First Day, 9/12/99

I have a friend who learned to fly at this same airport some ten years earlier. He said it was a good experience for him and had no reservations about taking flying lessons there. Having done a little web research about flight schools and lessons, I stopped at the school to start lessons. Many people decide to take an introductory ride but I decided to skip that and actually begin lessons.

Meeting Dave

When I walked in, one of the staff instructors met me and offered to answer my questions about taking lessons. Dave was friendly, he answered all my questions and was honest that he had only recently become an instructor. Even though he was a new instructor, I decided that I would give him a chance and start lessons.

Flight No. 1

I couldn't have picked a worse day to start lessons. The day was relatively mild to my novice experience, a very calm, balmy day. Little did I know how bumpy even these calm wind days could be. After a lesson on the preflight check of the airplane and some fundamentals of the cockpit, we (I) started the plane and with his direction and run up we taxied to the end of the runway. A few pointers and full power and off we charge down the runway. Dave says pull pressure on the yolk and away we go, me in the pilots seat, flying! It can't possibly be this easy! Less then an hour into lessons and I'm flying.

The Planes

Pictured above are two of three planes I have flown while taking lessons. They are Cessna 152-II, 108 horsepower, two seat training planes. I weigh in above 200 and Dave must be close to that. Lets just say it is cramped. The planes in the picture are N5514L and N94832. Not pictured is N6143Q.

Flying lessons and the Tao of Andrew

I was never in a hurry to make the achievements like solo, cross countries and so on (honest). Ten hours into lessons and Dave says most students start asking when they are going to solo. I had a different approach. I wanted to be good and would rather have more hours and be a better pilot. Besides, I'm having too much fun during the lessons and catch myself gazing out the window looking at scenery (see Mistakes and Wasting Time below).

1st Solo, 1/23/00, 12.9hrs

Flying solo after only 12.9 hours is probably the only thing that went well in this whole ordeal. The first half dozen hours of lessons are spent learning to land in some windy conditions with cross wind components. Then the winds die down for the next 5 hours of lessons and I can barely keep the plane straight. Finally on a calm day the landings come easier and Dave gets out of the plane in the middle of the taxiway. Now with only about half the payload, the plane literally jumps off the runway. The first time around on final I'm still waiting for Dave's voice to enter my ear with some pointer or directions but it doesn't happen. A quick look to my right says he isn't even in the plane! It was time to just-do-it and land. Three times around the pattern and I've done it. I flew a plane solo.

OK, so far so good. I'm having fun, Dave is always encouraging and we discuss my achievements and mistakes but Dave is quick to point out that this is a learning experience. Well, here is a tip for student pilots. While sitting on the runway before departure, ALWAYS CHECK THE DG! The story evolves around a cross country trip Dave and I plan as part of training, IJD to Great Barrington, MA (GBR) to Worcester, MA (ORH) back to Windham. Everything was going very well, my calculations were good, I was finding all my landmarks. However, after the stop in ORH we left with out too much of a hitch, but I forget to make the adjustment before departure. Needless to say I missed my second landmark, and my third. I couldn't tell where I was and as yet didn't realize the DG was off. Ugh. A very hard lesson learned.

How to take the written test, 7/00 (NOT!)

Because of my job(s) situation, it would be difficult for me to take a class for the ground school. After consulting with Dave I decided to obtain a commercial video set to substitute for the ground school. In hindsight I would not have done this and would have taken a ground school. I think a ground school would make me be more competitive about learning the material (a throwback of public school) rather than at my own pace and it would be easier learning. The one benefit the tapes offered was the focused learning made taking the written exam a real snap.

In July of 2000 I did a little solo ride practicing landings and the maneuvers. Little did I know but I would not fly again for another 6 months. While on camping vacation I realized that my "divorce debt" was not getting any smaller with all the money I was spending on flying. I then calculated that skipping a month of flying, although not smart for learning to fly, would allow me to catch up with my debt payments. Bad move. One month quickly became two, then three, and before I knew it the new year was here and I hadn't flown in nearly 6 months. Although my debt was now completely paid off, one thing after another kept me from returning to the airport. Finally on 1/23/01 I had flying time down and was back in it. I was completely rusty and it was going to cost me several hours to get back in the swing of it including another dual cross country. So here's another lesson, make sure you can financially stick wtih taking your lessons, start to finish.

First Cross Country and a surprise!

Back to flying lessons of several hours and another dual cross country and I'm signed to solo cross country. Needless to say I'm a little nervous about it but the plan is made and so begins my fight with the weather. I plan the flight for a weekend ahead and here comes the weekend and its raining, next weekend and its windy above my solo limits. A third time comes and goes and finally after almost a month (yes I have made some solos in the pattern during the week just to keep up) I set out for Keene, NH (EEN). Flight plan filed and opened with Bridgeport flight Service but Hartford Approach doesn't answer me when I try to get flight following. I try twice more and get no response. So I'm off to NH with no flight following. I'm finding all my marks and before long Keene looms low and straight ahead, once around the pattern and I'm down! Half of my first solo cross country is done. The staff at the FBO are cheerful and the nice lady signs my logbook. I kept a card from the FBO to hand to Dave. Without a hitch, I return to Windham (yes, I checked the DG) only to find the winds a little gusty. Two go-arounds and I finally get a good one down and I did it! First solo cross country.

Mistakes/Bad Habits/Wasting Time

OK, so far two big mistakes. Financial planning and adjust the DG.

As it turns out, lets add wasted flying time to that. I found that after I finished a flying lesson or even a solo practice, the time was spent completely indulged in learning and engrossed in flying. It does take all your concentration. Once I realized this, I actually used it as a little therapy session. I wasted at least a half dozen hours of solo flying time going up in the airplane with no agenda other than to fly in circles around my house or a lake or other landmark. Although this was good therapy, it was expensive in terms of time. I don't recommend it.

Bad Habit#1. Dividing attention. I sometimes would focus on an instrument too much and would get off altitude or heading. If I am having trouble maintaining a heading, I would focus on the DG too often and maintaining altitude would be a problem. Work on dividing attention properly.

Bad Habit #2. There will be plenty of time to gaze out the window. Try to stay focused on lessons and flying instead of admiring the scenery.

Summer night time starts late so a cross country flight at night doesn't start until 9:00pm or 0100Z. A night cross country to Islip, then Montauk and back takes over 2.5 hrs. We don't get back until 1:00am. I'm exhausted. Night flying is something to behold. The landmarks are different and I am having trouble finding airports. flying east from Islip to Montoak I can see that there is nothing off the starboard wing. It isn't dark, or dim, there is just nothing. That is what is meant by IFR in VFR conditions.

I've spent the summer completing the cross country flights, the night flights with Dave, and the hood time. In August we meet and begin a plan for the flight test. We concentrate on short and soft field takeoffs and landings, stalls, slow flight, recovery from unusual attitudes, turns around a point, and steep turns. Everything is going well except my steep turns but hey, a little practice will help. Then comes September 11th. I am totally in shock. Forget that all aviation in the US is shut down. I have trouble watching the news and seeing the planes strike the towers. I can't imagine the terror those people suffered. I feel untold hatred for those responsible. I think about the people who have lost family members and friends.

Taking the Flight Test or "How to Induce the Worst Insomnia on Yourself"

September passes and I get a nasty sinus infection that keeps me medicated for three weeks. Finally November comes and feeling better, Dave and I continue the test maneuvers. Late in November Dave asks me if I think I'm ready. Although I still have a tendency to not divide attention properly (see Bad Habit #1 above). I ask Dave if he thinks I'm ready and with that he signs the back of my logbook.

I've watched the weather and contacted the local tester. My date is set and the weather for the next day looks good. I call the examiner and get my destination to plan the flight. I spend the next three hours that night working out the plan, the weight and balance, the take off distances, everything. I then attempt to sleep with little success. I get up early, get the weather from the Duets, call the weather briefer and calculate my wind corrections and fuel. Its now 7:30 am, time to get to the airport. I'm so nervous I can't eat but force myself to prevent from getting sick.

The whole test takes until 11:30 when I sit down with my instructor and the examiner. We discuss the sloppy job I did during my slow flight but the examiner has no other issues and congratulates me. I also get congratulations from Dave and everyone else in earshot. What? I did it? That's it? I am officially a private pilot. Some dreams do come true.

I'm pretty stunned and tired but in my hand is the temporary issue license. Exhausted, I go home and sleep for 3 hours. Total flight time to date, 65.0 hrs. More than $5500 spent in plane rental and fuel, instructor time, training kit, headset, sectionals and AFD's. Add to this the medical exam, written test, video set, final examiners fee, all about $600. Experience: priceless, indeed!

Taking flying lessons was never about being able to take friends flying or that I am some crack pilot. For me being a private pilot has been simply knowing who I am and learning more about myself. I learned more than I imagined possible.

At the controls of the Cessna-172---N9348F