We departed Carrollton late in the afternoon, around 5:30 and the afternoon sun was already getting somewhat low in the sky.  When we departed Auburn, it was about 6:15 or so.  After getting out and stretching our legs for a bit it was almost 7:00PM we we departed Columbus.  When reviewing the GoPro footage I found that the camera had an excellent view of the plane’s shadow as we took off at each airport.  The GoPro footage is always somewhat of a surprise, since I don’t have the LCD back to line up the camera angle.  This footage seemed to captivate me for some reason.  It was fascinating comparing the various takeoffs and shadows as the sun dropped lower towards the horizon.  I put the three departures together in this short highlight video:

My intention was to fly the first leg of my cross country at 4500 feet.  However, as I climbed towards my intended altitude, I noticed a scattered layer of clouds was quickly approaching.  I leveled at 3500 until I was clear of the clouds and resumed climbing to 4500.  I attempted to obtain flight following from Birmingham approach, but I wasn’t in their radar coverage, so they instructed me to squawk VFR.  Not a big deal, I was just hoping to get more ATC communication in since I wasn’t flying to a towered airport on this trip.

After preflighting the plane and filling up with fuel, we reviewed my route plan and prepared to depart. We recently had a fuel trailer setup for 100LL to fuel Big Red and the other piston planes that reside in the hangar.  This is a HUGE benefit.  While it’s not terribly inconvenient to fill up at the FBO, it does add time when taxiing down to the pump and back, especially when runway 17 is in use.  The hangar we utilize is at the departure end of Rwy 17.  Now I don’t have to cross my fingers when checking the fuel quantity (hoping I won’t have to fill up), because the pump is now right next to the plane.

After topping off the tanks, we departed runway 17 to the southwest headed for Auburn University Airport (KAUO). The trip down to Auburn had quite a few checkpoints that were easily  identifiable on the sectional chart.  In addition we were backing up the pilotage and dead reckoning with GPS navigation via a Garmin 496.  It was nice to have the GPS to cross check against, but I was careful not to look at it first and tried to utilize it only for verification of our heading and/or landmarks.  We contacted Atlanta approach and obtained flight following enroute.  It was good to once again get some practice  with ATC radio communications. We notified ATC when we had Auburn in sight, squawked VFR and prepared to land. This preparation included obtaining AWOS information. We also attempted to contact UNICOM for airport advisories, but didn’t receive a reply. There was no traffic in the area to identify the runway in use, so we chose to land on runway 18.  This is the runway we were lined up, but rather than doing a straight in final, we circled out and entered the pattern, making left traffic for runway 18.

We continued to discuss the features of the Garmin 496 for identifying landmarks, updating direct to headings and locating the nearest airports. As we flew a straight in approach to Carrollton, I did get too low a bit early, but was able to make a correction and get back on the glide slope.  **Side note:  During my excitement of being back in Big Red and about to fly a XC, I forgot to power on my primary camera – the Nflightcam+.  So I didn’t capture any over the nose video, GPS data or cockpit audio during this trip.  I still have two other angles for most of the trip, so the video is somewhat salvageable.** Here is where I really wish I’d had been recording with my primary camera – as we approached KCTJ, the sun was dipping below the horizon, so my instructor asked me give the mic seven quick clicks.  At first I thought I hadn’t done it quickly enough, but then it happened.  The runway lights faded on.  What a beautiful sight!  A great way to end a great afternoon of flying!

needed to continue familiarizing myself with the C150.  After preflighting, getting my cameras setup, etc. I called clear prop, mags on and hit the starter – “click.”  I removed the key, my CFI got out and put a few turns on the prop to try again. Click

click.  Nothing.  This is currently the only 150 in service in Newnan, so the outlook for flying was pretty grim.  My CFI mentioned that we could go inside, discuss airspace, etc., but I had taken off from work early, driven all that way – I wanted to fly.

The flight school also has operations in Peachtree City (KFFC), so we headed there to hop into a Cessna 152.  With the clouds still low, we mainly worked on takeoffs, landings, and pattern work.  Being used to the Tri-Pacer and power off 180 landings, I was flying the pattern pretty tight, which compressed my time to configure the plane for landing.  Each time we took off I tried to work on widening the pattern a bit to give myself more time.  We had a good bit of crosswind too, so I got several x-wind takeoffs and landings in.  Each time they got a little better.

I spent more time driving than I did flying and didn’t get as much flight time in as I had hoped.  I still feel like it was beneficial and that I am continuing to gain valuable experience in the Cessnas.

The flight went fairly well for a refresher.  There is a noticeable power difference between the Tri-Pacer I’ve been training in and the 150.  It took a good bit longer to build airspeed in the 150.  However, once we lifted off, the C150 proved to be very responsive.  As much as I like the overhead trim crank in the Tri-Pacer, the trim wheel in the Cessna is much easier to manage.  I do prefer the manual flaps in the Piper, compared to the electric, but I’m still getting used to to them so I’ll see how that goes.  The glide ratio is much better in the 150 as well.  While practicing emergency procedures, I noticed more decision making time after trimming for best glide.  The 150 also seemed to set down softer on landing than the Tri-Pacer.

For a first flight in the 150 I think it went well.  I’m hoping to fly a lot more often in Newnan when our family soccer schedule lightens up a little.  I’ve found that I will need to use any available time between flights to brush up on my ground school knowledge as well, since the training will be more compressed.  My CFI said once we go over ground reference maneuvers, more emergency procedures and get some landings in, he’ll go ahead an solo me in the 150 pretty quickly.  I’m looking forward to that, but more so to the XC flying that will follow.

On my birthday Falcon announced their “Limited” special,  a promotion that they run twice a year to attract students and keep their instructors booked.  I figured this couldn’t be a coincidence.  When I began training last fall, I had a loose goal of earning my certificate by my birthday.  Well that didn’t happen, but maybe it’s the sign of a fresh start.  I still intend to fly with my current CFI, get a new solo endorsement for and maintain currency in the Tri-Pacer.  I feel that the availability of planes and instructors at the flight school aligns well with my timeline and completion goals and is the right choice for me at this point.

So here I am, 14.3 hours in my logbook and transitioning to a flight school.  I chose their more cost-effective “basic” program, and will be flying Cessna 150/152′s.  I’ve already been assigned access to the the MyFBO system that the academy uses for scheduling.  Once I receive my instructor assignment, I’m going to start scheduling away. I hope to get a few lessons in this weekend.  That’s something that I haven’t said in quite a while and it feels good.  I’m excited to be making progress.

The morning of this flight my nephew flew a XC up to Chattanooga, TN in Big Red.  After I saw a photo of 10Z parked at TAC Air in Chattanooga, I was itching to fly.  The weather was still perfect late in the afternoon, so I headed to the airport after work.  With the weather so beautiful, the airport was buzzing with people.  There were people taking off, guys hangar flying on the ramp, and planes lining up for fuel.

After adding a little fuel to the tanks, I departed runway 35, and picked up my heading for Paulding Co.  Visibility was excellent and I was immediately able to pick out my visual checkpoints along the way.  With my kneeboard in place and my frequencies lined up, I was able to stay ahead of the plane much better than my first XC flight.  About 10 miles out from Paulding Co, I made my initial call on the CTAF to announce my intentions.  There was other inbound traffic in the area and we stated our locations very specifically until we spotted each other.  I followed the traffic into the pattern and made left traffic for runway 31.

The winds were 360 @ 6kts, giving me a slight crosswind on runway 31.  However, the terrain at Paulding Co seems to intensify these seemingly mild crosswinds somewhere between 50-100ft above the ground.  The first landing wasn’t that great, hopping just a little on the runway.  I had already planned to taxi back on my first landing and decided I would try a touch and go landing this time around.  The second cross wind landing was better, but not great.  I was able to maintain the touch and go and decided to try one last touch and go before departing for home.  The third attempt was much better.  The landing wasn’t the softest and I was a little off center, but my upwind main touched down first, followed by the left and then the nose. At least I’m making progress.

After feeling a little better that my cross wind landings were improving, I departed to the south and headed for KCTJ.  About half way home, I turned back over to the CTAF frequency for West Ga, which had a good bit of traffic now.  I announced my location and intentions to land on 35 at 10 miles and 6 miles out to keep departing traffic informed.  There was a Cub doing touch and go’s in the grass beside runway 35 that fell in behind me in the pattern.  We played chase in the pattern for five touch and go’s before I finally made a full stop.  As I taxied back to the hangar, the Cub performed another touch and go along side me in the grass.  I grabbed my GoPro camera and moved it to the other side of the plane just in time to catch him coming in.

As always, it was an incredible day of flying, made even more fun by the incredible weather and the sight of other aviators enjoying the day. I really enjoyed my first solo cross country. And while it was only a short hop, I consider it a success. I was able to uneventfully navigate and fly directly to another airport and back.  I’m looking forward to my next dual XC flight, which I am already planning.

We planned the flight manually using a sectional chart, plotter and E6-B, making calculations and completing a VFR flight planning sheet.  We also verified our information with FltPlan.com. I was happy to see that my calculations were almost exactly what the online/automated planning stated.  I was even happier when I discovered our actual flight times were within about a minute of what we had calculated.  All of this helped to verify the ground learning I have been working on.  However, there’s no way to replicate how hectic it can be to divide attention in the cockpit and stay ahead of the plane while in flight.  I’m sure like everything else in my training, this will become easier with time and experience, but for this flight I had my hands pretty full and was just short of being overwhelmed.

Mcminn (25A) - Click to view larger

Right as I began to rotate on takeoff, we were hit with a pretty hairy crosswind that seriously weather vaned Big Red.  After the initial shock, I was able to make corrections to get us back over the runway centerline.  I think my CFI got a kick out of it. Oddly enough, it didn’t bother me as long as I thought it would and I was able to let it go.  The flight to 25A (Mcminn) was pretty uneventful, which was a good thing.  We worked on pilotage and ded reckoning, constantly identifying and cross checking visual references with the sectional chart.  I’m learning more and more what will appear on the chart and what I can’t count on as a visual reference.  Arriving at 25A, we almost incorrectly identified Mcminn as a closed airport that was just prior to our checkpoint.  However, upon noticing the closure, we immediately spotted Mcminn and proceded on course until we were abeam the airport.  The we changed course for our second leg.

There were many more identifiable landmarks on the chart between 25A and Gadsden (KGAD). Major highways, lakes, rivers and towns all helped to confirm that were indeed on course.  After reviewing the airport information and obtaining AWOS for Gadsden, we had chosen to land on runway 34.  Once we tuned to the CTAF for Gadsden, we learned another pilot was lining up on 26 for departure, so we announced our change of plans and made traffic for 26. The winds were 300@06, so we had a crosswind element on either runway.  I misjudged the wind a bit and drifted off the center line just a touch and then proceeded to plunk down pretty firm on the landing.  Fortunately, this was a stop and go, so I had plenty of time to take a breather as we taxied back and discussed how to improve on my x-wind landings.  I was also able to redeem myself with a good crosswind takeoff.

Northeast Alabama Regional (GAD)

We did a touch and go prior to departing KGAD for home.  As we exited the pattern, we tuned in the VOR frequency for Gadsden to do a little radio navigation.  We were able to follow the radial a little over halfway back to Carrollton, before we lost the signal.  Our intention was to do some radio work as well.  We contacted Atlanta approach to request radar services, but were too far out to be picked up.  By the time we were close enough, we had CTJ in sight and notified approach that we would not be needed radar after all.

Back at KCTJ, there was a slight crosswind as we approached runway 35 for landing.  The wind was almost right down the runway, but something about trying to correct for it just messed me up.  I did touch down with the upwind wheel first, but I also managed to bounce the nose wheel and then wheelie a bit before fully setting it down.  Again, my crosswind landings really need some work.

All in all it was a great day of flying.  I really like XC flying, although the work in the air is a lot more to think about than I had anticipated.  My goal for our next XC  will be to focus on staying ahead of the plane, tracking my visual checkpoints and keeping AWOS/ATIS and the next communication frequency queued up in the radios.  Now that I know what to look for and how it all feels, I’m hoping this will be a little easier task next time.

After discussing pilotage and ded reckoning on the ground, we departed KCTJ to the east and then flew north, meeting up with Interstate-20.  We would follow I-20 until we spotted FTY.  He immediately put me on the radio, coaching me before each transmission.  As with most everything else in my training thus far, the radio work wasn’t nearly as intimidated as I had anticipated.  It seemed no harder than communicating on the CTAF at CTJ, just different.  Actually, I felt that it became somewhat easier, once I started getting used to it.  You don’t have to worry if you’re doing the right thing or not – you make a request, listen for the response and then acknowledge.  It sounds very basic when you break it down, and for the most part it is.

KFTY Runway 26

It was pretty awesome to fly away from my local airport.  This is what it’s all about.  Flying towards the skyline of Atlanta on a very clear day is quite an experience too.  Yes, I’ve done it before, both on commercial flights and in GA planes.  However, when you are behind the controls, it’s a new and totally different experience.  We did a full stop / taxi back after our first landing.  Brian wanted me to see the airport signage, etc. at a larger airport.  It also helped to hear ground communications with the tower as well. After being cleared for takeoff, we requested a touch and go before departing back to the west.

Stockmar (20GA) Runway 28

After departing Fulton Co, we headed towards Stockmar (20GA), a small airport that was on the way back home.  This airport has a 4500×50 runway, which is much narrower than I’m used to.  My home runway is 5503×100 and I had just landed on runway 26 at Fulton Co, which is 5796×100.  Runway length and width play tricks on your mind with regards to perception and I felt like I was about to land on a road.  I wound up landing a little long on my first attempt.  We back taxied and then prepared to depart for a touch and go. While taxiing back on the runway we saw a Tri-Pacer on the ramp.  It had an inverted paint scheme to ours.  It was very neat to see a fellow Tri-Pacer in the area.  In the runup area there was a sign with traffic pattern information, etc.  We realized that we should have made right traffic for runway 28, and prepared to do so on the touch and go.  This was my first attempt at making right traffic, but again – not a big deal.

KPUJ Runway 31

After departing Stockmar, we headed north to Paulding Northwest Atlanta Airport.  This is a very nice, relatively new airport located 20nm northeast of KCTJ.  We made a full stop and headed into the FBO to grab a quick drink.  We met the guy on duty at the FBO and talked for a little bit.  He asked about my training and offered encouragement.  He seemed genuinely excited to hear about my experience thus far and was eager to boost my confidence as I continue in my training.  To me, this is what it’s all about.  Getting out, going places and meeting people.  This day of flying has been the most fun I’ve had since my solo flight.  I was quick to tell my CFI that too.  I wanted him to know that this type of flying has gotten me even more fired up about my training and that I’m ready to keep pressing on.

When we arrived back at KCTJ, we were “fortunate” to be able to execute a crosswind landing.  Yet another first in a day of firsts for me.  It wasn’t pretty and I could’ve used a little more aileron, but I got us safely on the ground and practiced crosswind and quartering wind taxi techniques as well.  What a day!

While this lesson was filled with a lot of excitement and “firsts,” it wasn’t without its share of mistakes.  Albeit my first time on the radio with Atlanta approach and a control tower, I still need a lot of work making sure my calls and the information they contain are accurate.  When I first announced our position to approach, I accidentally stated we were NW, when in fact we were NE – even after my CFI had prepped me twice with NE.  Not a big deal, and I did correct myself, but something that needs to be right the first time.  I also need learn when I must read back info and when it’s ok to just confirm with our tail number.  My calls could use some brevity as well.  I’m certainly not stressing over these types of things right now.  This was my first attempt.  Experience will nail the little things down for me.  And now I’m looking more forward to the experience that ever!

Review:

• Soft field takeoff
• Short field takeoff

Introduced:

• Pilotage
• Cross country flight
• Towered airport communications
• Right traffic pattern
• Crosswind landing
• Taxiing with Tail/Cross/Quartering winds

Total Hours: 11.9

Under the wing of "Big Red" as the sun prepares to set. Click for a larger view

I especially like the short field landings.  Honestly I believe it is because they are so different from my normal landings. When practicing clearing obstacles, the approach speed is a good bit slower than what I’ve been used to, and the approach angle is obviously steeper.  I have been pulling engine power for my normal landings, which is also good practice for emergency landings with an engine failure. For that reason, I’ve been maintaining best glide speed, which is almost 20mph faster than the short field landing speed.  This makes landing at a slower speed with power on different than what I’ve been practicing, but a lot of fun.

I wasn’t able to get as much practice in as I’d hoped, because the light began fading on me.   However, it reminded me of how much fun it is to be flying as the sun prepares to set.  It’s hard to beat the views during that golden hour as the warm sunlight kisses across the surface of the earth.  It makes me look forward to cross country and night flying that much more!