Private- Day 2

April 21, 2011

I went flying with Matt this afternoon. I almost canceled because my sinuses have been acting up off and on for the last day or two. Once I got to the airport I was feeling alright, so I decided to fly. It was a more advanced lesson than I was expecting, but you'll never hear me complain. The winds were blowing around 16 knots, so it was my first time dealing with a lot of wind in the Cessna. I figured you wouldn't be able to feel the wind as much in the heavier plane, and I was right. You could feel it, but not like you do in the tiny Sportstar.

We did a soft field takeoff from Runway 9. I was barely at 900ft when Matt handed me the foggles. It was already time to practice simulated instrument flying. He told me to keep climbing but make a 180 degree turn to the west. He then started teaching me how to navigate using a VOR (short for VHF omnidirectional radio range). A VOR is a type of radio navigation system for aircraft. When we discussed this process on the ground, it didn't seem too complicated, but in the air it seemed to get a little overwhelming. For the most part I did alright, but I think I started over-thinking it which caused me to get a little confused.

After a half hour of instrument training, we worked on slow flight. Once we were near the airport, Matt pulled the power back to idle to simulate an engine failure. I told him the best place for landing would be the airport. I decided to land on Runway 9. We then did a normal takeoff, flew the pattern around and did another landing. It was kind of rough, in part because I still can't figure out how high I am in relation to the runway during the flaring process. Right after landing, he retracted the flaps and turned the carb heat off, then had me apply full power to takeoff. Matt took the controls while I moved my seat forward so I can see out the front better, hoping it would help me judge my distances better. We came around to land and it was already set up to be better than the last. After a nice landing, we called it a day.

Our next lesson will be a local night flight. I'm very much excited for this. Unfortunately I have to wait a week due to both our work schedules being odd. I'm sure it will be well worth the wait.

On another note: My job at the airport is going really well. I'm enjoying the job and learning a lot. Next week will be my first to work dispatch alone. I think I'm ready =)

Flight Log to Date
Hours flown: 46.5