First Cross Country!
I realize that there have been lots of exclamation points after my subject lines. I think after I got past the solo hurdle, things just seem so much more exciting, more like fun and less like work. It's incredible to think that I know how to fly one of these things, and that I can take a plane out any time conditions are good enough, and toodle around up at 3500'.
Today, however, was a reminder that I have a LOT more to learn. It was a lot of fun, but very humbling at the same time. Today Chris and I flew the route that we'd planned on Thursday! We flew from Palo Alto to Oakdale, landed, took off, and back. I re-did the navigation log for the trip out and back this morning -- I gave in and called 1-800-WXBRIEF to get the weather briefing, and then used the numbers I got off of the computer! He didn't give me the winds aloft info for the marker altitudes (3000 and 6000 feet); he interpolated for my altitude and I wanted more info.
The amazing thing is, the flight times were incredibly close! On the way back, I'd estimated the flight would take 41 minutes, and when we looked at the clock just after taxiing off the runway at Palo Alto, there it was -- 41 minutes!! That was kind of a rush, actually.
Today was quite windy -- 12 knot winds on the ground and 20 at cruising altitude. It made for a pretty bumpy ride, but the good thing was I didn't get worried. I think I'm finally getting acclimated. We took off from PAO, flew a right Dumbarton departure, and out to the first check point: Sunol Golf Course. So I flew my numbers, and wound up having to correct just a touch to the north. But we overflew it right on time! Then to the next point, abeam Tracy. Here, I had to use intermediate checkpoints to stay on course -- I was tending to the north, so I must have overcorrected for the wind just a touch. But we passed Tracy, right on time! The third checkpoint we arrived at one minute early. Then came Oakdale. The winds were pretty strong and we were getting blown around quite a bit on descent, but they were right down the runway so I didn't figure it'd be a problem. I figured wrong; as I finally came down and went into my flare, I just didn't have good control of the craft so I said to Chris, "I'm gonna go around." He actually just took the plane at that point and set it down -- he explained later that my judgment was perfect, but he knew he could do it and we were running late to get the plane back to PAO. No problem with me!
The way back was completely uneventful until Sunol -- the first and second checkpoints passed within a minute either way of predicted. Then over Sunol, our flight following person started announcing traffic all over the place. We were so busy that I did not mark my time there. In any case, we made a smooth approach into PAO, and actually a pretty decent landing except for being off the center line.
There is just so much to think about; I felt like there were maybe 2 minutes during the whole ~90 minute flight that I could relax and enjoy it. And there was plenty to enjoy -- this was my first time anywhere near clouds (we were well outside of the VFR limits; it's just usually the sky is completely clear here!), and they were really beautiful. It was my first time "out on the open road" -- what a cool feeling! You can fly these things ANYWHERE! They go anywhere there's AIR! Awesome.
So I have a lot to learn AND a lot to appreciate.
Today, however, was a reminder that I have a LOT more to learn. It was a lot of fun, but very humbling at the same time. Today Chris and I flew the route that we'd planned on Thursday! We flew from Palo Alto to Oakdale, landed, took off, and back. I re-did the navigation log for the trip out and back this morning -- I gave in and called 1-800-WXBRIEF to get the weather briefing, and then used the numbers I got off of the computer! He didn't give me the winds aloft info for the marker altitudes (3000 and 6000 feet); he interpolated for my altitude and I wanted more info.
The amazing thing is, the flight times were incredibly close! On the way back, I'd estimated the flight would take 41 minutes, and when we looked at the clock just after taxiing off the runway at Palo Alto, there it was -- 41 minutes!! That was kind of a rush, actually.
Today was quite windy -- 12 knot winds on the ground and 20 at cruising altitude. It made for a pretty bumpy ride, but the good thing was I didn't get worried. I think I'm finally getting acclimated. We took off from PAO, flew a right Dumbarton departure, and out to the first check point: Sunol Golf Course. So I flew my numbers, and wound up having to correct just a touch to the north. But we overflew it right on time! Then to the next point, abeam Tracy. Here, I had to use intermediate checkpoints to stay on course -- I was tending to the north, so I must have overcorrected for the wind just a touch. But we passed Tracy, right on time! The third checkpoint we arrived at one minute early. Then came Oakdale. The winds were pretty strong and we were getting blown around quite a bit on descent, but they were right down the runway so I didn't figure it'd be a problem. I figured wrong; as I finally came down and went into my flare, I just didn't have good control of the craft so I said to Chris, "I'm gonna go around." He actually just took the plane at that point and set it down -- he explained later that my judgment was perfect, but he knew he could do it and we were running late to get the plane back to PAO. No problem with me!
The way back was completely uneventful until Sunol -- the first and second checkpoints passed within a minute either way of predicted. Then over Sunol, our flight following person started announcing traffic all over the place. We were so busy that I did not mark my time there. In any case, we made a smooth approach into PAO, and actually a pretty decent landing except for being off the center line.
There is just so much to think about; I felt like there were maybe 2 minutes during the whole ~90 minute flight that I could relax and enjoy it. And there was plenty to enjoy -- this was my first time anywhere near clouds (we were well outside of the VFR limits; it's just usually the sky is completely clear here!), and they were really beautiful. It was my first time "out on the open road" -- what a cool feeling! You can fly these things ANYWHERE! They go anywhere there's AIR! Awesome.
So I have a lot to learn AND a lot to appreciate.
posted by MKT at 2:49 PM
1 Comments:
This is so much fun to read, Man. I'm terrifically excited for you, and at the same time perplexed about your time-management skills. You do sleep, don't you?
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