Completed Private Pilot Solo

Last week Rick (my instructor) and I flew to Petaluma CA for breakfast, then down to Half Moon Bay (which we skipped due to fog) then back to Livermore through SFO Class B with flight following. I did all the radio work. Good experience in our busy neighborhood. Great flight. Oh, we also did some "under the fog goggles work" where Rick told me various headings and climb/descents to perform for about 15 minutes. Wow, what an experience! You really cannot trust your sense of orientation after a few turns with the goggles on. Instruments are very important!

 

Yesterday morning, Rick and I went out to Livermore at 6:00am looking for calm conditions. We waited a couple of hours for the ceiling to clear (800 overcast). Eventually it turned to perfect conditions. We flew 10 short field and soft field takeoffs and landings, all very very nice I must say :) Then Rick got out and told me to do one full-stop landing. Come back if you have any questions or if not go ahead and do one more. I did two perfectly clean landings on the numbers and on the center line. Yeah! Solo complete.

Then we went over to Red Sky Aviation and rented an Aeronca Champ. I followed Rick out to Tracy (KTCY). At Tracy, I left the plane at SkyView Aviation, a Rotax and LSA specialist service center. They are going to replace the master relay, fix the cabin heat, install a larger oil cooler, fix the canopy latch, replace the prop tape, balance the prop, sync the carburetters, and a few other minor things. I should have the plane back in a couple of weeks after Kathi and Nicole get back from Acrobatics National Competition in St. Paul MN. Then I'll get my solo work done. I'm looking forward to doing a X-Country to San Luis Obisbo. I flew the Champ back from Tracy and did a nice tail-wheel landing. I'm glad I still remember how to fly the Champ. It's easier with 35 more hours of experience.

I'm loving my Katana and flying!

Chris




Looks closely, that's the yellow Champ I'm following