My First Solo XC!

inav8r

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
600
Location
Indiana, US
Display Name

Display name:
Mike B.
I was chatting with Greebo yesterday on IRC and I noticed how nice the weather was going to be this morning, so I decided it was time to see about doing one of my solo XC's. A quick phone call to my CFI and I had an appointment with him to go over my flight planning and to get a sign off for my first solo cross country.

I went to bed last night about 45 minutes early and got up almost 90 minutes early. I was very excited. I logged into DUAT(S) for a quick check of the weather (clear skies and light winds forecast for the entire state!). I got a quick shower and headed to the airport. Upon arriving at the airport I called FSS for a briefing. The weather outlook (of course) matched what I had already seen on DUAT(S). However, he had some NOTAM's for me for my destination airport. He noted that portions of their main RY (RY 5) were closed and that their VOR was OTS. My heart sank. I grabbed my chart and plotted up another course and reviewed it with my instructor. We discussed the winds (which were heavier than forecast) but decided it was OK for me to go after all. He was impressed w/ my initiative on working up an alternate navigation plan and he gave me the go ahead to fly the XC.

I went out to preflight the plane. Everything was in order, except for the first time in my life the oil showed below 6 qts (a C172), so it took me a few minutes to find a line guy, a quart of oil and a funnel. We added the oil and re-checked the level - everything was ready to go.

After start up I took some extra time to tune in as many frequencies as I could. I was flying from a class Delta airport (KAID) to a class Charlie (KFWA) and I wanted to make use of BOTH radios. The extra time really paid off. Working the radios today was smooth and painless!

I took off and headed for my destination. Once I got above 2500 ft the ride smoothed out nicely and you could easily see for 20 miles in all directions. It was a wonderful day for flying. About 1/2 way to FWA, I tuned up their ATIS and started eavesdropping on approach control. There was no mention of an OTS VOR or closed RY's... Hrmm... Other than that, approach control sounded pretty quiet. Just a few RJ's going in and out (using RY 5) along with another half dozen or so on various VFR/IFR plans transitioning their airspace. I was glad it wasn't busy, it made me feel more relaxed.

I contacted approach right on my checkpoint. I used the magic words "Student Pilot" and I feel I nailed my radio calls. (I cheated, I had an outline of what to say). I was given a straight in approach to RY 5. At about 5 miles out I wasn't sure if I could start to descend or not, so I called up approach and asked for permission. He sort of chuckled and said "affirmative, altitude at your discretion." I slowed down and started down towards the RY. I was a bit concerned because on the ATIS they were calling winds from 270 at 13. After getting handed off to the tower I asked for a wind check and they advised me that the winds were from 070 at 13. (I wonder if I wrote that down wrong). The winds were 1 more knot than I was signed off for (12 kts), but when I departed both AID and FWA were well within my minimums, so I proceeded on down to land. It was a pretty decent right wheel first landing. I was down and very happy.

I taxied on over to the FBO and got a signoff in my log book. I headed right back out and got into the airplane and started up again. I again took my time and set up both coms with as many frequencies as I could. I was advised by clearance that RY 14 was the departure RY. I just "accepted" this and never thought to ask for RY 5... Taking off from RY 14 with winds from 070 at 13 was quite a challenge. I weathervaned a bit but I flew straight down the runway and was cleared on course.

My next checkpoint was the NDB at KIWH (Wabash) which apparently was OTS. I never did get it tuned in. I used pure pilotage and another NDB at a closer airport to guide me in the general direction of my next checkpoint while I frantically put KIWH into the handheld GPS mounted in our plane. After hitting the GOTO button I was very very proud to find out that according to the GPS (and my chart, of course) I was right on course! Reflecting back on this I should have flown and outbound radial from KFWA to KIWH. *smack*

The rest of my flight to KOKK and then back to KAID went just as well as the first leg. I got to fly near Grissom AFB (KGUS) and took a couple of pictures of that off in the distance. It was truly a terrific day of flying.
 
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Hmm. I always thought "straight in" meant you were supposed to follow the centerline, not be left of it. :-D

GREAT write up - congrats on this major step of your training!!!

You'll be getting ready for that checkride real soon!
 
Greebo said:
Hmm. I always thought "straight in" meant you were supposed to follow the centerline, not be left of it. :-D
My instructor says the same thing to me all the time!

(That's where I was when I was cleared for the straight in approach to RY 12, I don't take pictures once I start my approach!)
 
Good writeup, nice pictures, congrats on another big step towards the checkride. Man, that is some flat land there...
 
Nice PIX, have a blast !

inav8r said:
I was chatting with Greebo yesterday on IRC and I noticed how nice the weather was going to be this morning, so I decided it was time to see about doing one of my solo XC's. A quick phone call to my CFI and I had an appointment with him to go over my flight planning and to get a sign off for my first solo cross country.

I went to bed last night about 45 minutes early and got up almost 90 minutes early. I was very excited. I logged into DUAT(S) for a quick check of the weather (clear skies and light winds forecast for the entire state!). I got a quick shower and headed to the airport. Upon arriving at the airport I called FSS for a briefing. The weather outlook (of course) matched what I had already seen on DUAT(S). However, he had some NOTAM's for me for my destination airport. He noted that portions of their main RY (RY 5) were closed and that their VOR was OTS. My heart sank. I grabbed my chart and plotted up another course and reviewed it with my instructor. We discussed the winds (which were heavier than forecast) but decided it was OK for me to go after all. He was impressed w/ my initiative on working up an alternate navigation plan and he gave me the go ahead to fly the XC.

I went out to preflight the plane. Everything was in order, except for the first time in my life the oil showed below 6 qts (a C172), so it took me a few minutes to find a line guy, a quart of oil and a funnel. We added the oil and re-checked the level - everything was ready to go.

After start up I took some extra time to tune in as many frequencies as I could. I was flying from a class Delta airport (KAID) to a class Charlie (KFWA) and I wanted to make use of BOTH radios. The extra time really paid off. Working the radios today was smooth and painless!

I took off and headed for my destination. Once I got above 2500 ft the ride smoothed out nicely and you could easily see for 20 miles in all directions. It was a wonderful day for flying. About 1/2 way to FWA, I tuned up their ATIS and started eavesdropping on approach control. There was no mention of an OTS VOR or closed RY's... Hrmm... Other than that, approach control sounded pretty quiet. Just a few RJ's going in and out (using RY 5) along with another half dozen or so on various VFR/IFR plans transitioning their airspace. I was glad it wasn't busy, it made me feel more relaxed.

I contacted approach right on my checkpoint. I used the magic words "Student Pilot" and I feel I nailed my radio calls. (I cheated, I had an outline of what to say). I was given a straight in approach to RY 5. At about 5 miles out I wasn't sure if I could start to descend or not, so I called up approach and asked for permission. He sort of chuckled and said "affirmative, altitude at your discretion." I slowed down and started down towards the RY. I was a bit concerned because on the ATIS they were calling winds from 270 at 13. After getting handed off to the tower I asked for a wind check and they advised me that the winds were from 070 at 13. (I wonder if I wrote that down wrong). The winds were 1 more knot than I was signed off for (12 kts), but when I departed both AID and FWA were well within my minimums, so I proceeded on down to land. It was a pretty decent right wheel first landing. I was down and very happy.

I taxied on over to the FBO and got a signoff in my log book. I headed right back out and got into the airplane and started up again. I again took my time and set up both coms with as many frequencies as I could. I was advised by clearance that RY 14 was the departure RY. I just "accepted" this and never thought to ask for RY 5... Taking off from RY 14 with winds from 070 at 13 was quite a challenge. I weathervaned a bit but I flew straight down the runway and was cleared on course.

My next checkpoint was the NDB at KIWH (Wabash) which apparently was OTS. I never did get it tuned in. I used pure pilotage and another NDB at a closer airport to guide me in the general direction of my next checkpoint while I frantically put KIWH into the handheld GPS mounted in our plane. After hitting the GOTO button I was very very proud to find out that according to the GPS (and my chart, of course) I was right on course! Reflecting back on this I should have flown and outbound radial from KFWA to KIWH. *smack*

The rest of my flight to KOKK and then back to KAID went just as well as the first leg. I got to fly near Grissom AFB (KGUS) and took a couple of pictures of that off in the distance. It was truly a terrific day of flying.
 
Congrats!! My solo cross countries were almost as satisfying for me as the checkride. The long solo will be a real blast for you :)
 
Congrats.
Huge confidence builder huh?
 
inav8r said:
(I cheated, I had an outline of what to say).

Great job, Mike! :cheerio: And, that's called "being prepared" not cheating!

Sounds like you did a very good job adapting to things that were not quite as planned. This will happen on many flights, and is part of the fun and challenge of flying. I really like how you are very observant of things that you did, but could have done a bit differently, always looking to improve. That's a sign of a good pilot.

Jeff
 
Congratulations Mike and great pictures. My wife is from Ft. Wayne and enjoyed seeing the pictures of home!
 
Don't it feel great? Good job! and as a side note I suppose you didn't have any problem picking an emergency landing site just in case. Boy that land is Flaaaaaat.
 
The great thing about your solo XC's is that, for the first time, the plane is taking you somewhere, instead of just taking around and around and around something. Best will be when you do your three-leg XC and land at an airport to which you have never been before. Really cool.
 
Congrats Mike! Savor that good feeling and enjoy the training. Many more great flights ahead!
 
AdamZ said:
Don't it feel great? Good job! and as a side note I suppose you didn't have any problem picking an emergency landing site just in case. Boy that land is Flaaaaaat.
It actually gets more difficult in the summer because the last place you want to try to land is in a corn field - and boy there are a lot of those out here!
 
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