Week of 30.Oct.2017
3 flights (M,W,F)

This week was spent doing short and soft field takeoffs and landings.
The week ended with enough check-ride ready (tm) takeoffs/landings of each type to deem the week a success.

After my last existential melt-down, I think the month off and coming back with a defined plan for fixing my takeoff/landing skills worked. For the first time in a long time I feel like this just might happen.

Left to do:

1. Cross-country. That happens 06.Nov.2017. I don't see any major problem completing it.
2. Add 0.9 more solo hours. That'll be done after the XC.
3. Take and pass the written. I just did my first dummy FAA written and scored 78%. Just barely a pass, but a pass. I will review the areas that I was weakest on then do another dummy test. Once I can do a couple in a row with > 80% I'll schedule the real deal. The thing that makes this a bit hard is that as a sport pilot, I don't have nav gear but have to be able to pass the nav portion of the written. I'll NEVER fly into anything but E and G airspace but I have to know everything about them anyway. I'll NEVER fly into or around bad weather but I have to know all the weather stuff. Turns out the written test of private and sport are identical. The practical test is the same but sport has wider margins of error for maneuvers. Seems kinda silly but them's the rules.
4. Check-ride. Tentatively going for the first half of Dec (damn, that's soon) or early Jan if the DPE is scheduled. I'm nervous but think I can do this. 

So, next week is the XC, then we start doing nothing but dummy check-ride flights. I'll also set up for a dummy oral exam with one of the other CFI's at Lanier. I have no doubt I can fly and land the plane (never thought I'd say that...), especially in the conditions that I'll only fly in (low winds, no bad weather, Class G and E only). The 'book larnin' is where I need to be better. I don't see any reason I can't be good enough to get my cert but there is still a lot of work to do and not much time.