| Lesson 10 | |
| Flight time logged: | 1.2 hours |
| Total flight time logged: | 13.6 hours |
| Total takeoffs/landings: | 41 |
| Total cost to date: | $2200 |
I had a 1:00 PM lesson today. A cold front was just off to the NW, and isolated thunderstorms were forecast for the afternoon. Cumulus clouds were building and beginning to tower. While doing my preflight, I felt a few rain drops fall as a dark cloud passed over. I was wondering if my lesson would be canceled. The ceiling, however, was over 5,000 feet, and it looked like I would be flying as long as the thunderstorms remained hours away.
I headed for Winder-Barrow airport (WDR) to practice some touch-and-goes at a non-towered airport. I had my first experience seeing rain clouds up close and seeing the sheets of rain fall from them. I also had my first experience flying through the rain.
After the touch-and-goes, I flew north and climbed to 3,000 feet to practice slow flight, stalls, and steep turns. With rain all around, there were drafts making us bounce around a little. After practicing the maneuvers, I headed back to LZU.
When I came in to land, I was determined to make a good landing. I kept on the centerline all the way down and softly let down on the runway. My instructor gave me kudos on a good landing. I think the practice is paying off.
After taxiing back and tying down the plane, the rain started to come down. We had just made it back inside before getting wet. Inside, my instructor graded two pre-solo knowledge tests I had to take. I scored 100% on both. He said I would get about two more hours of instruction, and then I would do my solo. I have two lessons scheduled for next week, so my solo could be as early as next Thursday, but more than likely will be the week after. Of course, all of this depends on the weather...
