10 great minutes

[VJ]

Hello,

Well, as usual on Saturday, I headed to the flight club for my practical pilot lessons... After about 1 hour of touch-and-go's, numerous enginefailure exercises (in take off, ...), sudden go-arounds (abort the landing, or simulating the engine restarted during the forced landing, ...), we landed...

While taxiing, the instructor said: 'Well, you now are going to make 1 circuit by yourself. Do the landings like the other ones today, nothing can happen'.
I was very calm and knodded yes.
He then explained the tower what was going on, closed the door and I started taxiing to the holding point (as was approved). I contacted tower, ready for departure, and was cleared to take off.
Once on the runway, I pushed the throttle, the plane accellerated and I took off...

Suddenly, I looked to my right hand side: 'hey, this seat is empty...', then it hit me: 'WOW!, I'm flying solo!'
This was awesome!

I completed the circuit, made an acceptable landing (it wasn't my nicest one of the day though) and taxied back to the club. After some congratulations (and the obligatory drink) it really started to hit me...

I DID MY FIRST SOLO FLIGHT!
(ok, so it only took 10 minutes to do that circuit)



Jörg

[TransformX]

Congratulations !!!

[Tjalfe]

cool
now rent a plane and go visit all the Murcers

[Jon P. Inghram]

Lucky bastard! I've been "flying" PC simulators since the C=64 day, but I've never flown in real life, as a passenger or otherwise.

[GNEP]

Cool! Well done VJ!

[Chrono_Wanderer]

woah! that sounds awesome! congrats VJ!

[schmosef]

Well done.

[High_Jumbllama]

Congrats!

[capt. marvel]

come pick me up!

[az]

Congratulations! You absolutely HAVE to visit me, we have a small airfield here...

AZ

[Umfriend]

Gefelicivliegerstaart!

[Dr Mordrid]

EXCELLENT!!

Welcome to the ranks of those who have s**t their pants at 5000 ft.

Dr. Mordrid

[VJ]

Thanks...

Dr. Mordid: actually, not yet... The circuit at our airport is at 1000 ft (AMSL, but elevation is 7 ft or so), so I guess that 5000 ft 'treat' will be when I begin my inflight navigation...
Still, there is much more to come before being able to visit the MURCers. I've only flown for like 8 hours or so, virtually all were circuits. Next lesson we'll begin landing with flaps, and I believe longer distances (which require navigation) are still a couple of hours off.

I had a feeling it would happen though: the instructor simulated enginefailures on the weirdest imaginable moments (right after takeoff, just after leaving the airfield, ...), and also included some weird situations (while in final approach: 'NO, you can't land now, you have to make a go around!' and just after starting that go-around there was an engine failure )

Jörg

[Lizzard[MPE]]

thats very cool.

[agallag]

Originally posted by Jon P. Inghram
Lucky bastard! I've been "flying" PC simulators since the C=64 day, but I've never flown in real life, as a passenger or otherwise.

Well go do it then. Most municipal airfields have introductory lessons for around $50. Go do it. You won't regret it.