Gettin' closer - long solo XC

[Matthew]

25-30 yrs of dreaming and scheming are getting me closer to that checkride.

I'll be out on my 3-leg XC tomorrow, about 254NM and a world away from where I ever thought I would be. After tomorrow I feel like I will be finally ready to start that descent towards dropping that 'student' prefix.

Matt

 

[Rudy]

25-30 yrs of dreaming and scheming are getting me closer to that checkride.

I'll be out on my 3-leg XC tomorrow, about 254NM and a world away from where I ever thought I would be. After tomorrow I feel like I will be finally ready to start that descent towards dropping that 'student' prefix.

Matt

Matt, that's awesome!
MY solo XC's gave me the most confidence out of anything else I did in my training! It is so awesome to make a trip like that all by yourself. Just you and the airplane.
I haven't went on a XC alone since my checkride! I might have to do that sometime this week just for kicks!
Congrats on getting this far, it won't be long now!

 

[Matthew]

I don't think you're not too far out of my way.

My first XC was dual from KOJC - KPTS.

My first solo XC was from KOJC - KUKL (Burlington).

This one will be KOJC - KNVD - KCFV - CNU VOR - KOJC.

A couple weeks ago my CFI and I went to ICT for the Class C experience. A good long straight line flight with plenty of time to sightsee. Normally, my CFI throws so much at me each flight I am constantly fighting to keep ahead. I've found the long solos to be much more relaxing because of that kind of training.

Matt

 

[Rudy]

Yeah i am only a little under an hour away from Olathe! 51 min to be exact in my plane.
I have family in Olathe, I will have to head up there sometime!
I did all my XC's to the west of KPTS, went to KCNU, KEMP, KIDP and a few more.
Do you have quite a bit of traffic at KOJC?

 

[Matthew]

Traffic varies - no telling when it'll be heavy. Normally, Friday afternoons/evenings aircraft are either leaving for the weekend or coming in for the weekend, then Sunday afternoon/evening the pattern repeats. On the busiest times, the tower controllers told me they handle 80 a/c per hour, sometimes with a single controller handing tower and ground. Even on the slowest days (unless the weather is really shutting things down), there seems to be at least one takeoff/landing every 10 minutes or so. There are also two FBOs/flight-schools at the airport, and both are busy. The tower closes at 9PM and traffic drops to just about nothing. We have everything from Citabrias to Citations to Long-EZs to Tri-Pacers all mixing it up at the same time.

Construction at KIXD about 7 miles west caused a lot of traffic that normally functions there to come over to KOJC. IXD has two runways, they had their main RWY closed for resurfacing, then closed both for a short time while the intersection was being repaired. (Is PTS still down to a single runway?) I'm using NVD instead of PTS for this XC because NVD still has both runways open and PTS did not. I needed to go to airports that offer a cross-wind runway.
Yeah, post some notice the next time you fly up! I'm 2 miles from the airport.

 

[Rudy]

(Is PTS still down to a single runway?)

Yeah, they are completely tearing out 10-28 and they are still resurfacing 3-21. All we have is 16-34 as of now.
I don't blame you for picking NVD, its nice to have the x-wind runway.
It has actually been good for me, having just one runway. Usually with 6 choices i never hardly ran into a x-wind at PTS, but now i do and i am getting a lot better at handling them then i used to be.

 

[Matthew]

Done.

Had to delay about an hour because of early morning low visibility (haze/fog) at origin and destination airports.

Stopped at NVD just long enough to get my bearings for the next leg, then took off again. Made it to CFV just in time to miss the lunch orders for the local sub-shop. Wind shifted enought at CFV so that I landed on 17, departed on 22. It's one of those triangular airfields, it was a loong taxi to 22.

Had a good tailwind all the way home, about 35kts.

The best part? Being alone, just flying. I usually fly evenings and weekends, when it seems everybody else is, too. Usually with somebody in the other seat telling me what to do, what not to do, how to do it, ... . Almost 4 hrs by myself, during a time of day when nobody else was flying, was just a great mental health day.

Matt

 

[Rudy]

Sound like a good trip!

 

[TangoWhiskey]

Done.

Had to delay about an hour because of early morning low visibility (haze/fog) at origin and destination airports.

Stopped at NVD just long enough to get my bearings for the next leg, then took off again. Made it to CFV just in time to miss the lunch orders for the local sub-shop. Wind shifted enought at CFV so that I landed on 17, departed on 22. It's one of those triangular airfields, it was a loong taxi to 22.

Had a good tailwind all the way home, about 35kts.

The best part? Being alone, just flying. I usually fly evenings and weekends, when it seems everybody else is, too. Usually with somebody in the other seat telling me what to do, what not to do, how to do it, ... . Almost 4 hrs by myself, during a time of day when nobody else was flying, was just a great mental health day.

Matt

Nice job, Matthew. Were that all our work was so tough...