Recurrent Training

Just got back from Tucson, Arizona. I spent some time at Flight Safety International doing recurrent training. It is essentially refresher training in an aircraft. It's something that we have to do on an annual basis. Flight Safety is a world-class training facility. The instructors there are outstanding.

All of the training is done in a Level D flight simulator. These are moving simulators that have to be certified by the FAA in order for training to take place. It's pretty close to flying the real thing and the instructors can program your "aircraft" to experience several malfunctions ( some all at once ) in flight. During my training I experienced an engine fire, lost pressurization, complete electrical failure, runaway trim, and windshear, just to name a few. It's great training designed to push the pilot to the limits of his/her abilities. If you have to get training for a type rating, I highly recommend Flight Safety.

Here is a picture of the Lear 60 sim at the Tucson

training facility. I was too busy to get any pictures

of the inside.

International Flight

Here are some pictures from a trip to the country of Mexico. Arriving in Mexico can be an interesting experience. When we landed in Mexico we were met by our handler ( a native whos job it is to make sure your paper work is in order ). Along with the handler, were several armed soldiers. There is a lot of paperwork to have onboard the aircraft when you arrive in Mexico. You'll need a passport, pilot certificate, medical, custom documents and a Mexican Insurance Certificate to name just a few. If you're planning to fly to Mexico make sure you get some help from the FAA, NBAA or AOPA. Once the soldiers had seen our paperwork it was time to drag all the bags out of the aircraft so a drug dog could sniff them. During this time the handler took the flight crew's passports, pilot certificates and medicals. He took them away, I'm assuming that it was to fill out more paperwork, and they were gone for a good deal of time. This is a scary step of the process. Standing there on the tarmac of a foriegn country is no place to be without your pilot credentials. Eventually they were returned and we went on our way.

Going back to the US was a little less complicated. The handler will fill out your flight plan. You have to estimate the time you will cross the ADIZ. One note, make sure that you have a credit card that works in Mexico ( for the fuel load ). If you use multi service, make sure the N number on your aircraft matches the N number on the card or they won't take it. If you have to use a personal credit card for fuel, most likely there will be an extra charge for that. Ours was 500 US dollars. If you have enough cash to get the fuel load you need it will save you a little money. Keep in mind that there is a ground control fee at some airports and that has to be paid in cash.

The pictures are mostly of the storms we encountered enroute. These storms were near the Houston area as we made our way towards the Gulf of Mexico. We were flying at FL390.