First solo flight to practice area (woo-hoo!)

[iWantWings]

Okay so really nothing exciting in this post, but maybe a student pilot like myself would find it worth reading.

All 5 hours of my solo flights have been in the pattern: I can firmly say that I now know how to turn LEFT - 4 consecutive times and then land. Bravo to me!

This morning I nearly left the nest and flew solo to the "practice area" a whopping 10 nautical miles away (zig-zag not included). Visibility was 6, mist around the airport, but clear a bit farther away.

Prior to takeoff I had made a detailed plan for getting to the practice area, and waht to do once there: places where I would make various calls, change frequencies, as well as order, altitutude and transition between ground reference and performance maneuvers. All good.

Once over the "practice area" (referened as "intensive flight training" on the TAC), I realized how much I missed the CFI's second pair of eyes. A few planes were transitioning through the area (VFR, I assume) without making calls on the training area frequency, and some others were making the call which made it very usesful.

So how did that affect me? I'm now aware that when doing the ground reference maneuvers and performance maneuvers I spent quite a bit of time in the cockpit glancing at the instruments thinking that my CFI will mostly watch for traffic. Well, there was no CFI on this first fligth to the practice area and every maneuver that I did was kind of "half-hearted". I spent most of my time trying to see transient traffic that I thaught might show up out of nowhere.


Slow flight was okay, but in steep turns and S-turns I varied the altitude more than I had been while the CFI was onboard. I guess this was a lesson in "division of attention" and I've got to work on it.

Here's a link to a portion of the flight (the flight is over a man-made reservoir - a not to shabby place to practice ditching. JK) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNUXWRNb7So

P.S. I wish the high wings were transparent, or at least translucent !

 

[Henning]

Sounds like you had a good time and learned some very important things, most excellent, that's what it's about. Keep your head on a swivel and have fun.

When you're practicing something and it's getting you and you start getting frustrated, stop and straight and level for a moment, take a breath and do some clearing turns. It's easy to get fixated on something and forget to look around. Also, don't forget to do some solo flights just for fun without working on something, just go look at something you'd like to see from the air. Believe it or not, there's a lot of learning/training to be had there as well.

 

[iWantWings]

Sounds like you had a good time and learned some very important things, most excellent, that's what it's about. Keep your head on a swivel and have fun.

When you're practicing something and it's getting you and you start getting frustrated, stop and straight and level for a moment, take a breath and do some clearing turns. It's easy to get fixated on something and forget to look around. Also, don't forget to do some solo flights just for fun without working on something, just go look at something you'd like to see from the air. Believe it or not, there's a lot of learning/training to be had there as well.

Thanks for the good advice! and you know, you mentioned something so true: what I wrote maybe made this flight seem that it was labor intensive, but not necessarily so. Of all the 28 hrs of dual and solo flights, this was the most fun i've had.

so yes, thank you for the good advice.

 

[Henning]

Thanks for the good advice! and you know, you mentioned something so true: what I wrote maybe made this flight seem that it was labor intensive, but not necessarily so. Of all the 28 hrs of dual and solo flights, this was the most fun i've had.

so yes, thank you for the good advice.

No worries, for all the complaining and bickering on this board, there is a good bit of good advice to be had.

After 20+ years of this and a couple thousand hours, the only time I'm 'having fun' is when I'm working hard at. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy it and I love the view, but the flying itself gets mundane. Ag work actually got boring enough to allow for day dreaming, that's why I kinda quit doing it. 'Waking up' from your thoughts at 3'AGL after having sprayed half a field and realizing you've been going under the power lines at one end (typical) without thinking about any of it, it's time to walk away for a while.

 

[HerrGruyere]

I also flew to the practice area this weekend during my solo flights. It made me realize that I rely too much on my instructor. My steep turns weren't as steep for fear of not doing something right, losing control and not having anybody there to help me recover. However, my CFI never even touches the controls when we do maneuvers. I just have to remember that my confidence is in me, not in my CFI, and it's still in me when she is not there.

I got just as worried about traffic, but I calmed down. I made the necessary calls and actually kept the tower tuned in. I can better gauge where people are since many make early calls to the tower while over the practice area.

There was a direct crosswind, too, and I was proud of myself for executing a decent landing without my CFI there. The guy behind me did not do so well (that's a whole 'nother story).

Still fun as hell flying solo, though!

 

[ScottK]

Once over the "practice area" (referened as "intensive flight training" on the TAC), I realized how much I missed the CFI's second pair of eyes.

I think that is one of the best things about the early solo time. You really start to learn cockpit management when it's all on you.

Did you get that rush of adrenaline when you got back? I actually sat in the plane and thought about what I just did after my first solo away from the airport. I was so pumped up. What an awesome feeling.

 

[iWantWings]

[...] 'Waking up' from your thoughts at 3'AGL after having sprayed half a field and realizing you've been going under the power lines at one end (typical) without thinking about any of it, it's time to walk away for a while.

That is insane What a thrill that would be, but blink at the wrong time and ... kaput! I find it impressive that you're still here to write about it - best proof that you must surely know how to "stick and rudder" and then some.

I also flew to the practice area this weekend during my solo flights. It made me realize that I rely too much on my instructor. My steep turns weren't as steep for fear of not doing something right, losing control and not having anybody there to help me recover. However, my CFI never even touches the controls when we do maneuvers. I just have to remember that my confidence is in me, not in my CFI, and it's still in me when she is not there.

I got just as worried about traffic, but I calmed down. I made the necessary calls and actually kept the tower tuned in. I can better gauge where people are since many make early calls to the tower while over the practice area.

There was a direct crosswind, too, and I was proud of myself for executing a decent landing without my CFI there. The guy behind me did not do so well (that's a whole 'nother story).

Still fun as hell flying solo, though!

Am glad you shared that. It's an echo of exactly what I was feeling. And with time it will only get better

I think that is one of the best things about the early solo time. You really start to learn cockpit management when it's all on you.

Did you get that rush of adrenaline when you got back? I actually sat in the plane and thought about what I just did after my first solo away from the airport. I was so pumped up. What an awesome feeling.

Exactly - and not only after the flight, but all the way home... in fact, the whole day. I sometimes watch the recorded video and makes me wish I had a plane all to myself . Okay, maybe not, but I sure wish I could get my certificate some time in the not too distance future.

A bit off topic but I hope general aviation will get healthier; it would be too sad if it didn't. Heck, I'm willing to wrestle, fight, or sell lemonde for it!

 

[Henning]

That is insane What a thrill that would be, but blink at the wrong time and ... kaput! I find it impressive that you're still here to write about it - best proof that you must surely know how to "stick and rudder" and then some.

That is what you think now, but it will not take long before you develop considerably more confidence, much like when you learned to ride a bike or drive. It's actually quite easy to handle a plane at speed very accurately when next to the ground. At those distances judging motion in direction, trend an rate becomes pretty easy. It's because of the level of detail and the length and angle of our perspective guides in our field of view. Also at speed the plane handles very crisply and positively, it's not like landing and mushing around, the plane is solidly flying and the trim is holding it. One is also in ground effect so there is an extra resistance to hitting the ground that if you are trimmed neutral will give you a bit of a buffer/bounce if you sink further. It really does become simple autonomous hand eye just like driving.

 

[MDeitch1976]

Last weekend was my first weekend heading out to practice on my own. I am going to do this one more time, and then head out on my solo. Maybe squeeze a lesson in between. It felt good filing a flight plan for just myself to exit the SFRA. Hey, I made it back too, without getting intercepted.

I am sure I had very much the same feelings of anticipation, as I kept climbing above traffic pattern altitude, and turned to exit the traffic pattern. The flight out went very well, and I was comfortable as to where I was going, and new, that I could find my way back.

Once arriving to the practice area, time to pull out my checklist of maneuvers to perform while out there. Steep turns, turns around a point, slow flight all went very well. Actually, all the maneuvers went well. The slips and the stalls have much more of a pucker factor when the instructor is not there with you. Added to it, the convective turbulence from the late morning was making things a little more interesting. I look forward to another run, and hopefully the confidence will be that much better.

Once I arrived back at the pattern I initially started to enter 45 for the opposite runway, which I corrected, but forgot to update my correction until I entered the 45 for the correct runway in use. My pattern was a little on the tighter side, which gave me very little time on base. I overshot just a little. Body aligned with the right edge of the RWY. Not to bad. However I made up with it by landing well short of the 1000 footer, and a soft landing as well.

Once, I got back to the hangar and shut down. I too, had a good adrenaline rush hit me. Made filling in the log on the airplane an interesting task.

Will be doing it again soon!

 

[iWantWings]

Last weekend was my first weekend heading out to practice on my own. I am going to do this one more time, and then head out on my solo. Maybe squeeze a lesson in between. It felt good filing a flight plan for just myself to exit the SFRA. Hey, I made it back too, without getting intercepted.

I am sure I had very much the same feelings of anticipation, as I kept climbing above traffic pattern altitude, and turned to exit the traffic pattern. The flight out went very well, and I was comfortable as to where I was going, and new, that I could find my way back.

Once arriving to the practice area, time to pull out my checklist of maneuvers to perform while out there. Steep turns, turns around a point, slow flight all went very well. Actually, all the maneuvers went well. The slips and the stalls have much more of a pucker factor when the instructor is not there with you. Added to it, the convective turbulence from the late morning was making things a little more interesting. I look forward to another run, and hopefully the confidence will be that much better.

Once I arrived back at the pattern I initially started to enter 45 for the opposite runway, which I corrected, but forgot to update my correction until I entered the 45 for the correct runway in use. My pattern was a little on the tighter side, which gave me very little time on base. I overshot just a little. Body aligned with the right edge of the RWY. Not to bad. However I made up with it by landing well short of the 1000 footer, and a soft landing as well.

Once, I got back to the hangar and shut down. I too, had a good adrenaline rush hit me. Made filling in the log on the airplane an interesting task.

Will be doing it again soon!

You were very well prepared and did way more things than i have on the first time out. It is great when a flight that seems very simple can help build comfidence for the next flight and the solo xcountry. Glad you shared your story as well.

I'm excited about my next flight and if i dont tell my CFI, I might venture a little farther until i get past a few checkpoints into what will be my first solo xcountry