Flight# 42

As part of the 10 hour solo requirement, I have to perform 3 take offs and landings to a full stop at a towered airport. To meet this requirement and to work on my communication with air traffic controllers, we headed to the near by towered airport, Lakeland (KLAL). I did all the planning and communication. After reaching there, dropped Bill at the FBO and talked to ground and control tower to make three take offs and landings.

The ground controller had asked me to taxi via Taxiways Bravo and Alpha to Runway 9. I didn't notice the sign for Taxiway Alpha and was going straight to another runway. Oops! The controller must have been watching me with binoculars. He asked me to make a hard stop at the hold short line and make a tight turn to get back on to Taxiway Alpha. I was glad to tell him upfront that I'm a student pilot. Otherwise I would have been in trouble. Luckily they were not busy today. After my third landing, taxied back to the FBO to pick up Bill and we headed back to Winter Haven. We actually planned on going to Lake Wales (KX07) and then to Winter Haven but, we had to cut short our trip since some one else reserved the plane at 5 pm.

Last night one more student, Fabrizio, from Italy joined us. The first five days of my stay here, I was all alone. Now the house is full. More than half the students here are from Europe! They come here to build time as the plane rentals are very expensive in Europe. By the way, Karl had his first solo flight. He already had 40 hours of flight time in Europe. That must have helped him to solo little faster.

The Hobbs time of this flight was 1.5 hours. Cumulative Hobbs time: 47.6 hours.

Flight# 41

I went up with Bill on this flight to fine tune my Soft field, Short field take offs & landings and emergency landings staying in the pattern. After doing a couple of these, we went to the practice area to practice slow flights, do some hood time, rotate around a point and simulate engine failures. Bill also introduced me to S turns on this flight. I have stopped taking Meclizine for the past few days. Looks like my body is now used to the movement in 3-D environment.

The Hobbs time of this flight was 1.7 hours. Cumulative Hobbs time: 46.1 hours.

Flight# 40

I practiced take offs and landings (Normal, Soft field, Short field) staying in the pattern.

The Hobbs time of this flight was 0.8 hours. Cumulative Hobbs time: 44.4 hours.

Flight# 39 - My First Solo Cross Country

It was very stressful yesterday. I was still reeling from it this morning. So I took my time to head to the airport and prepare for the cross country trip without Bill sitting next to me. I made a call to 1-800-WX-BRIEF to get the standard briefing about the whether and airspace restrictions along the route (GIF to OCF). It seems there is going to be parachute activity near Ocala! Since I already went on this trip with Bill twice so far, once during night a few days ago and once yesterday during the day time, it shouldn't be that difficult to fly there alone and come back. I identified a few landmarks on the Sectional chart along the route and filled in the Navigation log. Bill signed me off for the solo trip in my log book and on the student pilot certificate.

I might have been feeling nervous unknown to me because, I tried to start the engine without going through the start checklist first! The engine won't start because the mixture was set to lean! One of the mechanics, Liz,  came by and told me to set the mixture to rich. It was embarrassing to say the least. I also taxied with flaps on! I caught that at the Run up. Any way, the trip was exciting without any complications. I really enjoyed looking at land marks while flying to make sure I was on course. I originally thought of traveling at 4,500 ft but, it was foggy beyond 3,500 ft. So, pretty much I stayed at 3,000 ft for the whole trip. My magnetic heading calculations were based on winds aloft between 3,000 to 6,000 ft. So, on the way to Ocala, I was slightly right of the intended route as there was no wind below 3,000 ft.

After reaching Ocala, I had to go around to make a 2nd attempt at landing as the base to final turn was too tight and over shot the runway on the 1st attempt. The lineman directed me to the parking area. I had lunch at the airport's restaurant before heading back to Winter Haven.

There is a horse statue in the Landmark Aviation's lobby. Notice the horse heads on the body of the horse! There is a jet outside being serviced. I took off right behind it. This town must be having a horse track. Look at the jockeys lined up on both sides of the path way. Bottom left is Landmark Aviation's entrance. The restaurant is inside this building. The bottom right picture shows the 4655X on the ramp. The Qantas airplane still there!

Next time, I need to remember not to pick Transmission lines as landmarks. I couldn't locate them on this trip even though I saw them yesterday! Even though I used dead reckoning, I also used Ocala and Orlando VOR radials to confirm I stayed on course. The picture on the left is of the VOR at Ocala. The trip back was little bumpy as there were lot of thermals. I encountered a few gliders along the way near Leesburg. I recorded this trip on GPS. It can be replayed in Google Earth by downloading this file.

The Hobbs time of this flight was 2.3 hours. Cumulative Hobbs time: 43.6 hours.

Flight# 38

Finally the weather improved at Ocala (KOCF) and Gainesville (KGNV). So, we took off around 11 am to Ocala first, flying at 4,500 ft identifying different landmarks and used dead reckoning to ensure we stay on course. Ocala is 80 miles away. We landed and parked the plane on ramp and walked over to the restaurant at the airport to have lunch. It took us close to an hour to get here. They built a new control tower at this airport but is not operational yet. I was surprised to see a Qantas airways plane on the ramp of this small international airport! The picture on the right is of planes parked on Ocala's ramp.

We headed north to Gainesville after lunch which is around 35 miles away and is a towered airport. We flew at an altitude of 3,500 ft. We tuned to the ATIS frequency first to get weather information. I then had to contact control tower to give them our position 10 miles out and say we are inbound for landing. The controller asked me to talk slowly but when he rattled off instructions it was very fast and I couldn't keep up to acknowledge! Bill had to pitch in now and then. Around 2 miles out, he cleared us to land and provided taxi instructions to the FBO area. Just like in big airports, our small plane was directed by a lineman to the tie down area! We took a break while they fueled the plane.

I had to contact Gainesville ground on our departure to get taxi instructions and request for flight following. On the way to the runway, went through the Run up checklist and taxied to the Approach threshold as directed. Ground controller came back on radio and asked us to contact Jacksonville departure at certain frequency once in the air and gave us a squawk code. I then contacted tower indicating that we are ready to take off. He cleared us to Runway 11 for take off. I had to cross Runway 7 to get onto Runway 11 and headed south to Lakeland (KLAL).

Once in the air, contacted Jacksonville informing them that we will climbing to 5,500 ft. He acknowledged us and told us to let him know if we deviate from that altitude. After a while he passed us on to some other controller by giving us another frequency. At the same time, Bill also put me under the hood to fly the plane by looking only at the instruments. Keeping track of all the chatter on the radio made my head spin. Trimmed the airplane after reaching 5,500 ft so that it can fly by itself. We then used Ocala and Lakeland VOR radials to take us all the way to Lakeland. KGNV to KLAL is about 120 miles. Bill purposely stressed me out on this flight by keeping me busy all the time. I could hardly enjoy the sights outside. After a while, we got transferred to Tampa approach.

Prior to reaching KLAL, got permission from the controller to switch the frequency to ATIS for KLAL. Close to KLAL, controller asked us to contact KLAL tower. I called the Lakeland tower and he asked us to contact again 2 miles out. He then cleared us to land. After we landed and crossed the runway threshold, contacted Ground for taxi instructions to FBO. He told us that we may not be able to park there since there is a Delta airways plane in that area. We then told him that we changed our mind and would like head back to Winterhaven. He cleared us to A3 taxiway. Contacted tower again and he cleared us to take off from Runway 9.

On the way to Winter Haven which is only 15 miles away, Bill created an emergency situation by closing the throttle when we are at 2000 ft. I quickly established best glide speed by pulling the nose up and identified a site to land and flew close to it while reciting the emergency procedures. Tuned to the Winter Haven's AWOS frequency 5-6 miles away from the airport and since there is only 3 kts wind speed, decided to land on Runway 5. Positioned my self for a 45 entry to the downwind and landed very smoothly.

This trip was very tiring. I was completely drained at the end of the day. This is like a military boot camp. I am beginning to wonder why am I putting my self through this!

If weather permits, I'm going to go all by myself to Ocala (KOCF) and come back to Winter Haven tomorrow. It is looking very bleak that I can take the check ride on Saturday. There is still some dual training left and I have to do 5 hours of cross country and a few more hours of solo time. Bill thinks we can shoot for the check ride on Monday!

By the way, we have a new house mate who is also starting the accelerated flight training tomorrow. His wife will be joining him tomorrow for the same! Both are physician assistants working for Coast guard soon to be transferred to Hawaii.

The Hobbs time of this flight was 4.1 hours. Cumulative Hobbs time: 41.3 hours.

Flight# 37

The weather at Ocala and Gainesville is yet to improve for a VFR flight. So, I went solo in the pattern to practice more landings.

The Hobbs time of this flight was 0.5 hours. Cumulative Hobbs time: 37.2 hours.

Flight# 36

We planned for a Dual cross country at 7 am today but, the weather at the destination airports didn't cooperate. There was fog at both Ocala and Gainesville. So, we postponed that until weather cleared up. Mean while, Bill and I flew in the pattern to practice short field take offs and landings. As far as landings are concerned, I am way better now.

The Hobbs time of this flight was 0.7 hours. Cumulative Hobbs time: 36.7 hours.

Flight# 35 - Second Solo flight

Some one else reserved N4655X from 4 - 7  pm. The other Cessna, N5307Q was available around 4:30 pm. But, I didn't want to keep switching planes because every plane is different. It helps to maintain consistency,  if I continuously fly in the same plane. Since the other instructor's student hasn't showed up yet, Bill talked to him so that I could take N4655X around the pattern. Every landing is different! My second landing was very good. Bill radioed me to come back since the other student showed up. So, I had to head back to the flight school. According to the flight log book, I have 121 landings under my belt in the last 12 days. I didn't realize that we did that many landings!

We can have N4655X to ourselves all day tomorrow. So, Bill said we can do the day cross countries. We are going to go to Ocala and then fly to Gainesville and back to Winter Haven. If I do well, Bill will sign me off to do a solo cross country tomorrow itself. I would then need to fly to Ocala and back all by myself! I'm looking forward to it.

The Hobbs time of this flight was 0.4 hours. Cumulative Hobbs time: 36.0 hours.

Flight# 34 - First Solo Flight!

Bill had asked me to perform only two take offs and landings and come back to where I dropped him off earlier. I taxied off to Runway 5 and went through the run up checklist. There are only 2-3 other flights in the pattern. I positioned behind a plane that just landed pushed the throttle as soon as it cleared the runway. The plane climbed spiritedly without Bill sitting next to me reaching 1000 ft before I even turn downwind. I announced my position on each leg of the pattern identifying myself as a student pilot. Bill was listening on his transceiver and watching my landings.

The first one around the pattern was a perfect rectangular pattern and the landing was not perfect but good. Bill congratulated me over the radio. I greased the landing on the second one even though base to final turn was not rectangular. I taxied back to the flight school and Bill was waiting with a scissors. He cut my T-shirt on the back. This is a tradition that dates back to the time when pilots were trained in tandem planes. We also took some pictures.

The Hobbs time of this flight was 0.4 hours. Cumulative Hobbs time: 35.6 hours. Below are the photos taken right after my first solo:

Flight# 33

Bill had asked me to bring my flight logbook on this flight. If I show him three good landings, he is going to let me solo, which I did. He also pulled the power while on downwind. I was able to immediately turn towards the runway and land with full flaps. He then asked me to drop him off at the flight school area and sent me on my first solo flight!

The Hobbs time of this flight was 0.5 hours. Cumulative Hobbs time: 35.2 hours.

Flight# 32 - Pre Solo Stage Check

Even though I went with John yesterday for presolo stage check, Bill wanted Fred, the chief flight instructor, to do the stage check. By this time, N4655X came back on line.

So, I went ahead and did the preflight inspection and Fred joined me shortly there after. He asked me to depart the runway to the north. After reaching 2000 ft, he had asked me to get into slow flight configuration, perform turns, stall while turning and perform power on stall, stall recovery and 360 degree turns. We then headed back to the airport to do some take offs and landings. I greased a few landings. He was impressed but, I wasn't consistent all the time. He showed me how to control the flare while touching down. I even managed a smooth landing in cross wind! He signed off my logbook with satisfactory presolo stage check.

The Hobbs time of this flight was 1.0 hours. Cumulative Hobbs time: 34.7 hours.

Flight# 31

Since N4655X is back in the shop, we topped of the tanks for N5307Q ourselves in preparation for the early morning flight. We stayed in the pattern and practiced soft field take offs, short field landings and normal take off landings.

The Hobbs time of this flight was 1.0 hours. Cumulative Hobbs time: 33.7 hours.

Flight# 30

I had little sleep last night as I was working on the Pre solo written exam. So, took a nap in the after noon and went back to the flight school for the 5 pm flight. Aircraft unavailability is becoming a big issue. Benjamin was very upset today, as he was hardly getting any flight time. Four students end up having to share one aircraft. As a result of this and the few days we lost to bad weather, I may need to extend my stay here a day or two. I am pushing Bill to finish it up by Saturday.

The maintenance guys put N4655X back online for use. So, we decided to take it up in the air. But, during the preflight inspection, we noticed that the battery is discharging. It's back to the shop again! Luckily, Benjamin wasn't interested in taking N5307Q as he was looking to go on longer trips. So we switched to it. I did a couple good landings. Bill also showed how to land in a cross wind. I think I need a lot more practice to master that. We then headed to the practice area. On the way, I spent around 30 minutes under the hood doing various maneuvers including slow flight turns, power off stalls, power on stalls, stalls while turning, etc..

Bill also introduced me to emergency procedures today. He simulated an emergency landing while we are at 2000 ft. It looked very easy. I'm not sure whether I can apply it when the time comes though!When we are in the pattern, he pulled the power on me and asked me to land. We were very high close to the airport. I had to deploy 40 degree flaps and do a steep forward slip to make it to the runway and land. I liked doing this maneuver. For some one on the ground, it may look as if the plane is going to hit the runway nose dive but, it is a very controlled maneuver. We called it off for the day. I may do solo followed by a cross country tomorrow. I have only two flights scheduled in N5307Q tomorrow. So, we went ahead blocked the early morning time slot. So, I need to be at the airport prior to 7 am tomorrow too.

The Hobbs time of this flight was 1.4 hours. Cumulative Hobbs time: 32.7 hours.

Flight# 29

The chief flight instructor, Fred, was not available until 5 pm to conduct a pre solo stage check. John, the flight school owner, agreed to stage check me. He asked me to stay in the pattern and do Touch and Gos. After the usual pre-flight inspection and doing the run up at the designated run up area, taxied to Runway 29 for take off. There is also some cross wind with speed around 10 kts. I botched the first landing. I also had to do a go around on my second approach as the wind was blowing me to the side of the Runway. I managed to do a few good landings. John gave a few tips on how to improve.

The Hobbs time of this flight was 0.6 hours. Cumulative Hobbs time: 31.3 hours.

Flight# 28

Arrived at the airport by 7 am. Jorge was already there waiting for me. I did several Touch and Gos in N5307Q. At least 5 out of 8 were pretty good landings. Jorge thinks I am ready to solo.

The Hobbs time of this flight was 1.1 hours. Cumulative Hobbs time: 30.7 hours.

Flight# 27

The last flight of the day was from 5:00-6:30 pm. The wind was stronger than before with gusts up to 25 knots. Bill tells me that if I can land in these winds, landing when there is no wind will be a piece of cake. There was hardly any one else flying in these winds. So, we could even back taxi on the same runway to take off again. Flew in the pattern several times announcing my position on each leg. I also got to practice a couple of soft field takeoffs and low flights over the runway.

Bill thought it would be good idea to fly with another instructor so that I may pickup some tips to nail the landings each time. So, I will be flying with Jorge (the same instructor who did an emergency landing a few days ago) in the morning. I need to be at the airport by 6:45 am.

The Hobbs time of this flight was 1.3 hours. Cumulative Hobbs time: 29.6 hours. Below are the pictures of my bed room.

Flight# 26

Since the other small planes are in maintenance, Karl, Benjamin and I are having to share N5307Q. We got into the air again at 2 pm. I'm able to land but still not in a consistent way. The wind was pretty strong with gusts up to 24 knots. It's like fighting the wind through out the pattern. Managed couple of landings but they are not smooth all the time. I also got to practice a couple of soft field landings.

The Hobbs time of this flight was 1.0 hours. Cumulative Hobbs time: 28.3 hours.

Flight# 25

I left the bicycle at Flight school yesterday as it was raining cats and dogs. It was still raining this morning. Bill picked me up around 10 am. Luckily, by the time of our first flight around 10:30 am, sky started clearing up. I practiced several more Touch and Gos.

The Hobbs time of this flight was 1.0 hours. Cumulative Hobbs time: 27.3 hours.

Flight# 24

The problem with my landings turned out to be due to looking directly at the runway instead of looking far down the runway at the tree line and let the peripheral vision measure distance above ground. The owner of the flight school, John, happened to notice one of my landings while driving by and knew right away what the problem was. His suggestion was to force myself to look outside the side windows while landing, instead of looking directly at the runway. I tried to apply that trick on this flight. Bill also placed a book infront of me to block my forward vision while I was landing. I was able to land even with a crosswind without many issues this time. I still need more practice though. After I practiced around 4 landings, only 0.1 hour was left on the tach time of N4655X before 100-hour inspection is due. So, we cut short our practice and headed to the hangar area.

Weather outlook is not good for the next 24 hours. On top of that, two of the three small aircraft are out for maintenance. So, there is going to be a lull in training for the next day or two.

The Hobbs time of this flight was 0.7 hours. Cumulative Hobbs time: 26.3 hours.

Flight# 23

I called the FBO to top off the tanks of N4655X before heading to the airport at 8 pm. Did several touch and Gos in the pattern. I am finding landings to be the most difficult thing in flying especially when there is crosswind! There were only 2.2 hours of tach time left on N4655X before 100-hour inspection is due for N4655X. Also, since thunder storms are predicted for the next 24 hours from noon, we tried to burn up those hours before noon.

The Hobbs time of this flight was 1.9 hours. Cumulative Hobbs time: 25.6 hours.