colomtnflyer
Cleared for Takeoff
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2007
- Messages
- 1,008
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- Guess it depends on what week it is!
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iAM in AK!
Yesterday I joined PJ (toronado) for a hop around the West side of Houston's Class B to bag a few airports for the CONUS challenge..
Interestingly, I had checked my log book the night before to find when I had last flown a SEL. It had been 37 MONTHS earlier!
We took off from SGR (Sugarland) and tripped up to West Houston (IWS) where PJ put down an awesome landing. There was some traffic, so off we went to Houston Exec (TME). Enroute, he was brave enough to hand me the controls... It sure felt odd after so long... As I set up for the landing at TME, PJ was ready to assume control, when I had to ask him if he didn't trust me. As we had never flown together before, he had every right to be cautious. (Just as I was acutely aware of his procedures and first landing) He allowed me to make the landing, which given it being my first in a 172 in over 3 yrs, wasn't too bad.
We were off again, enroute to Westheimer (O07) which turns out to be an extremely narrow rwy, with almost a direct x-wind. Again PJ was generous enough to allow me this landing (he must have gained some confidence after my first landing), and it was a fun little challenge to slip it on to the postage stamp size rwy and get it off again before the trees at the far end.
Heading back toward SGR, PJ took over again, and wanted to do a few T+G's. After a couple of normal landings, he decided to do a short field, which I was really quite impressed with! He had the aircraft at a dead stop before taxiway D, maybe about 400'.
He let me take it around the patch a couple of times, just to regain the feel of handling such a light aircraft again, and we decided to put it down for good.
It was the first time I had flown for "fun" in over a year, and it truly was enjoyable. PJ is a by the numbers type of pilot, always running his procedures, and it was a pleasure to fly with him! I'll look forward to doing it again soon!
Thanks, PJ!
Interestingly, I had checked my log book the night before to find when I had last flown a SEL. It had been 37 MONTHS earlier!
We took off from SGR (Sugarland) and tripped up to West Houston (IWS) where PJ put down an awesome landing. There was some traffic, so off we went to Houston Exec (TME). Enroute, he was brave enough to hand me the controls... It sure felt odd after so long... As I set up for the landing at TME, PJ was ready to assume control, when I had to ask him if he didn't trust me. As we had never flown together before, he had every right to be cautious. (Just as I was acutely aware of his procedures and first landing) He allowed me to make the landing, which given it being my first in a 172 in over 3 yrs, wasn't too bad.
We were off again, enroute to Westheimer (O07) which turns out to be an extremely narrow rwy, with almost a direct x-wind. Again PJ was generous enough to allow me this landing (he must have gained some confidence after my first landing), and it was a fun little challenge to slip it on to the postage stamp size rwy and get it off again before the trees at the far end.
Heading back toward SGR, PJ took over again, and wanted to do a few T+G's. After a couple of normal landings, he decided to do a short field, which I was really quite impressed with! He had the aircraft at a dead stop before taxiway D, maybe about 400'.
He let me take it around the patch a couple of times, just to regain the feel of handling such a light aircraft again, and we decided to put it down for good.
It was the first time I had flown for "fun" in over a year, and it truly was enjoyable. PJ is a by the numbers type of pilot, always running his procedures, and it was a pleasure to fly with him! I'll look forward to doing it again soon!
Thanks, PJ!