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Learning to Fly (Part 3: Solo)
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(June 27, 2007)
Today (Wednesday) was solo day. Matt and I have worked, and worked,
and worked to get here, and we had both agreed that it wasn't going to
happen until we were both sure that I was ready. After three intense
lessons last week, one pre-solo check ride two days earlier, we both
concluded that it was time. Solo day at last!
I got to the airport at 8 AM, and "Nervous Nelly" Matt (and who can blame
him??!!) wanted to take me up for one more check ride before solo, so we
signed out 35S, my favorite Cessna 172SP, and I pre-flighted, taxied down
to runway 4, ran her up normally and off we went on runway 4. NO wind- a
very calm morning to fly. The wind sock was as limp as a wet noodle
in August.
We took off, stayed in the pattern to do a touch and go, and things were
going great when we realized there was a jet coming in fast behind us.
We are a pilot-controlled airport and were in the pattern, so we had the
right of way. But we could just as easily do a go-around and get out
of his way, so we did. I pushed the throttle to the stops, climbed
out, stayed in the pattern and did two nice landings for Matt.
But on the go-around we noticed that the engine was just a BIT rough
(maybe down by about 100 RPM), which was fixed by leaning the mixture out
just a bit, so we decided since we had to go in anyway to go ahead and
switch airplanes. Better safe than sorry.
 So
back to the ramp, and back to Lanier Flight Center, where I took my
pre-solo written test (did great), then back out to the flight line to
pre-flight and fly N21527- the very first plane I flew in my intro
lesson. (How cool is that?) Uneventful pre-flight, but
believe me, I folded my hands and said a prayer before I started her up!
Photo on the left shows me leaving the ramp and headed down the taxiway.
The three takeoffs and full stop landings were actually easy. I have flown
the Gainesville pattern so many times now that these were landings 70, 71
& 72. Landing number one and two were better than number three
because my approach was better. On number three my base leg was too
close, so I was just a bit too high coming in, so my angle was just a bit
sharper (see the photo below). Not
a problem, I'd had plenty of steeper approaches in practice.
On all three my airspeeds were very good, my round-out (the float just off
the runway) and the final flare at the end where I settled it down on the
runway were fine and the landings were smooth enough to please any
passengers I might have had in the plane. The photos were
taken by Matt- this one on the right is my third landing, where you can
see my round-out right before I gently flared.
I stayed in contact with Matt; he had a handy-talkie and was sitting in a
lawn chair next to the runway, so I had to taxi by him every time I went
back to take off again on good old runway 4. Of course,
something silly had to go astray, and in my case because it was a hot
summer morning I had left the windows open in the plane, and I was
struggling to shut the windows
 with
my right hand while trying to climb with my left hand. So my first
takeoff was a wild swing to the left and then the right! I should
have simply kept them open until I landed the first time, so now I can sit
back and laugh. When I was at about 600 feet above the runway Matt
called on the radio: "You all right up there?" I had to confess my
gaffe. The photo on the right was my taxiing in between flights one
and two.
Poor guy was a nervous wreck! I can only imagine how hard it is for
the instructor to hand the keys over to the student pilot and to sit back
and watch. I'd be a bowl of jelly. But the calm winds and
minimal clouds held just fine, and in no time at all I had successfully
completed three take offs and three full stop landings. Seemed like
I just got started and I was taxing the plane back to the hanger for the
ritual harassment! 
Matt stuck out his hand to shake my hand- but I said "NO WAY, DUDE!" and
gave him a bear hug instead. Matt helped me push the Cessna back
into place beside the runway and chock it. We went inside and got
the camera and the scissors. Matt cut the back out of my shirt (solo
tradition!), they took pictures of us (which they've now posted to their
web site).
Was my shirt wet! And it wasn't just the June
morning, either.
So as a soloed pilot I am now allowed to fly myself. No passengers,
of course- just me. It doesn't make me a qualified pilot- it just
makes me a qualified student. I'm only about 40% trained. Much
more to go.
First person I called, of course, was my pilot ace buddy Norm "Bubba"
Rich. He had been waiting for my call and was VERY pumped. What a relief
to have that behind me! I then had lunch with my buddy Ed "Doc"
Rigel at a Mex restaurant in Gainesville, and of course, I was buying!
Whew. What a relief to be soloed and semi-qualified.
(July 3, 2007)
Lanier Flight Center (like most flight centers) have a senior instructor
take a check ride with the student that has just soloed, to ensure that
the levels of training are up to snuff and to try to catch any small
problems before they turn into big ones. The school had me do a
check ride with Brad Griffin, a super nice guy who immediately put me at
my ease. We sat down and discussed (an oral quiz, really) some areas
of my knowledge, and I did ok.
Out for a check ride. I pre-flighted the airplane and we taxied to
runway 4. We had been having rain (!!) for the past few days, and we
had re-scheduled the flight to early afternoon because of morning clouds.
Had an easy, uneventful takeoff (a bit of right cross-wind) and climbed to
only 3,000 feet- it's as high as we could go because of cloud bottoms at
3,500. We flew about 10 miles to the northeast and I demonstrated
maneuvers.
Slow flight, slow high-powered flight (thanks for all the work on that
one, Matt!), power-on stalls, power-off stalls, emergency procedures.
For emergency procedures we took it all the way down to about 600 feet
over the deck, in a full landing setup into a plowed field I was headed
for. Best part was the nice reinforcement I received from Brad in
some key areas during the maneuvers-- hand placement on the throttle
rather than the flap lever during stall recovery, for example.
 Did great. Maintained altitude, kept headings, even crossed my
"wake" on one of my 360-degree steep turns.
Headed back to the airport for three landings. I flew the 10 miles
back in short order, and Brad showed me a nice inlet to use on Lake Lanier
to line up for entering the 45-degree for the pattern for landing on
runway 4. Had an fairly easy (but certainly not flawless) approach
with a moderate right crosswind, but I didn't like the last 50 feet and I
did a go-around.
My first landing was just ok. Had a couple of mild bounces before
settling it down on the runway. I had tried to land too fast, so
shame on me. Second landing was better- on that one I did a full
stop and taxi. I asked Brad if we could do a third, he assented, so
back to runway 4 for a full takeoff.
Landing number three made Brad very happy- I was to the right of center
line (go figure that one out, since I was dealing with a right headwind.)
Brad made some very nice comments about my flying and my attitude towards
learning, which was really nice to hear.
The end result: I'm fully cleared to fly solo.
Part 4: Cross-Country Work Begins
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