Posts Tagged ‘earning my wings’
EARNING MY WINGS (PART 8)
I haven’t written a blog in some time, and that really goes to show I’ve been busily trying to finish up my private pilot. A few weeks ago I was studying fanatically for my written test. Not being one who likes to “have my head in the books” (I learn better by doing), I pushed myself to put in the time to study. It paid off, because I easily passed, which was a huge relief to me. It seemed at the time just before the test that it would be the biggest step in my path to becoming a pilot. (I understand that would not be the case for everyone, but for me, takings tests is nerve-wrecking and makes me entirely anxious.) But now that it’s done, I realize it wasn’t the hardest step.
Now I’m of the opinion that my solo cross country is going to be the big one. But wait a minute! Wasn’t my first solo supposed to be the big one? What I’m getting at here is that I’ve discovered that the path of becoming a pilot has challenges the entire journey – once I got over the hump of my solo, I then had the written test hump. Now that I’ve done the written test, I’ve got the solo cross-country. So, I can now see that once I’ve done the solo-cross country, it will then be the check ride and oral that will likely give me a few sleepless nights. And after that, well, after that I have my license to get out there and REALLY learn how to fly! I just need to relax and enjoy the feeling of achieving my goals.
So in a few weeks, I’m hoping to be ready for my check ride. This is what’s left:
DUAL NIGHT X-COUNTRY
LOCAL SOLO TIME 4 HOURS
SOLO 50 MILE X-COUNTRY
SOLO 2 STOP 150 MILE TOTAL X-COUNTRY
CHECK RIDE PREP 3 HOURS
Am I still anxious about any of this? Yeah, but my past accomplishments help me every day. There really is no better feeling than that of accomplishment. It is a motivator and a confidence builder, and with the highs and lows of learning to fly, it is as satisfying as clear blue skies.
One more noteworthy comment: having a great instructor helps. Kirk has been invaluable in my progress. He has pushed me when I’ve needed to be pushed, been patient when I’ve stumbled on the radio, praised me when I’ve done a great landing, and slapped my hand when I’ve taxied too fast! Thanks Kirk. I promise to slow down for my check ride!
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure , the process is its own reward. “ Amelia Earhart
EARNING MY WINGS (MY SOLO FLIGHT)
Being Australian, July 4th was more about fireworks and grilling out than commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, as Americans do each year. But as of now, Independence Day is exactly that for me. It’s the day I took my first solo flight in the Katana DA-20. It’s the day I independently flew an airplane, solo. It’s a day I will never forget.
I wasn’t one of those people who grew up dreaming of flying. I am just a girl who found herself one day working in the field of aviation. Each and every day I would look out of my office window (which overlooks the ramp at KMQY) and see a multitude of large and small airplanes taxi up and park in front of my wall of glass windows. It was bound to happen one day…..the day I decided I wanted to fly one.
It has not been an easy journey for me, getting to the stage of soloing. I’ve had to overcome some discomfort of learning maneuvers which had me feeling as though I was about to fall out of the sky. I didn’t. I’ve had to bring an airplane down to land, fishtailing down the runway and trying to get it back on the center line. But I got it down. I’ve had to make myself put my head in the books when everyone else was out enjoying the gorgeous Tennessee weather. And I’ve had to overcome the fear of flying the Katana without my instructor Kirk in the right seat, there to assist if needed.
I knew I was going to be soloing on Sunday the 4th of July. I made sure I was there early so the air was smooth and free of “bumps”, so the winds were calm, and I could just concentrate on flying the pattern and bringing her down for nice soft landings. I thought I would have been more nervous. I was much more nervous the weeks before when I knew my solo was coming up. But honestly, on the day, while driving my car to the airport, I was relaxed and excited. I was even singing in the car as my favorite song came on. It was definitely the day! I was feeling good.
So, Kirk and I took off and flew around in the pattern for three touch and goes. All fine. None messy, so that was a good sign. He then told me to taxi and park in front of the FBO. That was it! That was the queue that I was about to do this all on my own. I didn’t really even say much, I just pulled up and halfway heard him say to go and do three take offs and landings. I was thinking about everything I’ve learnt, and how I have to do everything just as I had done many times before. So I did.
When the wheels left the ground on my first takeoff, there was no going back. I just kept talking my way through everything I needed to do. “Pitch for 65….pitch for 65….flaps out….pitch for 75……right turn out…..power back at 1500ft….”. And everything just happened as it was supposed to. My first two landings were fine. Not perfect, but pretty darn good. Coming in for my third I was thinking I was going to nail it. Three great landings on my solo flight! Um, well, I was coming in a little fast, landed, then bounced back up to fly for a little more. “Ok, power’s on idle right? Yep. Ok, well, just flare again Rachel”, I told myself as I came back down onto the runway. My third landing wasn’t so hot, but I didn’t care. I’d just done something which only weeks earlier I thought I’d never do without Kirk being beside me. It’s quite liberating, and for all the times I thought I couldn’t do, I was elated to have just proven to myself that I could. I was proud of myself, and even happy to have Kirk cut the back out of my t-shirt (an American flying tradition). It meant I was one step closer to being part of the club. A pilot.
I was told the other day that it’s all downhill from the solo. NO WAY. There’s still so much more. There’s the solo cross-country, the 10 takeoff and landings at night (the first one of those was not so hot), the written test and the check ride. Sigh…..I guess there’s a few more blogs coming then, eh?
EARNING MY WINGS (PART 7)
I’ve been flying the Katana DA20 for about 17 hours now, and I finally feel as though I have gotten over the hump of the directional control issues I was having due to the differential braking steering on the airplane. It hit me one day when I was explaining to a colleague that I was pushing on the right rudder pedal as though I were applying brakes on a car. I’ve been driving for 19 years, so I obviously know you have to apply the brakes gently. Not so with rudder pedals on an airplane. It’s an even pressure, but it is HARD pressure, especially when the rudder becomes more effective with increased speed.
During each and every take-off my instructor Kirk was telling me “right rudder, right rudder!”, with my response of “I am, I am!”. Well, I was, but it was too gentle pressure. Thankfully, after a few swirly take-offs, it has now clicked in my head about the amount of right rudder I need to apply in order to maintain directional control on the runway roll and landing roll out. (The right rudder is to counteract the left turning tendency in an airplane due to the torque of the engine and a number of other factors). I’ve also overcome my fear of talking on the radio, unusual attitudes, and power on stalls. I feel as though I am getting over the humps that always seem to appear on the road to achieving a goal. But the end result wouldn’t be so sweet if it were easy, right? And like everything, the more you do it, the better you become.
I like this quote by Cardinal Newman – “A man would do nothing, if he waited until he could do it so well that no one would find fault with what he has done.”
So, where am I at now? After a successful stage check ride with another instructor today, I realized I’m past the hurdles which were nicely set up in front of me, and now ready to tackle my next. My solo flight.
I’m almost certain that the next blog you read of mine will be of my solo flight. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, here’s a video of me flying the pattern and landing at MQY (Smyrna, TN) with my instructor Kirk.
Want to learn to fly? Wings of Eagles (MQY) and Wings of Eagles, JWN