My lesson today was definitely unconventional:
My wife wanted to go up with my instructor and I to see what it was all about. She has been in small planes before but wanted to meet my instructor. So we went out to preflight and as we're walking up I see a puddle under the right wheel. I asked my instructor if it was brake fluid or water as I was walking over to the left door to open and drop the flaps for preflight. "Brake fluid!". DAMN.
Luckily it was a very slow day and the other C172 is sitting right next to us is available. So I walk over to start preflight while the instructor runs in to get the book and keys. The doors were locked so I started with the prop, cowl, and oil. Then climb the wing to visually check fuel and find that it's so full that it spills out from my weight on the strut lowering that wing. Check the right wing and find it's full too. Crap. Are we going to be over gross? We run inside to check W&B and find we're 10lbs under gross. WOOHOO! Let's go flying.
Everything else goes normally. I decide that I'm not going to do any maneuvers with my wife on-board. So we went to visit the 727 parked in the field, look in my post history for an image, and do a turn around a point to view it (good situational practice right?). Head back to the airport and do one touch and go and a full stop and taxi to the FBO. Go inside, instructor signs my logbook solo endorsement and into the plane I go.
The instructor grabs a golf cart, my wife, and one of the maintenance guys while I'm starting up and they ride over to the grass to take pics and video.
First takeoff: HOLY CLIMB RATE BATMAN! Pattern altitude reached during the upwind to base turn nearly.
First landing: Get a "NICE ONE!" from my instructor on the radio.
Second takeoff: Still surprised by the climb rate.
Second "landing": Have to dodge a bird on final, winds shifted to a stronger crosswind, and I ballooned from a gust. Go Around. "Good job" on the radio.
Second real landing: A little rough.
Third landing: Much better than second but not as good as the first.
Overall: 1.2 hours for a total of 15.7
Some other thoughts. Winds were a little stronger than I was hoping for: 11kts from 070 when we first went up. Runways 04-22 and 18-36 so 04 is the best choice but it was a decent crosswind. It changed to 11kts from 080 while in the pattern for my second landing. That change plus the bird plus the balloon lead to the go around. Fun!