Over Christmas, my wife came to me and said that when we delay a dream too long something in us dies. This was her way of saying it was time for me to take some steps toward earning my PPL. Ideally, I would like to fly 2-3 times a week, but this is not realistic for us financially. We figured we could swing 4 -5 hours a month. I had a good conversation with my flight instructor Jerry, who had given me my first lesson last May, about this kind of schedule. He felt that my preparation for that first flight was evidence that I would work hard to retain what he teaches me on a 4x a month frequency. "Let's get started," he said.
Jerry is a senior pilot for UPS who has 20,000+ hours and holds nearly every rating available. He instructs on a very limited basis, so I feel fortunate that he has agreed to intruct me.
I will be learning in N4369R a 1974 C-172m owned by the C&S Flying club. For members it is rented for $50 dry. While it is a older airplane, it is well maintained and very solid. It has all the traditional "steam" gauges with a Bendix King GPS. It is IFR certified, but that is not something I need to worry about yet.
Jerry walked me through the pre-flight inspection, since it had been 6 months since my last flight. He made sure that I had the checklist in my hand, and he showed me the places that are sometimes overlooked. He refreshed my memory about starting procedures, and after taxiing to the approach end of Runway 24, he talked me through the run-up.
We departed 24 and headed south to the practice area over High Rock Lake. Most of my second hour was spent setting up for and practicing slow flight, power on stalls, and power off stalls. Stall after stall after stall. It was good repitition for burning the procedures into my brain. I must admit however that after an hour of it, I started to get a little queasy. It was a mildly turbulent day, so it was hard to stay on altitude. Every time I thought I was trimmed up for level flight, along would come an updraft, and I would be 100 feet higher.
Following the landing and taxiing to parking, he asked me what were three positives I could take from this lesson. I told him, "I have become confident in the preflight inspection, I taxied well, and I am more comfortable at the controls." The bumpy weather had caused me to over shoot some headings and altitudes, and I was a little disappointed. So I appreciated his encouragement.
I am looking forward to hour #3!
