Newb questions: freq overlap; COM1 & COM2; MTR/MOAs.

[Geoff]

Thanks for the terrific replies, guys. RNCTX, my little Carenado Piper Archer 2 has no GPS! Not even an *autopilot*! It's a true trainer. Fortunately, it goes so slow that I usually know what the closest airport and frequency is. But I really like having no GPS/AP. It forces me to use my eyes and radio navaids, as Keith emphasized in one of his early VFR training workshops. But I do very much want to practice engine-failure. I remember one of my private-pilot friends describing how his instructor reached over and turned off his engine mid-flight, 5 miles away from New Haven airport. Brr!

Keith, thanks for the advice on which controller to call. As to the ratings, I'm eager to do the V-1 and V-2 ratings, as I've practiced both. I hope to try the V-1 this week. I've already watched all the VFR training workshops and the videos for the ratings. (Watching all that stuff is what convinced me to try PE.)

I can't wait to see what your new VFR ratings will involve!

[RNCTX]

But I do very much want to practice engine-failure. I remember one of my private-pilot friends describing how his instructor reached over and turned off his engine mid-flight, 5 miles away from New Haven airport. Brr!

I would've put my shiny Commander in a pasture with no gear on my last 2 year flight review when the CFI did that to me. He yanked the power and I circled down from 5k to 1500, got lined up, and he said "you might wanna put the gear down." Whole time the alarm was going off. After a minute or two your brain tunes it out.

That's the oldest joke about gear-up landings...

Q: "why didn't you put the gear down when the tower controller called it out to you?"
A: "couldn't hear him over that stupid alarm going off"