Escaping the Patch

Hi, and thanks for stopping in. My name is Neil. I earned my PPL in 2003, and now that the flying is picking up, I needed more space to keep a journal than my Jepp logbook provides. So, here we are....

I fly out of south-east Pennsylvania, and live right across the state line in Delaware. I'm 28 years old. I fly a Piper Tomahwak, and within the next 6 months will be receiving instruction towards a tail wheel sign off in a Citabria. This blog will also follow my progress as I make the transition from my modest Piper Tommy, to a cutting edge Cirrus SR-22!!



Why the name "Escaping the Patch"? Easy. That's the mission!
After I got my PPL, I didn't fly much. Time, money, circumstances all conspired to keep me away from flying, and when I did fly, it was in hour blocks of rental time. This usually led to me flying the pattern for an hour. After that, I wouldn't fly for a month or so. Then, I would return to the field and, you guessed, it, fly the pattern to get the rust off of my landings. This year began in difficult standing. My girlfriend of 3 years and I parted ways, and I found myself without a job as a result of cut backs. (I was working in Aviation.) I stopped flying for the longest 8 months of my short flying life. Once employed again and having shaken off the cobwebs, I recently went back to the airport to pick up where I left off, and then some. I insisted to myself that I had earned my PPL, and now I intended to use it. No more puttering around the pattern. No more "hour here, hour there" approach to flying. I was going to "Escape the Patch." I see alot of pilots that do the same thing. Earn the PPL, and then never stray far from ther local airport, as if all they wanted to do was take off, land, and taxi back. Maybe they do. I, on the other hand, have a long list of airports to visit, sights to see, and things to learn, and I cant wait to get started.... again!
My goal is a modest one, but everyone needs a goal. I set out to fly a minimum of 100 hours in the next 6 months. Conservative by some standards, but for me, renting an aircraft, and with the harsh North East Winter approaching, I felt it an attainable goal, but one which would require time and dedication. I have lots of fun learning and flying ahead, from more adventures in the Tommy, to getting my Tail Dragger signoff, to getting checked out in my family's new Cirrus SR-22. It should make for some fun tales, and I plan to log time here. I hope you will visit and check on my progress.
Thanks for reading...