Wings on High.

Passed the written!

After several months of intermittent studying, a recent weekend intensive (the last half of a Part61 ground school course), and loads and loads of practice testing, I took the written today.  I’m pleased to be able to say that despite an awful lot of other crap going on in my sphere recently (work, travel, deadlines, etc.), I passed with 83%.  This was quite surprising to me, actually, as I don’t think I scored higher than 76% or 78% on the practice tests!  I made it a goal to at least try by the end of this month, and if I didn’t pass to double up on studying to nail it by the end of the year for certain.  But, I knocked it out in one shot! 

There’s obviously areas I need to keep working on (most likely weather), and I plan to keep using the practice test software I have to keep working on it and keep some skills sharp – plotting, using the slide-rule E6B, WCA’s, etc.  Although I mostly used the on-screen E6B in the test, there were a few problems I used the slide-rule for.  I’d like to make sure I know how to use it to keep it in my back pocket.  And I have to say, using the slide-rule E6B helped to show me the relationships between velocity, heading, wind direction and speed, and how they all come together to form a WCA.  Yes, the calculator was much easier and accurate (to 3 decimals?  Can you steer to 191.248?  No.), but the slide-rule showed me how it all worked.  I’m pretty certain that’s what my algebra teachers were on about years ago…

Now, I’ve got to make a plug here.  I highly recommend Dauntless‘ software suite.  Not only are the questions continuously up to date, but they offer every test available, and have simulator modes for each of the testing vendors, like LaserGrade, CATS, etc.  I must admit, it was easier for me to catch on to things once I had a plotter, E6B, and a hardcopy of the FAA handout (to take measurements on, compute angles, etc), as I’ve been working with the tests since August, and only picked up those materials a few weeks ago.  Trying to use the on-screen rulers, protractors, angle measurements, etc, was really quite a pain in the arse.  But once I got the hardcopy stuff down, it became much easier.  And, they’re also cool about installing on your laptop and your desktop – it’s not Per-PC licensing, just per-user.  Not many vendors are that open.  And for the record, again, I’m not sponsored, and I did pay for the software!

So now, hopefully, I can get back into flight training, as the new instructor I want to study under requires the written before any flight time.  This is another pain in the arse when all you want to do is fly, but it’s sensible, and it did push me to get much of the basic understanding before getting behind the stick for a reasonable amount of time.  Now I can start pushing my way through the hours, and actually get back on the road (or the runway? the victor?) to getting licensed.  Or certificated.  Whatever they call it.

I hope to have actual flights to be able to write about soon. 

Fly well, all, and safe home.