My Student Pilot's Log: Presolo

Flights 0-2

Flight 0: Wed, Nov 1, 1995: The Intro Flight. (.5 hr)

Leave it to a computer guy to start counting at zero, but this really was flight zero, an intro flight intended to give a prospective student an inexpensive taste of flying. Going in, I was already fairly sure I wanted to be a pilot; see my background info for details. This flight was a way to confirm that. (It's also a good way to audition an instructor.)

For $25 I got a half-hour flight and my first chance to take the controls of an airplane. The sun had set by the time we took off, so I got a nice look at Tampa after dark from the left seat of a Cessna 150. Needless to say, I was hooked. I went ahead and bought a Jeppesen private pilot course, got the first entry in my logbook, and signed up for lessons beginning that weekend. A few lessons later, I was surprised to find out that many people who take intro flights never return for lessons.

Flight 1: Sat, Nov 4. (1 hr today/1.5 hrs total)

My first lesson began with a preflight briefing during which my instructor (CFI) took a few minutes in his office to explain the plan for the day. We went out to do the preflight checklist, to ensure that the plane was ready to fly.

Next came the most difficult task for me of the day, learning to steer with my feet to taxi, and trying to avoid the natural temptation to use the yoke. There were two more checklists to be done, one to check the engine and instruments, and one just before takeoff.

The near-ideal local flying conditions (no wind, clear skies, visibility above 20 miles, temperature about 80) were a big help for the first lesson. Taking off was easier than I expected; I guess I was surprised to be doing it myself.

Once in the air we began working on the basics of flight: climbing, flying straight and level, turning, and descending. My CFI demonstrated a touch & go at Plant City (PCM). My hands and feet were on the controls so I could feel what he was doing, but he did the landings himself.

Flight 2: Sun, Nov 5: Wind Makes a Difference. (.9/2.4)

Today the wind was about 15 knots, which added a bit more challenge as I continued to work on fundamentals. I spent too much time looking at the instruments instead of outside, to the point where the CFI put a sticker over one of them to keep me from staring at it. He demonstrated a stall and introduced the concepts of slow flight and traffic patterns.

We did a touch & go at Peter O. Knight (TPF), which is a neat airport to fly into, since it's located on the tip of an island between the Port of Tampa and the skyscrapers of downtown. Guess which side the pattern is on.

Glossary