It didn't take much to convince me to ditch work today due to the continued good weather here. On top of that, my wife was also available to take the opportunity for a first flight. A quick check of the forecast was all it took to confirm that days like this just don't really get better. A nice, quiet Friday, high clouds, cool air, light winds, and a nice airplane. That, and a significant other...made all the more significant due to a willingness to even indulge my flight training in the first place, let alone strap in and join me in the sky.
Today was actually a different craft than yesterday, but virtually identical other than a different radio stack and a couple of extra horsepower under the hood. It made no difference, and I had spent last night going over the performance figures that I copied after yesterday's flight.
We planned on making a circuit around the nearby hills, but a 25 knot headwind on the first leg tightened up our flight a bit closer to the city. We made a steady climbout, with only a couple of course deviations from ATC for traffic departing behind us. Then we were on our own, keeping it low and slow over the Yellowstone River and surrounding ranch and agricultural land.
My passenger was (probably typically for a first-timer) a bit nervous about the whole undertaking, but we kept things calm and the weather cooperated, too. Shallow banks (all to the left), steady altitude and power settings, and only a few burbles of wind made for a smooth flight all the way around. Smooth enough that this will hopefully be the first of more trips in the future.
We stayed up for an hour, and came in for a passenger-friendly landing. Not only was the flight successful, but it demonstrated that all the money we've invested in my little hobby has hopefully been well spent.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
...where I left off
It's hard to believe that so much time has passed. My family is in a new city and a new house, and I have been struggling to find some time to get up to a new airport, find an instructor, and get checked out in a new (old) plane. Finally, today was the day. The entire country appears to be dominated by one or more high pressure systems, and for the end of October, it was a beautiful day for a flight. Wouldn't it have been nice if my flying skills were as crisp as the weather...
Keeping in mind that my logbook is only about 84 hours thick, it wouldn't take long for the rust to set in. Compound that with the fact that I have been flying a 2-seat, low wing, fuel-injected DA-20 -- now I'm in the left seat of the venerable Cessna 172...from 1969 no less. Virtually identical to my dad's former craft, it's not unfamiliar territory, but it felt like transitioning from a Mazda Miata to a Chevy Suburban.
Today was a checkout to allow me unrestricted rental privileges, and the instructor (whom I had met many months ago before moving here) thought it wouldn't take long to get me up to speed. Indeed, after some slow flight and stalls, all it took was a few touch-and-go's to get in the groove. But it wasn't a cake walk, either.
Yoke vs. Stick. High wing vs. low. Electric trim vs. not... Remember the carb heat...
Different flap controls, different speeds, different sight pictures during landing
All of the physical sensations are the same, but different. The sounds are different, the controls are firmer, and that first landing was a bugger.
After completely embarassing myself and thinking I was a pretty lousy representative for any flight school that would allow such antics, it came together. A little more finesse with the throttle, a lot more finesse with the pitch, and I was starting to get it. And each landing after the first was nearly picture perfect, if your picture somehow blots out the runway centerline...
At least by the end, I had it pretty well greased onto the blacktop (even with a crosswind, thank you very much) and the instructor was satisfied that I would not be too much of a risk to myself or others. So, not only have I moved up to a "complex" aircraft (four seats and carburetor heat), but I'm happy to know that the time off hasn't cost me too much of my skill. Of course, now I'm on the pay-as-you-play plan, so we'll see just how long the next hiatus will be.
Keeping in mind that my logbook is only about 84 hours thick, it wouldn't take long for the rust to set in. Compound that with the fact that I have been flying a 2-seat, low wing, fuel-injected DA-20 -- now I'm in the left seat of the venerable Cessna 172...from 1969 no less. Virtually identical to my dad's former craft, it's not unfamiliar territory, but it felt like transitioning from a Mazda Miata to a Chevy Suburban.
Today was a checkout to allow me unrestricted rental privileges, and the instructor (whom I had met many months ago before moving here) thought it wouldn't take long to get me up to speed. Indeed, after some slow flight and stalls, all it took was a few touch-and-go's to get in the groove. But it wasn't a cake walk, either.
Yoke vs. Stick. High wing vs. low. Electric trim vs. not... Remember the carb heat...
Different flap controls, different speeds, different sight pictures during landing
All of the physical sensations are the same, but different. The sounds are different, the controls are firmer, and that first landing was a bugger.
After completely embarassing myself and thinking I was a pretty lousy representative for any flight school that would allow such antics, it came together. A little more finesse with the throttle, a lot more finesse with the pitch, and I was starting to get it. And each landing after the first was nearly picture perfect, if your picture somehow blots out the runway centerline...
At least by the end, I had it pretty well greased onto the blacktop (even with a crosswind, thank you very much) and the instructor was satisfied that I would not be too much of a risk to myself or others. So, not only have I moved up to a "complex" aircraft (four seats and carburetor heat), but I'm happy to know that the time off hasn't cost me too much of my skill. Of course, now I'm on the pay-as-you-play plan, so we'll see just how long the next hiatus will be.
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