Short? Solo Cross Country - Lesson 33
Aug. 26th, 2006 12:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
slipstreamsurfrAn early morning start today. Up at 6 am to call for a weather briefing and file my flight plan. Things look good. My first solo cross country should come off okay.
I got to the airport about 7, the book for the plane was waiting for me. I snagged it and preflighted the airplane. Called for fuel, arranged the cockpit, checked my notes. Who do I call where, when, what frequency. Going over in my head, what do I say to whom. Looking at my path charted on the TAC. Most of this flight actually fits on the TAC, so I'll use it for most of the way this morning. The plane is fueled. I complete the preflight and all looks good. I get in, pull the seat forward and start the engine start checklist. I get to clear prop and pause. I'm about to start the engine on the first trip away from home field on my own. CLEAR and the engine turns over and starts. 508 is eager to get off the ground this morning, she starts easily for her first flight of the day. I taxi to the runup area and do the rest of my checks. Another Skyhawk was ahead of me in the runup area. They left while I was checking the last of everything. They never radioed when they took off. I taxi into position and check the pattern, there's nobody else up this time of the morning. A quick radio call and I'm taxing into position. Line up with the centerline and another moment to pause and think. The power feeds in smoothly, the rudder follows and we are tracking down the runway, engines are green, airspeed is alive and we are off, climbing in the cool early morning sky. I reach 500 feet above the runway and turn east, radioing my departure from the pattern.
I've already got the heading in on the VOR and CQY turned up and waiting for me. I start my path on the chart. I try to call to open my flight plan but no one seems to hear me. I give it a minute, make the call again, still no go. I'm heading towards Joe Pool lake to skirt north of the Cedar Hill towers and flip to the other radio that already has Dallas Executive set up, a quick call to them and their tower is still closed, it won't open for another 25 minutes. A position report for anybody departing or in their pattern as I'm not too far from them and then I'm back to try to open my flight plan. I wait until I'm clear of the towers and their interference and make another call. A response and I request activation of my flight plan. He verifies which one I'm activating and the time of lift off after the hour. Information delivered and the system knows I'm out here now. I flip to my other radio that has been set up and call for flight following, use the 'student pilot on solo cross country' addition to my radio work and the handler slows way down. I get my squawk code for the transponder and then am told that I'm actually to the south east, not south west where I'd told him I was in relation to Dallas Executive. duh, I knew that.
I'm pretty quickly passed off to center and they pick me up and follow me until I get to lake Cedar Creek. The flight down to the VOR was pretty uneventful. I lined up with the radial and flew it down. The winds were a bit better than forecasted so my ground speed was a bit better. I turn over the VOR and pick up my next radial that will take me to F44 -Athens. As I approach the dam on the lake I'm dropped from flight following. No problem, I'm less than 15 or so miles from the airport. I fly the radial, losing some altitude so that I can stay clear of the clouds that are still burning off here. Athens must have had some ground fog or something. Light wispy stuff down at 2000 rising and burning away. I'm flying into the early morning sun, so it's a bit glaring but then I see it, the little lake/pond on the other side of the airport first, then the clearing, the runway. I'm about 5 miles out, I make a radio call and adjust my flight path to bisect the runway and make a turn into the downwind for 17. Traffic pattern altitude achieved, in the downwind I pull the power and trim for 70 knots. I turn my base, then final and their 60 foot wide runway throws me again. I try to adjust for it, and I'm too high, I opt for flaps to steepen the glide path. Speed is kept up as I fly it down, over the numbers, a little high still, I wait, then start to flare. The 40 degree's of flaps does a good job of bleeding off the airspeed but it wants to balloon because of my speed, the nose is kept down so I don't climb and I start to reach for the runway again, mindful of my speed that is falling off quickly now that I've got two doors hanging out there on my wings. I'm a little high in the flare as I start to run out of lift, a touch of power and I sink and 'ooof' the gear is on, the nose is still held high but it was far firmer than I like and I usually fly better than that. I let the nose come down, brake normally and make the turn off. Clean up the plane and taxi to parking.
I made it. My first leg. By myself, all the way from GKY to F44 for a total of 72 miles. I get out of the plane, grab my cell phone and call weather briefing and close my flight plan. He thanks me and good day. I then call my CFI. It's just about 8:15. I know he has a 9 o'clock at the airport today. He answers, at first concerned that somethings happened and I didn't fly. I tell him no, that I thought he'd like to know I made it to Athens. :) We talk a few minutes and I let him go. I stretch my legs a bit and take a couple of pictures, just to document that I've been there, today. For myself. To remember what things were like later.
Back in the plane and I run my checklist and start the engine again. Taxi down to the end of the runway and a quick run up and I'm ready to taxi out and take off, this time for F41, Ennis. Power goes in and I'm rolling, taking off and climbing out. I turn to the west when it's time and call to open my flight plan. I get right through this time on the radio and everyone knows I'm out there again. Flight following is picked up and away I go. Retracing again my path, but to the other direction I fly the VOR, then turn and follow the next radial to Ennis. It's a short flight and flight following drops me again pretty quickly and I'm watching for Ennis. There's the lake over there, there's the road, the little lake off the airport, the hangers. It's in sight. 7 miles out. I make my radio call, cross the field and turn into the right pattern for 15. Ennis has a 50 foot wide runway, and again it messes with me. I am fast again and plant the gear firmly. At least I'm holding the nose off today, I've done far worse landings, but still, they just aren't as nice as I've had lately. I make the turn off and taxi in to park. I shut down the plane and call weather briefing again to close this flight plan. Now nobody will go looking for me, and I didn't forget. I take a few more photo's, of a very quite morning at the Ennis airport. Mischa had wanted me to shoot some landings once I got to Ennis, so back in the plane I go, taxi to the run up area, check everything, then call for a take off. Out I roll and work on a couple of landings. On the last one the wind started gusting, made for an interesting final, but I kept the wing down and darn it, that centerline was going to be mine. All of my landings at Ennis were of the firm variety, but otherwise, they weren't bad. I parked the plane again and sat and watched the wind for a little bit. It was definitely gusting. From looking at the windsock it looked like it was at around 10 or so knots, with occasional gusts that were much stronger. Ennis doesn't have weather on the field, use Midway's. You can't listen to Midway on the ground at Ennis. The wind dies down again. Looks like a good time to leave. I'll head back to GKY and put away the plane.
Taxi back out, run up one more time and one last check of the wind. It's come back up a little, but straight down the runway. Power in and I'm off and off the runway. I turn out for my heading to take me home. I tune in weather for Midway, winds are 12, gusting to 25 at times. Hrmm. That explains the last landing problems. I retune for Arlington's weather and leave it down in the background so I'll hear it as I get closer. The morning wisps have all burned off now. It's going to be a really nice, if hot, day. I track towards GKY, looking for Midway, then seeing it off my left wing. Watching the things marked on the TAC come and go underneath my wings. Arlington's weather is coming in now, winds there are 12 and a quartering crosswind this morning now. Over the lake, crossing the marina I make a position call. Inbound on the 45 I make my turn into the downwind leg, reporting midfield, left downwind runway 16. Mischa chimes in on the radio, "welcome back cross country Mitch." I have to smile and shake my head. "Thanks, 508" and I work on my pattern. He's up in the Diamond with a student, they've just turned on to the downwind behind me. I make my base turn and call, then call final as I turn. That darn crosswind pushes me far out of alignment. I crab back to my centerline then drop the crab and line up the nose with the rudders. The wind tries to push me away but the wing drops and I hold the centerline. Feet awake on the rudders, small corrections of the ailerons in the stiff crosswind and I flare, ease it down, gently and a small umph and the mains are rolling. The nose just lazes up in the air before I let it down, making SURE to keep the crosswind deflection in on the ailerons. I turn off at my taxiway. Clean up the plane and head to parking.
I slip it in to place on the ramp and shut down the plane. Start cleaning up all of my stuff in the cockpit. Man, I can spread out when there's not an instructor sitting beside me. I write down the hobbs time and then it hits me. 2.2 hours. I just spent, 2.2 hours, in sole control of the airplane. Finding my airports, making my landings, talking to people who are watching out for me in the air. I did it. I did all the pieces. Me..... wow.... 147 mile round trip. Should have gone to Corsicana too and made it the long ;)
I'm still grinning. :)
--2.2 hours solo cross country
--5 landings
I got to the airport about 7, the book for the plane was waiting for me. I snagged it and preflighted the airplane. Called for fuel, arranged the cockpit, checked my notes. Who do I call where, when, what frequency. Going over in my head, what do I say to whom. Looking at my path charted on the TAC. Most of this flight actually fits on the TAC, so I'll use it for most of the way this morning. The plane is fueled. I complete the preflight and all looks good. I get in, pull the seat forward and start the engine start checklist. I get to clear prop and pause. I'm about to start the engine on the first trip away from home field on my own. CLEAR and the engine turns over and starts. 508 is eager to get off the ground this morning, she starts easily for her first flight of the day. I taxi to the runup area and do the rest of my checks. Another Skyhawk was ahead of me in the runup area. They left while I was checking the last of everything. They never radioed when they took off. I taxi into position and check the pattern, there's nobody else up this time of the morning. A quick radio call and I'm taxing into position. Line up with the centerline and another moment to pause and think. The power feeds in smoothly, the rudder follows and we are tracking down the runway, engines are green, airspeed is alive and we are off, climbing in the cool early morning sky. I reach 500 feet above the runway and turn east, radioing my departure from the pattern.
I've already got the heading in on the VOR and CQY turned up and waiting for me. I start my path on the chart. I try to call to open my flight plan but no one seems to hear me. I give it a minute, make the call again, still no go. I'm heading towards Joe Pool lake to skirt north of the Cedar Hill towers and flip to the other radio that already has Dallas Executive set up, a quick call to them and their tower is still closed, it won't open for another 25 minutes. A position report for anybody departing or in their pattern as I'm not too far from them and then I'm back to try to open my flight plan. I wait until I'm clear of the towers and their interference and make another call. A response and I request activation of my flight plan. He verifies which one I'm activating and the time of lift off after the hour. Information delivered and the system knows I'm out here now. I flip to my other radio that has been set up and call for flight following, use the 'student pilot on solo cross country' addition to my radio work and the handler slows way down. I get my squawk code for the transponder and then am told that I'm actually to the south east, not south west where I'd told him I was in relation to Dallas Executive. duh, I knew that.
I'm pretty quickly passed off to center and they pick me up and follow me until I get to lake Cedar Creek. The flight down to the VOR was pretty uneventful. I lined up with the radial and flew it down. The winds were a bit better than forecasted so my ground speed was a bit better. I turn over the VOR and pick up my next radial that will take me to F44 -Athens. As I approach the dam on the lake I'm dropped from flight following. No problem, I'm less than 15 or so miles from the airport. I fly the radial, losing some altitude so that I can stay clear of the clouds that are still burning off here. Athens must have had some ground fog or something. Light wispy stuff down at 2000 rising and burning away. I'm flying into the early morning sun, so it's a bit glaring but then I see it, the little lake/pond on the other side of the airport first, then the clearing, the runway. I'm about 5 miles out, I make a radio call and adjust my flight path to bisect the runway and make a turn into the downwind for 17. Traffic pattern altitude achieved, in the downwind I pull the power and trim for 70 knots. I turn my base, then final and their 60 foot wide runway throws me again. I try to adjust for it, and I'm too high, I opt for flaps to steepen the glide path. Speed is kept up as I fly it down, over the numbers, a little high still, I wait, then start to flare. The 40 degree's of flaps does a good job of bleeding off the airspeed but it wants to balloon because of my speed, the nose is kept down so I don't climb and I start to reach for the runway again, mindful of my speed that is falling off quickly now that I've got two doors hanging out there on my wings. I'm a little high in the flare as I start to run out of lift, a touch of power and I sink and 'ooof' the gear is on, the nose is still held high but it was far firmer than I like and I usually fly better than that. I let the nose come down, brake normally and make the turn off. Clean up the plane and taxi to parking.
I made it. My first leg. By myself, all the way from GKY to F44 for a total of 72 miles. I get out of the plane, grab my cell phone and call weather briefing and close my flight plan. He thanks me and good day. I then call my CFI. It's just about 8:15. I know he has a 9 o'clock at the airport today. He answers, at first concerned that somethings happened and I didn't fly. I tell him no, that I thought he'd like to know I made it to Athens. :) We talk a few minutes and I let him go. I stretch my legs a bit and take a couple of pictures, just to document that I've been there, today. For myself. To remember what things were like later.
Back in the plane and I run my checklist and start the engine again. Taxi down to the end of the runway and a quick run up and I'm ready to taxi out and take off, this time for F41, Ennis. Power goes in and I'm rolling, taking off and climbing out. I turn to the west when it's time and call to open my flight plan. I get right through this time on the radio and everyone knows I'm out there again. Flight following is picked up and away I go. Retracing again my path, but to the other direction I fly the VOR, then turn and follow the next radial to Ennis. It's a short flight and flight following drops me again pretty quickly and I'm watching for Ennis. There's the lake over there, there's the road, the little lake off the airport, the hangers. It's in sight. 7 miles out. I make my radio call, cross the field and turn into the right pattern for 15. Ennis has a 50 foot wide runway, and again it messes with me. I am fast again and plant the gear firmly. At least I'm holding the nose off today, I've done far worse landings, but still, they just aren't as nice as I've had lately. I make the turn off and taxi in to park. I shut down the plane and call weather briefing again to close this flight plan. Now nobody will go looking for me, and I didn't forget. I take a few more photo's, of a very quite morning at the Ennis airport. Mischa had wanted me to shoot some landings once I got to Ennis, so back in the plane I go, taxi to the run up area, check everything, then call for a take off. Out I roll and work on a couple of landings. On the last one the wind started gusting, made for an interesting final, but I kept the wing down and darn it, that centerline was going to be mine. All of my landings at Ennis were of the firm variety, but otherwise, they weren't bad. I parked the plane again and sat and watched the wind for a little bit. It was definitely gusting. From looking at the windsock it looked like it was at around 10 or so knots, with occasional gusts that were much stronger. Ennis doesn't have weather on the field, use Midway's. You can't listen to Midway on the ground at Ennis. The wind dies down again. Looks like a good time to leave. I'll head back to GKY and put away the plane.
Taxi back out, run up one more time and one last check of the wind. It's come back up a little, but straight down the runway. Power in and I'm off and off the runway. I turn out for my heading to take me home. I tune in weather for Midway, winds are 12, gusting to 25 at times. Hrmm. That explains the last landing problems. I retune for Arlington's weather and leave it down in the background so I'll hear it as I get closer. The morning wisps have all burned off now. It's going to be a really nice, if hot, day. I track towards GKY, looking for Midway, then seeing it off my left wing. Watching the things marked on the TAC come and go underneath my wings. Arlington's weather is coming in now, winds there are 12 and a quartering crosswind this morning now. Over the lake, crossing the marina I make a position call. Inbound on the 45 I make my turn into the downwind leg, reporting midfield, left downwind runway 16. Mischa chimes in on the radio, "welcome back cross country Mitch." I have to smile and shake my head. "Thanks, 508" and I work on my pattern. He's up in the Diamond with a student, they've just turned on to the downwind behind me. I make my base turn and call, then call final as I turn. That darn crosswind pushes me far out of alignment. I crab back to my centerline then drop the crab and line up the nose with the rudders. The wind tries to push me away but the wing drops and I hold the centerline. Feet awake on the rudders, small corrections of the ailerons in the stiff crosswind and I flare, ease it down, gently and a small umph and the mains are rolling. The nose just lazes up in the air before I let it down, making SURE to keep the crosswind deflection in on the ailerons. I turn off at my taxiway. Clean up the plane and head to parking.
I slip it in to place on the ramp and shut down the plane. Start cleaning up all of my stuff in the cockpit. Man, I can spread out when there's not an instructor sitting beside me. I write down the hobbs time and then it hits me. 2.2 hours. I just spent, 2.2 hours, in sole control of the airplane. Finding my airports, making my landings, talking to people who are watching out for me in the air. I did it. I did all the pieces. Me..... wow.... 147 mile round trip. Should have gone to Corsicana too and made it the long ;)
I'm still grinning. :)
--2.2 hours solo cross country
--5 landings
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Date: 2006-08-26 10:43 pm (UTC)