Added Complexity.
A Complex aircraft endorsement is a note in your log book that tells the FAA that an instructor has evaluated your skills in a complex aircraft, and found that you are at least competent enough to understand how to operate them safely and consistently. In order to be called a complex aircraft, it must contain three systems, retractable landing gear, flaps and an adjustable pitch propeller.
I bring this up now because it turns out that the aircraft I and my compatriot Scott are likely taking to The Big Show just happens to be a complex aircraft. Which means that I must again head for that glorious place known far and wide as my local FBO, and once there con some poor unsuspecting CFI into getting into an airplane with me. It should be a blast, what with the leg thingies going all up and down like. All I need now is decent weather.
“But Wait!” I hear you say. “What about the other endorsement? The one all the girls like?”
Ah yes, the OTHER endorsement.
We are of course discussing the High Performance (Wink wink, nudge nudge) endorsement. This is the note in my log book which says I’m competent to pilot an aircraft with an engine power in excess of 200hp. Note I’m speaking in the tense that implies that this already exists in my logbook. That is because it does exist in my logbook, and not just for pretends. I received my High Performance (Wink wink, nudge nudge) endorsement a couple of weeks ago and didn’t tell you all about it because I was busy doing something or other that was very important.
Or something.
Here, let me distract you with a picture
Back?
As I was saying, I received my High Performance (Wink wink, nudge nudge) endorsement a couple of weeks ago after totally failing to crash a C-182/G1000 on several occasions. As a matter of fact, I failed to crash so well that the instructor at Northway Aviation said he was happy to keep flying with me for as long as I was willing to keep throwing money at him. With this endorsement, the future Complex endorsement and a future tail wheel endorsement I’ll be just a hair’s breadth away from being a real pilot.
Then maybe I’ll get some respect around here…
