Lesson 2 - Airborne! part 2

Taking off for the first time was so smooth I had to look outside to make sure the wheels really left the ground. Before I knew it we were 200 feet above the ground. At this point Betsy was occasionally making adjustments as I struggled to maintain an 80 kt airspeed. As we approached 500 feet, she reminded me to lower the nose so we can see forward and scan the horizon for other air traffic. Seeing none, we continued our climb. At 900 feet a 90 degree left turn. Betsy handled the radio at this point and called our turn to crosswind and then our departure out of the pattern. We headed west to Pittsboro. There she showed me how to get into straight and level. Then we did several turns, climbs, and descents. Finally she taught me how to perform a coordination exercise called Dutch Rolls. This to train the hands and feet to work together. We used Jordan lake to the east and the sun setting in the west as targets.

I have to admit I was getting distracted by the vista and at this point wished she'd just fly so I could gaze out the window a bit. As we turned back toward the airport I was conscious of the fact that this entire experience had a dreamlike quality to it. Was I really doing this? I looked over at Betsy's hands and feet. They were nowhere near the controls. On my own I turned a little left, then a little right just to see what would happen if I did something un-commanded by my instructor, then I peeked over for her reaction with a big grin on my face. She was smiling too. "Fun isn't it?" she said. Yes indeed.

She then pointed out that I had it easy on my first flight. Instead of the air being "moderately turbulent" as was reported. The air, in fact, was dead still. No wind, no bumps, no thermals. It was hazy though and I could see how if it got much worse it would be challenging to make out the horizon. I asked her how I was doing. She said, "Great. You haven't thrown up." High praise.

I steered us toward the airport. Betsy got us in the pattern and back down on the ground. I can't wait to learn how to land! Patience grasshopper. Once on the ground I taxied back to the ramp, completed the shutdown steps and tied the airplane down. Betsy told me I actually did really well for my first flight. Shortly after we landed she got distracted by the fact that another of her students was just back from his check ride. He passed! Betsy was thrilled. She ran inside to get her camera and asked me to take pictures of her as she pinned wings on her latest success. I asked him how long it took him to get his license and he told me about 9 months. I'm hoping to do this in 6 months and I'm hoping my past experience will help.

I left the airport floating on air even though I'm sure I was in a ground vehicle. Am I dreaming? Did I really just have that experience? Yes, I did!