Flight Ten: Best Glide & Power-off Landings

Todays emphasis was on best glide speed and performing power-off landings. This is a continuation of emergency procedures we began during Flight Eight. As Theresa is describing this in context...which is an engine failure...she starts relating things to how many more seconds in the air certain decisions give you...and in the back of my head I'm thinking "Oh man...shit just got real."

Best Glide Ratio

The Cessna 150 has a glide ratio of 1:7 - for every 1,000 feet of altitude lost you can glide for 7,000 feet or about a mile and a third. So if the engine dies at 1,000 feet you will be landing within that distance and you only have a few seconds to make the good decisions needed for that desired safe landing. Best glide for the C-150 is 70 MPH, which gives you the maximum lift for the least amount of drag. What's cool about this is you can trim the aircraft so that it descends at best glide with no hands on the yoke, giving you less to do while making your other time critical choices.

We headed out to the practice area and I performed a few landing configuration into a stall runs, first with power and flaps and then without either one. We jammed back to Pearson at 125 MPH and had time for three power-off landings.

Theresa did the first one to show me what to expect, however she came in a little too low and we aborted and went around. Then it was my turn and when I came around I was too high and I had to recover...that's when the unexpected (to me) happened. We were in a no power, best glide configuration meaning the trim was pitched way up but our nose is down. As soon as I added full power - the trim setting caused the planes nose to pitch up wildly. I had to push forward on the yoke really hard...it was a little scary...all I could think of for a second was this video. Theresa later told me, that's just how it is...and why in a real emergency, you shut-off the failed engine to ensure it doesn't suddenly restart while you are configured for best glide and just a few hundred feet in the air. Anyway, you just gotta muscle it out.

The final time around, killed the power, configured for best glide and turned towards the runway. Everything went really smoothly and I came in for a great landing, even if it was a little long and we had to taxi all the way to the end of the runway before we could exit.

Continuing with the Top Gun theme: "I feel the need...the need for best glide speed!"

Hours of flight logged this lesson: 1.1 Dual Received (DR)
Cost of this lesson: $143.11

Flight Nine: Patterns & Landings

The practice area north of Pearson field was socked in with clouds, but with a 4,000 ft ceiling over the field and low to moderate winds, we were able to spend the flight in the pattern and conduct 6 landings.

Having been three weeks since my last flight, I had lost some of the "feel" for the plane in flight and was not flying very smoothly at first and was very tense. This resulted in two flubbed landings, where Theresa needed to take over and land cause my approach was so off. The next two times around were not much better, but instead of taking over, Theresa had me perform the go-around maneuver. Now we've been up almost an hour and I had yet to land the plane by myself...and I'm feeling frustrated and nervous. So I willed myself to be calm and tried again.

The fifth attempt went great...set up went well, feeling in control the whole time, not too fast, not too high. A nice, main wheels first landing, on target and short enough to leave the runway at the first taxi way. We taxied around for one last take-off and landing in the pattern. Now that I had done something right...my confidence was way up and the my final approach for the day was really good and the landing was even better than the previous attempt.

This is when the Top Gun sound track starts playing in my head "...highway to the danger zone!"

In our debrief, we concluded that it would be better (after a long break) for me to fly out of the pattern at least once after take-off, so I can get acclimatized to flying again, before jumping into complicated maneuvers like landing in the pattern.

Looking forward to getting up again next week.

Hours of flight logged this lesson: 1.2 Dual Received (DR)
Cost of this lesson: $149.81

Flight Eight - Stalls, stalls, stalls...and more stalls.

It was a gorgeous day for flying today...sunshine and blue skies. Todays lesson was more of the same...slow flight, stalls and recovery. Being such a nice day there was a bit of traffic at the field, I guess everyone's getting in some stick time while they can. The new tower kept us apprised of other aircraft in our vicinity, we had a bit of a time locating another flyer that was in our vicinity as we were outbound over Vancouver Lake. Eventually we spotted him...just about 100 feet over the lake...crazy.

With nice clear weather, we were able to get to practicing right away...and I went through the routine of transitioning from level cruise to landing configuration. Carb. heat on, reduce throttle, add flaps, pitch down into decent profile - periodically adding more flaps, descending slowly, but not dropping below 80 knots or so...just above the virtual runway, level off, throttle to idle...and then flaring into a stall...feeling the controls get mushy, then the stall alarm horn goes off, the plane shudders slightly as lift spilled off of the wings impacts the tail...plane starts to sink...then it's carb. heat in, full throttle (trick is to stick out your thumb when pushing in the throttle so that it pushes in the carb. heat at the same time), raise flaps incrementally and start climbing out. Another Bald Eagle crossed our path today, but this time the eagle was much higher and further away than last time.

Theresa is really trying to get me to not grip the yoke too hard...something I still do when things change fast. So half way through our flight she had me weave a pen from my middle finger to my little finger of my left hand, leaving just my thumb and forefinger free to grip the yoke...it worked.

After we had been up for just over an hour, we headed back for a one touch and go and then our final landing. There was even more traffic in the pattern on the way back and radio traffic was getting confusing to me. In fact as we made our final approach the second time around...the radio traffic got overwhelming and I got so discombobulated that I was not remembering to fly the airplane. Theresa jumped in and handled the radio traffic to help me get re-focused. The second landing was awesome (the first was pretty good too)...stalling warning sounding the instant before touchdown, hearing the little chirp of the main tires hitting and then bringing down the nose wheel for a smooth(ish) landing.

I'm now about half way to my first solo (usually happens between 12 and 15 hours)...I gotta go get that FAA medical exam soon so I'll be ready.

Hours logged: 1.3 Dual Received (DR)
Cost: $168.51

Flight Seven - Slow Flight and Stalls

A random Bald Eagle photo.
Not the one we saw today,
but this is the view we had.

Hooray! The weather finally cooperated this morning and my scheduled flight lesson actually happened as planned. Today we practiced slow flight and stall recovery as it applies to landings. Very similar to last lesson - the repetition of landing procedures is what were about for a while.

As of April 1, Pearson Field has been operating a temporary tower to improve separation from wake turbulence generated by commercial flights in and out of PDX. This changes the procedures slightly for departing and arriving. Theresa had me handling all the radio communications this time and it is starting to feel more natural. Check lists and taxiing went nice and smoothly this time (lot's of practice on the simulator pays off) and the take off was effortless.

We headed off the the practice area and did several slow decent to stall and recovery maneuvers and then returned to the field for a few touch and goes. Sometime during the practice runs a bald eagle flew right across our flight path, passing by on my side of the aircraft, we flew within 150 feet or so...it was really beautiful. Damn, it feels good to be back in the air.

We had time for one touch & go and as we came around again we could see some rain approaching and Theresa had me land on the next approach. I landed both times by myself and according to Theresa...I was awesome.

If everything goes according to plan - I'm flying every Monday for the next 6 weeks if the weather cooperates and my funds hold out.

Hours of flight logged this lesson: 1.0 Dual Received (DR)
Cost of this lesson and new sectional map: $162.96

Flight Six - Patterns and Landing

N16221 in flight

The weather kind of cooperated this morning, and another flight lesson was possible (just barely). There was a low ceiling of clouds over the practice area and we had to fly out over the Cornelius Pass to find enough altitude for the practice maneuvers we wanted to attempt. My favorite practice plane, N704XA, has been sold and I flew for the first time in N16221 a 1972 C-150L that uses MPH instead of KTS for the airspeed indicator.

I got to the airfield early and performed the walk-around solo. I even found a problem with the nose gear and we taxied over to the maintenance shop to get more nitrogen pumped into the wheel strut prior to starting our run-up check list. It has been almost a month (27 days) since my last flight and it kinda showed...I had forgotten a few steps in the procedures and Theresa gave me some grief for not practicing the check lists more. I am hoping to start flying every other Monday for the next few months and will be doing more realistic practice on the simulator to keep my skill set current.

Once we reached a practice area with a high enough cloud ceiling, we climbed up to 3,000 ft. MSL and practiced the power changes and decent procedures in prep for a landing. Once I got the plane trimmed for level light at around 2,300 RPMs, started to cut power, first by turning on the carb. heat. Then, reducing power to 1,500 RPMs, letting the nose drop into a 500 feet per minute rate of descent. The aircraft is still traveling at 80-85 MPH and to drop speed, I begin to add 10 degrees of flaps. This causes more lift and the nose of the aircraft to pitch up - the secret here is to try and keep the same angle of attack. Once the aircraft settles down again, I add 10 more degrees of flaps, still maintaining the angle of attack. Finally I add full flaps and the aircrafts is still descending at 500 feet per minute and the IAS is down to 60 MPH. Finally I reduce the throttle to idle and the aircraft slows to just above stall speed. After each descent procedure we climbed back up to 3,000 MSL and tried it again. After a few tries, we headed back to the airfield to try a touch-and-go landing or two.

We approached Pearson from the NW and got into the approach pattern for runway 8. We went through the reduction of power and adding flaps and made our way to final - on the final approach, I did exactly what you're not supposed to do - I looked at the runway instead of a point out towards the horizon. I totally flubbed it. Theresa needed to take the controls to get us down...then it was flaps up, full throttle and we were up and coming around to the down wind leg of the pattern. This time as we came in on final - I had the right view point. We were a little off center and Theresa helped me get properly aligned to the runway. Then I had the controls and flared us to a gentle touchdown. My first landing!

In the debrief, we discussed how out of practice I had gotten on my procedures in the cabin...so I need to practice more in the simulator so these things go smoother during flight lessons. I'll be back up in two weeks in the weather cooperates...hopefully, with more info. retention.

Ground school is just over half-way complete at this time. I have gotten a bit behind on writing up the class sessions on this blog. Lesson 5 is almost completed and I think I'll combine all of classes 6 thru 9 into a single longish post that covers all the lessons as they are the related topics of navigation charts and airports.

Flight Five - Slow Flight Maneuvers

The drag curve.

Todays lesson dealt with slow flight and landing patterns. Theresa and I did a quick pre-flight briefing to discuss how this would proceed in flight; discussing the concepts of parasitic and induced drag and how this relates to best glide speed.

This morning was quite cold (temp. was 33 degrees at the time of start-up) and so we spent some amount of time brushing ice off the wings and removing any moisture from inside the cockpit windscreen to prevent frosting as we climbed to colder altitudes.

Start-up was a bit more complicated, more fuel priming, and three attempts to get the cold engine fired up and running smooth. I performed the walk around by myself this time and it's becoming more and more familiar each time. After the start-up check list, we listened to the Pearson Field automated weather (135.12) and then Theresa had me talk to Pearson Control (123.00) and the tower at PDX (119.00) for the first time. i.e: "Portland tower this is four x-ray alpha, on the ramp at Pearson, taxiing to runway 08 for a departure to the north." Now it feels like I'm a pilot. My taxiing is still improving and I'm starting to feel pretty comfortable getting the plane to go right where I want it to.

After yet another unassisted take-off, we headed north over Vancouver lake and then climbed to 2,500 ft. to start the slow flight maneuvers. We started out at 100 kts and made a few rudder assisted turns to get the feel for the plane at cruising speed. We then dropped speed to 80 and tried a few more turns...and I could really feel the difference. The ailerons lose effectiveness and the rudder becomes more effective. We dropped to 60 kts, each speed drop making turns just a bit more difficult. Next we flew at 40 kts which is less than best glide speed and so the plane needs to be pitched up at a pretty steep angle to maintain level flight, kind of a weird sensation. After a few more turn series, we headed back to Pearson to practice landing pattern approaches.

Approaching at 1,000 ft we reduce power by turning on the carb. heat and decreasing the throttle. Then we add 10 degrees of flaps and pitch down gently, decending towards the runway. We keep adding flaps, 20 degrees, then 40 degrees. Allowing us to lose altitude while maintaining airspeed. As we approached the  runway, I could see we were in the glide path (red lights over white lights), dropped the throttle to idle and and made my final adjustments, then it was full throttle, raising the flaps in increments until we climbed out and turned into the downwind approach to try it again. The second approach, I came in a bit high, but not too high. Once more around, and this time we were going to land. Theresa let me (sort of) land again and we were done for this flight.

In our debriefing, we discussed where the lessons would go from here. Next is more slow flight, this time with fake landings in the air as practice for real landings. In theory, I could do a real landing the next time out. A solo flight maybe possible in just a few more flights after that...oh shit!

Hours of flight logged this lesson: 1.2 Dual Received (DR)
Cost of this lesson: $165.81

Flight Four - Ground Reference Maneuvers (cont.)

The weather decided to cooperate and more flight training was possible this morning. Our cloud ceiling today was over 4,000 ft. (my instructor won't let us go up if the ceiling is under 1,500 ft.) and the winds were not too bad (4-7 knots, gusts up to 12 kts). We spent a bit more time on the weather during pre-flight and used the animated radar maps to make sure there weren't any columns of bad weather moving in that could affect visibility when we approached to land later this morning.

Duct tape? Really?

Pre-flight walk around is going much faster. The left wing tip light housing apparently hit something...the maintenance crew duct taped it...cool. I'm flying a plane that is actually held together with tape...why this amuses me more than it disturbs me? No idea.

My taxiing is also improving. I'm still not comfortable with talking to ATC at PDX, so I still let Theresa handle all the radio calls. She is drilling me on it every call though. "Location and action". Where am I? What to I want to do? Apparently there is a section during ground school that will help me feel more comfortable with getting the format right.

Take-off was from runway 08, with enough wind to make it much more interesting than the first few flights. The aircraft really bounced around...really felt like flying now! Headed north to the fair grounds and started with todays lesson - more ground reference maneuvers, this time flying a 1/2 mile radius circle around a fixed point at 1,000 ft. AGL. Theresa was really pleased we had some wind for these maneuvers. Flying a level circle in the wind is kinda hard. The wind is pushing you places you don't want to go and it's varying constantly as the bearing to the wind changes.

Theresa demonstrated this once and then I was in control and did real well as the turns were counter clockwise - or rather on the pilots side of the plane. Not easy, but manageable. Then we started the circle in the other direction and it was much more difficult. On my first attempt I lost sight of my ground reference point before I started my first turn. It got better, but was really challenging.

Over Ridgefield, WA

On the way back to Pearson, Theresa showed me how to perform 180 s-turns over I-5. I finally had more than a brief few seconds of non-busy time and actually took another picture (the camera in my phone sucks). By this time we were getting close to our time limit, so I took the controls and headed us southwest towards Vancouver Lake and started descending for our approach. Theresa let me land this time (sort-of, she really has a her hands and feet on the controls and corrects any lame flying I attempt in the process).

After we landed, Theresa asked me if I was really as calm as I seemed during the flight. I am. This feels so natural to me. Anyways, she's so pleased with my progress/demeanor that we're going to get into more complex maneuvers involving more radical power changes next time...as a prep to really landing by myself.

It was good to get back in the air again after missing out last month. Maybe Santa will pay for a another lesson before the year is out.

Hours of flight logged this lesson: 1.0 Dual Received (DR)
Cost of this lesson and down payment for class: $202.41

Flight Three - Ground Reference Manuevers

We had some fog this morning, but luckily it was everywhere except over Pearson, so we were able to fly today.

Pre-flight Briefing
Todays lesson is all about ground reference navigation. Theresa reviewed some more weather references. Mostly how to call the meteorologist at Boeing Field in Seattle to get highly detailed weather info. and other restrictions (we got notice that the President and Vice-President would be in the area tomorrow). It is also where you file your flight plan so if anything goes wrong and you don't show up at the predicted times, they know when & where to start searching for you. Theresa then reviewed what we would be doing for the ground reference navigation exercises. Mostly it was about following roads directly above and turning in a big left-handed series of turns to complete a square following four roads picked at random. Then I would try to place the plane 1/2 mile parallel to the roads at 1,000 ft AGL. performing the same square (just 1/2 mile outside).

Walk Around
Again, I was heavily assisted by my instructor to complete the walk around. It went much faster this time. Next time Theresa is going to set it up so I perform the check solo next time. Once that is going well, I can save on instructor time (and cost) by performing the walk-around before the instructor shows up.

Flight 3, Lesson 2
Theresa helped me perform the start-up check list and then we were ready to taxi to the runway. A quick visual check of the windsock, and we were off to runway 26. I'm getting better at taxiing, though I'm still tending to ride the brakes a bit. Theresa helped me with the run-up and take-off checklists once more. Then we were taxiing to the hold line - Theresa is still handling all the radio chatter between us and VUO or PDX.

I got to takeoff unassisted again. Everything seemed to go a bit smoother this time. Nice take off and we were heading north. The fog was starting to move into the area, so we headed north a bit sooner than usual. Theresa had me start by lining up over I-5. Once we were far enough north, we started the ground ref. nav. - doing a series of left hand turns (it's easier cause that's the pilots side window), following roads that continued to the horizon as much as possible. The key is not to spend too much time staring at the ground, but translating the ground info out to the horizon when possible.

There is a lot to keep track of, and maintaining a steady altitude during all the turns proved to be the big challenge. By the time we were headed back to Pearson, I had stopped drifting out of my assigned altitude during turns.

Theresa also spent a fair amount of time showing me different references to see the wind speed and direction - steam from smokestacks being the best.

As we approached Pearson Field, I needed to line the aircraft up one-half mile off to the north. We have a great visual reference in a water tower that lies 1/2 mile off center and is very hard to miss. Once we are parallel to the end of the runway, we decelerated and began our slow turning decent to the runway. Once we were less than a 1/4 mile out, Theresa took control and brought us in for a landing.

Next Lesson
Theresa said that next time we will be doing circles and s-turns as we continue ground reference navigation. Landings are still a few lessons away.

Hours of flight logged this lesson: 0.9 Dual Received (DR)
Cost of this flight lesson: $141.71

Second Flight, First Real Lesson

Today was my first real full lesson and I scheduled a 2 hour block of time with my flight instructor. I'm continuing my training with Theresa and she is now my official instructor. This was also my first official plane rental which took at little extra time...but now I'm in the system it will be painless from now on, especially now that I have access to the online scheduling system for renting planes and instruction times. Before we checked out our C-150, Theresa showed me how to review the maintenance logs to see if there were potential problems with the plane that would make if unsuitable for training flights...we're all good.

Restricted airspace around PDX.

Pre-flight Briefing
We reviewed the navigation map and discussed today's flight plan. Being as close as we are to Portland International Airport (PDX), flight is very restricted. It's all about altitude. On the map to the right you can see 2 concentric circles; the inner circle belongs to PDX from the surface up to 4,000 ft. The little pie shaped wedge in the NW quadrant is the airspace exception for Pearson (VUO) up to 1,100 ft. PDX owns the outer NW quadrant from 1,800 ft to 4,000 ft. Outside the circle is unrestricted air space. Theresa uses Vancouver Lake and a distinct pair of  lakes as markers for elevation restrictions on NW departures and approaches. We talked a bit about the pre-flight walk around we would perform to ready the plane for flight. Mostly to advise me that the check list provided for the walk around is not well organized and Theresa suggested I create my own version of the check list to make it more efficient and better suited to my own personal quirks.

Today's Cessna 150.

Walk Around
We headed out to the tarmac to inspect our aircraft. Normally, a walk-around will take around 15 minutes, today was my first, so it took about 45 minutes to complete the walk-around this time. We use a little half-sheet sized check sheet to guide us around the eight general check points.

The cabin well.

First stop is the cabin. After stashing our stuff behind the seats, we begin our inspection. We're checking to see if the seat rails are clear and there is nothing loose rolling around on the floor of the cabin that might interfere (we found an empty coffee cup). Same check of the pedal area. Turned on the Master Switch and checked that the gauges were working and lowered the flaps all the way. Turned on all of the navigation lights and walked around the entire aircraft, making sure they were all working properly.

The rudder actuator.

Second check point is the tail or empennage (is that French for ass-end?). As we walk towards the tail we're looking for popped rivets or lose screws on inspection panels. After untying the tail tie-down, we inspect the control surfaces, by simply grabbing hold a moving them through their full range of motion. We are looking for any binding or other interference with smooth movement. We check the connections and actuators to see if everything is bolted and secured.

Spill test. Note water puddled in the
middle...not what you want to see.

Third and fourth inspection points are the trailing edge and leading edge of the right wing. After disconnecting the tail tie-down, we inspect the right flap by making sure it is locked in place and don't move in the direction of airflow when you push on it. We also inspected all of the connection points, piano hinges in this case, and the actuator to see if was binding.  Next is the aileron, same connection checks as the flaps, but this time also inspecting the full range of motion (grabbing and moving by hand). We inspected the wingtip light fixture. Moving around to the lead edge, looking for fresh damage.We used a special cup and drained a small amount fuel from the bottom of the wing tank to see if it was contaminated in any way.

Very simple dipstick for checking
fuel quantity.

The aviation fuel is tinted blue, if other fuel types are mixed it changes to clear. Water being heavier than aviation fuel, you would see a layer of water under the layer of fuel. Theresa added some water so I could see how it's not supposed to look. Another option is to drain some fuel onto the tarmack and check for water in the fuel that way. We checked the amount of fuel in the wing tank, as we need to make sure we over 1/2 full before flying. The right wheel assembly wraps up this inspection point. Tire wear and pressure, brake pads, rotor and finally the bolt holding the wheel on.

The engine...well the back of it.
Mostly avionics leads and the
battery and oil cap/dipstick.

Fifth inspection point is the nose. Popping open a tiny little hood panel on the engine, we check oil and drain the fuel strainer...plus lots of looking around for loose leads and wires. After checking the engine cowling, we "petted" the propeller, as Theresa likes to put it. Inspecting the leading edge for nicks or cracks by rubbing the palm of the hand along the length of it (its all covered in bugs too, ew!), then rubbing the palm of the hand along the back side of the blade, looking for the same. Inspecting the spinner (the cone that covers the prop mount) for secure connections and the air filter for debris. Finishing with the nose wheel: tire wear, tire pressure and checking the shimmy suppressor - a device that stops the front wheel from performing like a busted shopping cart.

Final inspection points are the left wing leading, trailing edges. Essentially the same as the right wing inspection with the addition of checking the air speed indicator pitot, the stall warning (a whistle that blows when air is moving the wrong way over the wing), and the fuel vent opening.

Flight Number 2
We climbed in and ran through the pre-flight and start check lists which I'll detail in future posts. After checking the wind sock to see which runway to use it was time to start driving. I taxied to runway 8, which was kinda hard. The steering is all feet and so are the brakes, it is not easy to get used to, that's for sure. I even rode one wheel into the grass on my way. Theresa says it only takes a few times to get used to it...I hope that's true.

Stopping in the staging area, we performed the Run-Up and Pre-Takeoff check lists. I taxied onto the runway and realized Theresa was going to let me take-off. Oh boy. Afterwards I can see why...take-off is really easy. No hands even. Just steering with the rudder pedals and a slight pull back on the yoke when it gets to 50 mph or so. The trim setting just lifts the aircraft gently at the correct angle.

Our flight took us out towards Scappoose again and I was at the controls almost the entire time. Theresa ran me through some Pitch, Power and Trim exercises. We buzzed the air field at Woodland and I practiced a few rudder assisted turns, but as our inspection was so long this time, we were soon headed back to the barn.

Theresa has been getting me familiarized with all the landmark references that pilots use for visual navigation all the time we've been flying. To approach runway 8, I simply followed railroad tracks right to the runway...nice and easy. Theresa walked me through the approach and I was hands on all the way in until we were just about to land, then she was in control and landed the aircraft. I would guess that during the entire ~50 minute flight, Theresa had the controls for barely more than a minute - I was in control the rest of the time; that's why there aren't any pictures after the walk-around - I was too busy flying!

Afterwards I purchased my own C150 Aircraft Check List ($8.00) and current aeronautical map ($9.75). Now I can practice some of this stuff on my home simulator.

Hours of flight logged this lesson: 0.8 Dual Received (DR)
Cost of this flight lesson, checklist and map: $158.22

First Flight, First Post

So yesterday, after many years of procrastination, I took my first flight lesson. It is something I have wanted to do my entire life. I've always had a big fascination with planes, especially historic WWI & WWII fighters and the like. I've been to airshows and air museums, I love movies and videos games that involve air combat and even built scale models for a while. But now, I'm doing it for realz.

Sunday morning: excitement turns to frustration as the instructor calls me 15 minutes before scheduled flight time to say the weather is too bad for an introductory flight and we postponed the lesson 24 hours.

Theresa fuels our Cessna 150

The next morning I arrived at historic Pearson Field Airport, the longest continuously operating airfield in the US, to take my lesson. My instructor, Theresa Nelson, pulled our Cessna 150, up to the fuel pumps outside the office and I walked on out to get in. The cockpit looked SO small. A C150 is a tiny little aircraft. After fueling, we pushed it back outside the safety circle around the fuel pumps...the plane is really light too. I was starting to get nervous. I was expecting the aircraft to be a little more, well...substantial.

The tiny looking cockpit

I got my headset on and Theresa fired up the engine. We went through the engine pre-flight and started taxiing to the runway. Theresa surprised me by letting me taxi for a short distance, steering with the rudder/brake pedals.

We stopped at the hold-line and checked to make sure no one was on final approach. Then we were in position on the centerline, applying full throttle...the C150 is light and starts lifting at 45 mph...and in no time at all we're airborne. We turned around downtown Vancouver and Theresa flew us right over my house...I was so excited I forgot to snap a photo. You see, I live around six blocks from Pearson Field and one of the approaches takes small aircraft over my house all day long...it's parallel to the airfield and is the point where pilots cut throttle and begin to apply flaps, starting their slow turning descent towards the runway.

Flying over Clark College

We then turned NW towards Vancouver Lake and Sacappoose beyond. Theresa let me take the yoke and start piloting the aircraft all by my lonesome. She showed me how to trim the aircraft so it would fly level when you let go of the yoke. I then climbed to 1,500 feet, leveled out, trimmed the aircraft and flew along for a while. As we were getting ready to turn around, Theresa started showing me how to make neater turns using the rudder. I then turned us back towards Vancouver Lake and the airfield and began descending to1,000 feet. After passing over the lake, Theresa took the controls and we got ready to start our approach. Now I could finally take a moment to a snap a photo.

We came in for a smooth landing and taxied over to where the planes are parked next to the hangers. Theresa  demonstrated how to tie the knots on the tie-down ropes. Remember, the C150 starts flying at 45 mph, so a strong gust could flip all the planes on the tarmac if they weren't tied down. There is also a pin-lock on the yoke to keep the ailerons from flapping in the wind.

My Pilot's Logbook

Theresa filled out the first entry in my new Pilot Logbook ($13.49) and explained my next steps. So from here on out, it's mostly all about the flying. Each lesson currently costs around $180 (cost goes up a bit as the planes get bigger) and will  result in approximately one and a half hours of logged flight time. Today's intro flight was $65 and lasted just over a half hour. It takes around 12 to 15 hours to be ready to solo. I start the six-week ground school in January at a cost of $520 for course, books and materials. The total cost to get to get the minimum hours required by the FAA (40) for a pilot's license is $5,335. Actual estimated cost is $8,500, more if you take a long time learning stuff. I hope to get a few more flights in before the weather turns too ugly and then will resume flying in the spring after completing ground school.

Update: Next flight scheduled for 8:30am this coming Thursday...I think I got the bug!

Hours of flight logged this lesson: 0.6 Dual Received (DR)
Cost of this flight lesson and logbook: $79.60