Lesson 7 – 1.4hrs. Landings and go-arounds.
Finally, Saturday the clouds lifted enough to get another lesson in. My takeoffs have continued to improve. I’m able to remain pretty straight, and am developing a good feel for when controls begin to become effective. So far the wind has been calm during my lessons, so I know there are still surprises to come.
We departed Twin Oaks for McMinnville, and practiced some mock go-arounds along the way. The process seems simple on paper, but difficult to perform smoothly in practice. After a little practice I felt comfortable with the process, and can identify where I need a little more work.
We arrived at McMinnville, entered the pattern, and flew down to one of the most stable finals that I’ve been able to manage. It then unraveled in the flair when the low sun filled the windshield, and highlighted every scratch and insect carcass covering it. I tried looking more off to the side to judge the remainder of the flair, but have no experience in this, so we came down a little hard. Heatherle, who was able to come along again, commented that it was hard enough to surprise her a bit, but she was able to hang on to her gum. Of course she was also videotaping from the back seat, and the taping ends with the camera nearly being knocked from her hands. Oh well, no one ever seems to be taping when you make a really smooth landing
After we exited the runway, the active runway changed from 22 to 04, making life much more pleasant. The next landing was my best so far. Nothing more than a squeak, and a straight roll out. Nice praise from my CFI, and Heatherle, but of course she didn’t tape that one... no one ever seems to be taping when you make a really smooth landing….
The next was a nice approach, and go around thrown in at the last minute for practice. The go-around definitely included less undue excitement than the first in lesson 6, but needs more practice. The final trip around the pattern at McMinnville ended pretty smoothly, and we departed for Twin Oaks.
I still struggle some with identifying while on base whether I’m high or low, but I’m now maintaining the correct airspeeds, judging my turns better, and feeling more confident. Two trips around Twin Oaks, both with pretty decent landings, ended lesson 7 on a high note.So I feel like I’m progressing well, or at least I’m happy with my progress. My CFI asked if I had noticed that he was coaching me a lot less (I hadn’t), and Heatherle commented that she has noticed improvement in the short time since her last ride, and that I appear more relaxed (support appreciated), so life as a student pilot is good!
Next lesson(s) – Consistency, slips, power-off landing, and radio work.
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