1000RR
Pre-takeoff checklist
So it's been a long process, this dream of getting my PPL. I won't bore you with the details, but Covid didn't help nor did it when the plane went down for maintenance and ended up being down for months, nor did it when I switched over to a 172 from a piper mid-stream (due to the maintenance I just mentioned). All good though, and I'll be a better pilot for it all.
Anyway, I solo'd a few months back. My home airport is a non-towered airport so flying around there is my norm (radio communication but less formality then a B/C/D obviously). My CFI and I had flown into Deltas and through Bravos previously but with him on the radios. So yesterday I decided to do a little solo'ing and go to our nearest Delta for a quick landing (full stop) and come back home (so I could be thrown into the fire on the radios - figured it was the only way to get through it - haha). I'm sure it was pretty apparent my radios were still coming up to snuff, but I got through it (give myself a C+), made the landing, and came back home. I did get thrown a little curve ball while taxiing at the Delta. I landed 27L which was 10,000' and had requested a landing, full stop, taxi back. In my mind I visualized the process as - I would exit the runway by making a left, make another left, and come back to the numbers/threshold. He told me (once I had taken a left and was off the runway) to take a right on Alpha followed by another right on Victor. My brain was fighting internally on this with my visualization vs the directions I just received... I proceeded and damn near made a left and stopped for a moment and took a right (after all - he said right) but then I was concerned (and internally questioning myself) with the next right as obviously that'd put me back at the runway. And Victor went both left and right at this point. So I paused and requested them to repeat the 2nd taxi turn. And he came back with - right on Victor, hold short for departure on 27L, you'll have over 6,000' of runway available. All makes sense for sure and was obvious once he said it. But I was so use to flying our normal 4000' runways and always taxiing back to the threshold (hence the internal conflicts haha).
Great experience and very happy I ventured outside my comfort zone. First time with the radios all to myself at a Delta without my righthand man (CFI) to jump in if needed. To the vast of experienced pilots, this is small I know... but we all have to grow and it was a great day, proud accomplishment.
-Fly Often, Fly Safe!
Anyway, I solo'd a few months back. My home airport is a non-towered airport so flying around there is my norm (radio communication but less formality then a B/C/D obviously). My CFI and I had flown into Deltas and through Bravos previously but with him on the radios. So yesterday I decided to do a little solo'ing and go to our nearest Delta for a quick landing (full stop) and come back home (so I could be thrown into the fire on the radios - figured it was the only way to get through it - haha). I'm sure it was pretty apparent my radios were still coming up to snuff, but I got through it (give myself a C+), made the landing, and came back home. I did get thrown a little curve ball while taxiing at the Delta. I landed 27L which was 10,000' and had requested a landing, full stop, taxi back. In my mind I visualized the process as - I would exit the runway by making a left, make another left, and come back to the numbers/threshold. He told me (once I had taken a left and was off the runway) to take a right on Alpha followed by another right on Victor. My brain was fighting internally on this with my visualization vs the directions I just received... I proceeded and damn near made a left and stopped for a moment and took a right (after all - he said right) but then I was concerned (and internally questioning myself) with the next right as obviously that'd put me back at the runway. And Victor went both left and right at this point. So I paused and requested them to repeat the 2nd taxi turn. And he came back with - right on Victor, hold short for departure on 27L, you'll have over 6,000' of runway available. All makes sense for sure and was obvious once he said it. But I was so use to flying our normal 4000' runways and always taxiing back to the threshold (hence the internal conflicts haha).
Great experience and very happy I ventured outside my comfort zone. First time with the radios all to myself at a Delta without my righthand man (CFI) to jump in if needed. To the vast of experienced pilots, this is small I know... but we all have to grow and it was a great day, proud accomplishment.
-Fly Often, Fly Safe!
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. But this really illustrates the importance of doing them. Every once in awhile a thread starts up here about ‘do you do the full checklist if you just landed and taxied back for departure.’
