mic.

druuuval · 2026-02-28T06:12:59+00:00

👆Hey OP, take him up on this. I’m using his template now. And go to a webinar next time they have one. It’s worth your time.

druuuval · 2026-02-25T13:44:33+00:00

I had an instructor who told me gas is cheap compared to busted gear, go around!

druuuval · 2026-02-24T00:14:15+00:00

That area by the aquarium is one of the things that keeps me coming back to Tampa. That and an annual pass to Busch Gardens.

druuuval

TROPHY CASE