Piloting a Diamond DA-40 from Schaumburg Airport

While I am certainly a Cessna fan, the Diamond DA-40 has become my favorite single-engine aircraft to fly regularly.  The modern cockpit, joystick and overall performance is great. For more info about the DA-40, click here.

 

 

A Relaxing, Scenic Flight over Northern Illinois

So far the weather this summer has been ideal for flying.  Here's another flight over northern Illinois.

 

Delightful Flight Along Chicago's Lakefront

Another awesome summer day to fly, this time along Chicago's lakefront.  From Schaumburg Airport I flew to Waukegan and then headed south over the water with the city to my right. You can see some pics below of Navy Pier, the downtown/Loop area.  Then I flew over the South Loop and further south and then west.

 

July 4th in a Cessna 172 over Northern Illinois

I had the pleasure of flying today, July 4th, and brought a flag along for the ride.  The weather was nice and not too much traffic coming in and out of Chicago Executive Airport.  Cheers and Happy Fourth!

A great day to fly this C-172.

A Cessna 172 Flight over Chicago's Western Suburbs

Another beautiful day to fly, this time from Schaumburg then over the far western suburbs and returning over the the northwestern suburbs of Chicago.  Here are some pics:

 

 

And a hug for the plane. :)

Aerobatics Training on a World War II T-6 "Texan"

An amazing aerobatic flight training experience in a World War II era T-6 aircraft from Gauntlet Aerospace.  I had an hour of pre-flight instruction and a one-hour flight, which included rolls and various other aerobatic maneuvers.

 

Another fun flight in a Hughes/Schweizer S-300

Continuing to train for my helicopter rating over the nearly clear skies of Northern Illinois...

 

 

Another training flight in a Hughes/Schweizer S-300

The Hughes/Schweizer S-300 helicopter is a agile and versatile aircraft, with very responsive controls. It's a pleasure to fly.  Here are pics from an additional training flight, beginning in Schaumburg, Illinois.

Beginning formal training for my helicopter rating

Helicopters have always been fascinating to me.  I've been on many as a passenger, even after I got my pilot's license for single-engine fixed wing aircraft and seaplanes.  So, finally, I decided to begin the training on getting my helicopter rating.  My first training flight was today, on a Hughes/Schweizer S-300C.

 

Earning my seaplane rating in Minnesota

Having once flown on a seaplane in Australia many years ago, I've always craved flying them as a pilot. Ever since getting my pilot's license, the dream of taking controls of a seaplane finally came true this weekend.  Yes, I earned my float-plane rating with about 8 hours of flight training here in Lino Lakes, Minnesota, with Adventure Seaplanes. The training was followed by a check-ride from an FAA examiner, and voila! I became a seaplane pilot.  Here are some pics and a video from my training: