Solo

I did it.

The visibility was poor when I arrived at the airport early this morning, with mist in the trees nearby. I figured it would burn off as the sun came up. When I filed my flight plan and got my weather briefing, the briefer kept emphasizing that the AWOS reported IFR and he said the VFR flight was not recommended. I politely listened and hung up.

When I called for my transponder code, the controller didn't have my flight plan on file. I had to go back to the club to call again. The briefer said that he found my flight plan after all and sent me on my way. By this time the mist was gone and it was partly cloudy with very high ceilings. And it was relatively cool.

We did 3 trips around the pattern. The wind was calm, with the wind sock hanging limp. I expected we'd do several more circuits and maybe I'd get to fly by myself. But after 3, the instructor asked me to park it on the ramp. He asked me if I was ready, I said I was, we shut the engine down, he endorsed my logbook, got out, and sent me on my way.

It's common practice to shut the radios off before shutting the engine down. This airplane, which I've seldom flown, has no radio master. He shut the radios down before I cut the engine, and as I was taxiing out I turned them all back on. I could hear, but I couldn't transmit. I stopped in the runup area for a few minutes to try to get it to work. I finally gave up and taxied back to the instructor, where he showed me the knob that had eluded me.

I went back to the end of the runway, added power, and took off. It was easy. The airplane climbed well without the instructor's weight inside. The cool temperature helped too. I brought it around on final, flared, and landed. A little fast, but smooth. Second time, same thing, but even smoother, although as I taxied back the instructor flagged me down to scold me for letting the yoke forward as soon as I touched down. Last time around - I got the only turbulence bumps of the day in the pattern as it started to heat up. I brought it around on final again, let it settle down, and bounced it, probably because I was trying to hold that yoke back, and came in a little too fast again. I haven't figured out how to come in on short final at 65 knots and yet hold it off the runway to bleed off speed all the way down to stall speed in the 40s.

It seemed too easy, probably because of the lack of wind. But I'll take it.

I did it. I flew an airplane solo.