Not So Fast

A few weeks ago, my instructor said that things would happen quite fast as I neared the end of my flight training. The reason for this is that the cross-country trips tend to pile the hours on much faster than the 90-minute lessons that are more common in the beginning. While this is true in theory, and makes logical sense, the weather becomes a significant factor this time of year.

So, while I probably could have had my certificate by now if I'd started a month earlier, I struggle to find a decent sized hole in the weather and the work schedule -- big enough for another cross-country and a block of time for a checkride. So, when the sun broke through earlier this week, it was a target of opportunity. I took a long lunch and went up for a quick flight to tighten up my maneuvers.

It was a short trip, only 0.9 hours, but enough to keep things fresh. I focused on sticking right at my target altitude through some ground reference and steep turns, and then came back for a couple of touch-and-gos. I wanted to keep my transitions nice and crisp, with smooth turns, climbs, and descents. Overall, it went well, but my steep turns still need work. Well, it's always something.