The Check-ride

I passed! Now I am officially a Private Pilot.

The last few days have been pretty stressful. Over the weekend I filled out my application online at the IACRA site. This helps by processing the certification faster than by mail. It was nice to have all of my logbook entries online at www.logshare.com. I was able to get the calculations needed much faster.

Yesterday, I had to plan the cross country required including weight and balance calculations. It was a long day because I was up at 4am to support a new software installation for my job. I worked until 2pm yesterday, and then attempted to get some sleep. An hour later I was up again. I spent the rest of the night preparing the cross-country and the weight and balance calculations.

The cross-country had three legs: Madison County Executive (MDQ) to Nashville International (BNA) to Chattanooga (CHA) and back to Madison County. I knew that I would not have to fly the cross-country; however, I planned it just as if I was really going to take the trip. It took me a few hours to plan everything to the 'T'. I wanted to make sure everything looked great for the examiner. I then prepared the weight and balance calculations for each leg. By the time I was done and getting ready for bed, it was almost Midnight. I was hoping to be done and relax for an hour or so before "hitting the sack" at 10pm that night. Unfortunately that did not happen.

The next morning I was out of bed by 7am. I checked the weather and saw something I did not want to see: strong gusty winds. I hoped for the best and left in time to arrive at LZU by 9am. Usually it takes 15 to 20 minutes to get to LZU from my house, but this morning it took 45 minutes due to construction. When I arrived, I noticed that the Cessna 172R I rented for my check-ride was not on the ramp. In the office I saw that someone had rented the plane and would not be returning it until 10am. My instructor and I had planned on being in the air at 10am.

My instructor arrived at 9:40am. We collected all of the items needed for our trip and waited for the plane to come back. By 10am, the renter had not returned the airplane. Now I was getting worried about being late. We added some padding to the time for just such unexpected situations. My check-ride was scheduled for 1:00pm Central Time. We figured that the flight out to MDQ would take an hour and a half, so we needed to depart by 11am. Finally, the renter arrived with the airplane. We checked out the airplane, verified that we had everything needed, and headed out to MDQ.

By this time my stress level was high, I had little sleep, and was worried about the strong winds. After reaching our cruising altitude of 4,500 feet, we used the GPS to set our course and activated the autopilot. With the autopilot flying the plane, I relaxed a little while just concentrating on watching out for traffic and looking at the scenery. Our ground speed was only 90 knots or so due to the strong headwinds.

On the way over, we found that one of the VOR instruments was not working. It was a good thing we checked. Luckily the second VOR was working fine. I also had to reset the directional gyro (DG) more often than normal. Things were not looking good.

After an hour and a half, I had MDQ in sight and retrieved the weather information from the station at the field. The runway at MDQ is 36/18 - a North-South runway. The wind was reported from 270 degrees (due West) at 12 knots gusting to 20 knots. I thought, "Great. There's a direct crosswind. This should be interesting." I entered the pattern and was heavily crabbed into the wind on final approach. As I crossed the threshold, I aligned the plane with the center line keeping my upwind wing low with a lot of left rudder to keep straight. I did a text book crosswind landing according to my instructor. It was a challenge with the gusting wind, but my training had paid off.

We arrived an hour early, but the examiner was already there, so I was able to start my exam early. This examiner has given nearly 8,000 check-rides! He has over 40,000 hours of time and has been flying for 50 years. He is very knowledgeable when it comes to aviation. He also has a lot of stories to tell. I was lucky to get to hear a few.

As he prepared the paperwork, he gave my two written exams: one on airspace and one on airport markings and signs. I had studied enough to know the answers backwards and forwards, so it did not take me long to finish the tests. I did not miss a single question. He said I was the 29th student to not miss a question on either test in the past 10 years. He then asked a variety of questions to check my knowledge of the airplane systems, regulations, and other questions. I answered every question correctly. He then started to ask me odd questions that I never came across in my studies. He gave me a situation where the fuel tank vent was clogged, but you did not figure this out until you were already in the air and the engine starts to sputter. He hinted that there is a way to vent the fuel tank from within the cockpit. I thought about it, wondering what he was referring to. I knew that one of the fuel sumps was under the wing right outside of the window. From his answer, you can take the fuel sample cup, stick your arm out of the window, and sump the fuel to let air into the tank. Apparently, he had that situation happen to a friend of his and that's exactly what he had to do. There's some practical advice you will not find in a training book!

Next, the examiner reviewed my cross-country and asked my questions about items on the sectional chart. He reviewed my weight and balance calculations and my weather briefing. He liked my detailed planning. He told me, "If you can fly as well as you answer knowledge questions and plan cross-countries, this will be an easy exam."

Finally, the oral part was over. He asked me to get an updated weather briefing then pre-flight the plane. I walked into the lobby for a second just to overhear a local pilot talking with the employees there about where he was going today. I then headed outside to get my bottled water that I had left in the plane. As I was outside, I could feel the wind pushing on me. After grabbing the almost empty water bottle, I started walking back to the building and noticed the windsock was completely straight out and indicating a direct crosswind. I opened my hand that was holding the water bottle, but the bottle did not fall. The wind was so strong; it was holding the bottle against my hand. As I entered the lobby again, the same pilot I had overheard earlier was walking back in with his bag and saying "There's no way I'm flying in this wind!" Now I was getting concerned.

I went to the briefing room and collected the latest weather. The winds aloft were about the same. The surface winds however were stronger than when I first arrived. The wind was now from 260 degrees at 17 knots gusting to 24 knots. My instructor kept saying "You'll do fine." The maximum demonstrated crosswind for the C-172R is 15 knots. You can land in more than this, but it is not recommended for safety reasons. There was no turning back at this point, though.

As I was checking the fuel during the pre-flight, the fuel was spraying towards me due to the wind blowing. I had to move off to the side to keep from getting fuel in my eyes. I kept telling myself that I could do this, and had a very capable pilot with me just in case I could not. Soon after, I was on my way to the runway for takeoff.

The very first thing I had to do was a soft-field takeoff. That was interesting with a near 17 knot crosswind. It was a little rough since I had never performed a soft-field takeoff with strong winds. I did alright though, and proceeded to follow the departure procedure the examiner gave me on the ground.

I tracked a VOR radial first. I then had to use pilotage and ded-reckoning to fly the first leg of my cross-country course. I had to calculate my ground speed in the air using my manual E6B. He then had me divert to Fayetteville airport. As I approached I noticed the windsock indicated a direct crosswind. The examiner simulated an engine failure at this point. I went through my checklist and set up to land at Fayetteville. I then had to perform a forward slip to the left followed by a forward slip to the right.

As I was about to touchdown, I had to do a go-around. I then performed a short-field landing, a short-field takeoff, then a soft-field landing. I felt better after doing excellent on the soft-field landing.

After the landings I had to perform turns-around-a-point and S-turns. I did those without much of a problem -- even with the 20 knots winds.

I then had to wear the hood and perform all of the simulated instrument flying necessary for the exam. This included unusual attitudes. I did fine on all of these.

I removed the hood and performed slow flight after doing clearing turns. From slow flight, I did a power-off stall. Then the examiner asked me to perform a turning power on stall with a 20-degree bank to the right. During my training, I had performed a turning power-on stall once, but I knew exactly what to do and pulled it off without a problem. Finally, I did my steep turns -- first to the right, then to the left. Again I received complements from the examiner on my performance.

At the end of the check-ride, the examiner made me put on the hood again so that I would have to fly by instruments only. He was simulating getting stuck in IFR conditions. He was ATC telling me what headings to fly, at what speed, and decent rate. He had me fly all the way to touchdown by instruments only. That was pretty exciting!

On the ground, he said if I could get him to the ramp safely, I pass. Of course I did, so I passed. I was happy it was over.

Afterwards, we finished up the paperwork required. He then gave me my temporary pilot certificate. I should be getting the permanent one in three weeks or less. I still could not believe that it was over. It was like finally graduating from college.

My instructor and I departed at 6pm EST for our flight back -- my first flight as a Private Pilot. I felt great for accomplishing something that only 1/2 of 1% of the population has accomplished.

This is only the beginning. The training continues, but the teacher will be experience. Once I gain some time and get checked out in some other airplane types, I'll make the goal of getting my Instrument Rating. Until then, I'll enjoy all the VFR flying I can.

Check-ride Prep - Day 7

Check-ride Prep 7
Flight time logged:	1.1 hours
Total flight time logged:	51.5 hours
Total takeoffs/landings:	161
Solo time:	0.0 hours
Total time solo:	10.2 hours
Total cost to date:	$7580

It was a nice day to fly today! Not to mention today is my birthday. Today my plan was to do a simulated check-ride with the chief flight instructor. It would be one last time to practice before the real deal.

After taking off, I climbed to 3000 feet and headed toward the practice area. I practiced slow flight, power off stalls, power on stalls, and steep turns. My instructor indicated that I did fine and would pass this section of the check-ride without a problem. I then headed to Winder to practice short- and soft-field take-offs and landings.

As I crossed over Winder airport to enter the left downwind for runway 13, I had to perform a simulated engine out. As I was turning from downwind to base, I was asked to perform a turning forward slip to lose some altitude. On final, I setup my glide speed for a normal landing. At about 10 feet off of the ground, I was asked to go around. I put in full throttle, started to climb, and slowly retracted the flaps.

On the next circuit around the pattern, I had to perform a soft-field landing. After the landing, I had to perform a soft-field take-off. Again, I did well and would have passed if I was taking the real exam.

After the soft-field takeoff, I flew the pattern again to setup for a short-field landing. After the landing, I performed a short-field take-off climbing at 57 knots. That pretty much covered everything, so I left the pattern to head back to LZU.

In the pattern at LZU, as I turned onto final, my instructor pulled the mixture to idle and cut off the engine. Usually, he just pulls the throttle to idle to simulate an engine out. This time he really stopped the engine! I quickly went through my engine out checklist checking the fuel selection, shut off, and pump. Because the propeller was wind-milling (still turning), all I needed to do was push the mixture back in to the full position and the engine started again. Actually experiencing this makes you realize how keeping your calm and knowing what to do can actually make the situation an easy one to handle.

After parking and securing the airplane, my instructor and I went back into the office to discuss scheduling the check-ride. Right now I am mainly worried about the windy weather and not my piloting skills. I believe I can pass (and so does my instructor).

It's final now. My check-ride is scheduled for Wednesday, March 7 (one week from today) at 1pm CST. I'm taking my check-ride in Huntsville, Alabama. We'll be departing at 10am that morning in order to get there and have enough time to review and get some lunch before the exam. It's been a long journey, but now I can finally see the end. Of course the end is really the beginning of being a private pilot!

Check-ride Prep - Day 6

Check-ride Prep 6
Flight time logged:	1.4 hours
Total flight time logged:	50.4 hours
Total takeoffs/landings:	159
Solo time:	0.0 hours
Total time solo:	10.2 hours
Total cost to date:	$7350

I originally planned on taking my check-ride today. Unfortunately, I had a severe head cold last week that kept me from flying. I did not finally get better until a few days ago. I'm happy to be feeling better and back to flying; however, I hate the fact that I missed being able to take my check-ride today. I really wanted to be finished before the end of February.

I completed my simulated instrument training requirement today. I needed to get 0.8 hours to complete the total 3.0 hours required. After take-off, I flew from LZU to the AHN VOR then to Madison airport all under the hood. At Madison, my instructor instructed me to remove the hood and land at Madison. Madison has a short runway -- the shortest that I've ever landed at, but I was confident I could easily land there.

I performed a forward slip to lose some altitude, then entered the downwind for Runway 32. I setup for a short field landing and as I turned onto final approach, kept the approach speed for the short field landing. I touch down right on the numbers and stopped within a few feet. It was a great short field landing. Even my instructor commented on it being good. I taxied back to take off and setup for a short field take-off. Again, I performed a great short field takeoff, easily clearing the trees at the end of the runway.

After getting into a climb attitude, I put the "foggles"-- a device that simulates flying in a cloud -- back on to fly simulated instrument flight again. I flew back to LZU under the hood. It was strange being under the hood for 50 minutes. Actually, it was somewhat boring not being able to see outside and just view the instruments the entire time.

My instructor took some of the "down time" to show me how to use the autopilot. This is a nice feature to have! I'm definitely going to make use of it on any cross-country flights from now on.

After landing and parking the airplane, my instructor asked me when I was going to schedule my check-ride for next week. It was just a great day today. The weather was great. It would have been a great day for my check-ride. If only I had not gotten sick... oh well. Maybe next week will be just as good.

Solo 7 - Last solo as required

Solo 7 - Last solo time
Flight time logged:	0.8 hours
Total flight time logged:	49.0 hours
Total takeoffs/landings:	157
Solo time:	0.8 hours
Total time solo:	10.2 hours
Total cost to date:	$7130

I finished up my required solo time today. I needed to get 0.6 more hours. I rented a C-172R this morning and took off to do a few touch and goes at Winder. I had not flown solo since September. I was amazed at how I jumped right back on the saddle with ease. After the flight, I realized that flying is becoming second nature. I felt like I was finally ready to be a private pilot.

Check-ride Prep - Day 5

Check-ride Prep - Day 5
Flight time logged:	0.6 hours
Total flight time logged:	48.2 hours
Total takeoffs/landings:	154
Solo time:	0.0 hours
Total time solo:	9.4 hours
Total cost to date:	$7800

There is nothing much to blog about today. I stayed in the pattern today for some short- and soft-field takeoffs and landings. My instructor wanted to see my flares. I had no problem with my landings. I performed all of them very well according to my instructor. I told him that the previous flight was just a fluke due to concentrating on the gusting winds.

Afterwards, he told me to think about a check-ride date within the next week or two. I wanted to have at least one more flight with my instructor as a simulated check-ride so that I would feel more confident before taking the real exam. I'm getting excited now that I'm almost there! I'm thinking about scheduling my check-ride for February 23.

Check-ride Prep - Day 4

Check-ride Prep - Day 4
Flight time logged:	1.2 hours
Total flight time logged:	47.6 hours
Total takeoffs/landings:	151
Solo time:	0.0 hours
Total time solo:	9.4 hours
Total cost to date:	$7610

Today was more preparation for the check-ride. I prepared a short cross-country to fly. While in flight on my cross-country flight plan, my instructor asked me to divert to Monroe. I knew exactly where I was, so I easily turned to a heading that would take me to Monroe. On the way to Monroe, I had to calculate my current ground speed (of which can be confirmed by just using the GPS) and calculate when I would arrive at Monroe and how much fuel it would require.

After the diversion, my instructor had me intercept and track some VOR radials. Not too much work there. I finished up the day working on some cross-wind takeoffs and landings.

The chief instructor again told me that I was ready. He wanted me to work on some landings, so I scheduled another flight in two days to practice landings.

Check-ride Prep - Day 3 - Oral exam prep

Check-ride Prep - Day 3
Flight time logged:	0.0 hours
Total flight time logged:	46.4 hours
Total takeoffs/landings:	146
Solo time:	0.0 hours
Total time solo:	9.4 hours
Total cost to date:	$7285

Today I did not fly. The weather was IMC (Instrument Meteorological Conditions) with a ceiling of 100 feet. Although, I did spend two hours with my instructor to prepare for the oral exam portion of the check-ride. I basically sat in the training room and answered random questions asked by the chief instructor. I haven't studied as much as I should, but I did correctly answer over 90% of the questions asked. Again, I was a little rusty, so I'll be spending more time reviewing the regulations and my ASA Private Oral Exam Prep guide. This book is a great book for a comprehensive, easy-to-read review. It was also be a good reference in general.

The chief instructor thinks we'll be scheduling my check-ride around the third week of this month. It will be here before I know it! I have a lot happening over the next two weeks at work, so I'm going to have to find the best time to take a relaxed exam. Right now, I'm thinking that I'll try for the week of February 18. My goal is to finish before the end of February. If I can keep up my practicing and studying, and the weather cooperates, then I should be able to make my goal. This journey is now on its final leg.

Check-ride Prep - Day 2

Check-ride Prep - Day 2
Flight time logged:	1.1 hours
Total flight time logged:	46.4 hours
Total takeoffs/landings:	148
Solo time:	0.0 hours
Total time solo:	9.4 hours
Total cost to date:	$7400

Today I continued my check-ride preparation by going over ground reference maneuvers (turns around a point, S-turns, and rectangular pattern), emergency procedures, recovery from unusual attitudes, forward slips to a landing, soft field landings, and simulated instrument flight. Again the chief instructor complimented me on my flying skills and told me that I was flying within the specifications needed for passing the check-ride. I thought I was a little rusty since it has been five or six months since I've performed these maneuvers.

After the flight, the chief instructor told me that there would be one or two flights left for review, then we would schedule the check-ride. The next flights would review cross country procedures and navigation. I still think I need more time, but I have been called a perfectionist.

I did find a little more information about the examiner. He's been flying for quite some time -- most of his life in fact. Considering that he is nearly 76 years old, that's a lot of flying time. He's given thousands of check-rides. My instructor was trying to help ease my nerves and improve my confidence by telling me that my instructor has only had two out of sixty or so students not pass the check-ride the first time. He honestly believes that I'll pass with no problems. I just want to be sure of myself before I go. After all, I have to spend the money to fly out to Huntsville, Alabama, for the exam. I do not want to have to do that twice!

Check-ride Prep - Day 1

Check-ride Prep - Day 1
Flight time logged:	1.2 hours
Total flight time logged:	45.3 hours
Total takeoffs/landings:	146
Solo time:	0.0 hours
Total time solo:	9.4 hours
Total cost to date:	$7215

Much has happened since my last post back in December. My instructor parted ways with the flight school. We discussed options about him finishing my preparation for the check-ride, but it involved changing aircraft types. I have been training in a Cessna 172R and did not think it was a good idea to change to a totally different make and model airplane. After the holidays, I decided to finish up at the flight school with the chief flight instructor. After all, I was at the end of my training and getting ready for my check-ride. I would be flying with the chief flight instructor anyway for a state check to get his blessings on being ready for the check-ride. I called up the chief flight instructor, told him my situation, and he graciously accepted me as a student.

I scheduled five flights with the chief flight instructor: January 22, 24, 26, 31, and February 2. At this point, I need one hour of simulated instrument time (under the hood), 0.6 hours of solo time, and 3 hours of check-ride prep time. The flight on January 22 was canceled due to low ceilings (and due to me recovering from a head cold). Today, however, the ceilings were between 5,000 and 6,000 feet MSL.

It was a bit windy today (10+ knots) on the ground -- even windier in the air -- and not exactly warm. The temperature outside was about 45 degrees F. The wind chill made it feel much colder. Before doing the pre-flight, I met with the chief flight instructor to review my log book so that he could get a good idea of where I stand in my training. After reviewing, he gave be an estimate of three or four flights to prepare for the check-ride. I figure I have at least 10 hours ahead of me to get proficient enough for the check-ride. In any case, I was nervous about going up with someone else for the first time. After all, the only person that has been flying with me was my last instructor. You get use to what the instructor expects from you. It's hard to change instructors, but luckily I was at the end of my training.

I performed the pre-flight on the plane, and got a brief oral quiz from the chief instructor. I was a little rusty, so I wasn't very quick with my answers, but I did alright for not having flown in over a month. Not to mention, it has been four months since I have last flown during the day! I was worried about how well I would do on my maneuvers considering that it has been at least five or six months since I worked on stalls, steep turns, etc.

I had a cross-wind takeoff, but the take-off and climb up to 3,500 feet MSL was pretty smooth. Much like riding a bike, everything just comes back and you fly like you were just flying a few days ago. I headed east toward the practice area. Once we far enough away from LZU, my instructor began somewhat of a simulated check-ride.

The first task was slow flight. I slowed the plane down easily and maintained altitude. He wanted me to slow down to 40 knots in a landing configuration. As I slowed, I put down the flaps, and continued to slow the plane to 40 knots and maintain altitude. I already expected the stall warning to go off because 40 knots was just above the stall speed. My instructor had me perform a couple of turns at this speed, then asked me to setup for a power off stall.

It's interesting. I remember at the beginning of my training how I would get really nervous before doing a stall, but now it does not really bother me. It's still an odd feeling, but I feel a lot more confident about how to do it and handle the output. I suppose that's the mark of a pilot -- seeing stalls as nothing but another maneuver. I pulled off the stall with no problems. He gave me a few pointers on how to make it easier, of which was nice, but overall I did fine.

I had to perform a power on stall next. This time I set up the plane like we were on takeoff. I slowed the plane down to stall speed and gave it full power. I held the plane in the air until it stalled, pushed the nose over, and then recovered. Again it went well. I am a little heavy on the right rudder though. I have to keep an eye on that.

Next I had to do steep turns. I remember that I was good at steep turns, but was wondering if I could still do them. I found a reference point and started my bank to the left. I made the steep turn around and back to the point, smoothly transitioning to a right bank. I pulled off the steep turn only gaining a couple hundred feet. In the past, I would not gain any altitude, but I was still within the standards to pass a check-ride.

After steep turns, my instructor simulated an engine fire. I had not been in this situation before, so I had to quickly remember my emergency procedures for an engine fire. Next my instructor simulated an engine out. I remembered what to do in this situation: best glide speed of 65 knots, look for a good field to land on, then run through the emergency checklist. I noticed that Winder airport was just off to my left, so I turned toward the runway in hopes to make my emergency landing there. Even gliding at 65 knots, I knew I was not going to make it once I reached 500 feet AGL. My instructor positioned us at 1000 feet AGL and let me continue to the runway. I landed on the runway with no problems (and with a simulated engine out). I've got to get better at judging distances so I know how far I can glide.

Once at Winder, I did a short field landing and takeoff. I pulled off the short field landing and takeoff with no problems. This was surprising to me since it's been at least six months since I've last practiced them; although, I did perform short field landings on my cross-country flights.

After the short field takeoff, I did a soft field landing and takeoff. Again, I pulled them off with no problems even though it has been a long time since I've practiced them. After the soft field takeoff, I headed back to LZU since it was time to return.

On the way into LZU, traffic was everywhere. LZU was very busy. I had to make two calls to the tower to get their response. They had me come in behind another Cessna that was on final. As I was on base, I was checking final and noticed another Cessna above and to the right (at about my 3 o'clock). The controller had is spaced out just enough to land. On top of that, a Citation jet took off just in front of the Cessna landing in front of us. We had to do an s-turn to add a little more space between us and the Cessna in front. Finally, I landed with no problems and taxied back to the ramp.

After parking and securing the airplane, the chief instructor and I went into the office for a post-flight review. He signed my log book, told me that I did very well, and told me that my piloting skills were good. He said that I should only need two or three more prep flights before the check-ride. I was surprised. I still believe I need more than just three or four hours of practicing.

The chief instructor stated that my skills are up to par with the requirements, and that I just need to tweak a few things here and there. He’s thinking I'll be taking my check-ride around the first or second week of February. I do want to finish before the end of February, but it seems all too sudden. It's just around the corner. That's almost hard to believe. Of course, I should have already finished. Between work, weather, and finances, it's taken longer than I expected.

It also looks like I'll be flying to Huntsville, AL, for my check-ride. That should be interesting.

Private Pilot Knowledge Exam

I took my Private Pilot knowledge exam today. I studied for two days this week in preparation for this test. I knew that I had enough knowledge to pass it and to at least make an A on the test; however, I wanted to make a 100% on the test. One of my pilot friends made 100% on his test, so I was determined to do the same.

The test is 60 questions. You have 2.5 hours to take the exam. I scheduled my test for 12:30 PM today. I arrived at 12:00 PM after eating a quick lunch. My proctor checked my items that I brought to verify that I could use them for the test. All I had with me was an electronic E6B flight computer, a mechanical E6B, and a plotter. I was issued the FAA figures book, some paper, and some pencils. I sat down at the test computer and started the test at 12:30 PM sharp. Within 15 to 20 minutes, I had completed all 60 questions. I spent the next 15 minutes reviewing the questions. I was confident that I answered them correctly, so I submitted my test, took a quick survey as the system graded my test, and then received my score. I answered 60 out of 60 questions correctly for a score of 100%! I was happy I met my goal.

It was now a little after 1:00 PM. I tapped on the window to let the proctor know I was finished. He thought that I was asking for a restroom break and did not know I was finished. He was surprised to find that I had finished within the first 30 minutes of the test time. When the proctor saw my score, I got a congratulations and a compliment for being the first person at the flight school within the past year to make 100%. I was just happy to be past another milestone in my journey to being a private pilot.

Lesson 25 - Night cross country

Lesson 25
Flight time logged:	1.9 hours
Total flight time logged:	44.1 hours
Total takeoffs/landings:	142
Solo time:	0.0 hours
Total time solo:	9.4 hours
Total cost to date:	$7000

Yet another month has passed. It has been difficult trying to get a night flight scheduled with my instructor, but finally I was able to fly tonight. I flew a cross country to Washington-Wilkes (IIY). My instructor usually takes his students to Cedartown for a night cross country, but thought that I would benefit from going to Washington-Wilkes instead since it is a "black hole" airport. A "black hole" airport is one where there are no lights around the airport, just the lights on the airport itself. It is harder to determine how high off the ground you are just by looking outside. You really have to use the instruments.

This flight was exciting. You can see lights everyone on the ground until you fly past Athens. At that point, the area is pretty rural, so the lights are scarce. What made the flight even better was the unexpected meteor shower. After passing Athens, the night sky was really clear and you could see a billion stars. I was looking for traffic when I noticed a bright glowing object flying across the sky faster than any plane I know. A couple of minutes later, I saw another one. The objects were meteors. They were amazing!

I did a couple of landings at IIY then headed back to LZU. The flight was uneventful on the way back.

After landing and parking at LZU, my instructor and I talked about the next steps in my training. Actually, my training was almost complete. The next step would be to take my written exam. After he test, all that would remain is preparation for my check ride - the practical test.

Lesson 24 - First night flight

Lesson 24
Flight time logged:	1.4 hours
Total flight time logged:	42.5 hours
Total takeoffs/landings:	139
Solo time:	0.0 hours
Total time solo:	9.4 hours
Total cost to date:	$6740

It has been over a month since I've flown. I've been busy with work, not to mention waiting on the weather to be nice enough to fly at night. I'm working on my night flying hours now. Tonight's flight was a short flight over to PDK (Peachtree-DeKalb).

Flying at night is great! The air is so smooth and the scenery is spectacular. I could see the Atlanta skyline as it lit up the horizon. I was really excited flying over to PDK - the second busiest airport in Georgia.

While at PDK I performed a few touch and goes and full stop landings. I have to have 10 landings at night as required by regulations. For tonight, I would do 8 landings and save the remaining two for my night cross country flight. I did four landings at PDK then headed back to LZU to do four more.

At LZU, my instructor made me land without outside lights (no landing or taxi light). That was an interesting experience. I had to use the runway lights as a reference for how close I was to the runway. On my next time around, my instructor pulled the power for a simulated emergency landing. I glided all the way from downwind around the base leg, to final, and then landed. On my third time around, my instructor turned off all of the interior lights and had me fly without lights inside and out. I had to use my flashlight to view the instruments. My fourth landing I was able to do a normal night landing.

My next night flight will be a cross country to Washington-Wilkes (IIY). I can't wait to go!

Solo 6 - Long solo cross country

Solo 6
Flight time logged:	3.1 hours
Total flight time logged:	41.1 hours
Total takeoffs/landings:	131
Solo time:	3.1 hours
Total time solo:	9.4 hours
Total cost to date:	$6480

What a trip! I followed up my last short solo cross country flight with a long cross country flight. For the long cross country, you are required to fly a minimum of three legs with one leg at least 50 NM long and the total length at least 150 NM. You also must land at three of the points. I flew from LZU to 9A1 (Covington) to HQU (Thomson-McDuffie) to IIY (Washington-Wilkes) then back to LZU.

After some delays and an extensive pre-flight, I took off from LZU towards 9A1. The winds were gusting a little by the time of my takeoff, so I had to use my crosswind takeoff skills. Once I got on course it was not long before I could see the Covington airport. Since this leg of my flight was short, I decided not to get flight following until the next leg. I did open my flight plan once I was outside of the LZU class delta airspace.

As I approached Covington, I radioed my position and my landing intentions. Covington does not have weather reporting, so I had to rely on the latest ATIS from LZU and looking at the windsock on the field at Covington. As I entered the downwind for Runway 28, I noticed another plane at the hold line for Runway 10. I asked the pilot for wind information since he was on the ground and had a better view of the windsock. He stated that the wind was a direct crosswind at a few knots and that either runway could be used. He suggested that landing on Runway 10 was easier. Given that construction crews were working on the threshold of Runway 28 (making the runway 500 feet shorter than normal), I quickly decided to leave the pattern and re-enter the downwind for Runway 10. I announced my intentions and re-entered the downwind for Runway 10. As I came down on final approach, I felt that I was too high and decided to go around. On my second circuit around the pattern, I lengthened the approach to give myself more time to descend. This time I came in too fast and floated along in ground effect. I felt that I would not have enough runway length to stop due to the construction, so I did another go around. Finally, on my third landing attempt, I came in just right and landing without a problem. After a quick taxi back to Runway 10, I took off towards HQU.

The leg to HQU was the longest leg. As I leveled off at 3,500 feet, I called for flight following. Finding my checkpoints on the way was really easy. There were several good landmarks to choose, not to mention I was flying parallel to Interstate 20. About half-way to HQU, I started to smell smoke. I knew it was not from the airplane, but from wood burning outside. I looked over to my right and saw a forest fire. The smoke was somewhat reducing visibility. I began thinking that I would have to descend to maintain visibility with the ground. Before long, though, the smoke cleared. Not too long after, I had HQU in site and flight following was terminated.

I entered the pattern at HQU and made a perfect landing. After taxiing off the runway, I remembered that I needed to close my flight plan and open the flight plan for the return flight. I should have done this before entering the pattern. I tried to call the flight service station from the ground but had no luck. I immediately prepared the cockpit with my chart, nav log, and necessary items for the return legs. I wanted to get back up in the air quickly in order to close my flight plan on time. I took off from HQU and headed for IIY.

As I was climbing, I tried to contact the FSS again. I could not get anyone to respond, so I tried a different FSS frequency. It happened to be the Anderson FSS and not the Macon FSS, but I did get a response. They assisted me by relaying my request to the Macon FSS to close my flight plan to HQU and open my flight plan back to LZU. By this time, I could see the Washington-Wilkes (IIY) airport. I started my descent to get in the pattern. Again I had a good landing. I taxied back to take off again, this time towards home - LZU.

On the leg home, I used flight following again. I flew at 4,500 feet back to LZU. It was pretty uneventful. As soon as I parked the plane, I closed my flight plan. I was excited that I completed my first long flight by myself. It was a real confidence booster.

Solo 5 - Short Cross Country

Solo 5
Flight time logged:	1.9 hours
Total flight time logged:	38.0 hours
Total takeoffs/landings:	127
Solo time:	1.9 hours
Total time solo:	6.3 hours
Total cost to date:	$6040

I did it! My first solo cross country was a success. I flew to Milledgeville. The round trip distance was 120 nautical miles. I was ready for this flight. After rescheduling a couple of times due to weather, today was the day. The clouds were forecast as scattered at 5,500 feet AGL. This should have allowed me to fly at the 5,500 feet MSL cruising altitude that I had planned; however, once I was airborne, the clouds layer was actually lower. I ended up flying at 3,500 all the way to Milledgeville.

The visibility was also not that great. It was ranging from 5 to 7 miles along my route due to haze. I could still see my checkpoints for the most part however. On the way to Milledgeville, I kept flying to the east of my course, correcting back to the course, the flying a little to the east again. There really was no wind, so I was trying to figure out why my calculated course was not working exactly. Once I reached Milledgeville and setup for a landing, I noticed that the direction gyro (heading indicator) had signigicant precession and was not synched with the magnetic compass. It was off by a few degrees. That explained why I kept heading a little to the east and having to keep correcting in order to hit my visual checkpoints. Something to remember in the future: always check the heading indicator against the magnetic compass every 15 minutes or so just in case the heading indicator precesses so you can reset it.

On the way to Milledgeville I also called for flight following. I had VFR flight following for about 10 minutes before the controller stated they were just too busy. So, I was on my own for the remaining 15 to 20 minutes of my flight.

On approaching Milledgeville, I tuned into the CTAF and checked for traffic. Two Airtractor airplanes (used for crop dusting) were using the opposite end of the active runway for landing. I knew I had to be extra vigilant to avoid a runway incursion. I decided to cross over the field to look at the area before descending to the traffic pattern. No one was there, so I entered the pattern and landed with no problem.

After taxiing back to the hold line and preparing my nav log for the return trip, the Airtractors called in stating they were landing. They were just flying straight in on final and not flying the traffic pattern. I watched as they slowly made their way down, landing long on the runway so they could taxi down to the end of the runway where the supply trucks were parked. After the runway was clear, I announced my intentions to take off and taxied out to the runway. Up, up, and away! I headed back home.

The trip back went much smoother since I had corrected the heading indicator. I did not have to adjust my heading very much at all. I was unable to fly at 4,500 feet, however, due to the cloud layer being at that level. At about halfway back, I received flight following all the way back to the airport. My instructor wanted me to get in at least 2 hours for this flight. Glancing at the Hobbs meter, it looked like I had it. As I approached the Class D airspace I contacted the tower and requested to land. I was cleared to land on Runway 7 and happened to be the last to land before they changed the active runway to 25.

After parking and going through my post-flight checklist, I found that I only had 1.9 hours. I was off by 0.1 hours! This means that I will have to fly for at least 3.1 hours on my long cross country. The long solo cross country is my next scheduled flight. I'm primed for it now that I've earned the confidence to fly alone for long distances. My next flight should be around 300 nautical miles or so. I just have to plan it such that I get at least 3.1 hours of flight time.

Lesson 23 - Presidential TFR

Lesson 23
Flight time logged:	0.8 hours
Total flight time logged:	36.1 hours
Total takeoffs/landings:	125
Solo time:	0.0 hours
Total time solo:	4.4 hours
Total cost to date:	$5880

Today I had planned to fly with my instructor and practice stalls and other maneuvers to keep my skills in check. When I arrived at the flight school, I learned that a TFR (Temporarily Flight Restriction) had been issued due to the President's visit to Atlanta. Our airport was within the outer ring of the TFR but outside of the no-fly zone. The sky was clear above the airport this morning, and I was ready to fly. I was afraid that I would not get to fly today due to the TFR. Once my instructor arrived, however, he showed me what was needed in order to fly out of the TFR area.

Even though we were flying over to the practice area, we needed to file two flight plans -- one for exiting the TFR and another for re-entering. Before takeoff, we were issued a squawk code so the ATC could identify us flying out of the TFR. We successfully exited the TFR with no problems. However, weather turned out to be our next obstacle.

As we were heading towards Winder, the clouds started to build with bases around 2,500 feet MSL. I was flying at 2,500 feet. My instructor instructed me to climb over top of the clouds. They were broken so I could still see the land below. As I leveled out above the clouds, I was amazed at the scenery. The clouds below with a vivid blue sky above were amazing.

I did a couple of stalls, but the clouds were building around us. At one point my instructor had to take the controls to get us to a better spot. We descended through a cloud on the way back down to 2,500 feet. This was my first sensation of flying through a cloud. I now understand the "invalid" messages that your brain can send. My body felt like it was turning a different direction. I trusted the instruments though.

As we cleared the clouds I took over the controls. We were at 2,500 feet. The clouds were just above us. We were too low to practice stalls, and the visibility was getting lower by the minute. We decided to call it a day and head back. We called the FSS to open our return flight plan. They gave us a little trouble because of the TFR, but after acquiring a squawk code from Atlanta Approach, we were able to file and get back into the TFR. After that, it was a normal landing as usual.

Back on the ground my instructor told me to prepare for my solo short cross country. That would be my next flight and my first test of being pilot in command for a round trip of 120 nautical miles. It should be interesting.

Lesson 22 - Cross-country to Cedartown

Lesson 22
Flight time logged:	1.8 hours
Total flight time logged:	35.3 hours
Total takeoffs/landings:	123
Solo time:	0.0 hours
Total time solo:	4.4 hours
Total cost to date:	$5720

Finally, the weather this morning was clear enough to do another cross-country. I pulled out my nav log to update it with the current winds aloft and to recalculate my times and ground speeds. When I filed my flight plan, I received a standard briefing on the weather and any NOTAMs. The skies were mostly clear with no signs of thunderstorms.

We departed LZU at 11:35 AM and headed west towards Cedartown. The skies were clear over the airport, but as soon as I reached my cruising altitude of 4,500 feet, I could see cumulus clouds building in the distance. Both my instructor and I predicted that we would see rain showers and possible thunderstorms later in the afternoon. This would not impede our flight because we would be back long before the clouds grew into storm clouds.

On the way out the Cedartown, I did have to change my altitude from 4,500 feet to 4,000 feet to avoid the clouds. Every time I flew under the building layers of cumulus clouds I was flying into convective turbulence. You can count on bouncing around anytime you fly under a cloud in a light aircraft. I had asked for and received flight following from Atlanta Approach, so I was on radar the entire flight and provided their services.

Upon reaching Cedartown, the first thing you notice is that the area is mostly wooded. Trees are everywhere. This also includes the airport itself. The single runway is surrounded by trees. It looks like a strip was cut out of the forest. Even so, the trees were far enough from the threshold that they were not a factor in landing. After landing, I closed my flight plan and setup my kneeboard with the information I needed for the return flight. My instructor needed to be back on the ground at 1 PM, so we needed to head back. This runway does not have taxiways, so this would be my first time ever having to back-taxi on a runway. Basically, this is just entering the runway and taxing up the runway to the threshold.

I took off, exited out of the pattern to the east, and intercepted my course for the flight back. I had planned to fly at 5,500 feet on the way back, but too many clouds had formed and would not allow it. I chose to climb to 3,500 feet. On the climb out, I contacted Atlanta Approach for flight following again. Not too long after contacting them, they asked me to climb to 4,000 feet due to some flight operations over at Dobbins Air Force Base. I climbed to 4,000 feet and established cruising speed.

The flight back was a little shorter due to having a tailwind. We were moving along with a ground speed of 122 knots. I also noticed that the visibility was getting lower. We had over 10 miles of visibility when we departed from LZU on our way out to 4A4. Going back, it looked like the visibility had dropped to about 6 miles. Listening to the nearest ATIS facility revealed that this was the case.

I manage to stay right on my course and before long I had LZU in sight. I called Atlanta Approach and indicated that I had LZU in sight. They gave me the tower frequency to tune in and terminated radar services. I obtained the ATIS and then called the tower with my position. I was asked to report right downwind for 25. I entered the right downwind for 25 and reported in. I was then cleared for landing.

At about the time I was abeam the numbers, my instructor pulled the power and indicated that the engine had failed. It's been a while since I practiced emergency procedures, and I must admit that I was surprised by this. I quickly ran through my ABCs -- airspeed for best glide, best landing area (the airport of course), and emergency checklist. I flew the plane as a glider all of the way down to the runway.

My next flight will either be more practice or my solo short cross-country. I'll be flying back to Milledgeville again, but this time alone. Let's hope the weather cooperates.

Solo 4

Solo 4
Flight time logged:	1.3 hours
Total flight time logged:	33.5 hours
Total takeoffs/landings:	121
Solo time:	1.3 hours
Total time solo:	4.4 hours
Total cost to date:	$5380

Due to bad weather with low visibility I've had my next cross-country plans cancelled three times now. My last flight was over two weeks ago. I was really hoping the weather would clear up soon. I thought today would be the day. I figured by three o'clock the skies would clear and be great for flying over to Cedartown. Instead, the clouds did not budge. Instead of calling it a day, I hung around discussing my future lessons with my instructor to get an idea of what was remaining. He figures that I'll be ready to take my practical test at around 45 hours. My prediction is that it will be in the low 50s. I have about 10 lessons to go. These include 5 hours of night flying, solo short cross-country, solo long cross-country, and practice time.

After hanging around for a couple of hours, the skies cleared. I was amazed. Yet, it was too late to fly to Cedartown and back before sunset. Instead, my instructor wanted me to get more solo time, so today I took off by myself again to practice over at Winder. This would be my second time flying solo over to Winder. I was more comfortable this time around. The visibility was much better, and I was able to see the airport at the half-way point between LZU and WDR. It was late afternoon, but I had just enough time to fly for a little over an hour and still get back on the ground before sunset.

Lesson 21 - More practice

Lesson 21
Flight time logged:	1.6 hours
Total flight time logged:	32.2 hours
Total takeoffs/landings:	115
Solo time:	0.0 hours
Total time solo:	3.1 hours
Total cost to date:	$5200

Today was mostly just a refresher flight to practice stalls, steep turns, and ground reference maneuvers. I also practiced getting my location via VOR position fixes. There's not much to write about today since this was mostly just a practice day.

I am preparing for another dual short cross-country flight to get more practice in flying cross-country. This time I plan to go to Polk County (4A4) in Cedartown. It is almost due west of LZU. I've never flown west of the airport, so it should be exciting. There will be a lot more to see since I'll be flying over a more populated area and points that I'm familiar with on the ground. I'll also be flying under the Atlanta Class Bravo airspace. I will be flying by PDK, Dobbins Air Force Base, Lake Allatoona, and all with the Atlanta skyline off in the distance. Normally, my instructor takes his students on this flight for their night cross-country. I will get to do this flight during the day. He wants me to fly to another airport for my night cross-country that is more challenging since I'm more advanced than his other students. This particular airport is in a "black hole" -- what pilots refer to when they talk about airports in areas with no lights. At night, it is hard to tell where the horizon is located. You really have to use your instruments.

Until next time...

Lesson 20 - My First Short Cross-country

Lesson 20
Flight time logged:	1.9 hours
Total flight time logged:	30.3 hours
Total takeoffs/landings:	113
Solo time:	1.5 hours
Total time solo:	3.1 hours
Total cost to date:	$4960

It's been some time since my last blog entry. I had to take a couple weeks off from my lessons to finish up a project at work. It turns out that the weather was not that great anyway, so I did not miss much flying time. I was ready to get back up in the air, though.

Last week we were continuously getting isolated severe thunderstorms that would appear in the middle of the afternoon almost daily. Finally, towards the end of the week, the forecast for Sunday and Monday was looking promising. I signed up for three hours of time on Monday morning hoping for good weather. On Sunday, I started planning my cross-country to Baldwin County airport in Milledgeville.

I arrived at the airport at 9:30 AM this morning to finish by planning by gathering the winds aloft forecast and preparing to file my flight plan. The winds aloft were very light today. My instructor was off helping another instructor pick up an airplane from another airport. He called me at 10:00 AM to tell me that he would be late. I waited patiently until he arrived an hour later. We went over the flight plan; I filed the plan with the flight service station over the phone; then went off to perform the pre-flight on the airplane. I had to take 6CP again because 81J was out for maintenance on the starter.

I had filed my departure time as 11:45 AM (15:45Z), but did not take off until 12:20 PM (16:20Z). Upon leaving the airspace, we radioed Macon FSS to activate the flight plan. I had planned to climb to a cruising altitude of 5500 feet MSL, but the standard briefing had mentioned a few cumulus clouds with bases at 3500 feet AGL. Once I climbed to 4500 feet MSL, the few cumulus clouds just happened to be right in my path. In order to avoid going through one of the clouds, I had to descend back down to 3500 feet AGL. I ended up cruising at 3500 feet AGL the remainder of the flight down to MLJ.

I was amazed by how accurate I was tracking the planned course. I hit the checkpoints almost dead on the time I expected. Typically I would either be a minute ahead or a minute behind. It all balanced out in the end. I was also amazed by how fast we made it to the destination. It was going to be a 35 minute flight, but it went by quickly. After I passed by last checkpoint, I had the airport in site, made my calls, entered the pattern, then landed on Runway 28. Baldwin County airport is a really scenic place because it is on Lake Sinclair. You fly over the lake to land on Runway 28.

After landing, I changed out my nav log for the return trip and prepared for the flight back to LZU. I taxied out to Runway 28, took off, and headed back towards LZU. I had power lines off to the left of my course, so I used them as a ground reference to keep me on track. My return cruising altitude was 4500 feet MSL.

On the way back, I requested flight following. My instructor wanted to show me how to use flight following. Basically, you're asking air traffic control to watch you on their radar and give you traffic updates. It was interesting trying to listen to two different radios at the same time.

Before long, I was within 10 miles of LZU. My flight following was terminated once I had the airport in site. I contacted the tower to request a full stop landing. I was cleared to enter on a five mile right base and then to land.

After tying down the plane, we walked back inside the office and talked about the flight. My instructor complimented me on keeping on the course and on my landings. I was surprised myself since it has been three weeks since I've last flown. I figured I would be rusty.

I decided that I wanted to do another short cross-country to get more practice with the instructor in the airplane with me. My instructor asked by to prepare a short cross-country to the northeast.

I'm scheduled to fly again on Friday morning. I'm going to stay in the practice area this time and practice ground reference maneuvers, stalls, and steep turns since it's been a month or so since my last practice. Hopefully, I will not be rusty. It's nice to be flying again.

Solo 3 - First solo to another airport

Solo 3
Flight time logged:	1.5 hours
Total flight time logged:	28.4 hours
Total takeoffs/landings:	111
Solo time:	1.5 hours
Total time solo:	3.1 hours
Total cost to date:	$4650

My short cross-country flight was canceled yesterday due to thunderstorms. We had a cold front pass through pushing a line of thunderstorms in front of it. Instead of flying on yesterday, we reviewed my nav log to verify everything was correct, and then I signed up for some solo time of which I flew today.

Today the weather was great. The temperature was in the mid-80s, light winds, and scattered clouds. I arrived 15 minutes before 6 PM, the time I had scheduled the airplane, and filled out the form necessary to fly solo as a student pilot. Unfortunately, the airplane I usually fly was undergoing the 50-hour maintenance, so I had to fly another airplane that I had not flown before. It was still a Cessna 172R, but you get used to flying a certain plane.

Another variable was the fact that the winds were coming out of the East, so Runway 7 was the active runway instead of Runway 25. This wasn't really a problem since I've taken off and landed on Runway 7 a few times, but this would be the first time solo. Since I was headed west to Winder, it actually made it a little easier to depart.

Everything looked good from the preflight, so I climbed in the cockpit, started up the engine, and called Ground to taxi to the runway. I taxied out, did my run-up, and then waited at Runway 7 for another plane doing a touch-and-go. I called the tower to request takeoff, was cleared, and then taxied out to the runway. Full throttle and away I went!

I was excited and nervous at the same time since this was my first flight to another airport. I wanted to make sure I did not get lost on the way out. I climbed up to 2,500 feet, leveled off, and began to look around me for landmarks that I was trained to use. Because I was more north than where I had flown before, I could not really see the water towers I had used before. I was flying over them. Because I could not see them, I used bracketing -- this is where you pick out two roads, railroads, power lines, etc. and fly with one to the left and one to the right. I knew Hwy 316 would take me directly to Winder and it was to my right. Another highway and railroad that also go to Winder was to my left. I also happened to be using the GPS to help me keep an eye on my distance from Winder.

Luckily, the air was not bumpy. It wasn't perfectly smooth, but it was within my comfort range. Maybe I'm just getting accustomed to the bumps.

It didn't seem like I was up in the air that long before I saw the lake at Fort Yargo. This lake is about six miles out from the Winder airport. I figured that Runway 5 would be the active since the winds were coming from 50 degrees. This was another variable. I have only had one other lesson where I used Runway 5 at Winder. It is the shorter runway of the two and has a displaced threshold. Coming from the east, I could practically call a long final to land, but that is not the appropriate thing to do. I needed to enter the pattern on downwind. Originally, I had planned on going north of the airport in order to enter the pattern without overflying the airport. I decided not to do this since I was not familiar with the area. Instead I flew next to 316 towards the south of the airport.

As I got closer and after getting the ATIS information, I made a call to Winder Traffic. No one answered. I check the radio to make sure I had the right frequency tuned. I did, so I made another call. Again no one answered. As the airport came into sight, I noticed that no traffic was in the area. Usually, Winder is busy with at least two or three planes in the pattern. I was actually glad no one was there. I could actually practice without dealing with traffic.

I announced to Winder Traffic that I was overflying the field at 2,500. I flew over the field and performed a tear-drop turn to the right to enter the left downwind leg for Runway 5. The first time I turned from base to final, I realized that I was too high. I judged the turn to base too early. I needed to extend my downwind a little more. I suppose I could have performed a forward slip, but I decided to go-around. After coming around the pattern again, a helicopter announced that it was on its way into Winder. I was on downwind and spotted the helicopter in the distance. He graciously waited for me to do my touch-and-go, and then landed at Winder.

I continued doing normal landings and takeoffs, then tried some short-field landings. I was also watching the time because I had to be back at the flight school by 8:00 PM. After seven landings, I decided it was time to go back. I really want to keep practicing, but I did not have time. I took off from Winder and headed back to LZU.

On the way back, I used Hwy 316 again to guide me back to LZU. In no time, I had the airport in site after getting ATIS. I called the tower with my position and requested to land. I was asked to report entering right downwind for Runway 7. I changed my heading to fly towards the mid-field point. After getting on the downwind leg, I reported to the tower my position. The tower gave me immediate clearance to land. No other traffic was around.

As I was taught, I landed long on Runway 7, just past the thousand-foot marker, since the taxiway I needed was close to the middle of the field. As I cleared the runway and began my post-landing checklist, I went to turn the transponder to Standby and noticed something strange. The knob was missing! It must have wiggled loose during the flight back. I sat there for a minute looking for the knob to no avail. Finally, I just taxied back to the ramp so I would not be holding up ground traffic. After parking, I found the knob under the front seat, just in time to turn off the transponder before shutting down the engine.

The transponder knob falling off was pretty much the only strange thing that happened. I was watching the fuel because the left tank gauge was going down, but the right gauge did not move. The fuel selector was on both the whole time, so that was not the reason. I suppose it is possible the needle was stuck. This was not really an issue since I was only flying about 1.5 hours.

I was happy that I made my first solo to another airport with ease. It is definitely confidence building. Unfortunately, I will not be flying for the next week or so because of my work. I have a project deadline coming up in a week and will need to spend uninterrupted time finishing up the project. Once the project is delivered and stable, I'll be signing up for more flying time. My next flight will be the short cross-country. I'm already looking forward to it.