Very 1st Entry in My Pilot Log Book

After the years of thinking about it, months of talking about it, and the weeks of waiting, I went for my first lesson today.  My original CFI was unavailable, helping another student with a check ride (the final practical test with a FAA examiner), so I flew with CFI Adam Signaigo.  Adam is another instructor with “Wings of Eagles” flight school.

The weather was perfect for flying.  Sunny and in the mid-80s. 

First, we started off with the pre-check.  This is the process to evaluate the major features of the plane to ensure it is airworthy.  The aircraft was fixed wing single-engine 2 seat Diamond DA20-C1, N362DC.  I took a lot of pictures so I can refer to them later (I’m sure you’ll see the later).  Everything checked out perfect.

Then the CFI communicated with the tower.  The Smyrna Airport (MQY) is what they call a “controlled airport” which means that you speak to the tower and they give you instructions on where/when to land/take off.  An “uncontrolled airport” is much more common, and you speak directly with the other planes in the area to determine the flight pattern.  The theory is that a controlled airport is safer because you have a 2^nd pair of eyes watching out for you.

I think most student pilots will agree; communication in aviation is one of the most intimidating aspects of flying.  It is a completely different language, yet they are speaking English, and the tower speaks quickly so they can move on to communicate with the next aircraft.

Next we taxied out to the assigned runway.  When you taxi the plane, you don’t use the stick/yoke, rather you use the pedals to steer the plane (the wheels don’t have any power going to them, the plane moves using thrust of the propellers).  The pedals control the rudder at the rear of the plane.  Very awkward at first, plus it was much different than the Cessna I have flown in the past.  Well, let’s just say we were all over the taxi way, not graceful at all.

Once we got to the edge of the runway, I put the throttle all the way up, which is about 2500RPMs.  Half way down the runway, I pulled back slightly on the stick, and like magic the plane came off the ground.  The physical feeling of taking off was something like the split second on the top of a rollercoaster, yet without the rapid downward fall.  Yet what I really noticed was the humility that I felt.  It was the aircraft that wanted to fly and it seemed as if I did very little to cause it to lift off the ground.

We ascended to 2,500 feet and headed to the east where we practiced some basic maneuvering of the aircraft.  I adjusted the throttle to 2,000 RPMs to maintain the cruising altitude.  Minor and small adjustments are all that are needed to turn, ascend or descend. 

Next, my CFI asked if I have ever done an intentional stall.  The answer is no.  I’m sure I’ll explain a stall in greater detail in another post, but basically you take the plane from flying to not flying.  A stall, if not recovered quickly can be very dramatic.  I admit, the dramatic stall was what I had in my head, and I felt a bit of panic when he said that he would demonstrate one for me.

First he performed the pre-maneuver check list, and then he adjusted the throttle to idle.  Next he tilted the nose of the plane up and made a few more adjustments.  It wasn’t long before the plane became very unstable.  Remarkably, he was able to steady the plane with just the rudders.  Granted, it wasn’t as smooth as before, but it felt in control.  After a few minutes, he moved the throttle all the way up and ascended to our original cruising altitude.

When taking command of the plane, there is standard communication that goes something like:

CFI: “You have control of the aircraft”

Student: “I have control of the aircraft”

CFI: “You have control of the aircraft”

Next, it was my turn.  He walked me through the process, and I did reasonably well.  Unlike the take off, this time I really felt like I was doing something to control the plane.  It wasn’t long before I recovered the plane from the stall and the flight was smooth again.  I was pleased.

After a few more basic maneuvers, we headed back and he landed the plane safely on the ground.

Once again, my taxi-ing skills were embarrassingly non-specific.  We parked the plane and secured the aircraft.

I couldn’t have had a better experience for my first flight.   One hour of flight time in my log book.

A couple of takeaways:

1. I need to spend more time looking out the window rather than focusing on the instruments.
2. Using a stick to control the plane is going to take more getting used to.
3. I need practice on taxi-ing the plane!

Cost:  Plane rental - $115.00, Instructor Fee - $57.00