While I thoroughly enjoyed lesson 3, my intro to landings, the farther I got away from it, the more I realized that I didn't know what I was doing. Having lessons so far apart really messes with my mind, and I spend most of that time between doubting my abilities. Monte spends most of this time reassuring me that I am doing well - nobody is a master at 2.4 hours, not even him, the best student ever. Of course, I remind him that he's not in the plane with me, so he has no idea how I am doing. Honestly, I have no idea how I am doing. Jeff (my CFI) comments on how well I am doing with not puking anymore, but as far as actual piloting ability, he's pretty quiet.
So I went for lesson four June 2. Beautiful day - not a cloud in the sky, light east wind, warm but not humid. Spent time going over landing procedures, which was basically review, but that's good. I remembered it from the time before, and repetition only helps cement it. I do get to hear often about this one really great student who just got it right away - he had an excellent feel for the airplane, and instinctively knew what to do, and had consistently great landings from the onset. At which point, I want to yell, "But not that last time!" But I don't, as it doesn't benefit either of us.
Anyway, we finished ground instruction, and headed to the plane. I call her Tammy, but not in front of anybody. Monte says that only overly aggressive drivers/pilots name their vehicles, and that letting Jeff know I've named her projects a negative image. But when I do my preflight exterior inspection, I still whisper to her, using her name.
I am far more comfortable during preflight now. Exterior is quick and easy, so much so that I fear I am missing something. I haven't yet had to check the fuel level, though - Jeff takes care of that. I will need to learn this at some point. Getting inside and going through the checklist is the fun part! I even remembered this time what should be done at start-up, and what needs to wait until the hold short line. Without being told! Woo hoo!
Knowing what I needed to do next really helped me concentrate on taxiing. I have a really hard time with the rudder controls, still, and I need to figure out how to really feel the pressure on my feet. Especially when I need to use the brakes, too. My neighbor let me test out her treadle sewing machine, which really helped me feel a rhythm, and I think that transferred over to my rudder control this time. I was far more comfortable slaloming down the taxiway.
We headed off, using runway 12 this time, due to the east wind. It's a little different, because of course, the scenery is different, but also because I was heading toward the sun. It made things a little harder to see, but it was still OK. Then we pretty much headed north to Greenville. The transition from spring to summer, and the difference in ground temps over different terrain made for an interesting ride. We caught a few thermals, but for the most part, I was able to level off at the desired altitude. I get the concepts of straight and level flight and how to keep a plane in equilibrium. I understand that adjusting the control surfaces will cause the airplane to move a certain way. But I tend to forget that the wind can make those same adjustments and that I need to be prepared to correct that. I do feel that I am getting better at those corrections, but I am still taken off guard when the wind moves me.
As we neared Greenville, I switched frequencies and made the radio call to traffic there. For the most part, I feel pretty comfortable on the radio. But Jeff still makes some of the calls, so I haven't yet had to call when in the middle of 100 other tasks. So I am not yet proficient, but I am at least comfortable. Each call should be Who I am calling, Who I am, What I am doing, and Who I am calling. One thing I mess up consistently is that I forget to close with Who I am calling. So I say my first three things well, release the transmit button, and then, "Oops! [transmit] Greenville." Thankfully, it's not a busy area, and I am not hogging the frequency, but I do need to master this.
So we came in for our landing at Greenville, and I felt really comfortable reducing power, and dropping flaps, and adjusting trim, but still when he told me to. I still can't gauge distances very well to know when I am in a good position to start my procedures, but I least I know my procedures now - last lesson was a lot of him telling me both what to do and when to do it. So we made our final approach and it felt really comfortable. I could feel the flaps' drag and I could feel the rudder, and I felt in control. I have no idea how much he was doing, but I could feel the resistance on my controls, so that's a good sign that I was doing something right. So we had a good landing, and I was expecting to taxi around, but no. Apparently, he was planning a touch and go, so he brought the plane back into takeoff configuration again. I was not prepared for that at all, but once I knew that's what was happening, I was able to think ahead to my next steps.
We headed back into the landing pattern almost immediately, and I started to notice landmarks that I'd missed before. That made my pattern legs easier to follow, which made me more comfortable with my procedures, which made me more comfortable on the radio. I guess that's why pattern work is practiced so much in the early stages of training. Second landing was also good, and I believe this time we taxied around, but headed right back up again. Third landing was a little rough, and we stopped and went into the airport office. My tummy needed a little break, and I needed to walk a bit. I met the office manager, who complimented me on my radio work, so yea! But every time I am complimented on it, I think, "Oh, I have a face for radio." I seriously need to stop viewing every little thing as a negative.
We took off again, more pattern work, and came in for a really great landing, and I was given the choice - taxi around, or touch and go. Touch and go it was, and we were off, heading back to Lowell. Someday, I may learn all the little nuances in the landscape, but I just don't yet. I've told myself it's because we're flying over small towns and I can't distinguish them, but I could barely pick out Grand Rapids. So I think I just need more practice and training to recognize the different land features.
Good landing at Lowell, but even more so, I did a great job keeping her on centerline, which is such an improvement. And taxiing her back to the hangar? I could feel the rudder controls better than ever. I properly used the rudder controls and brakes and throttle through turns, which felt great. I should have taken a picture of how I'd parked her at the hangar - beautiful.
So today was a fairly successful day in my book. 5 landings, good pattern work, great radio, and I finally felt the rudder controls on the ground! Woo hoo!
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