I have permanently moved my blog to http://blog.dougtoppin.name/
Hopefully you will always find me there from now on.

I've been experimenting with a new blog via Github pages.   You can find it at http://dougtoppin.github.io/   I'm 50/50 on a permanent move to it at this point though so you may see it move again.

moving to a new single blog

I decided to keep a single blog that includes my aviation, technology and other topics at:  http://dougtoppin.com/blog/
Please drop in there and see what you think about it.

Instrument training and longest XC yet

After finishing graduate school in Jun I resumed my instrument training (finally).  I did a few flights in a RedBird sim and then did an XC with my instructor recently.  We flew KJYO -> KECG (precision approach) -> KEDE (non-precision approach) -> KJYO (GPS approach).  I was under the hood most of the time and was much more tired than I expected when I got home.
I have a bad habit of not eating or drinking much before flying and I am pretty sure that 5-hours of flying dehydrated me.
On the return to KJYO we were hoping to get the COATT4 STAR which would have been a first for me. Unfortunately, KIAD got busy and had a commercial flight do a missed approach so we got vectored to the west and almost up to MRB before we were sent in.
In general the flight went well but from now on I am not under drinking/eating beforehand.  As usual, every flight is a learning experience one way or another.
I bought an iPad a few months ago and decided to try using it as an EFB for the XC.  I bought ForeFlight and have been very impressed with it.  It gathers and aggregates everything that you need to know for planning, filing and actually flying.   I recommend giving it a try if you have not seen it.  The only issue that I had with the iPad was that I did not have any way to attach it to my kneeboard so I fumbled with it whenever I wanted to use it.  I think I need a yoke holder for it or else some way to secure it to the panel next time.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and commercial aviation?

I wonder if recent developments in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) will eventually lead to single pilot cockpits in commercial flights.  I remember the controversy when the flight crews were reduced from 3 to 2. 

FAA Safety seminar KJYO 10-Jun-2010 7pm "Deliberately Accepted Risk...Single Pilot's Guide to Resource Management"

FAA Safety seminar KJYO 10-Jun-2010 7pm "Deliberately Accepted Risk...Single Pilot's Guide to Resource Management"

Info at:

http://www.faasafety.gov/SPANS/event_details.aspx?eid=32031&caller=/default.aspx

start flying again and am pretty rusty

I flew yesterday for the first time in months.  I missed a BFR in Jan and need to bone up to do it.  I flew with a new instructor and worked on basic procedures, slow flight, stalls, a little bit of an instrument approach along with a couple of other things.   I am more rusty than I realized so I need to hit the books and the sim again.  The weather was perfect though and it went ok in general.