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Logbook by Connie Sue White

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About Connie Sue White

Connie Sue White recently joined Flying’s editorial team as managing editor. Connie Sue, a University of Florida journalism grad, brings 20 years of magazine publishing experience to Flying. Prior to Flying, she oversaw Bonnier Corporation’s scuba diving titles, Sport Diver, Scuba Diving and Undersea Journal. She also brings a strong flying heritage (thanks to her father’s passion for aviation) to the magazine. Read full bio >
Night Flight
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Wow, what an eye opener! Last night I completed 1.4 hours of my 3-hour night flight-training requirement for the private certificate, single-engine rating, with First Landings Aviation CFI Chris Esposito. I shot 8 full-stop landings in the Remos GX, leaving the last two of the 10 required for my dual cross-country night flight. All I can say is: What a different world than day VFR flight. That should seem obvious to anyone, but until I actually experienced it, I didn’t realize how different it would be and that reading about it in the prep books doesn’t do it justice.

Virtual Control?
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As I was reading the latest issue of Wired the other day, a tidbit updating the remote air traffic management system being developed by Saab and Sweden’s LFV air traffic control service piqued my curiosity enough for me to delve into the topic deeper. My first thought was simple: leave it to the Swedes to maximize practicality and efficiency (oh, how I miss my Saab 9.3 hatchback and its utilitarian design and its turbo, pre-GM!).

Sport Cubs and WingNuts
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Deland's (DED) flight line was full of airplanes
belonging to the WingNut ladies.

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Wednesday morning was one of those mornings I was “living the life.” At 0800 John Moreland, the southeast rep for SWT Aviation, a certified CubCrafters sales center, picked me up at Orlando-Apopka in a Sport Cub for a leisurely flight over to Deland and back so I could get a feel for the airplane.

Cross-Country in an LSA
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We arrived at 1A5 just ahead of the weather.
Click here to see the photo gallery of the trip.

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Last Friday morning at 1130, three LSAs departed from Apopka, Florida’s X04 for a long weekend in Franklin, North Carolina. Another sport pilot and I flew the Remos while the SportCrusier (formally a PiperSport) and Gobash each had a sport pilot (one working on his private) and a CFI. Pilots and passengers of a Cessna 182 and Piper Arrow joined the group too, making it a baker's dozen of folks in toto heading to the mountains.

Tecnam Showcases Eaglet at Sun ‘n Fun 2011
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I had the opportunity to ride along with Tecnam demo pilot Andrew Jones in the P92 Eaglet out of Winter Haven (KGIF), where it was based, during one of the company’s Showcase Fly-Bys at Sun ‘n Fun last week. If the term Showcase Fly-By is unfamiliar, I’m certain that if you’ve ever been at the flight line of a fly-in, you’ve witnessed at least one of these displays. At Sun ‘n Fun, they are featured daily from noon until 1:30 p.m. and give manufacturers and individuals an opportunity to display their aircraft by performing a fly-by pattern over show center.

WAI, More Than Here & There
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* Co-owner of trucking company, pilot/owner of Piper Saratoga
* Aircraft parts manager
* Retired air traffic controller
* Flight instructor
* Greater Orlando Aviation Authority staff
* Owner of an environmental consulting firm
* Owner of Flight Attendant Express
* Co-owner of a Stinson
* Teacher specializing in aviation education programs, pilot/co-owner of a Cub & Stearman
* FAASTeam representative
* City employee working on private license

Playing Telephone
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A maze that I only discovered near my local
flying area while flying the Remos, doors off.
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This past weekend I called upon a friend (who happens to be a private pilot working toward his instrument rating) and invited him to join me for a late afternoon leisure flight in the Remos G3. He would be my third passenger since certification. Admittedly, it’s more fun for me to have someone along so I always have my passenger radar on, but I’ve also tasked myself with sharing this great experience with others whenever possible. With this particular friend it also meant a chance for me to debunk a myth or two among some pilots about light-sport aircraft.

The Monster Under the Bed
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Last Sunday I passed my practical test for the Sport Pilot certificate. And what an eye opener it was. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect and, on top of that, I had managed, very methodically, during the few months leading up to that day, to work myself into somewhat of a tizzy about The Event. It didn’t help that I imagined that all FAA examiners were big, scary I’m-going-to-make-your-life-miserable monsters. Or that I knew that my brain had been dulled by an education system in which multiple-choice testing was the standard.

An Awesome Saturday
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Last Saturday, I headed out mid-morning to stop in at two aviation events. Little did I know how awesome the day would turn out. The first stop was at a monthly BBQ at Orlando-Apopka (X04) hosted by First Landings Aviation, the flight school where I’m taking sport pilot lessons. The idea behind the BBQ is not only to generate new business but also to foster camaraderie among its students and alumni.

Simulated Engine-Out
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Below video taken with Contour HD A/V-ator, available at lightsportgroup.com.
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During one of my Sport Pilot lessons with First Landings Aviation’s Chris Esposito, we had just finished up practicing stalls and steep turns off the north shore of Lake Apopka on yet another gorgeous morning. I had been wondering when we would be practicing engine-out scenarios and asked Chris out of curiosity if one of the grass airstrips, Orlando North, just a mile or two north of the shore would be makeable if we lost an engine in that moment given the airplane’s 17:1 glide ratio. He informed me that I had just made a typical error … the kneejerk reaction to head for an airport.

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