D. Patrick Caldwell on The Joys of Flight

I haven't been posting much about my recent tailwheel time. Mostly because it has been going so well. Turns out, I don't tend to feel like blogging about all the good times and instead blog about the tough times.

Well, last night I soloed the 8KCAB at SkyBound Aviation and I've been approved to rent it solo from now on. The cool thing is, I also have about 20 night landings as well so I can solo at night too. I'll be going up next week to get some more dual for aerobatics, to get some more landings in, and to build a few more hours before I decide to take my friends and family for rides.

When I got back from doing my solo landings, my instructor and I had dinner with Evanthe (the lady who owns SkyBound). We were talking about what an accomplishment it is to become a proficient tailwheel pilot. It really is a lot of work and there are very few things in aviation that are more humbling. Evanthe decided that, even though I already have 200 hours and am an instrument rated pilot, my first Decathlon solo warranted another shirt cutting.

I objected of course because I was wearing a shirt I really like, but when my fiance showed up, she took Evanthte's side (and you can see the result). Anyhow, last night I got signed off to really learn tailwheel flying and I couldn't me any more excited.

Have fun. Be safe. Happy Piloting.