 
  
People ask me if I was nervous the first time that I soloed.
My answer is simple - yes and no. Unfortunately, I had confused the time for my
flight lesson that day and thought it wasn't until two hours after the
scheduled time. So when my flight instructor called to find out where I was, I
rushed to the airport. I was in such a hurry after getting there that I was
practically thrown in the plane without even having time to think.
I went through the steps by myself (just as I would if my
instructor had been there) and taxied the plane up to the runway. There wasn't
a breath of wind in the sky. I received clearance for takeoff, brought the
throttle up, and slowly lifted off the ground. It wasn't until I was a few
hundred feet in the air that I looked over to the passenger seat and thought to
myself, "There's no one there!"
That thought stayed with me for just a few moments, because
I knew I couldn't let my fear overwhelm me. I also had more important things to
think about, such as safely landing this plane.
When I looked back, I glanced at the altimeter. That's when
I realized I was more that 200 ft. above where I was supposed to level off.
That alone was enough to snap me back to reality. Quickly, I brought the plane
back down to its pattern altitude, all the while turning crosswind and then
downwind approach. You'd be surprised how much faster small planes like the
Cessna 152 ascend when there's one less person aboard.
After that, it was "smooth sailing." I called the tower,
called my downwind, and then started my descent. I came around the last two
turns of base and final. I took the throttle all the way back and the trim all
the way up. The plane practically guided itself into the runway.
It's an amazing feeling to know that you flew an airplane by
yourself and landed safely. Yet it's hard to explain this sensation to those
who have never taken the controls into their own hands. Flying solo opens a
whole new window on the world - that anything is reachable.
Next Entry:
Learning to Fly: Take Your Seat
Previous Entries:
Learning to Fly: Choosing a Plane
Learning to Fly: Ground School
Learning to Fly: Meet Tinypilot18
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Re: Learning to Fly: Going Solo
