Flying Solo

May 24, 2011

Matt and I got lucky today. The severe weather held off and we were able to get a lesson in. The winds were light and it was warm and sunny.

The Cessna 152 that I have been training in was unavailable, so we went up in the other 152. I have not flown that one, but it didn't take long to get used to it. We stayed in the pattern all day and worked on landings. The first three went pretty good. Then the fourth time around we did a simulated engine failure.

After landing, we agreed that I was ready to do my first solo in the Cessna. We parked the plane back at the ramp and Matt went inside to get a handheld radio so that we could communicate if needed. He rode a golf cart out to the runway, while I taxied the plane to runway 18. I went through my run-up and was set to go. I lined up on the centerline of the runway, applied full power, and began climbing out. After flying the pattern around, I was ready for my first solo landing. I was a bit too high and almost decided to do a go-around, but I realized that I could still add more flaps, had plenty of runway, and could still do a slip if I needed. Needless to say, I made it down and was quite proud of the landing.

Matt said that from his view on the ground, the second landing was the best. I was a little surprised because I thought I ballooned slightly. It was still a good landing though, I agreed. The third landing was pretty uneventful. I then taxied back to the ramp and parked the plane.

Soloing today was definitely not the same as that "first solo" but it still felt pretty good. Our next lesson will be spent working with a nearby towered airport. I'm really looking forward to it.