For my first blogs I’m going to copy my blogs about my first solo flight in an airplane from mytransponder.com.
A good friend of mine wanted me to give her the details of my first solo flight (Jan 31 2009). Which is the milestone in flight training where you fly an airplane by yourself no instructor or anyone to help, just you and the airplane.
I wanted to say I got in a plane and took off flew the pattern (around the airport) and landed (that’s about all I remember) but Elisabeth (my fiancée) says I need to give more details so here goes.
This is how the weekend before my solo went.
I’m flying a Cessna 172 tail number N734XH out of North Las Vegas airport KVGT. It is a towered airport in class airspace.
Several weeks ago (early January 2009) my instructor (Greg) started talking about me soloing, I started replying I wasn’t ready yet.
He had me set up a pre-solo check ride with another instructor, and do a pre-solo written test. They were talking about me soloing weeks ago, but we had some bad weather, and the starter went out in the plane,….
Ok just over a week ago on Friday (01/23/09) We had a 8000 foot ceiling just a bit a wind. So the other instructor (Luis(owns the plane)) took me up for my pre-solo check ride.
Pre-Solo:
I was very nervous and let him know it.
I let it idle to high at start-up. We had an brief discussion about carb ice at the run up. Went to hold short as instructed to by ground, called the tower and was cleared for takeoff on 7 and to turn left, my radio work was good. Takeoff went well at 500ft AGL (above ground level) I made my left turn and then the tower called me and said they couldn’t see my transponder (a device that lets air traffic control see where your plane is), I said Oh S***! I forgot “Lights Camera Action” (acronym pilots use to remind them what to do at take off, like turning on the transponder) turned on the transponder. Mumbled some incorrect/incoherent BS over the radio and the tower said they saw me now at 2800 MSL (Mean Sea Level)….
As we headed out to the practice area Luis said your engine is out what are you going to do (practicing engine outs is a common safety technique pilots use to practice what to do if). I pulled the throttle to idle (no power simulated engine failure) trimmed for best glide speed, played with the emergency check list, and discussed places to land.
Then we headed back to the airport and did 3 touch and goes (land and then take off without coming to a stop on the runway) and one full stop landing. He liked the fact that I didn’t drop the flaps until we were in the white arc (designated safe flap speed) on the airspeed indicator. Remember it is his plane. He didn’t care much for my 3 point landing (landing on all 3 wheels at the same time vs the rears (main) first which is proper), and even on my main gear landings said I bring the nose gear down to soon.
After the flight I was Debriefed by both instructors. They said I needed to go up with Greg do 5 landings, take a break go up and do 5 more. Then a week or so after that if I was having a good pattern day I would solo.
Greg and I were supposed to fly Saturday. Saturday morning the winds were insane, 5 knots to 30, and changing directions every couple minutes… so we didn’t go up. Monday I flew (human mailing tube (airlines)) to North Carolina for work and was there all week….
To be continued in my next blog
I will post the solo details next time.
Mike
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