Lesson Three

You have no idea how excited I was to go up again! The previous lesson was so short in an attempt to forestall any sickness, so I didn't feel like I had really learned anything new. So I was really hoping that we'd cover more material during my next one.

I spent the entire weekend checking the weather forecast, and the closer the day, the worse the forecast. I have no idea how to gauge the cloud ceiling, so I really had to trust Jeff on this one. He called to say that winds were picking up, but that it was still OK to fly, if I wanted to. Hahaha, if!

Driving out to the airport was a bit discouraging, as the rain (that was not predicted!) started to fall. As I said, I have no idea how to measure the cloud ceiling, so as the weather worsened, I didn't know what I'd be able to do in the plane. I started to worry that I'd be delayed yet again. What if this was God telling me I wasn't cut out for this? So of course, I called Monte for reassurance, and he was, of course, very encouraging. Have I mentioned how much I love him? As I drew nearer the airport, the sky became progressively clearer, and my worries abated. I was so ready!

When I arrived, we sat down right away and started talking about the maneuvers I'd be doing that day. Again, we'd try to keep it short to keep the pukes at bay, but I'd be learning! It was too windy to practice stalls or slow flight, but Jeff decided that landings would be doable. Landings! I was so excited to learn actual procedures, and not just theory. I had learned some of the basics through my study (traffic pattern and descents), but no specifics on what to do in the pattern or at the runway. As Jeff said, I'll always have to do at least one landing, so I might as well learn it.

We decided to head up to Greenville, and practice landing there. It's a wider runway, with fewer obstacles, plus, it's different scenery. As far as maneuvers, I didn't really learn more or even practice much, but I did use the time to really use my eyes and ears to get a better feel of the plane through turns and level flight. I didn't do as well as I'd hoped I would, but I corrected well (I think). And we made it there! I was actually able to see the runway from a distance and pulled into the downwind leg pretty easily. Then it got interesting.

First off, I had to start thinking about decreasing power, lowering flaps, adjusting trim, and keeping an eye out for traffic. All while keeping the aircraft stable in a glide path, even in descending turns. Oh, and calling each leg over the radio. Thankfully, Jeff took over the calls so I could concentrate on all the little things that would keep us in the air. He kept saying, "As long as the plane is stable in the approach, landing is pretty simple." To which I replied, "Yeah, but getting stable is the not-so-simple part!"  Especially in 13 mph winds.

So all in all, I think I did OK. It was a lot to learn, and I didn't do anything perfectly, but I did get a feel for all the forces on the plane. I hope that with practice, it will all come together and I will do it perfectly! Or at least, proficiently. I just need to make sure I am practicing the right procedures. As my brother-in-law says, practice doesn't make perfect, practice makes habit. And habits are hard to break, so it'd better be right. Looks like I have more studying to do, especially review.