Napali Coast

The helicopter. Robinson R-44. Seats 4. And a big grashopper duder thingy. =)

Waimea Canyon (Grand Canyon of the Pacific).

Napali Coast.

Mt. Wai 'Ale 'Ale Crater. The pictures in here didn't turn out as good. But its basically this hole thats 2-3 thousand feet down, vertical and one side of it fell apart which is what you see in the last photo.

Update: Beach Front Condo

So a lot has happened this week but I haven't felt like writing about it. My flights have been killer. I did one instrument flight that was 'interesting' lol. I accidentally turned off in-cockpit hot mic when I was identifying a VOR... and for about 5 or 6 minutes neither one of us knew that we couldnt hear each other. LOL Made for a hectic approach since we were on final when we figured out why we couldnt talk to one anothe. Other than the approach went good and the flight was awesome.

Did two other VFR flights. Practiced autorotations hardcore. Taught me how to do zero-airspeed auto and a zero-airspeed pedle turn auto. Basically you're in a hover like 1000 ft up.. then you kill the motor and auto it down to the runway. Cool stuff.

Yesterday we flew up into the mountains! FUCKYEA! and he pointed out a waterfall and told me to land on it. It was like out of Jurassic Park I was expecting T-rex or something to come chomp us up. Was killer though. There was a high up valley that kinda narrowed to a point where the waterfall was. The top was a small flat lava layer that the water flowed over then fell i dunno hundred feet maybe. Then the rest of the valley down to about sea level (we were up at 2000 feet) was a narrow and deep canyon/ravine. Landed up there in the water then took off and dive bombed down the waterfall and scud-runned the ravin till it opened up at the bottom into the valley. Was freakn awesome! banking hard rights n lefts dodging trees and cliff outcroppings. I swear I saw a teradactil, really. ;)


Anyway.... The Condo.

So Deanna got me into a 2 bedroom beach front condo while their company from California stayed in their guest room for 3 or 4 days. This is pretty sweet and couldnt of come at a better time really.

The whole place was just remodelled (heh lucky me!!!) New kitchen, granite counter-tops, stainless steel appliances. Schweeetttt. =)


They tiled the whole place which is smart because after you've cleaned a few of these places that have carpet you wonder why anyone would put carpet in a beach front condo (hell any condo in Hawaii).


Both rooms have huge kingsize beds. I took the lesser-nice room since it's closer to the rest of the place. The other one has a nicer bed-frame and it's own bathroom. This one sorta does to but you don't have to go into the room to get to it so I guess it's more of bathroom for everyone (if a family stayed here).


The view from the lanai. Deja Vu to junior year in highschool. 5 years ago. The condo we stayed at then is two doors down from this one and was only a one bedroom and not as nice. =p



In other news I'm flying back over to Honolulu tomorrow morning to knock out my cross-country IFR requirement and it's also the last cross-country flight I need, period. Killin two big birds with one flight. Pretty sweet. I think I move back to the house Sunday, but we'll see. Deanna said it didn't really matter.

Then Monday Hank and Deanna are leaving for 2wks in California. Hank gets back on the 3rd and Deanna the 11th or something. So I'll have their house to myself for at least a week. Hopefully Mauck gets his 25 hours on the 44 done today, or monday so I can fill next week with flying that helicopter on the tour route (picture takn time!)

Zero Airspeed Autoration

Learned how to do one of them today, and a zero airspeed peadle turn auto. Basically you get into an OG hover. In our case about 1000ft atitude. Get into a hover and go into an autoration (no engine) and get it to your crash landing spot.

We never did them at Glacier. Not sure why, but I think because it isn't a requirement. It's good experience though. I know what to do in an OG hover now if my engine quits. The peadle turn auto is where your ass is to the wind in a hover and you have to turn it around into the wind and get to your spot.

I'm sore tho. We nailed about 20 autos... which is all friction-less flying so the controls are stiffer... plus Im naturally tense cuz it's not the most relaxing training.

=) I saw sea turtles the other day. That was cool.

Get 'er done solo

This blogger sucks ass. The composer for this online blogger is so horrible. Im really pissed right now because it ate my entire last blog I just spent 20 minutes putting together

So sorry you dont get the whole speil over again. Just the pictures.

Story in a nutshell I went and explored Anini beach and Tunnels beach. Heres the pics. bahhh




Anini Beach:

40 days...

...left but whos counting?

12 flights logged since I got here. Not to shabby.

VFR, IFR, and IMC definitions

VFR (Visual Flight Rules)

This means the pilot has to fly the aircraft under a certain type rules. We have to fly within certain weather minimums. Like 3 mile visibility atleat 1000 thousand foot cloud ceilings etc. Conditions have to be good enough for us to fly using our eyes, judgement and a compass basically.

IFR (Instrument Flight Rules)

This means the pilot has to fly the aircraft under another ... more limited set of rules. If conditions are below those defined in as being VFR. Then you have to fly IFR. which means we have to use our instruments, plus our eyes to fly. So we have to use about 5 more instruments. One to simulate the horizon, another to indicate direction (navigational aids) so we can more accurately navigate than just using a compass (ie GPS, VOR, ILS, LOC, NDB) .... in basic terms. Fly with ZERO visibilty.

IMC (Instrument Meteorological Conditions)

This isnt a term to describe a flight rule a pilot must follow. It's a term to describe the weather and what the pilot should abide to. which would be IFR.

That better Elliott?

Also... most pilots fly VFR but have to plan for IFR. All commercial jetliners fly IFR regardless because they fly above 18000 ft. Its mandatory IFR above that point becuase you can longer use ground references to navigate. You HAVE to use instruments because you dont have an accurate horizon.

Tho most commercial jetliners fly VFR when they're below 18k, even on landing, if the weather is good enough.

And most HELI pilots fly VFR regardess. Only the coast guard, corporate or search and rescue generally utilize IFR. But even then they rely heavily on VFR beacuse IFR routes are designated, and search and rescue dont fly on designated routes. They use whats called Special VFR clearance (only in controlled airspace, like over an airport with a tower)... But they wont fly if its less than VFR anyways.

The coastguard and military have onboard technologys like radar and ...name escapes me its another form a of radar las.... its called LADAR .. ya its a laser system that detects obstacles around the aircraft. these technologies and equipment allow them to fly in very low visibility and bad weather conditions. But again, majority of pilots fly VFR ... our eyes are the best equipment you can use.

VFR is the general way most pilots fly.

My training is IFR simulated. I wear a hood that blocks more than half my outside vision, and all of my peripheral. So I am limited to just seeing the instruments.

VFR flight South Shore Kauai!

-I finally got some aerial pictures! Took my first real VFR flight on Kauai today. That trip to Honolulu was VFR but didnt get to see much since it was offshore 90% of the time. Which technically is IFR if you ask me, or any pilot.

Todays flight was a 1.3 and we primarily practiced off-airport stuff and mainly autorotations (straight ins and 180's)

-I'll start off by saying doing auto's in 20 knot winds is a new one for me. You drop a helluva a lot slower and dont go as far. Im used to dropping like a rock and gliding a lil further. But despite all that I did pretty well and nailed my spot just about every attempt. I'm not used to the floaty feeling when you level off near the ground and do the power recovery.. Thats an attribute of the wind tho. Usually things happen differently in low-wind situations when you start to flare at the end of the auto. You come down and a lot faster.

They're pretty hardcore out here on Kauai in both their off-airport stuff (confined landings and pinnacles) but also their autorotation practice. Hell their IFR training is way more hardcore.

-The way they practice their autorations out here is literally as close to real as you can simulate. Back home if we ever practiced an auto off-airport the CFI would say "simulated autorotation" and then lower the collective ... or "slowly" roll of the throttle but prior also letting me know whats going to happen. Out here they said "simulated Auto" and chop the throttle. You have to react as if it were real because.. it is.. if you dont react in less than 1.1 seconds the blades stall and you die. hehe... i just like to make it sound more serious than it is. But really.. you have 1.1 seconds.. its a gut reaction tho to enter the auto..and this is a good way to train that gut even harder.

-But you really get the feel for what a real auto WILL feel like. Instead of gradually going into a descent, establishing the collective full down then throttling off yo dont get the "immediately falling from the sky" feeling that you get from a real auto. Throttle chop then lowering the collective you fall about 50+ feet before you have time to react to it. It's a pretty intense feeling and is very realistic. And its exactly how a real engine failure would feel.

***** enough jabber

-We attempted a pinnacle landing (holy shit batman they mean business with their pinnacles out here)... It was to turbulent for my comfort level and experience to do it. I've done pinnacles in the Cascades but nothing in these winds or on a ridge line like this. I tried two attempts than decided to skip it and try something else first. Heres the 1st pinnacle attempt, isn this nuts?



So we went further along the South shore heading West. Then we went in and landed on tiny lil beach in a small cove. This was a steep and confined approach. But I made it on the first attempt.



That was pretty cool =) Out of the picture...well from where Mauck took the photo is thick jungle, the wind is coming in straight off the ocean so we came in over the jungle and dropped down. Theres not enough room to swing around completely. hence why we call it a confined. :)

Mauck will have his 25 hours in the 44 real soon so the next VFR island flight might be in the next week or so. We'll be heading out to the Nepali coast for that one =)

Time for an update

So I haven't updated this thing in a week. Wow time is flying by! Thats awesome, but on the other hand, wow... its increasingly getting closer to checkride. Ick.. I dont like the pressure.

Hmm, not a whole lot of excitement has happened.

I got 3 more flights in last week then one this morning. Been doin OK, each flight is a challenge and Im slowly getting closer to being able to take the checkride but definetly not there yet. In the mean time is study study study for the written test. 960+ questions to review (its the complete opposite of fun)

In other news last Saturday morning they had Canoe races down from Wailua and 948WB was out there filming it. Same helicopter I flew over to Honolulu the prior tuesday. I was a lil jealous.

Saw a monk seal dow there to. They're endangered here so when they're spotted authorities come and coordin them off with warning signs NOT TO DISTURB the animal. For the most part I don't think people do.

Hmm... really nothing more to say. The weekend wasn't to eventful and I wasn't to motivated anyways. This week I'll be cramming in the studies so I don't suspect much else is going to happen. Possibly this coming Friday or Saturday I'm gonna go beach exploring. So I'll be adding more pictures then. =)

I miss my truck too =(

Honolulu

Flew to Honolulu this morning to take a bird over for a routine maintnence. Spent about 5 hours over there. Saw Mauna Loa school they got there then bought some aviation stuff I havent been able to find. Like my new kneeboard, the package said it was TESTED IN COMBAT! so ya know thats perfect for me.

Got some food then hung out at the hangar while the mechanics tore it apart and put it back together.

Flew 'er home and here I am. Im tired as hell tho and not in the mood to study at all. Infact I might take a nap i am zapped.

Got a IFR flight at 9am tomorrow.

Unhappy Momma

!ATTENCION! I posted 4 new blogs tonight so scroll down to check em out!



So... after catching the toad. Momma and her chickies decided to show up. They had just hatched a few days prior and been coming around. Well I was outside and here they come so duh.. Drew's gotta catch him a chicklet! Deanna had just finished tellin me a hilarious story about a kid they saw chasing a Hen and her chickies around then he corned em, reached for a chickie and got put on his ass with a pissed of mother in his face! Scared the lil kid to death! ... I knew the consequences of catching a baby chicken and knew she'd probably come after me! But Im not really scared!

I herded them around for quite awhile before they had had enough of me and were trying to escape the yard into the neighbors property so if I wanted a chiklet i had to act now! .. There was a scraggler hanging behind but mom still had him sight, and so did I ! muwhaha.. I swooped in, snatched him a few inches off the ground and within about a split second momma was running full bore, wings out, mouth a squakn claws a coming! So I let go of the chicklet and backed off and let em be. I'll try again another day when momma isnt lookn =) hehe

heres a video clip (sorry no one was filming me when I got chased!) Tho Deanna was laughing her ass off hehe

Amazing Beach

The house was located just inland of this amazing private beach. Well it's not technically private but well off the path of the tourists. Deanna mentioned something about some shots for Gilligans island were shot at these beach... Maybe the opening credits with the shipwreck?

Nice cove well protected and lots to enjoy. I could see some good snorkling happening here.

I took a Video as well. So you can hear and imagine feeling the warm water and sand around your toes like I was. =) I really didn't want to leave!

Frog day! and more spiders

I, in one day, saw Kauai's biggest frogs! At the house in the air Deanna informed me she was told the island has bullfrogs and a lagoon like the one at that house would probably be a good place to see one. So naturally I have to 'investigating' since I am deathly curious about these things.

If they are here Drew will find them. Didn't take me long to catch one! =) Check this guy out.





They always feel weird in your hand. So thats a bullfrog, now later in the day while helping Hank n D clean up the mess from the palmtree trimming. Deanna screamed while traversing the pile of coconuts and palm frawns. She was startled by Mr. Toad. haha Im like SWEET! I got him to pose for some killer upclose shots. They're very good models!







SPIDERS:

ok, so you might remember that spider I found here at the house. Well I found more in the jungle except these ones were bigger! Unfortuanetly you have nothing to really scale their size in any of my pictures, just know they're not smal! I'd say the leg span on this guy is almost 3" if you were to spread him out flat. but at least 2 3/8" diamter as is on the web.






This is really my only fear of the jungle. Because thesefuckers make their webs between huge gaps in the forest. These particular ones had their webs in this plant overhanging the water but I got a picture of a tinnny lil guy. All bunblded up in a ball ( I think this was hanks crab spider ) because it looked like a crab. The body was probably 3/8" diamater.. barey big enough to notice. But his web was stretched between two tree's that were atleast 8 ft apart!!! I mean you'd be 4ft away from the fucker tangled in his web and have no idea where the spider is. Thats scary!