Tag Archives: PSTAR

Hitting the books

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How long has it been since you studied for a test?  For me, the time is measured in decades!  So here I find myself on vacation on a wet rainy day studying for my PSTAR exam tonight.

I’ve gone through all 200 possible questions and looked up each answer in the  Aeronautical Information Manual (which is for some reason known as the AIP) and the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARS), even if I was sure I knew the answers.  We’re allowed to write the exam tonight even though we haven’t completely covered some of the areas.  Even with all the information at hand I managed to get a few wrong.  Wording gets tricky at time.

A passing grade is 90% or over but the exam can be taken again if you’re a complete idiot and somehow manage to fail it the first time  – or second, or third or……… 

How was St. Jacob’s?  Meh.  Weather on Tuesday wasn’t great with rain off and on all day.  The outlet mall didn’t have much to offer and even Jan couldn’t manage to spend a lot at her favourite stores.  Dinner in the evening at Benjamin’s was OK but their menu isn’t as adventurous as it used to be.  Wednesday morning we hit all the little shops in the village but even that was a little disappointing.  I managed to dig up a few old airline ads at an “antique” shop which I’ll start scanning and putting online after I get through tonight.

Speaking of tests, I passed my aviation medical on Tuesday morning!!  The examiner, Dr. Thicke (who just happens to be the father of Alan Thicke) was a real hoot and this marks the first time I’ve ever had a fun visit to a doctor.  I’m in pretty good shape for an old guy and nothing he saw precludes me from flying.

UPDATE:  I passed the PSTAR!!

Vacation time

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brooms We’re just starting a week of vacation.  Looks like it will be a busy one!  Tomorrow morning (Tuesday), I go for my Class 3 medical which I need for my student pilot’s license and Thursday I’m writing my PSTAR exam.

In between, we’re off to one of our favourite spots – St. Jacob’s Ontario.  We arrive Tuesday afternoon and it’s straight off to the outlet mall.  Later in the evening we’re off to dinner at Benjamin’s in the centre of the village. Wednesday morning it’s more shopping and we’ll be back home in the afternoon so I can continue studying.

St. Jacob’s is a wonderful town for photography.  I took the picture above a few years ago because how often do you run across a broom maker?   The village is nestled in Mennonite country and, even though St. Jacob’s is very commercial,  time slows down just a little to accommodate their lifestyle.

Flight training

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Cessna 172 engine Week 4 of ground school.  Focus was on engines and airframes.  More and more information is coming fast and furious and I think my head is just about full.  In two weeks, I’ll be writing my PSTAR exam which is a critical milestone for my license.  Minimum pass rate is 90% so I’ve got some studying to do.  Luckily, it comes when we’re on vacation so there will be some cram time available.

Just over a week to go before my medical.  Again, a  really critical step.  No pass, no license.

This morning, spent nearly 1 1/2 hours in the air.  Today’s training was on turns.  Mild, medium and steep turns finished up by a collision avoidance turn.  That one was fun!  Cut the power, bank about 45 degrees to the right and dive 500 feet while turning 90 degrees.  Scared the crap out of me when the instructor did it but was a real blast when I did it myself.  Total flying hours are now 5.10.