Charles Denault III

Ever looked at a civilian aircraft and wondered when it was made? Well chances are you couldn’t differentiate a 1973 from a 2005. Check this out:

Which one do you think is older? Well the one on the right is from 1973, while the left is from 2005.

Yet you look at cars from the seventies vs today, and you see astonishing differences. Why hasn’t the aviation industry been keeping up with technology? It boggles my mind.

There hasn’t been much innovation in aircraft in the last 40 years whatsoever. How come!?

I’ve recently had the chance to use my 16gb iPad as an electronic flight bag (EFB).

There’s an app called Foreflight Mobile which is essentially the only thing you need to run.

From their website:

We’ve rebuilt ForeFlight Mobile from the landing gear up to support the new Apple iPad.

See approach plates, routes, fuel prices, VFR/IFR charts, radar, flight rules, and airport maps in greater depth and detail than ever before. Tap out your route on the Map.

Plates. Charts. A/FD. Rock and Roll.

They’ve built a great system. I literally can plot out my course, complete with winds aloft (which is pulled automatically) just by typing in the airport identifiers. From there I can file a flight plan and go! The best part is, I can use the maps in real time while I’m flying. Unfortunately, my iPad is not the 3g version so I do not have the GPS built in. However, I have one of those in the dash and several VORs to back me up if I ever get lost.

Foreflight also gives me information about my destination. For example, the names and numbers for cafes, car rentals, etc. It’s invaluable.

So it looks like the heart problem is going to be a thing of the past! I officially have my last appointment with the cardiologist next Wednesday to finalize everything. I have to wear a 24 holter monitor to make sure that I’m not symptomatic of my previous condition. Once that shows I’m all set, I’ll get my 3rd Class Medical Certificate in the mail and I can get back to flying.

Wish me luck!

I went to KSFM the other day around 1000 to do some aerobatics with the chief flight instructor. Talk about a blast!

We started off with discussing the possibility of an emergency during flight, in which I would have to bail out of the airplane. We went over exactly how to bail out, how to pull the D-Handle, and how to make a safe landing into whatever terrain you might face. Oh boy… was that something. Once he had me sufficiently nervous, we hoped into the plane and took off.

We climbed to about 6500ft MSL and he guided me through my first spin. We intentionally let it develop into a full three turn spin and recovered. What a blast that was. I did it three times, and on my third try I managed to let it fully develop, make one complete revolution, and recover all within 500 feet. I was pleased, to say the least.

We moved onto loops and rolls… which weren’t as exciting as I thought they’d be. I found rolls to be the hardest, simply because you’re constantly watching that reference point to make sure you maintain the proper attitude. My last set seemed to be alright…

I also think it’s worth noting that during one of my loops, I pulled a massive amount of Gs… a total of 4. Okay, so it’s not that much… but it was still a blast. That means I weighed 660 pounds for about 5 seconds.

Can’t wait to do it again.

I’ve been grounded since June 15th due to the cardiac ablation I had to fix my supraventricular tachycardia… I’ll get back up there soon! I’m literally waiting on a letter from my cardiologist stating what I had, what was done, and what kind of condition I’m in now. Once that is done, I can take to the skies.

When I get back up there, I’m going to try to get my private certificate done in about a single week. I want to do all of the test prep I need between Monday and Wednesday, with my test on Thursday! I’m extremely excited and cannot wait!

Once I finally finish my license, I’m planning on bringing my Mother up with me for the first time, and then fly out to meet up with some of my friends in Hanover, NH. It’s going to be a very eventful week!