Training Begins - Flight Lesson #1

The day had finally arrived, April 24, 2010! I not only get to fly but begin learning to fly and on a regular basis. I have studied all winter long just to create a foundation of knowledge and awareness to BEGIN LEARNING. Before I go further I must make an introduction of the person aforementioned as the CFI or my CFI. I have chosen to fly with David. David has been encouraging, supportive and available as I have researched learning to fly. This process could have be much more daunting if not for the connection I made early on with David. During and after the intro flight I knew that David is not only be a good flight instructor but good for me. I'm feeling good about it and I think he is too.

I meet David at 2 PM. I had been calling into the AWOS (Automated Weather Observing System) to see what the weather might have in store. Particularly I was interested in what the winds would be like and from what direction. It was good see David again even though we had had not seen each other in months. We began with some administrative housekeeping items like medical/license verification, birth certificate and review of my home study information. In return I received the private pilot requirements for various elements I would learn in dual/solo training. Then FAA minimum is 40 hours with the national average being 60-70 hours. I also received homework, a copy of the pre-solo written test. This is an open book test to complete before the day that I might make this first solo journey. Lastly we go over the pre-flight briefing for the lesson of the day. Todays lesson is "Attitude + Power = Performance". Makes sense right? You cannot go uphill in a car without more power and when you go downhill you ease off on the power. As you travel long stretches of flat road you choose a power setting that is right for the situation while being economical, a cruise. We will be practicing this in straight and level flight, while climbing, descending, and making left and right turns. We go over the various power settings used for each of the elements we will do today. Lastly we talk about the horizon and how to judge where it is. This is important because your pitch attitudes for climbing, descending and S&L flight are in reference to where the horizon is. The horizon is not peaks and ridges but a place in the distance where the earth begins to curve away.

Time to fly! Pre-flight inspection had been completed. Once in the plane and buckled up, David begins to walk me through the start up checklist. Checklists are used for and during all aspects of the flight from beginning to end. They are useful tools and very important. Follow the checklists and you are developing good habits from the beginning. I learn how to follow the checklists, what and where to find the checklist items and vocalize each item as I do so ending with " xxxx checklist complete". We move on to the taxi checklist and complete. David explains how to start the taxi, stay on the line and where we are going. What is different today from the intro flight is that I am handling the throttle while making the taxi. Right off the bat new wiring is taking place. We are used to adding power with our feet and steering with our hands. Here it is the opposite. Added to that, the power is added by pushing the throttle in and reducing by pulling it out. All equipment I have ever operated that has had hand throttles like this is the opposite. To help understand this David says think of operating the throttle in the direction you want to go. Again, this makes sense. I make the taxi to the run-up area but you can imagine how I was trying to get used to the throttle difference and yes, I was trying to steer with my hands too. Guess what? It did not work. I am sure this will change as the new wires get connected and muscle memory and practice takes hold.

David instructs me while demonstrating how to enter and position the plane in the run-up area. The run-up area is the place at the head of the active runway you plan to use for T/O and landing. It is here where you run and complete your run-up checklist, complete a 360 degree turn to clear the airspace in all directions before heading to the hold short line. After completing the checklist items and clearing the airspace, we self announce our intentions to depart on runway 25 to the west and I proceed to line up on the center line of the runway.
The moment of truth arrives. What I do is a combination of what I have read and the instruction given. With left hand on the yoke and right hand on the throttle, I go to full power (over 3-4 seconds) while verifying the carburetor heat is off, checking that the gauges are in the green, that the tachometer shows full power rpm and that the airspeed is alive and coming up to the rotation speed for today of 65 knots. Did I mention that the oil temp/pressure gauges are located below the yoke in front of my right knee? I do all of this to the best off my fledgling ability while David walks me through verbally what I am executing. This very helpful. While I am doing all of this I am focused as well on keeping the the plane on the center line with appropriate rudder control. If you were to add chewing gum at this point I would likely be in trouble! At 65 knots I begin the rotation to lift off the runway by easing the yoke back. More, more, a little more, and we are off. Climb pitch and maintain runway heading. Runway heading is practically right at the Sutter Buttes. Nevada County Airport is a mountain top airport. As you pass over the end of the runway it drops away dramatically as you begin to pass over the town of Grass Valley. As we rise it becomes apparent that the winds, while right down the runway, are somewhere around 6-10 knots. This makes things interesting. The wind causes the plane to move around more than it would if it were calm. This is an interesting way for me to start my first flight lesson as I try to hold heading and climb pitch. It may be interesting but I am not concerned. We are still climbing and David is reassuring me as well. This is springtime in Grass Valley. If I can learn to fly in this then I can fly in calm conditions. Choppy and bumpy though it may be, I am flying and it is FUN!

We proceed northwest to the Brownsville area and practice appropriate power settings and pitch attitudes for basic flight maneuvers. We go over where the horizon is and how to position the nose of the plane above, on or below depending on whether we are flying S&L, climbing or descending. I choose a fastener in front of me on the engine cowling as a visual reference I will use to assist me now and in the future to position on the horizon.

After the practice session we head back to the airport. We fly south to a point where we can begin a turn to a 45 degree angle to enter the traffic pattern on the downwind leg parallel to the runway. David takes over at this point and talks through the procedure for descent to pattern altitude of 4,200', reducing airspeed, applying flaps, turning on the base leg, final leg and where to aim for a landing. It all went by so fast. I know it is in my head but I do not remember the visual. The landing was one to emulate. We get off the active runway and complete the after landing checklist. We taxi back to the hanger and are done with the first flight lesson. We debrief and David enters my first logbook entry. Including the intro flight, I now have 2.1 hours. Time now to go home and re-read the lesson objectives I just completed in hopes of reinforcing the memory. What a blast!