My Student Pilot's Log: Postsolo

Flights 16-17

Flight 16: Sat, Jan 6. (1.4 / 19)

Today we reviewed steep turns and stalls. I was introduced to short-field takeoffs and landings. I did some short touch & goes at Plant City (PCM); actually more like full-stop-and-go, since the object was to land to a full stop in the shortest possible distance. We estimated one of the landings at about 600 feet, which is not bad with a crosswind.

I still have a few things to improve before I can solo beyond our local area, like properly visualizing and entering the pattern at other airports without help. Another good idea is to tune the radio back to our home airport's frequency before calling them. At least I got the airport names right after announcing so many circuits at home.

Tues, Jan 9: Field Trip.

Sunday's flight was cancelled due to 30+ knot winds. Yesterday was just as bad, but I didn't have time booked anyway. After reading my logbook a few dozen times to make sure it really says that I'm allowed to make unsupervised local solo flights, I'm eager to get some solo time under my belt, if the weather will cooperate.

Tonight our ground school class took a field trip to Tampa International (TPA). We took tours of the air traffic control tower and the approach/departure control room, then went to the Flight Service Station at St. Petersburg/Clearwater International (PIE). I'd recommend these tours to any pilot. It was a good experience for all of us to meet some of the controllers we'll be dealing with in the future. I took my camcorder; here are some pictures (6 photos, 70K).

Flight 17: Sat, Jan 13: R.I.P., Old Friend. (.9 / 19.9)

Yesterday I had a plane booked for an unsupervised solo, and everything was fine (sunny, cool, high visibility, unlimited ceiling), except for the 15-knot wind. I could have flown, and I was tempted to, but I made my first pilot in command decision and stayed on the ground. Eventually I'll want weather like that to practice crosswind landings and ground reference maneuvers, but not with less than half an hour of solo experience. I'd rather not fly when I possibly could than fly when I really shouldn't.

I showed up at the airport today and found that the 152 was out for the day for minor maintenance. No problem, though, because one of the 150s had been set aside for me as a substitute. Too bad it wouldn't start, though. It had been flown today, but the engine wouldn't turn over at all. That covers two of the four-plane 150/152 fleet, but the really bad news was that one of the other 150s was totalled last night. Somebody ran it completely out of fuel, made an emergency landing, and caused enough damage that it will probably make more economic sense to salvage it for parts than to make it airworthy again. (He walked away uninjured, luckily.)

It's a personal sad note for me, because that was the first plane I ever flew: my intro flight, my first takeoff, and my first night flight. It was in that plane that I made the decision to go for a pilot's license, and now it will never fly again. It didn't have to happen, either, but running out of fuel is one of the more common stupid pilot tricks. (Here in the rugged, mountainous wilds of central Florida, the fuel stations are often hundreds of miles apart.)

I'm not a triskaidekaphobe, but the 13th did seem like a bad luck day for Cessnas. The weather was good, and I still wanted to fly, so we took a Piper Warrior. I had been looking for an excuse to fly a Warrior, and I got a confidence boost from being able to make the switch fairly easily.

There are quite a few differences: the Warrior has a low-wing design, carries four people instead of two, flies faster, and is more stable than the 150/152, several of the controls vary, and it costs $18/hour more. We essentially did a test flight- some stalls, steep turns, touch & goes, etc. Level flight in the Warrior looked to me like a descent in the Cessna. Since the wings were below us, I could see better on the sides. It was nice to be able to see the runway through the whole circuit; with a high-wing plane, a left turn blocks the pilot's view on that side, not unlike the effect of blinders on a horse.

Landing the Warrior was like pulling a sedan into the driveway. However, since the small Cessnas are less stable and less forgiving in the wind, I think they make better trainers for a beginner. (A Cessna 172 was also available today, but it's essentially a more powerful, four seat version of the 152, and costs almost as much as the Warrior anyway.)

Glossary