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!

Lesson 1: How Airplanes Fly & Preflight

Showed up at the Flying Club for my first lesson. This was the first time I got there when it wasn't an "open house". The gate was closed and I realized though I was a member, no one actually told me how to get in. The keypad had a button for "Call Club", hit that. No answer. Fretted for another minute then tried again. This time my instructor answered and gave me the pass code. I feel like a somebody now! My own code to get through the airport gate -- woot!

Once inside I met my instructor, Betsy. The first thing we did was important: she showed where to get snacks and sodas and such. These are all in open cases; just drop 50 cents into a tin and take what you want. Nice. Of course, I didn't have 50 cents so I wound up dropping in a $20 and taking $19.50 in change.

We then spent about an hour and a half discussing the fundamentals of flight. The four forces: thrust, drag, weight, and lift. What causes each and they are controlled. We talked about the four fundamental maneuvers: straight & level, climbs, descents, and turns and how to accomplish each. I've worked with Microsoft Flight Simulator for the last 20 years so these basics I had down pretty pat. I was anxious to put them to work in the real world. It was time to head out and fly! Right? Sadly... no...

Another half hour spent learning how to check out the key for the airplane we'd reserved. How to fill out the required paperwork. How to check the "Squak Book" to see if there's any unrepaired or recently repaired items on the plane. I then learned about the things that would make the plane non-airworthy if they were broken. TOMATO FLAMES (Tachometer, Oil pressure gauge, Manifold pressure gauge, Airspeed indicator,Temperature gauge, Oil temperature gauge, Fuel level gauge, Landing gear position indicator, Altimeter, Magnetic heading indicator, Emergency locator transmitter (ELT), Seat belts). Personally, I think this needs a better mnemonic as I'm having trouble associating all this equipment with this one.

Alright, with key and paperwork in hand we go out to fly the airplane. At last! I knew the first thing we would do is a thorough preflight inspection of the aircraft. That will take about 10 minutes and then we'll be off...

...45 minutes later we were done checking the last item on our preflight checklist. We went over each item carefully and in great detail. What to look for, what conditions can arise. The difference between "cosmetic" damage and something that might affect airworthiness. This old bird certainly had a number of dents, scratches, loose screws, missing pieces of plastic or fiberglass, etc. All I'm told are "cosmetic". Noted.

We then toured the ramp area a bit. I learned how to look for approaching traffic and pedestrians and we thought about what sort of situations could come up on the ramp that would need special attention. We then stepped back and gave the airplane one more look to make sure everything was ready for flight. As Betsy says, "We have three tires, two wings, nothing's tied down, no snow or ice, ramp's clear, we're ready to go...

And it looks like our time is now up. Maybe we'll go flying next time. In the meantime, I have a Pilot's Owner Manual for the Piper Warrior II I'll be flying and Jeppesen's Flight Maneuver's manual to read.

On the drive home I realized it's good that we didn't try to squeeze in any flying. My brain was beginning to pound from all the new knowledge. We'll take a week to review all this.