#flight lesson

😉 "Flight Lesson" 😃

Ironic sculpture 🫠 © Matthias Verginer de 2016

Hours today : 1.1

Hours total : 50

So I didn’t solo today. Again.

I came in, and we realized there was a crosswind, it wasn’t enormous but it was present.

———> a crosswind is when the wind is perpendicular to the runway. Usually we take off from a headwind, as in, it’s coming straight towards us, but a crosswind pushes your either left or right so you need to know how to adjust so you actually land on the runway

———> for a crosswind Landing you need to turn aileron into the wind and opposite rudder, so if the wind is from the left, turn left and press the right pedal.

So my landings weren’t the best, but I’m not used to crosswind landings but they weren’t bad.

We also did a slow approach which was fun. It’s really great to fly with both hands on the yoke I’ve realized, much more comfortable.

———> a slow approach is simulating an engine loss, so you pull out the power completely, pitch for the best glide speed which, in a Cessna 172, is 68 knots and turn to make the runway. When you’re sure that you can reach it, start deploying flaps, pitch down and land as normal.

Those are fun because you don’t need to worry about how much power you have, it’s a load off my mind.

So for the T-birds fandom I thought I'd share a story. This was a project I did in highschool over imagery. It's about my first aerobatics flight with my old boss. Since one of the irrelief prompts @gumnut-logic posted is over a flight lesson I thought I'd add fuel per se. It's also the first time I pulled Gs and as my grandpa always told me, you lose your virginity twice, once to your lover and again to an airplane (he was a fighter pilot and talks like one). So enjoy the flying imagery.

And here is a pic of my boss and I in front of the bird

Hours today: 2.2

Total hours: 56.2

Right!

So, I had my second solo today. To the practice area. I went over the beach and flew around for a few minutes, took some pictures it was great fun. I tried to maintain alitude and heading as best as I could to practice. It went fine.

Then I returned to the airport, it was going to be a straight in final to the runway so I lined myself up way ahead of time and got ready for a smooth landing.

However. I never got my clearance to land. I can’t actually touch down without it and it led up to me being four hundred feet up, asking for a clearance and getting ignored in favor for a guy doing position reports. So I had to go around.

My next landing was perfect. And I taxied on to the taxiway. But then again I got ignored. I don’t know what was up with atc today but I didn’t like it at all. Made me stressed. Not good

Then on my last landing. Holy crap. I thought I was doing good I really did. But for some reason I bounced. And I bounced on my left wheel and I got off the center line. A lot. I almost flipped over.

I have no idea what I did I am so shaken up.

My instructor saw it, said I handled it pretty well but still.

My next flight is a cross country with an instructor and the next two will be alone.