The weather really could not have been much better. Aside from a few gusty surface winds at my destination, the three total flights (my father-in-law cross-country one way, my brother-in-law's short hop over the local patch, and my mom's trip back to the home base) turned out better than expected.
It was a beautiful day, with scattered snow showers masking some distant mountain peaks, but clear skies and 15-20 knot winds aloft. I even got to fly the school's brand new (only 190 hours-old) DA-20, just recently released from dual-only flight. Each cross-country was only about 60 miles, and the local trip "around town" was only about 20 minutes, but just perfect for first flights. My mom was the only one that has had general aviation experience, at least in the cockpit (and she's also currently in ground school). My father-in-law went skydiving once, but he apparently was a little too preoccupied to pay much attention to the aircraft aspect of the trip.
All had a great day, and with two more hours of cross-country time, it was worthwhile for me as well. I even impressed myself with some quick rudder action in a gusty crosswind for a glass-smooth touchdown. I was proud to show off my new skills, and it was neat to have someone on hand to take some pictures for once.
Preflight photo op
Looking out over town
You can see my house in this shot
On the way back
No comments:
Post a Comment