Felt like a real pilot for the 1st time

Morne

Morne

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Morne
Yesterday I flew solo in my own plane for a purpose completely unrelated to aviation.

Maybe that seems inconsequential. But follow my thinking for a second.

After roughly 70-ish hours of PPL training where even flying solo I needed CFI authorization it became habit to "ask permission". Even after that, the next flying I did was for my high-performance endorsement. Again, CFI in the right seat.

So yesterday, when I needed to go down to the state house for some political advocacy (2+ hour drive, or 45 minutes in my Skylane) I decided to fly. The ceilings weren't great, but there was enough to fly VFR. I still planned out my trip meticulously just like I did as a student. Frequent visual checkpoints, VOR radials at the checkpoints, et cetera. But this time, other than calling for a wx briefing, I just went down to my hangar, got in my plane, and flew. I called up Columbus Approach 20nm out and landed at KOSU without trouble (OK, OK, I went around once - still getting used to how much room I need to slow down a 182). After my meeting was done I hopped back in my plane and flew home. My landing at the home airport was smooth enough that I wasn't 100% sure the wheels were even on the ground. Taxiing back to the hangar I got to see a glorious red Pitts. All without having to ask an instructor's permission.

It felt good. I saved myself transportation time. I had fun. I wasn't the least bit nervous. I guess this is what it feels like to be a pilot.
 
Good job. It is a great feeling, isn't it?
 
Morne said:
...... All without having to ask an instructor's permission. It felt good. I saved myself transportation time. I had fun. I wasn't the least bit nervous. I guess this is what it feels like to be a pilot.
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:thumbsup: That's what it's all about!
 
You'll really start to feel like a pilot when you have to land to wait out some weather and spend hours of time in an fbo you had no intention of visiting - hundreds of miles from home or destination!

Congrats on your license - and a 182 is a great airplane
 
This is the kind of thing that makes me wish I owned my own plane! I've only had two chances to do a legitimate mission that didn't primarily involve flying around for the heck of it. Both times I had to scrub because of weather. Hmmm, maybe what I really need is IFR. :p
 
This is awesome!

I remember my first flight as a pilot - I had a passenger - and I said to him:

See that airport over there? It is on our way back to Petaluma. That's Gnoss Field. I'm gonna land there now.

(passenger - "Why?")

Me - Because I can!

I landed wherever, we checked out cool things on the ground, he took photos of his hunting properties, and then we went back.

It was so much different than having a CFI in the right seat.

Flying is awesome.
 
steamee said:
This is the kind of thing that makes me wish I owned my own plane! I've only had two chances to do a legitimate mission that didn't primarily involve flying around for the heck of it. Both times I had to scrub because of weather. Hmmm, maybe what I really need is IFR. :p
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Me too. Looking at a flight from ktta to ksav this friday. Pretty sure its going to be doable but i'll probably have a good bit of weather to dodge. If i have to drive it will be the 2nd friday in a row i've had to cancel my flight and drive to my destination! Sucks!
 
Nothing like no where to go, and all day to get there...

Take the doors off, throttle back, cruise down the shoreline at 500 feet on a hot day. When you have gone far enough, turn around and come back.
 
Sounds like a great day in the world's greatest airplane. :)

For getting down to TPA in the Skylane, rule of thumb is you need to start down 5 miles out for every 1000' of altitude you need to lose to get about a 500 fpm descent.

(135 knots groundspeed, is actually 4.5 miles to come down at 500 fpm, but you'll need a little space to slow down while entering the pattern after a power-on descent.)

2000' AGL, start down 10 miles out. 1000' AGL, 5 miles out. You get the idea...

That's of course, a minimum to make it comfortable. You can come down faster or start down sooner so you can say "whoa, nellie!" at the bottom as you pull on the reigns. :)

Hope that helps. Have fun!
 
Skylane81E said:
Nice flight, so where ya from?
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Well, from my OP you can tell that my home airport is within 45 minutes by Skylane from KOSU.:wink2:

I'm in NE Ohio, other side of the state from you. I have a cousin who's getting his flight training down at LUK. Sometime I need to fly down that way for lunch - haven't eaten at the Blue Ash Chili Parlor in ages.

For all of you non-Buckeyes hereon, be informed that the Blue Ash Chili Parlor has the best chili in the multiverse.
 
Yes, but I'm a 45 min ride to OSU:rofl: Hell the whole edge of the state is...:D

When you need some Chilli let me know, I'd imaging that you would be landing at my home drome to get it.
 
Morne said:
Well, from my OP you can tell that my home airport is within 45 minutes by Skylane from KOSU.:wink2:

I'm in NE Ohio, other side of the state from you. I have a cousin who's getting his flight training down at LUK. Sometime I need to fly down that way for lunch - haven't eaten at the Blue Ash Chili Parlor in ages.

For all of you non-Buckeyes hereon, be informed that the Blue Ash Chili Parlor has the best chili in the multiverse.
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Where In NE ohio? I flew into Allen County airport not long ago.
 
Congrats. Flying for personal needs is probably one of the coolest most rewarding things known to man. I remember my first flight away from the home drome with a wet PPL. The mission: fly the Aerobat from SAF to E98 (second flight in the airplane, fourth as a private pilot). What I actually did: diverted to ABQ because my fuel press. guage was reading zero (Note, a lycoming O-320 is not a fuel injected engine-part of the 150 HP STC for the C150 requires an aux pump due to its ability to climb at very nose-high attitudes and the fuel pressure guage only gives a reading when the pump is on ). You should have seen the look on the mechanic's face when I told him my problem....He waived the ramp fee for me and gave me a free bottle of water-I guess he felt bad for me.
 
Flying is so much fun we sometimes forget it has some real utilitarian value! Congrats on becoming a real pilot!
 
Skylane81E said:
Yes, but I'm a 45 min ride to OSU:rofl: Hell the whole edge of the state is...:D

When you need some Chilli let me know, I'd imaging that you would be landing at my home drome to get it.
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I think ISZ is walking distance to the Blue Ash Chili Parlor, so yeah.




Also, for the record Allen County is in NW Ohio, not NE.
 
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