Matthew
Touchdown! Greaser!
My story started about 30yrs ago, when I first got the bug.
Last Friday was one of those flights where everything went right - one of those days you hear about from other people, but never seem to have yourself. CFI warned me that, if conditions are right, I'd solo my next time out. Last night was the 'next time'.
3-day, 2-day, and next day forecasts called for rain/thunderstorms all day, I didn't have much hope for getting the flight in. Wed rolled around and the rains got pushed farther back into the evening - I figured I'd get to fly after all.
Then, as was mentioned on another thread, some idiot decided to rob a bank, take hostages, and drive to the airport. The hostages, 4 women and 2 men, were stripped, handcuffed together and taken as a whole in a minivan to the airport.
Local CFI and student were preparing for takeoff - CFI looks out window and sees a guy with a black mask, t-shirt that says 'Show Me The Money', and a naked woman being dragged along with a gun pointed at her. Guy with gun tries to highjack the airplane. CFI pulls the mixture and ducks. A few seconds later, when all the gunfire stops, the only things with extra holes in them are the airplane and the guy with the gun. That's some good shootin', boys.
Traffic already in the pattern is allowed to land, with the ever helpful information from the tower - "Be advised, shots fired". Airport was closed right afterwards. I haven't seen the text of the TFR that was issued, but I heard it's an interesting read.
Now, my flight might be back off again. Either the airport will be closed, or I'll get arrested for going to the hospital, tying a knot in an air hose, and administering a 'baseball-bat shampoo'. My house, my kids' school, and the airport are all within two miles of each other, this was too close for my liking.
Airport re-opens in the afternoon, I arrive about 4:45pm, every news station in town is doing remotes for their 5 & 5:30 broadcasts. I begin thinking that anybody watching the talking heads will get to see me flying the pattern in the background. OK, just a little added pressure, I can handle it. I'll just try to remember those magic words my CFI is always telling me - "more right rudder in the climb!"
Winds are a steady 8kts, right down the runway. We did 3 touch and goes and 2 full stop/taxi backs. Landing #2 was the kind that poets dream about, landing #3 made up for it. Funny how things average out.
CFI signs the paperwork and cuts me loose. I wasn't too surprised by the difference in acceleration and climb I was getting, but what caught me off guard was how much affect the loss of CFI/ballast had on the landing characteristics of that PA28-161. My next three landings were the ugliest I may have ever had.
In all honesty, it was almost anti-climactic. I was concentrating so much on flying the airplane, I didn't really give any thought to the fact I was actually solo. It didn't sink in until well afterward.
By the end of the day, some of my friends and neighbors had been traumatized, some idiot is in critical condition, and, oh man, I soloed!
Matt
Last Friday was one of those flights where everything went right - one of those days you hear about from other people, but never seem to have yourself. CFI warned me that, if conditions are right, I'd solo my next time out. Last night was the 'next time'.
3-day, 2-day, and next day forecasts called for rain/thunderstorms all day, I didn't have much hope for getting the flight in. Wed rolled around and the rains got pushed farther back into the evening - I figured I'd get to fly after all.
Then, as was mentioned on another thread, some idiot decided to rob a bank, take hostages, and drive to the airport. The hostages, 4 women and 2 men, were stripped, handcuffed together and taken as a whole in a minivan to the airport.
Local CFI and student were preparing for takeoff - CFI looks out window and sees a guy with a black mask, t-shirt that says 'Show Me The Money', and a naked woman being dragged along with a gun pointed at her. Guy with gun tries to highjack the airplane. CFI pulls the mixture and ducks. A few seconds later, when all the gunfire stops, the only things with extra holes in them are the airplane and the guy with the gun. That's some good shootin', boys.
Traffic already in the pattern is allowed to land, with the ever helpful information from the tower - "Be advised, shots fired". Airport was closed right afterwards. I haven't seen the text of the TFR that was issued, but I heard it's an interesting read.
Now, my flight might be back off again. Either the airport will be closed, or I'll get arrested for going to the hospital, tying a knot in an air hose, and administering a 'baseball-bat shampoo'. My house, my kids' school, and the airport are all within two miles of each other, this was too close for my liking.
Airport re-opens in the afternoon, I arrive about 4:45pm, every news station in town is doing remotes for their 5 & 5:30 broadcasts. I begin thinking that anybody watching the talking heads will get to see me flying the pattern in the background. OK, just a little added pressure, I can handle it. I'll just try to remember those magic words my CFI is always telling me - "more right rudder in the climb!"
Winds are a steady 8kts, right down the runway. We did 3 touch and goes and 2 full stop/taxi backs. Landing #2 was the kind that poets dream about, landing #3 made up for it. Funny how things average out.
CFI signs the paperwork and cuts me loose. I wasn't too surprised by the difference in acceleration and climb I was getting, but what caught me off guard was how much affect the loss of CFI/ballast had on the landing characteristics of that PA28-161. My next three landings were the ugliest I may have ever had.
In all honesty, it was almost anti-climactic. I was concentrating so much on flying the airplane, I didn't really give any thought to the fact I was actually solo. It didn't sink in until well afterward.
By the end of the day, some of my friends and neighbors had been traumatized, some idiot is in critical condition, and, oh man, I soloed!
Matt
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