100 hours

[willisbr]

I just logged 100 hours. How exciting!
I have a surprise that will be unveiled next week also. Been quiet on here lately...something in the works.

Happy flying, all.

[barnstorm2]

Congratulations!

Now you have to watch out for "the third C"...

.

[choppergabor]

I am very proud of you Brian you are a true ambassador of the sport and your professionalism in flying and the way you conduct yourself is a true asset to the sport. Way to go!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

[Timchick]

Congratulations! I'll be back over in your neck of the woods next month.

[willisbr]

Hey stop on by Tim! You can see what I'm cooking up :)

[Vance]

I would appreciate it if you would write about what you have learned in your first 100 hours.

I found it instructive to write about the things I had learned and how my challenges and perspective had chained as I gained experience.

I took a while but I picked away at it and found it was time well spent.

Because the change and learning is slow it is not hard to miss.

Thank you, Vance

[willisbr]

I am not a novelist as you are Vance, but I will say a few more words.

I remember my first flight. Twenty minutes around the pattern in an RAF 2000. During the ground roll I thought surely this was it. I was going to die. As we rotated and were about 100 feet off the ground, I thought to myself, "I have GOT to get me one of these." Weeks later, after diligent search online, I found a gyro for sale. I wired a deposit to the seller and made plans for delivery. Training sort of fell in to my lap. I found my CFI on accident just searching around on the internet for flight stuff. Had no idea about gyros. If I were to do it all over again, I don't even know where I would have started. I have this knack for falling into things and coming out smelling like roses. I trained with my CFI for what seemed like forever. Some days I got it, some days I felt like I was regressing. Then, one day, I felt it in my gut. I felt bored. I was ready for the next step. Solo. On a calm day, I performed my first solo. Skipping forward, many things changed for me. I went looking for a closer hangar so I could fly more and ended up buying a house on an airstrip with a hangar bigger than the house. Again. Roses. I felt undeserving. Continue to feel the same. So I fly and fly, embracing this gift I've been given. I write. I take pictures. I take videos. I share, because no one deserves to have this much fun. I want to share it with others.

What have I learned? I've learned to take training one day at a time. I operate at about 10% less of my current limitations during every flight. Always have. I started out at 60mph, then 70, 80, 90...as I've progressed as a pilot. Taking each progression slowly so I learn what the gyro does in a particular configuration. I've learned that maintenance is more than, "the last flight felt fine, so this one should be good too...let's go fly." I've found a loose nut here and there, a rub, a bend...easily fixed, but also easily overlooked. Don't be lazy. Look over your aircraft, every single time. If maintenance puts you out, it will eventually put you down. At 100 hours, I feel seasoned. I truly feel that I have a command of the aircraft. Comfortable. That doesn't mean I can do anything. It means that I know what I am currently capable of and can perform at that capacity with ease and peace of mind.

I appreciate my CFI Dofin, RAFSA, and other friends that have helped along the way.

As I continue to grow as a pilot, I want to better learn weather, cross country planning, and how IFR world operates. This is my next step. And that's a hint of the secret I am hiding...

That is all. Good night.

[Mike484]

Great accomplishment, wish you many more to come.