Where did you go - first trip?

Matthew

Matthew

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Matthew
I'm winding down now on my PP training, and starting to think of the first trip.

What was the first flight that you took after the checkride? (other than taking significant other around the pattern - you know what I mean)
 
Checkride Sunday.
Checkout in C177RG Tuesday & Wednesday
Leave from Colorado to Iowa for cousins wedding.
(This was the wife's first flight.)

Would NOT do it this way again. But it worked out. We're still married, she still flies with me and we own an airplane.
 
I went down and around Grand Lake in Oklahoma, took two of my friends!! Landed at Grove and let them switch seats and flew back. Made a bad landing in Grove because of the different weight in the plane, sank right through my flare, luckily i made a good one back at KPTS or i don't think they would have went with me again!! HAHA
 
Xmas morning 0700 @ RDU had the airport (class C) to my self, stayed in the pattern for about an hour. landed 23L 23 R (my choice ) and last one on 32.
The best x-mas present I ever gave my self.
 
Matthew said:
I'm winding down now on my PP training, and starting to think of the first trip.

What was the first flight that you took after the checkride? (other than taking significant other around the pattern - you know what I mean)
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Can't remember. Ludington, MI perhaps for a lunch at Big Boy. Something solo however. I can guarantee that much.
 
Matthew said:
I'm winding down now on my PP training, and starting to think of the first trip.

What was the first flight that you took after the checkride? (other than taking significant other around the pattern - you know what I mean)
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Quick checkout in an Archer II and then a X-C from Long Beach CA to St. Louis & Ft. Wayne IN. Came back with all my time requirements then prereq for starting the IR (85hrsTT with much XC).
 
Matthew said:
What was the first flight that you took after the checkride?
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Took the SO for an early dinner at the Jared Coffin House out on Nantucket. Landed back home within a few minutes of darkness - wonderful sunset and all.

-Skip
 
The same day I got my ticket I took my wife well then girlfriend to............

THE PRACTICE AREA.

I wanted to make sure she liked it so I flew to a place close so that if she didn't like it we could turn around and be back at home base in a few minutes. She was fine and has been flying with me for 11.5 years.
 
I took a fellow student to a fly in in Moriarty. Fun stuff.
 
Russelville, AR to Melbourne, FL and back. Learned a whole lot about what I didn't know. Unplanned stops due to weather. Finding nearest airport pre-GPS. Wonderful folks at unplanned stops. Unplanned overnight due to weather. Corner of a chart getting sucked out under the door and beating against the side of the fuselage scared the cr^p out of me. Walk in visit to an FSS to look at weather radar. 180 means 180 degree heading, not make a 180. Light gun take off. Fuel stop at noon at a rural GA (Georgia, not General Aviation) airport at noon, actuall after 1:00 as I had to wait for folks tostraggle back from lunch. Had the whole airport to myself. Getting turned down for flight following. Getting flight following and getting very useful traffic call (dropped 1000 feet quick and watched a V-tailed Dr. killer go directly overhead - Thanks Memphis Center)
 
First trip?

Winchester, Virginia. From Cincy - Blue Ash.
 
Off to the NIFA National Airmeet (now called SAFECON) in Bozeman MT, some 1200 nm each way from our home base of Ann Arbor MI, with my buddy Dave Gell, who's now an Aero Engineering research professor at the University of Michigan, about two hours after the practical test ended. Dave was the much more experienced partner, having 75 hours total time and six weeks as a PPL compared to my 60 hours total time. We increased our total flying experience by some 35% over the next 10 days...
 
I took a Greyhound bus from NY to Georgia & fly my "new" 68 C-150H back.
It was the next flight after my PPL Checkride.

700 nm alone with a handheld radio & a hand held GPS. Yeaa Haww..Freedom at last.

My last fuel stop was Atlantic City. Man, I could have landed sideways on that runway in the 150

After I passed under JFK at 500 ft @ 9PM, I went on to ISP only to see the fog roll in as they changed the ATIS to IFR.

ATC."ISP IFR, Please state intentions"
ME " I wanna land"
ATC (Paraphrases) "Ain't happening unless you & the plane are IFR"

I diverted to BDR, got in 10 min before the fog got there & wound up sleeping in the baggage compartment of the 150 on Halloween night 1999. Real cozy & cold.
 
Wow you guys have some really interesting stories of 1st PP x/c's. My mom, dad and brother don't know this yet but they will prolly be my 1st pax I take up after the PP checkride. We may take a trip to Ocracoke, or First Flight.
 
It was Friday morning. I parked the plane on the ramp as the DE filled out my temporary certificate. It was getting near lunch time. It's MY plane. Now I can fly when I want. He recommended I try lunch at what was called Runway 47 in Morris, IL. "Just got to JOT VOR and turn west." OK, where's that on chart? I can do that. I had a GOOD lunch.

The next day was the Saturday of the Washington Island Fish Boil. I lot of hangar mates had homes up there. They teased me I should fly up. Sure, it's a grass strip going uphill. You know your short technique, right? Right.

I planned it the rest of the day. I had been up that way on a dual. Just go a little further.

On the way I watched as the right main tank when on its last cycle. I think "Every time I switch off that tank at this point I find now it has 5 to 10 gallons in it. I'll switch at the top of the hour to the full tank for landing."

I'm getting close to my destination, over the woods in Door County when it gets real quiet. :hairraise: Being that I drilled for a my checkride it was "1!, 2! 3! ohhhh #$%^& I KNOW WHAT IT IS! "Switch tanks!" The engine restarted.

I made a stupid entry to a busy pattern but lived through that. Closed my flight plan with Green Bay as a crowd of buddies gathered screaming "HE MADE IT!"

It was good fish.

Departing with short field technique the 235 did its usual nearly vertical climb. Piece o' Cake.

On the flight home I was convinced that that empty tank was calling my name so I circled a long time trying to find Manitowoc to refuel. I spotted it eventually in the shadows. landed, and and they had gas.

No sweat. :rolleyes:
 
I took my dad from BWi or as we knew it in 1961 BAL in a 1959 C-150 to DPK now closed. What a trip flying accross Idlwild or now JFK at 2,000 feet.I was 17 and my eyes were so wide looking at all of those 707 and DC 8's We flew up two days after I got my PPL. It was round trip and my boss let me have the plane for free except fuel cost. It was one of those days when the weather was really CAVU. I took my dad to see his sister in Long Island. The trip was a round trip and we got home just when the sun was on the horizon. It was a very special time.

John
 
HPNFlyGirl said:
Wow you guys have some really interesting stories of 1st PP x/c's. My mom, dad and brother don't know this yet but they will prolly be my 1st pax I take up after the PP checkride. We may take a trip to Ocracoke, or First Flight.
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You better get checked out in a 182 during your PP training then, unless you family is really lightweight that is.
 
Matthew said:
What was the first flight that you took after the checkride? (other than taking significant other around the pattern - you know what I mean)
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1st flight after checkride was a checkout ride with my instructor to get signed off on the Archer III. Two nights later, I took the 172 into the pattern and did 5 night stop and goes. My first trip away from the airport was 10 days later, a trip to Tullahoma and back in the 172. Good times!
 
It was a beautiful July day. I took the 172 out to Montauk Point, circled the lighthouse a couple times, and flew back. One big smile all the way!

I also remember making the transition from saying "student pilot" to not saying it, probably on that flight. ATC suddenly spoke at much higher RPM. :)
 
Hooterville, NC -->Ottumwa, IA with my Navigator Son
 
sierra said:
Hooterville, NC -->Ottumwa, IA with my Navigator Son
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There really is a Hooterville? Tell me where Pettycoat Junction is and I'm on my way...Uncle Joe weren't no dummy ;-)
 
Check ride Saturday morning, got home all sweaty and ragged, told wife (SWMBO) I passed, and she said, "Of course you did. Where are we going tomorrow?"

I allowed as how maybe I should get a little more practice before I took wife and kid flying; says she: "The FAA says you're a pilot, that's good enough for me, where we goin'?"

So I booked a 172, and we flew to Possum Kingdom (F35) on Sunday morning. Having done all the practice I had done on 7000' runways, I was terribly intimidated by the short (3200') runway, did a short field landing, just squeaked it in with 2300' or so to spare.

What fun, and I love the ongoing trust that Celia and Tommy have.

Seems like yesterday.

Great thread idea!
 
Took checkride at TKI. Called wife while DPE filled out the paperwork. She met me at T31 with a large cup of iced tea and we flew to Gainesville (GLE). The next saturday, we flew to Sulphur Springs to visit my son and on to Mineola Weisner to met friends. Two weeks later, we flew to Guthrie, OK for the weekend.
 
My first trip was a short x/c to KORE (orange, MA) with my girlfriend. We went up at the crack of dawn, and it still stands as the only flight that she's been on with me that she didn't get airsick.
 
My first plan is a sight-seeing trip around the area with my wife. Not too far from home, I'm not sure what kind of reaction to expect. It's a chance for her to get used to the whole experience.

After that, who knows? We have family within a five minute drive of an airport 46NM west, and within a 7 minute drive of an airport 250NM east. Sounds like as good an idea as any.

I enjoyed hearing the 'adventures' some of you had. I'm afraid I'll be a lot more conservative early on.

Matt
 
My first flight alone as PIC was from S37 up to Deck, 9D4, in Myerstown. I had to convince myself that I could find an airport that I had never been to, all by myself. Obviously I did. I made it back.

I think I smiled all the way up and all the way back.

Jim G
 
Matthew said:
It's a chance for her to get used to the whole experience.

After that, who knows? We have family within a five minute drive of an airport 46NM west, and within a 7 minute drive of an airport 250NM east. Sounds like as good an idea as any.

I enjoyed hearing the 'adventures' some of you had. I'm afraid I'll be a lot more conservative early on.

Matt
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You are on the right track, Matt. For her sake as well as yours, start slow and work up. I would recommend the 46 mile trip first. Is this her family or yours? The best way to do it is to go to destinations that are meaningful to her. Then she sees the benefit of GA, it is not just sitting in a small, noisey flivver while hubby has fun.

-Skip
 
Yeah, start slow. I've been trying to get to this point for 20 yrs, it doesn't get much slower. But, I know what you mean. Getting tossed around like a leaf is just business as usual for anybody who flies small aircraft, but passengers a) don't always know what they're getting into, b) didn't ASK for the tossing around, c) have to get used to the idea that this is normal. Minimizing and 'easing into' any uncomfortable flights is the only way to go.

I remember one flight in particular, I think it was only my third lesson. Our Kansas spring weather typically is extremely gusty and I had an hour of fighting to keep the thing just upright. All the time listening to the CFI telling me not to overcontrol, not to do this, not to do that. I finally managed to settle things down. For the landing, the CFI took over. Immediatly we began bucking again and I heard "#$*&^##^$#&*^ no WONDER you had so much trouble!".

I got serious a couple years ago about finishing because I'm not getting any younger. The basic idea was to have something to do besides buying/driving an RV after retirement (spending our kids' inheritance). By the time I finally semi-retire, I want to have the experience and ratings to carry us wherever we want to go.

Both our families are scattered, I have family now living at the 46NM range and well beyond, she has family at the 250NM and 175NM range. It opens a lot of possibilities.
Matt
 
Rented an Archer to fly from West Palm Beach to Destin, where my parents owned a beach condo. I really just wanted to fly there, but though maybe I'd give rides to them. That was fun, dodging MOAs and banner tows up and down the beach, but then it was time to go home. I stopped in Tallahassee for fuel and to see a friend, and as I was leaving, got an in-person briefing at the FSS on the field.

"VFR not recommended." Heard that about 8 times. Like a fool, went anyway. Like a damned fool, didn't land or turn back, zigzagging my way across Florida for 400 miles at 1000 feet. Like a lucky fool, made it back to PBI. Learned a lot in the 17 years since then.
 
First this is a great thread.
As for my first flights post Check Ride. I got checked out in a Tiger and Flew with my CFI friend from KPNE to Blairstown NJ for a bowl of chili and also to Lakewood NJ just to check it out. My first attempted "real flight" without any CFI in the left seat was with my neighbor from KPNE to KLNS it was spring and hot. The Haze got really bad and I decided to turn back about 1/3 of the way there then the radios started to get a LOT of static. Tower could hear me but I could hardly hear them. What a fiasco couldn't figure out the squelch on the fancy 430s doh! Then I come in for what I think is a 8/10 landing and as I'm rolling out the plane starts to shake like jackhammer and the alternator light goes on. I'm thinking WHAT THE HELL DID I DO? Here I have my first real pax and sh%t I strike the prop on a brand new Tiger! As it turns out the nose wheel casulation was set way off and the free castoring nose wheel was oscillating all over the place. The alternator light always goes on below 900 RPM. Sheesh I wish someone told me that before. No prop strike all was well.
What I really consider my FIRST real flight post PP with Pax however was on Father's Day two and half years ago. I flew my wife and daughter in a Tiger From KPNE to Lakewood NJ to meet my mother in law and go to a Lakewood blueclaws game. Even though the flight was only about 30 min each way I prepared for this like it was Lindbergh flight to Paris. I had my family in the plane I was crazy neurotic. ( I laugh now). Must have checked the weather a dozen times finally my CFI screamed at me to get in the damn plane and leave already!! It was a great flight I will ALWAYS REMEMBER! Much like Spike's wife, my wife said hey the FAA says you know what your doing its good enough for me. Her confidence was reassuring ( if not naive:rofl: ) and my daughter then 7 thought I was the coolest dad in the world.
 
SCCutler said:
I allowed as how maybe I should get a little more practice before I took wife and kid flying; says she: "The FAA says you're a pilot, that's good enough for me, where we goin'?"
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Of course, we all know better about the FAA, don't we?
 
Flew promptly north to above the 50th into Quatum River BC where the value of absent centerline visualization and landing precisely thereon was reconfirmed in no uncertain terms and that the IR would be the next valuable goal. PIX @ home page: mountainflyingvideos.com
 
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Took my wife to visit my sister, flying a 152 into a grass strip on the north side of Cedar Rapids, IA (approx 180 nm). Left the master on which of course drained the battery by the time we were ready to leave. Managed to hand prop safely without really knowing what I was doing.
 
Had to dig out my first logbook. Seems I did take a trip to a nearby airport (barely far enough to qualify for an XC), but my first REAL trip was with a PhD student in geology (I was a professor of geology at Univ. of Arizona at the time). We flew to western AZ so he could see his thesis area from the air. He loved it, even though it was bumpy and hot and he got airsick.

Here's a piece of advice to all of those who are about to get their PP: Get one of those nice blank books and use it as a guestbook. The day before my PP checkride a friend suggested that, and I did it, and it is now, 15 years later, full of great memories. My two favorites are the one by my older niece then 7, now almost 22, who also got to ride on a bumpy day ("I liked the ups and downs") and my husband-to-be, though I didn't know it at the time, who wrote "Cheated death again." This from an ATP-certificated helicopter pilot.

Judy
 
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First REAL trip (other than local SoCal basin stuff and numerous trips to Vegas and Bullhead) was supposed to be to Orlando, FL. Needed s/c time for IRF ticket and had an opportunity to take an Arrow from CA to FL. Only made it as far as central TX, crappy weather and getting the crap scared outta myself from freezing rain.

But I did manage to get a boat load of x/c time out of it.

Dee
 
First flight after the PP checkride was 7 days later. I flew 2.1 with my instructor working on the instrument rating. First cross country was within a week of that to build time for the rating. I flew a round robin to several airports farther away than 50nm.
 
My first cross country was two days after my PPL ride. From Springdale, AR to West Plains, MO - 230 NM round trip - 2.9 hours in a C150. I took my dad to go look at some equipment he was trying to buy.

That was 30 years ago this coming Saturday. I guess that means that today is the 30 year anniversary of my PPL.
 
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