I solo'd on Friday!! Yahoooooeeee!
Well, yes, it was the second time I did this, but the first time was 27 years ago at Shallowater airstrip near Lubbock in an Aeronca Champ. And the 'old computer' is that much older and slower, as are the reflexes. But, my instructor thought I was safe enough to let me go up on my own. He really didn't have to think up a ruse, as the knob on the mixture came off as we were taking off. Not a crisis, it stays full rich in the pattern as we were, but he could not get it back on in flight. So we landed and taxi'd into the parking area and shut down until he could get it back on. Then he coolly said he'd get out and for me to pick him up at the Ops Shack after I did three landings. Yessssss! It wasn't perfect but it was good.I did make a Beech Baron go around as I couldn't get off the runway in time for him to land, but then, I OWNED that runway so that was his problem (actually I felt like apologizing) . As I landed the third time, a nice landing, btw, I heard over the unicom, "One more?" in a distinct accent [Justin is from South Africa], so I went around again. I should have stayed on the ground, as it was not pretty, no real bounce but 'controlled crash' could describe it. But the airplane could be flown again without maintenance, so it was acceptable. And I know what I should have done and will be quicker to add power the next time.
What he didn't do was cut the back out of my tee shirt, like at my first solo. Orville Fleming, my first instructor, did that and posted the piece on the wall of the ops shack. It was classic. But I still have both the tee shirt and the piece [they gave it to me when I moved to CA in '81]. Maybe I'll get it framed and hang it on the wall in the hangar, along with Bud's pictures of F4's and F86's and ... Pretty dang big deal and good enough to hang with those photos, if you ask me.
Now the real work starts. I need to go up and work on maneuvers like 'turns around a point', 'rectangular patterns with a crosswind', and 'S Turns around a straight line' which show the ability to control the plane. These are things the FAA check pilot could ask me to do and I stank up the air the last time we tried them. *sigh* So Monday morning, I booked the airplane without Justin. I hope he's pleased with the plan I posted.
Keep your fingers crossed, be ready to Duck! and Look Out Boys, She's Coming Through!
posted by pdf Tex @ 5:09 PM
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