In Flight

Learning to fly: August 2001 - ?

Sunday, September 09, 2001

My Month as a Student


Week1
MondayRain
TuesdayRain
WednesdayNo rain; no visibility either.
ThursdayTake instructor to lunch. Discover I don't know enough to take instructor to lunch.
FridayFLY! Do first stall and second stall during same maneuver, cover instructor with lunch.

Week 2
MondayLearned not to scrape frost off Plexiglas with ice-scraper. Used big scratches on windshield as marker to set pitch.
TuesdayInstructor wants me to stop calling throttle, "THAT BIG KNOB THING." Also, hates it when I call instruments 'GADGETS'.
WednesdayRadios won't pick up radio stations, so I turn them off. Instructor seems to think I missed something during the introductory flight.
ThursdayLearned 10-degree bank is not a steep turn. Did stall again today. Lost 2000 feet. Instructor said that was some kind of record. -My first compliment.
FridayDid steep turn. Instructor said I was not ready for inverted flight, yet.

Week 3
MondayInstructor called in sick. New instructor told me to stop calling her "BABE". Did steep turns. She said I have to have permission for inverted flight.
TuesdayInstructor back. He told me to stop calling him "BABE", too. He got mad when I pulled power back on takeoff because the engine was too loud.
WednesdayInstructor said after the first 20 hours, most students have established a learning curve. He said it seemed there was only a slight bend in mine. Ah-ha!...progress!
ThursdayDid stalls. Clean recovery. Instructor said I did good job. Also did turns around a point. Instructor warned me never to pick ex-fiancée's house as point again.
FridayDid pattern work. Instructor said that if downwind, base, and final formed a triangle, I would be perfect. More praise!

Week 4
MondayFirst landing at controlled field. Did fine until I told the captain in the 747 ahead of us on taxiway to move his bird. Instructor says we'll have ground school all this week on radio procedures.
TuesdayAsked instructor if everyone in his family had turned gray at such an early age. He smiled. We did takeoff stalls. He says I did just fine but to wait until we reach altitude next time. C-150 will be out of shop in three days when the new nose-strut and tire arrive. Instructor says his back bothers him only a little.
WednesdayFlew through clouds. I thought those radio towers were a lot lower. I'm sure my instructor is going gray.
ThursdayLeft flaps down for entire flight. Instructor asked why. I told him I wanted the extra lift as a safety margin. More ground school.
FridayAsked instructor when I could solo. He laughed till he cried. What was so funny?