The Unexpected

June 3, 2011

Had a pretty exhilarating lesson with Matt tonight. We didn't start flying until 7:30 in the evening. It was still nearly 90 degrees, humid and hazy with light winds from the south. After doing a soft field takeoff, I flew the pattern around then let Matt take the controls. He wanted to show me how to do a slip in the Cessna. As always, I learn so much from watching him. By observing his effortless ways, I get so inspired to be the best that I can be. He lands the plane with perfection.

We do a short field takeoff and depart the pattern to the north. Matt hands me the foggles and gives me my first set of instructions to practice instrument flying. I seem to be doing alright, so he throws in VOR navigation. I'm getting better, but it still hasn't "clicked". After a half hour he takes back the foggles; I can now see outside of the airplane again.

I asked him if we could practice stalls. We gained some altitude and then I set up for a power-on stall. That went well. Now onto a power-off stall. I definitely prefer stalls in the Cessna more than in the Sport airplanes! I think I'm ready to practice them solo.

Afterward, he asked me if there was anything else that I wanted to work on. I paused for a moment while looking out the side window, then replied with, "I'm debating on whether or not I want you to show me a spin." The next thing I hear was Matt saying, "You don't have a choice." What?!! He takes the controls and climbs to 3000ft. I tell him not to do anything crazy, like multiple rotations. Baby steps. He sets up for a power-on stall. You must stall the plane and be uncoordinated to spin. He intentionally avoids adding right rudder, and instead adds left rudder to intensify the stall and help force the spin. The nose of the plane sinks to the left and you immediately find yourself spiraling towards the ground. He quickly stops the spin after a half rotation and we start climbing. The G-forces were crazy, especially to someone who has never enjoyed them. We lost 500ft during the spin, which only lasted seconds. My reaction to everything involved many smiles :)

By now you'd think that was enough excitement for one day, but there was one more thing Matt challenged me with. It was my turn to do a slip... a drastic slip. The sun had already set and the haze was thick. There was no easy way to visually find the airport, so I used the compass and my TAF (an aeronautical navigation chart). After getting onto the correct heading, we got close enough to see the bright lights that indicated the beginning of our chosen runway. We came in for a straight-in landing for Runway 18. He kept me flying at 2,500ft until we reached the river. Usually once you're onto your final approach, you're at approximately 900ft. I was much higher and would've never imagined that it would be possible to make a safe landing at that point. I pulled the power to idle, added full flaps and applied full left rudder, then turned the ailerons to the right in order to line us up for the runway's centerline. I kept the nose of the plane aimed down to keep my airspeed at 60 knots. The plane is now flying sideways, creating the much needed drag to get us down to the runway. The VASI lights are now indicating that I'm on the correct glide path. I can now add a touch of power just enough to carry us to the runway. The wheels kissed the surface; it was a great feeling.

I know that I've mentioned this before, but I feel so fortunate to have an instructor who knows when to push me. I gain so much confidence and knowledge each time we work together and I truly feel like he wants me to be a great pilot. I'm ready for whatever challenges lie ahead.