First flight

Lesson 1
Flight time logged:	0.7 hours
Total cost to date:	$123

Well the weather was much better today: clear skies and light winds from the NW. I was ready for my first lesson. I arrived about ten minutes before my lesson just in case I needed to do anything before the lesson. The C172R I reserved for the lesson was not back from a previous flight, so the instructor wanted to do some ground schooling while we wait. My six months of studying paid off at this point as I was ahead of the ground school lesson the instructor began teaching. Once she determined that I was proficient in the concepts she was teaching, we went to check on the C172R. It had returned, so now we could start the practical training.

I was prepared to go through the structured list that came from my Cessna training course Lesson One. In this lesson, I would do the following:

• Preflight
  
• Engine starting and warm-up
• Taxiing
• Before Takeoff check and Runup
• Normal Takeoff and Climb
• Climbs
• Leveloff
• Trimming
• Straight and Level
• Positive stability
• Medium banked turns
• Descents
• Normal approach and landing
• Postflight (post-landing checklist and parking and securing)

I was concerned that the instructor did not really look at the lesson plan and was more concerned with showing me a first flight. We started the preflight at around 11:15 am. I went through the checklist one item at a time slower than normal since this was my first time. After the preflight, we had to report a flat spot on one of the main tires, so we walked back to the office where the instructor showed me how to "squawk" an issue. We walked back to the C172, but then the instructor went back to get window cleaner to clean the windshield. By this time it was 12:00 pm. I should have been in the air by now. The rental was only until 1:00 pm.

I ran through the engine start procedures and started the engine. The instructor let me taxi to the run-up area. There we did the engine run-up procedures. I then taxied up to the hold line for Runway 25 and call the tower with a "ready for takeoff". There was traffic inbound on a long final, so we were cleared for an immediate takeoff. The instructor took over at this point, rolled out to the runway and performed the takeoff.

We climbed to 3000 feet and headed north. Once the instructor leveled off at 3000 feet, I took control again. The turbulence made the flight really bumpy and made it very overwhelming to control the plane. The instructor asked what time it was, so I told her it was 12:50 pm. We had just past over my house. The instructor called the tower with our position and a request to land. I then made a medium bank turn to the right to turn the plane to the south. I actually did better than I figured I would on the coordinated turn. It was much smoother flying in that bank than straight-and-level with the turbulence! The tower directed us to enter the pattern on right base. I descended to pattern altitude and entered the base leg. The instructor then took over, flew the final leg and landed the plane. I taxied back to the ramp. I wasn't confident enough with my taxiing to park the plane in between two others, so I let the instructor do it. I went through the post-flight procedures, helped tie down the plane, and then went back to the office. It was now 1:05 pm.

I was very disappointed because I did not get to fly as long as I expected, at least enough to learn something. I felt like I was more on a discovery flight and not a first lesson. The only items from the pilot course that I accomplished were the following:

• Pre-flight
• Engine starting and warm-up
• Taxiing
• Before takeoff check and engine run-up
• Trimming
• Straight and level flight
• Medium banked turns (I don't think one turn counts, though)
• Descents (Again, I don't think one short descent counts)
• Post-flight

No one took the form from the Cessna Pilot Course Lesson One plan to check off what I accomplished and sign the form. The instructor did not even take it on the flight. I signed up with this school because of this structured pilot course, but it seemed like it was not being used. Since this was my first flight, though, I decided to let it go and see how the second flight goes. I'm also going with another flight instructor. I go up again Friday as long as the forecasted rain stays to the west until late afternoon. I am hoping for smoother air and more flying time for Lesson 2.