My Flying Career

The long awaited (at least for me) version 2.0 of the FAR/AIM app for Android has been released to the Android Market.  Existing customers will get this update for FREE.  This new version was a complete code re-write, as I wanted to pave the way for new features down the road.  It has a much prettier and easier to use interface as well as fixes many of the bugs that existed with the old database that contained the FAR’s and AIM data.  Hopefully there will be no more (Missing Part ##.## comments).  I tried very hard to get the app to work on as many devices as possible, but that is getting harder and harder to do with all the new devices coming out.  Please let me know if you are having trouble getting it to work on your device.  With this new release I also introduced in-app purchasing for yearly FAR/AIM data updates.  Basically when the 2012 FAR/AIM data becomes available, I’ll push out an update and it will ask you for a small $1.99 to get the data.  Meaning if you decide you’re okay with outdated data, you can decide not to get the update and continue using the application with the old data.

Enjoy and again please forward all bugs to my email and I’ll get them fixed as soon as possible!

Market Link

For bug reports please visit: http://myflyingcareer.uservoice.com/forums/138218-far-aim-android-app

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Wanted to let everyone know I am working on a major upgrade to the FAR/AIM app.  This update will add bookmarking FAR’s and AIM chapters, redesign, tablet support, and in-app purchasing for the yearly updates to the FAR/AIM.  Don’t worry, it will be very inexpensive.  I’m thinking $1.99 to upgrade your FAR/AIM app to the latest version every year.  Or you can choose not to update it and keep the older version.  This version will also fix a lot of the bugs I have been getting emailed about.  I’m very sorry about the bugs, I truly try to make the highest quality software and after the release of 2.0, I should be much faster at bug fixes.

Thank you all for your support!  I’ll post screenshots when I have some available.

John

Hey guys,

I’ve started studying for my CFI again and I wanted to start looking things up in the FAR/AIM as I ran across them.  I looked at the Android Market and was shocked and disappointed to find that there were VERY few android applications for pilots.  Not only that there didn’t seem to be a good FAR or AIM application.  This was a problem.  I used to be an iPhone owner and was very pleased with ASA’s FAR/AIM app and thought to myself.  Why don’t I fill the void.  After a lot of hard work, I’m finally pleased to announce that my FAR/AIM application is available on the Android Market.  I do plan to continue the development of the app as I have lots of ideas for it, but I need to know there are more people that just me who would enjoy having that big book we all know in their pocket and SEARCHABLE.  I gotta say, the search functionality alone is worth the app.  How cool is it to say, “I wonder what the VFR weather minimums are in Class C airspace at night?” and be able to search “weather minimums” and jump right to that section of the AIM.  It really is nice.  Let me know how you all like it!

Get it from the Android Market

UPDATE (4/4/2011): I am working on getting the FAR’s updated to 2011 (I had to wait until they made the 2011 FAR data available).  Please keep submitting bug reports and I will get them fixed ASAP and release updates.  And lastly, let me know if there is something about the app you would like improved.  I want to make sure that your money is well spent.  Thanks!

Here are some screenshots of the app:

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Okay, that’s it! It’s been long enough… I’ve moved, got a new job, and am getting settled in up here in the “big city”. It’s time to buckle down and get it done. I’m very excited and motivated to continue what I’ve started. And holy cow…remember when I said that the commercial rating was the hardest rating I’ve ever had to study for? Well forget that. The Certified Flight Instructor certificate is now the most challenging certificate I’ve ever had to study for. The depth and breadth of knowledge is unbelievable. But I’m up to the challenge and have cracked open my library. And yes, my flying books I think can finally be considered a library. I finally have an entire bookshelf FULL of books about aviation. My wife still doesn’t understand why I kept all of those books from my private, instrument, and commercial ratings. Well, here’s why. The Certified Flight Instructor practical test examiner can ask just about anything out of any of those books. And I need to know it, or know how to find it quickly.

The work has just begun, and I will keep you all informed of my progress.

Please forgive me, as it has been far too long since I have posted.  I apologize to those of you who  have been sitting at the edge of your seats waiting to hear what I have to say next (all one of you)

So what the heck have I been doing?  Well a lot has happened in the last month, and I have had to put blogging on the backburner.  First off, I am pleased to announce that I passed my Flight Instructor Airplane (FIA) knowledge test with a 90%!  A quick note on that test.  I think the computer was reading my mind and found the areas that I was the weakest in, and giving me all of those questions.  I was actually kind of upset to get a 90%.  I had been working REALLY hard, and felt that the computer didn’t give me any easy questions.  But oh well, 90 is good too!

I also lost my job on January 14th due to financial difficulties the company was having.  I had worked for the company for over five years and both parties were sad to see each other leave.  That was the main reason I have not been posting anything.  Because frankly, I have been extremely busy with Resume’s, application, interviews, working through finances, you know the drill.

As of February 1st, I now am an employee of McKenzie Books, Inc. and Cash4Books.net in Beaverton, OR as a Software Developer.  I was very happy to not be unemployed for very long and hope to get back into my flight training soon.  So the plan now is to wait for a little bit longer days and continue my Flight Instructor training at Hillsboro Aviation in their Cessna RG.  I will, of course, keep you all posted when I start that.

Until then…

Wow, 2010 already?  Time flies when you’re having fun (John, do not make a lame joke using this pun).  I have yet to fly this year because  have been studying diligently for my CFI-A Knowledge Test.  I really want to get a good score on this test and even more, I want to REALLY know this stuff backwards and forwards.  So that’s where I am at.

My IFR PIC currency lapsed at the end of November because I did not meet the requirements in the last 6 months to remain current.  The way the currency works, for IFR at least, is that you must have accomplished, in the last 6 months, the following:

• At least six instrument approaches;
• Holding procedures; and
• Intercepting and tracking courses through the use of navigation systems.

You can find all this information in Part 61.57 of the Code of Federal Regulations.  Well by the end of November I had all but 4 instrument approaches.  It had just been such nice weather the last 6 months, I haven’t had to shoot an approach.  So what happens when you lapse like I did?  Well you are given a 6 month grace period where the FAA allows you to go up with a Safety Pilot and shoot the remaining requirements in simulated conditions.  Who qualifies as a Safety Pilot?  All they have to possess is at least a Private Pilot’s Certificate and a current medical certificate.  I decided to give my Grandpa a call and ask him to be my safety pilot.

My grandpa is a corporate pilot out of Hillsboro and used to be an airline pilot for Eastern Airlines before they went bankrupt.  So you can imagine how much fun we have when we both are in the cockpit.  I really enjoy flying with him and I get a kick out of his comments on how slow the Cessna is compared to the Learjet 35 he currently flies.  So I flew up to Hillsboro, picked him up and we got my required 4 approaches in.  Did the ILS to Aurora, ILS to McMinneville, the VOR approach to Hillsboro, then got radar vectors for the ILS back into Hillsboro.  It reminded me of when I was training for my Instrument Rating.  Approach after approach after approach.  It mentally wears on you.  I think it is one of the toughest things I’ve had to do in aviation.  I think the only way to make it more difficult would be to have to do it in a light twin.

Well I’ve rambled on long enough.  Happy new year everyone and hopefully my next post will be on how well I did on my CFI-A Knowledge Test!

Wishing all my readers a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Thank you all for the support and encouragement in 2009!

This is the first of possibly more reviews I would like to start doing to promote some of my favorite aviation products. I have a plethora of products I like to use on both my PC and my iPhone that you need to know about, if you don’t already. I attribute many of these products to my success thus far in my aviation journey and one of my absolute favorites that I will recommend to all of my future students is Dauntless’s Ground School software and RideReady software. These two excellent products led me to be able to review one of their other products, Safelog. So enough brown nosing and lets find out why I use Safelog.

Rich Features

I have yet to find a feature that isn’t portrayed in some way in Safelog. You can import/export flight data to your own backup location and/or SafelogWeb.com. You can add/modify/review your flights and currency online at Safelogweb.com, which is great for pilots who have ‘Smart’ phones and can access the internet immediately after every flight and record the information. Doesn’t get any easier than that. You’ve got reports, graphs, currency evaluations, flight computers, Google Earth integration, the list goes on.

Ease of Use

The software is incredibly easy to use. It’s also great for pilots such as myself who often fly to and from the same airports. Your most recent airports are readily available on the flight entry screen with a single click. It also keeps track of all of the aircraft you fly so you don’t have to keep re-entering data. That is one of the nicest things I like about Safelog. They really tried to put repetitive entry to a minimum. If you entered it once before, you don’t have to enter in that data ever again. This goes for airports and aircraft.

In Detail

For those of you that are nerds like myself and like to track data. This logbook software has the capability of tracking incredible amounts of data. For every flight you can record your general flight information plus photos, comments/notes, files/documents, milestones/events, people you flew with, what was the flight instructor, examiner, or SIC’s name! There is so much information you CAN record I can go back to just about any flight, look at that information and recall the exact flight. These features are of course optional, as this could overwhelm some of you. But for some of us, it’s just plain fun!

Mobility

Dauntless knew that for a logbook application to be truly complete, it would need to have mobile access. They boast multiple mobile platforms Safelog can partner with. The iPhone, Blackberry, WindowsCE / Windows Mobile PocketPC PDA or your PalmOS-compatible PDA. I only have had the pleasure of using Safelog for the iPhone, but the fact that they have made it a priority to make available all of the important information in your logbook wherever you are is a definite plus in my book.

Conclusion

I’ve used two other logbook applications and none of them beat the features and ease of use Safelog provides. You can purchase many different bundles and should have no trouble finding the bundle that is right for you. If you only want to use the web features and don’t necessarily need the companion PC software, then you have that option. You can find more information on Safelog at Dauntless’s web site. Have a safe and Merry Christmas!

Legal Note: The FTC requires that I inform my readers that Dauntless did provide me with a copy of Safelog for review. However I would like to point out that I am/was not required to provide a positive review. Basically I meant every word I said.

Paul Bukta of KATU Portland Channel 2 interviews me on the Charles Bishop suicide flight into the Bank of America building in Tampa Florida on January 5th, 2002.

Today I took my FOI (Fundamentals of Instructing) knowledge test.  I felt very confident as I have studied hard for a while.  Not only did I pass, but I got a 100% test score!  Funny little side story – recently the LaserGrade testing centers have been able to reveal what answers you got incorrect at the end of your test.  I know, most of you are thinking, why hasn’t that always been the case?  Well, they have been a little behind the times, and until now, you never got to see which questions you got wrong.  It was very depressing.  Well the proctor was very excited to see how the new system works, and how it shows you your missed answers.  Well when I had finished, she was confused at how come we didn’t get to see my missed answers, then she looked at the score.  ”Wait a second, no wonder….you got ALL the answers right!”  I chuckled and apologized for not being able to be the guinea pig for this new system. Maybe next time…. hopefully not, but maybe.

Next up, studying for my FIA (Flight Instructor Airplane) test.  This is a 100 question knowledge test spanning basically everything I have learned thus far (minus Instrument Rating questions).  So this is a big question bank they will be grabbing questions from.  So I will need to review and study A LOT!  So let me get back to that, so I can get another 100%.