Greebo
N9017H - C172M (1976)
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2005
- Messages
- 10,976
- Location
- Baltimore, MD
- Display Name
- Retired Evil Overlord
- Home Airfield
- Martin State (KMTN)
The Scheduling gods and the Weather gods must have been napping yesterday, because I finally got a day with good clouds, good visibility, a work day where I wasn't completely wiped out at the end of it, and... the plane was available!!
So I headed out to MTN yesterday just to do some pattern work and make sure I still knew how to fly a plane.
I was extra careful to go through the checklist twice, and flooded the engine when it wouldn't start up at first and over primed. (OOPS!) Gave it a few minutes to drain out and was trying again, for the third time, about to give up and call it a night when she fired into life.
Aside from that hitch, a pretty good flight considering I hadn't done anything since December. Six trips around the pattern - my first landing, oddly, was my best. I think I started overthinking it once I was slightly disatisfied with my first. However I did pull off a very acceptable short field landing on one trip around.
AND I had the fun of being #3 behind a pair of A-10s not once, but twice! :dance:
The first time I was put #3 behind them I waited until #2 was past me before turning base. They both were clear of the runway before I turned final...
So the second time I turned base as #2 was just in front of my wing - and he was STILL clear of the runway before my flaps were all the way down on final...
C172's are kinda slow.
But it was still great to finally be back up in the air again! I very nearly stayed in the pattern until it was legally night time for currency, but after 6 trips I decided not to push it -- and I didn't have my usual flashlights for night flight anyway so I didn't want to depend on the failing flashlight left in the club plane.
Oh well - night currency another day ...er...yeah... you know what I mean. Anyway, I can still fly! YAY!
So I headed out to MTN yesterday just to do some pattern work and make sure I still knew how to fly a plane.
I was extra careful to go through the checklist twice, and flooded the engine when it wouldn't start up at first and over primed. (OOPS!) Gave it a few minutes to drain out and was trying again, for the third time, about to give up and call it a night when she fired into life.
Aside from that hitch, a pretty good flight considering I hadn't done anything since December. Six trips around the pattern - my first landing, oddly, was my best. I think I started overthinking it once I was slightly disatisfied with my first. However I did pull off a very acceptable short field landing on one trip around.
AND I had the fun of being #3 behind a pair of A-10s not once, but twice! :dance:
The first time I was put #3 behind them I waited until #2 was past me before turning base. They both were clear of the runway before I turned final...
So the second time I turned base as #2 was just in front of my wing - and he was STILL clear of the runway before my flaps were all the way down on final...
C172's are kinda slow.
But it was still great to finally be back up in the air again! I very nearly stayed in the pattern until it was legally night time for currency, but after 6 trips I decided not to push it -- and I didn't have my usual flashlights for night flight anyway so I didn't want to depend on the failing flashlight left in the club plane.
Oh well - night currency another day ...er...yeah... you know what I mean.
Anyway, I can still fly! YAY! 
