SOLO FLIGHT!!
Wow!...... I finally solo'ed last Tuesday (5-29-2007)! Winds were 140 at 12 knots on runway 18 down in Lockhart, TX. It took me a mere 37 lesson hours to get there. ;-)
(pictured here is the Aerobat in which I solo'ed)
I hadn't flown in two weeks when my CFI said, "Taxi over there and stop, I'm turning you loose". She got out and said, "see ya!". And I said, "Can I go to the bathroom and get a drink of water before I do this?" Mentally I wasn't expecting a solo event that day but I tried to keep cool....yeah sure! It's one of those moments in life that really shakes you up. "Can I do this?", I asked myself. I think this audio clip sums up the 1st time solo flight experience.
I did my taxi-out, turned the plane in a tight circle on the pavement looking for other air traffic, did my run-up checklist, and announced my departure on the radio.
It was a very strange feeling to fly in the left seat with no one else in the aircraft. I did a total of three touch-n-go's in solo. My first landing was good so my anxiety subsided and I knocked out the second and third touch-n-go's with more confidence. My instructor was on the ground with her walkie talkie just in case my final approaches looked wrong. Each time I flew past I looked out the window to see if she was watching me. She wasn't. She was just sitting in the grass writing something in her little book. No radio talk from her either. She trusted me!
After the solo I taxied over and stopped the engine to pick up my instructor.
A little sparrow landed on my windshield and sat for a few moments and then flew away. That had never happend before. I guess the bird was welcoming me to the club!
So now it's on with more and new flight training!
Gotta start studying for the written exam too.
Cheers,
-Charlie
I hadn't flown in two weeks when my CFI said, "Taxi over there and stop, I'm turning you loose". She got out and said, "see ya!". And I said, "Can I go to the bathroom and get a drink of water before I do this?" Mentally I wasn't expecting a solo event that day but I tried to keep cool....yeah sure! It's one of those moments in life that really shakes you up. "Can I do this?", I asked myself. I think this audio clip sums up the 1st time solo flight experience.
I did my taxi-out, turned the plane in a tight circle on the pavement looking for other air traffic, did my run-up checklist, and announced my departure on the radio.
It was a very strange feeling to fly in the left seat with no one else in the aircraft. I did a total of three touch-n-go's in solo. My first landing was good so my anxiety subsided and I knocked out the second and third touch-n-go's with more confidence. My instructor was on the ground with her walkie talkie just in case my final approaches looked wrong. Each time I flew past I looked out the window to see if she was watching me. She wasn't. She was just sitting in the grass writing something in her little book. No radio talk from her either. She trusted me!
After the solo I taxied over and stopped the engine to pick up my instructor.
A little sparrow landed on my windshield and sat for a few moments and then flew away. That had never happend before. I guess the bird was welcoming me to the club!
So now it's on with more and new flight training!
Gotta start studying for the written exam too.
Cheers,
-Charlie
posted by Charlie Thompson at 3:50 PM
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