Happy (Woefully Belated) New Year!

Full disclosure that I'm posting this in late February, but I always set this post to January 1st for the sake of consistency. As is abundantly clear from the almost complete lack of posts in 2017, not much flying occurred last year. So this annual recap doesn't have much content to cover.

I think I explained well in my last post (from 6 months ago - yikes!) that things understandably got quite busy with having a baby. In addition to that, I started a new job late last year. Between those two things and the typical winter weather + lack of daylight, my left seat time has taken a precipitous nosedive.

Prior Recaps: 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017

On a positive flying note, however, I actually joined a flying club back in November. It's a nice group of about 12 guys that owns a 1979 Cessna R182 (the official designation for retractable-gear 182s) that I've actually flown a bit with pilot friends Mike and Mike. It's hangared at Dayton Wright Brothers Airport (MGY).

I think it's a great platform for family trips - bigger payload, much faster than the rental 172, holds more fuel, and the plane is far more available. So getting checked out in the 182 (including my complex endorsement) is first and foremost on the upcoming to-do list. The new job still involves travel, but not nearly as much as some of the crazy years past, so I'm hoping to finally increase the flying hours again this year.

Total Hours: 7.1 | Solo: 3.6 | XC: None | Dual: 3.1| Night: None | Landings: 28

Aircraft Flown: C172, Cub

New Airports: None

New States: None

First Flights: 1 (Mariella!)

People Flown: 2 (just the family last year - Mariella and Gina)

$100 Burgers: None

Fly-Ins: None

What I'll Remember: It goes without saying being able to take our daughter up for her first flight is a milestone I assume any pilot can appreciate. We flew commercially a week later (and she did quite well) but I simply couldn't allow that to be the method by which she left the ground for the first time! I didn't write about it on the blog but in August I flew down to Sumner Co. Regional Airport (M33) in Tennessee with pilot friend Mike (in the same club 182) to witness the solar eclipse, which was incredible.

Totality of the solar eclipse on August 21, 2017

2017 Goals: Given my lack of goal achievement these past couple years, part of me feels like I should change them up. That said, I still really would love to experience a glider flight sooner than later. In a similar vein, although it's probably pretty unlikely with a newborn coming in May, it would be nice to start work on the IR. I think the most realistic goal is my Complex checkout, especially if I am able to join the local club some friends of mine are in.

^ At least I made a move in the right direction. I've joined the club now (which means I'm now paying whether or not I'm flying!) so I absolutely need to get checked out in the airplane.

2018 Goals: Get checked out in the R182, which will include my Complex endorsement. Once that's complete, I would definitely like to start on the IR. I'd also like to take some family trips this year once I'm comfortable in the new airplane and fully current again. Beyond that, it's always nice to take friends and coworkers flying for the first time and I think I may have some opportunities to do so - especially having started a new job.

Happy New Year!

So yeah... I didn't exactly close 2016 out strong, despite somewhat miraculously logging more total hours than I did in 2015. The little bit of flying I did do last year was quite enjoyable, though. I am hopeful this coming year calms down enough to give me more cockpit time.

However, we've got a baby on the way! While I'm obviously very excited about our growing family, something tells me that won't exactly leave me with more free time in 2017. :)

Prior Recaps: 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016

Sadly I haven't flown myself since our awesome trip to Boston to meet our new nephew over Labor Day weekend. In the four months just since that trip, I've been to Michigan (six times), San Francisco, South Dakota, Boston (again), Chicago, Minneapolis (twice), Wisconsin (thrice), Kentucky, Charlotte, South Carolina, Indianapolis, Dallas, Germany, and the Dominican Republic. In total, I visited 18 states, nine countries, and flew over 115,000 miles on 118 commercial flights that had me aloft for 323 hours in 2016. So while I hate to continue making excuses for my lack of personal flying and blog updates, I think the travel statistics speak for themselves.

Probably 75% of my travel is work-related and I do expect that will be somewhat reduced this year, which leaves me hopeful that I'll be able to do more flying on my own terms. I am also considering joining a flying club of some sort for access to better - and faster - planes, especially as we anticipate more frequent visits to Boston for the cousins (and their parents!) to hang out.

Total Hours: 24.5 | Solo: 2.4 | XC: 17.5 | Dual: 1.0 | Night: None | Landings: 39

Aircraft Flown: C172, Cub

New Airports: S24, UNV, IPT, OWD, ALB, TSO

New States: Massachusetts

First Flights: 4 (Garrett and Anthony + Joseph + Isabella)

People Flown: 6 (above, plus Tommy and Gina)

$100 Burgers: 1 (we met the in-laws to the deliver the incoming baby news in August)

Fly-Ins: None

What I'll Remember: Gina and I having the awesome opportunity to go flying in a coworker's Mooney in Germany in July. Finally taking to the sky with pilot friend and blogger, fellow former Kalamazoo resident, and awesome photographer Chris. Cubbin' with another former Kalamazoo resident and pilot friend Garrett. Avoiding storms with my first taste of ADS-B in August. Stretching my wings and flying the furthest I've been yet, from Ohio to Boston, to meet our new nephew; it was full of great experience including a diversion for extra fuel and an extra overnight on the way home.

2016 Goals: I'm still out of excuses on the glider front. Pilot friend Tommy even offered me a free glider ride for my birthday - I need to set that up ASAP! A few of us pilot bloggers have discussed a meet-up and I hope we can coordinate that later this year.

After a complete false start three years ago, I again hope to start and finish my Instrument rating this year. That plan ran into a couple walls, financial and otherwise, but Gina graduated with her Master's in December (which we're done paying for!) so it seems doable this time around. Of course, that may change if I fall back into last year's travel patterns - time will tell.

^ Well, as mentioned earlier, I fell back into said travel patterns... and then upped them by 50% for good measure. So that put a damper on most of the planned activities.

2017 Goals: Given my lack of goal achievement these past couple years, part of me feels like I should change them up. That said, I still really would love to experience a glider flight sooner than later. In a similar vein, although it's probably pretty unlikely with a newborn coming in May, it would be nice to start work on the IR. I think the most realistic goal is my complex checkout, especially if I am able to join the local club some friends of mine are in.

Happy New Year!

I enter 2016 slightly disappointed with last year's total hours once again. The past 12 months have been quite hectic for me, to say the least. But I also find myself rather satisfied by the fact that I somehow (barely) exceeded 2014's total time in the sky despite the craziness.

Prior Recaps: 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015

While I didn't fly much myself, I did do more than my fair share of flying - 220 hours commercially. I set foot in 9 different countries (Australia, China, French Polynesia, New Zealand, and Switzerland were new additions) and 16 states. I flew 86,330 miles (3 1/2 times around the planet, with 4 crossings each of the Atlantic and Pacific) on 72 individual flights on 11 different airlines. Add to that the trips by car and I spent a total of 114 nights away from home. So I suppose my relative lack of stick time doesn't seem so bad.

On the somewhat rare occasions I did get to fly, we still had some fun. I was able to take quite a few people for their first flights and that's always a special treat. We flew up to Kalamazoo for a WMU football weekend with friends. I still dedicated flights solely to practice - just over 25% of my hours were spent solo working on basic maneuvers to try and keep the rust at bay. As usual, there was also a bit of sightseeing and simply enjoying the view from above.

Total Hours: 24.1 | Solo: 5.8 | XC: 6.3 | Dual: 1.0 | Night: 0.6 | Landings: 55

Aircraft Flown: C150, C172, Cub

New Airports: None (again! egads!)

New States: None

First Flights: 7 (Chad, Lorraine + Joe, Jeff + Cassie, Tyler, and Austin)

People Flown: 13 (above, plus Abby, Rob, Lauren, Gary, Mike, and Gina)

$100 Burgers: 2 (New Year's Day breakfast in Middletown and breakfast at Hangar 5 in September)

Fly-Ins: None

What I'll Remember: Getting to fly in the Wright B Flyer. Logging my 100th tailwheel hour in the Cub. Hang gliding over some of the most breathtaking scenery I've ever encountered in New Zealand. Taking an aerial tour over our beloved college campus for the first time in three years. Continuing on my never-ending quest to gain experience and improve my ADM. Completing a non-WINGS BFR for the first time.

2015 Goals: I'm out of excuses on the glider front. Although the rating's still a ways off, I absolutely need to go for at least one ride this year. Hold me to it! I would like to travel by airplane on at least one or two overnight trips with Gina. It would be fun to take a few more friends and coworkers up for their first flights. I need to fly some Young Eagles again, too.

^ Nobody held me to it! ;-) Also, I didn't technically fly any Young Eagles but an old coworker contacted me in December about taking his grandkids flying; we're still coordinating schedules.

2016 Goals: I'm still out of excuses on the glider front. Pilot friend Tommy even offered me a free glider ride for my birthday - I need to set that up ASAP! A few of us pilot bloggers have discussed a meet-up and I hope we can coordinate that later this year.

After a complete false start three years ago, I again hope to start and finish my Instrument rating this year. That plan ran into a couple walls, financial and otherwise, but Gina graduated with her Master's in December (which we're done paying for!) so it seems doable this time around. Of course, that may change if I fall back into last year's travel patterns - time will tell.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

The past year was quite chaotic on nearly every front - work, personal, and flying. I spent 40-45 nights away from home for work and another 35-40 nights away on personal trips. You can probably imagine how that cut into my available hours for aviating. Still, I think I crammed a decent amount of fun and experience into my time aloft.

Prior Recaps: 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014

I certainly wish I could have filled more pages in the logbook (and posted more on here) over the past year. At the same time, it never really felt like I was flying so infrequently. But the logbook don't lie - I logged fewer hours in 2014 than in any year since I passed my checkride in 2008.

One way I remained reasonably current was focusing on the fundamentals. Despite the limited hours, I count 9 of 21 flights (9 of 15 if you exclude the cross-country trips) where the primary purpose was practice. Pattern work, stalls, steep turns, power-off 180s, you name it... I really do enjoy basic stick and rudder work. Especially in a Cub!

Gina and I still enjoyed plenty of great sights from the air; our annual birthday and fall foliage flights are always special. While I can't predict whether things will calm down in 2015, I do hope to fly more this year. We have a big trip planned this summer during which I won't be flying but it would be nice to push the hours north of 30 again over the remaining months.

Total Hours: 23.2 | Solo: 8.8 | XC: 10.8 | Dual: 1.9 | Night: 2.9 | Landings: 54

Aircraft Flown: C150, C172, C182 (Safety Pilot), Cub

New Airports: None (yikes!)

New States: None

First Flights: 4 (two kids in May, Stephanie and Stuart)

People Flown: 8 (above, plus Mike, Lauren, Dave, and Gina)

$100 Burgers: 2 (New Year's Day breakfast in Middletown and Marty's BBQ send-off in May)

Fly-Ins: None

What I'll Remember: My sister tagged along in the Cub for a memorable formation flight with Tommy in the Fly Baby on the Fourth of July. Being able to clear my mind and avoid the traffic by flying up to Michigan to visit my dad in the hospital, then returning with Gina at night. Crossing 100 hours in a single airframe (N2814L) for the first time. Maintaining my night currency for nearly the entire year - the best I've done in the 6+ years I've had my license.

2014 Goals: Glider lesson, glider lesson, glider lesson. Seriously, it's been on my to-do list since at least 2010! Meet up with fellow pilot bloggers somewhere this summer. Make more $100 hamburger flights and perhaps even an overnight airplane camping trip with some pilot friends.

^ Well that didn't work out so well. I need to make a conscious effort to revisit my goals more frequently in 2015!

2015 Goals: I'm out of excuses on the glider front. Although the rating's still a ways off, I absolutely need to go for at least one ride this year. Hold me to it! I would like to travel by airplane on at least one or two overnight trips with Gina. It would be fun to take a few more friends and coworkers up for their first flights. I need to fly some Young Eagles again, too.

Happy New Year!

I begin 2014 feeling quite thankful for a wonderful 2013. Throughout the year - truly, there were great moments nearly every month - I added things to a nice list of accomplishments, both in the air and on the ground. On the personal front, I lost about 35 lbs and completed an extremely challenging programming course in Python. We also did a lot of work around the house including a full bathroom remodel and a ton of new landscaping.

Prior Recaps: 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

My flying life managed to involve a really nice variety of experiences. I crossed the 300-hour mark just this week, a bit over five years since passing my checkride. My hours reached their highest annual total since 2009. I was even night current for almost half the year!

Perhaps the only serious negative was the fact that I didn't start - let alone complete - my Instrument or Commercial ratings. That was a major goal of mine for 2013. Unfortunately, I just don't have enough money in the budget to afford it right now. As with my Private, I don't want to start until all the money's there. A significant pause in the middle of training is quite inefficient; it costs more in the end, too. So, although I really want to get the ratings (and, ultimately, my CFI) I can't help but keep things on hiatus for the time being.

Total Hours: 49.9 | Solo: 12.8 | XC: 18.8 | Dual: 5.7 | Night: 2.6 | Landings: 112

Aircraft Flown: C150, C172, C182 (Safety Pilot), Cub, Taylorcraft

New Airports: EVV, IMS, I17, BAK, VTA, CMH, DAY

New States: None

First Flights: 7 (Abby, Aunt Angela, Gary, Dawson + Chaston, Linda, and Dave)

People Flown: 15 (above, plus Rob, Lauren, Scott, RosaLia, Gerry, Jamie, John, and Gina)

$100 Burgers: 5 (Pizza in Evansville in February, Marty's BBQ in May with Rob + Abby and then again with Gina, breakfast at Hangar 5 in July, and Urbana in October)

Fly-Ins: 1 (MERFI in August)

Pilots N Paws Flights: 1 (April)

What I'll Remember: Another round of Cubbin' on skis at the gliderport. A bunch of great solo flights, practicing basic maneuvers and working myself hard, particularly in the Cub. Flying out to Evansville to visit one of Gina's friends for the day. Enjoying the best view of Chicago again. A fun little adventure involving a hitchhiker. Getting some stick time and a checkout in the Taylorcraft. Having the honor of being part of a formation flyover for a funeral and, later, more formation fun with the Stearman. Making my first solo night flight and solo night cross-country, plus night landings my first two Class C airports.

2013 Goals: Start and complete my Instrument and Commercial ratings. Yup, you read that right. Woo boy, I'm gonna be busy, eh? Here's the thing - I know I want to get them, I've put both off for far too long, and I sure as heck want them done before we have kids if at all possible. The ultimate goal is getting my CFI/II, but doing all of that this year would be extremely hard, if not impossible. Maybe in 2014. I'd also still like to log some Stearman time, get checked out in the Taylorcraft, and maybe finally take that elusive glider flight.

^ As I said earlier, some of that simply wasn't possible. Ratings aside, I actually did knock out most of the rest. Not too bad, all things considered.

2014 Goals: Glider lesson, glider lesson, glider lesson. Seriously, it's been on my to-do list since at least 2010! Meet up with fellow pilot bloggers somewhere this summer. Make more $100 hamburger flights and perhaps even an overnight airplane camping trip with some pilot friends.

Happy New Year!

We begin anew once again - 2012 has come and gone, Gina and I have been married for over a year, and I logged more fun time in the sky. It's hard to believe that we've already reached another new year but I'm optimistic that both my aviation and personal life will see some real positive growth in 2013. Check out my goals below to understand what I mean by that last point.

Prior Recaps: 2010 | 2011 | 2012

The best news is that my hours-flown chart spiked in the right direction for the first time since I passed my checkride back in 2008. I logged, literally to the tenth of an hour, the same amount of time in 2012 that I did in 2010 - a 43% increase over 2011! Even ignoring my 4.5 hours of safety pilot time, it was over 25% better. I still didn't fly as much as I wanted (heck, I didn't even climb into a plane until April!) but I'm quite happy about the improvement.

Total Hours: 40.8 | Solo: 7.3 | XC: 11.5 | Dual: 2.7 | Safety Pilot/SIC: 4.5 | Landings: 84

Aircraft Flown: C150, C172, C182 (Safety Pilot), Cub

New Airports: LIH, ISZ, HAO, PMH, HOC, OZW, 45G, DET, BTL, 2H4, OEB

New States: Hawaii

First Flights: 5 (Jessica, Rob, RosaLia + John, and Jamie)

People Flown: 8 (above, plus Rob, Jon, and Gina)

$100 Burgers: 5 (Sporty's in May, Portsmouth and Urbana in August, and WMU's Pancake Breakfast and Urbana again in September)

Fly-Ins: 3 (MERFI in August and WMU + Triple H in September)

Pilots N Paws Flights: 1 (July)

What I'll Remember: Flying completely around the island of Kauai in April. Taking the 172 up to Michigan to visit family, land at my childhood airports, and fly past downtown Detroit in August. Heading back up to Michigan with Gina the very next weekend, flying over WMU's campus (our alma mater) and getting hit with a laser on our way home. Finally logging a bit of right-seat time as a safety pilot for Mike in the 182. Landing at Blue Ash before the airport closed for good this summer. Crossing the 250-hour mark (barely) on my final flight of the year.

2012 Goals: Log time in the Stearman, log stick time in a glider, take some of our friends flying, keep the blog more active than I have over the past six months.

^ Uh, well it's good to bat .500, right? I need to get better about working towards my goals, which leads me to...

2013 Goals: Start and complete my Instrument and Commercial ratings. Yup, you read that right. Woo boy, I'm gonna be busy, eh? Here's the thing - I know I want to get them, I've put both off for far too long, and I sure as heck want them done before we have kids if at all possible. The ultimate goal is getting my CFI/II, but doing all of that this year would be extremely hard, if not impossible. Maybe in 2014. I'd also still like to log some Stearman time, get checked out in the Taylorcraft, and maybe finally take that elusive glider flight.

So it's time to get my ass in gear and hop back onto the flight training bandwagon. A lofty goal? No doubt about it. It's time to challenge myself, learn something new, and improve my skills. I intend to recap every lesson just as I did when working on my Private, so expect a significant bump in activity around here!

One final note - this post is my 300th on the blog. Not too bad in just over 4 1/2 years, huh?

Happy New Year!

If you somehow didn't gather from my unfortunate drop-off in posting frequency, 2011 was a tad busy. Gina and I got married in November and that was obviously the highlight of the year. Due to all the time and planning that required I flew far less than in years past.

It would be dishonest of me to not also mention the simple fact that I seem to have gotten caught up in what seems to be a somewhat common situation for a relatively new pilot - quite simply, it's kind of hard to justify it at times. Yes, I will always love aviation and yes, nothing beats a Piper Cub with the door open... but there's no way around the fact that it's an expensive hobby. Couple that with the current uncertainty in the job market and I'm just not sure how much flying I will be doing this year.

All that said, I have no intention of giving it up. I would still like to learn some new stuff, too. So read along as I recap last year, just as I did in my first posts of 2010 and 2011.

Total Hours: 28.6 | Solo: 2.8 | XC: 12.8 | Dual: 4.3 | Landings: 57

Aircraft Flown: C150, C172, Cub

New Airports: I69, FKL, BFD, B16, SDC, 38D, OSU

New States: Pennsylvania, New York

First Flights: 5 (Aaron, Toni, and Russ, Jon, and Jake)

People Flown: 12 (above, plus my friends Rob, Mike and Sarah, Ted and Donna, fellow blogger TJ, and Gina)

$100 Burgers: 6 (Sporty's and the Sky Galley in April, two in June on our way to and from Syracuse, Urbana in August, and Marty's BBQ in October)

Pilots N Paws Flights: 4 (February, May, June, and October)

Stearman Takeoffs & Landings: 1 each (that was fun)

What I'll Remember: Our amazing wedding and honeymoon, showing friends the sheer fun of cutting toilet paper streamers in the Cub, our trip to NY that tested my personal limits and gave me some very valuable experience with weather, seeing the final Space Shuttle launch in person, and my first trip to Oshkosh.

2011 Goals: Fly the Stearman, log stick time in a glider, take some couples that we are good friends with on $100 burger runs in the 172, go on a yet-to-be-determined flying adventure with my groomsmen before the wedding, fly at least one Pilots N Paws rescue, continue expanding the variety of content on the blog, make sure Gina doesn't run away from the altar in November.

^ Yikes, didn't do nearly as good crossing things off last year as I have done in the past!

2012 Goals: Log time in the Stearman - Gina gave me a $500 certificate as a wedding gift, log stick time in a glider, take some of our friends flying, keep the blog more active than I have over the past six months.

Happy New Year!

The days certainly do tick by faster the older you get - there's no denying it. I'm quite pleased with how 2010 turned out for me, both in the air and on the ground. While I always would like to have flown a few more hours sometimes it's just not possible. As I wrote one year ago, join me for a brief recap of how I fared over the past 365 days...

Total Hours: 40.8 | Solo: 3.9 | XC: 21.7 | Dual: 2.5 | Landings: 93

Aircraft Flown: C150, C172, Cub

New Airports: OWX, MIE, LUK, JAX, TVC, 83D, ESC, OSH, UGN

New States: Wisconsin, Illinois

First Flights: 12 (Neil, Emily, Joe, Scott, six Young Eagles at our annual rally, Jim, Ahmed)

People Flown: 17 (above, plus my best friend Rob, pilot friend Mike, my sister and Dad, and, of course, Gina)

$100 Burgers: 6 (one in April, three in June - Ottawa, Muncie, and Lunken, one in July while on our flying adventure, and one in October)

Fly-Ins: 1 (Lee Bottom Wood, Fabric, and Tailwheels in September - as a passenger)

Great Lakes Circumnavigated: 1 (Lake Michigan, on our huge flying vacation in July)

New Fiancées: 1 (I believe Gina was happy about this after my proposal in April)

What I'll Remember: Surprising Gina with a whirlwind trip around the world to propose in Barcelona. Our hot air balloon ride over the foothills of the Pyrenees in Spain. Flying over the Mackinac Bridge and past downtown Chicago during an eight day vacation with Gina, along with landing at Oshkosh. Gary and Rob flying out from Delaware to visit Stewart and fly the Stearman in July. The smiles on all the kids' faces and their excitement after taking them flying during our annual Young Eagles Rally in September. Cutting streamers in the Cub.

2010 Goals: More cross-country flights including a trip or two to visit other pilot friends, take as many people for their first flight as possible, fly Young Eagles, fly the Cub on skis, get in some glider time, make more money to spend on all of the above.

^ I did pretty good last year, huh?

2011 Goals: Fly the Stearman, log stick time in a glider, take some couples that we are good friends with on $100 burger runs in the 172, go on a yet-to-be-determined flying adventure with my groomsmen before the wedding, fly at least one Pilots N Paws rescue, continue expanding the variety of content on the blog, make sure Gina doesn't run away from the altar in November.

Happy New Year!

Crazy as it feels to already be sticking /10 at the end of every date I write, the year 2009 has indeed come to an end. Now is the time for a quick reflection and to look forward to a new year of flying adventures. So read along as I recap these last 365 days, Gary style...

Total Hours: 58.3 | Solo: 15.3 | XC: 21.6 | Dual: 7.2 | Landings: 151

Aircraft Flown: C150, C172, Cub

New Airports: KFGX, I68, KMRT, KSGH, KOXD, Y47, 3W2, KPCW, 16G, I66, KEDJ, KAXV, 1G3, 15G

New States: Kentucky

First Flights: 4 (Sarah and Kristin - two college friends, my sister and Dad)

People Flown: 9 (above, plus Shaun - pilot friend from Australia, Mike - local pilot friend and coworker, Rob - my best friend and college roommate, Gina's Dad and, of course, Gina)

$100 Burgers: 4 (one each in February, April, May, and October)

Fly-Ins: 1 (MERFI in Urbana, OH - I74)

What I'll Remember: Took my first two 'real' trips in an airplane, up to Michigan and Put In Bay in August and then to Akron/Kent State in October. Way too much fun in the Cub with the door open, including flying over top of Wright Bros Airport as a B-17 and P-51 landed below me. Enjoyed the sights with friends and family while touting GA as much as possible, although the view generally did all the talking for me.

2010 Goals: More cross-country flights including a trip or two to visit other pilot friends, take as many people for their first flight as possible, fly Young Eagles, fly the Cub on skis, get in some glider time, make more money to spend on all of the above.

Thanks as always for taking the time to read the blog and engage with others in the comments. I appreciate it more than I can ever say in a few short words and am looking forward to another great year sharing in my aviation experiences with all of you!