Today I wanted to go back to Easton, so we did. I wanted to get out of the pattern or practice area, and going to Easton required me to file the ADIZ exit and entry flight plans, talk with ATC, navigate by visual reference to landmarks, and to set up for landing. I like doing landings at Easton because the runway is so much wider and longer than at the home field. And it makes for much more comfortable touch-and-goes when it's hot.
Speaking of hot, boy was it. The thermometer in the car read 100 degrees F on the way to the airport. The AWOS reported density altitude at 2200 feet, where the field elevation is closer to 150. But at least the humidity was down. Visibility was far better than last week. But just like last week, the plane had a pathetic climb rate.
I came to the lesson today determined to be prepared. I looked up the route on the map, I wrote down the frequencies I expected to need, and I completed the preflight checks long before the instructor arrived. I mostly got the radios set up by myself. I think part of the problem for me with the radios is that they differ from plane to plane.
We taxied out of the ramp area, only to find a veritable traffic jam caused by pilots who failed to make sure the taxiway was clear before driving on. At one point we had four aircraft converging. The runup went well, I lined up for a short-field takeoff (much more comfortable clearing the trees when it's so hot), and off we went.
We climbed out, turned on course, and I called ATC. I was able to spot most of the landmarks pretty well. Twice I saw shadows of other aircraft on the ground, shadows that were going the opposite way. We only spotted one of them, a low-wing single that passed below and left, although closer than I care for. We climbed (slowly) to 3000 feet, crossed the Chesapeake Bay, and proceeded toward Easton. I had a hell of a time locating the airport until we were close, even though the instructor kept pointing it out to me. I called the tower and got into the pattern, only to hear the tower controller say that he now had two aircraft, us and another, very close and he wanted to know who was ahead. We immediately saw the other airplane, a half-mile ahead. It was slower than our 152 (imagine that), so the controller asked the other pilot to do a 360, which he did. We came in to land and proceeded to do a few touch-and-goes. In my weather briefing the briefer told me that the PAPI was out, and I found that to be accurate. I was surprised at how easy it was to judge my path without it. The landings weren't great, and I overcorrected badly on at least one of them, but they were uneventful. There was a lot of traffic, including a helicopter that did a 360 to avoid us.
We flew back to Tipton, I set up to land, and brought it in. The instructor was coaching me as I set it down, and it might have been my best landing yet. He was pretty excited. I had a hard time accepting the idea that I had done it, mostly because of the coaching. I'd like to get to a point where I'm consistently setting it down without his commentary; I want him to be a quiet passenger because if he's quiet, he's not correcting my mistakes, meaning I'm not making any.
I handled most of the radio work today, although at times it was difficult to understand ATC. I still feel like a dunce on the radio, but today it went smoothly nevertheless.
But the biggest development is that when I suggested that we could go for a cross-country flight next time, he said it's time for me to do my phase check. That means the next step, presuming I don't botch the phase check, is the solo.
I'll confess that I'm not satisfied with my landings, not completely confident that I can avoid dropping it in, or putting side loads on the gear. I'm convinced I can bring it in and I'll be able to walk away, but whether I can do it without bending the airplane, that's what I'm worried about. The instructor seems more confident than I am.
I'm noticing a pattern - the first few landings of the day are usually ugly. After I get a few done, I seem to settle down. Maybe that's why every description of solo flights that I've seen seems to begin with a few trips around the pattern with the instructor.
Speaking of hot, boy was it. The thermometer in the car read 100 degrees F on the way to the airport. The AWOS reported density altitude at 2200 feet, where the field elevation is closer to 150. But at least the humidity was down. Visibility was far better than last week. But just like last week, the plane had a pathetic climb rate.
I came to the lesson today determined to be prepared. I looked up the route on the map, I wrote down the frequencies I expected to need, and I completed the preflight checks long before the instructor arrived. I mostly got the radios set up by myself. I think part of the problem for me with the radios is that they differ from plane to plane.
We taxied out of the ramp area, only to find a veritable traffic jam caused by pilots who failed to make sure the taxiway was clear before driving on. At one point we had four aircraft converging. The runup went well, I lined up for a short-field takeoff (much more comfortable clearing the trees when it's so hot), and off we went.
We climbed out, turned on course, and I called ATC. I was able to spot most of the landmarks pretty well. Twice I saw shadows of other aircraft on the ground, shadows that were going the opposite way. We only spotted one of them, a low-wing single that passed below and left, although closer than I care for. We climbed (slowly) to 3000 feet, crossed the Chesapeake Bay, and proceeded toward Easton. I had a hell of a time locating the airport until we were close, even though the instructor kept pointing it out to me. I called the tower and got into the pattern, only to hear the tower controller say that he now had two aircraft, us and another, very close and he wanted to know who was ahead. We immediately saw the other airplane, a half-mile ahead. It was slower than our 152 (imagine that), so the controller asked the other pilot to do a 360, which he did. We came in to land and proceeded to do a few touch-and-goes. In my weather briefing the briefer told me that the PAPI was out, and I found that to be accurate. I was surprised at how easy it was to judge my path without it. The landings weren't great, and I overcorrected badly on at least one of them, but they were uneventful. There was a lot of traffic, including a helicopter that did a 360 to avoid us.
We flew back to Tipton, I set up to land, and brought it in. The instructor was coaching me as I set it down, and it might have been my best landing yet. He was pretty excited. I had a hard time accepting the idea that I had done it, mostly because of the coaching. I'd like to get to a point where I'm consistently setting it down without his commentary; I want him to be a quiet passenger because if he's quiet, he's not correcting my mistakes, meaning I'm not making any.
I handled most of the radio work today, although at times it was difficult to understand ATC. I still feel like a dunce on the radio, but today it went smoothly nevertheless.
But the biggest development is that when I suggested that we could go for a cross-country flight next time, he said it's time for me to do my phase check. That means the next step, presuming I don't botch the phase check, is the solo.
I'll confess that I'm not satisfied with my landings, not completely confident that I can avoid dropping it in, or putting side loads on the gear. I'm convinced I can bring it in and I'll be able to walk away, but whether I can do it without bending the airplane, that's what I'm worried about. The instructor seems more confident than I am.
I'm noticing a pattern - the first few landings of the day are usually ugly. After I get a few done, I seem to settle down. Maybe that's why every description of solo flights that I've seen seems to begin with a few trips around the pattern with the instructor.
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