Dual Cross Country

January 2, 2011

Today was my dual cross country trip. To prepare, I met with Matt on December 30^th for a couple of hours. We decided to fly 50 miles north to Jacksonville, IL. As part of the preparation, we picked out several checkpoints along the way, so that we would know if we were on track or not. We then made several calculations in regards to the wind, course directions, altitude, fuel, speed and time. Along the flight, we would note the time it took us to reach each checkpoint, then compared it to the calculations that we made on the ground. We also used the sectional chart to help us identify and verify that each checkpoint was correct.

Once we reached Jacksonville, we landed at their airport, then turned around and headed back home. This time, I was on my own as to get us back. He was there only if I had questions, but it was my responsibility to navigate us back correctly. I feel pretty good about how I did, and he also said that I did a good job.

Once we got back to our airport, Matt told me that he’s approving me to do my solo cross country. I must say, I’m pretty excited! I’ve never flown solo outside of the airport area, so this will be a huge step for me.

Since I’ve decided to meet the requirements of the Private Pilot instead of the Sport, this trip requires that I fly a total of 150NM (Nautical Miles), land at two additional airports, and one leg of the trip must be a minimum of 50NM. I’m hoping to do this within the next week or so, and I’m definitely looking forward to it.

Flight Log to Date
Hours flown: 18.5