On Friday, October 23 a lifelong dream of flying a plane alone came true. I had my first solo flight. Since Monday, I've been working towards getting my private pilots license. The first major milestone on this journey is flying solo.
And I did that on Friday. My flying instructor Eric and I started early morning on Friday to fly to Henderson, a towered airport in Las Vegas, a few miles away from Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport.
The FAA requirements for a private pilot license needs 3 solo landings at a towered airport and the closest towered airport to St. George, Utah where I was doing my training was Henderson.
We arrived here at around 12 in the afternoon and had lunch at the airport restaurant. While walking towards the terminal building, we met a few people and realized that there was an accident a couple of hours ago, a mid air collision. One plane made it back to Henderson, and the other made an emergency landing on a dry lake. Not a good omen to start with.
I wasn't too hungry as I had butterflies in my stomach. It all depended on how well I did, whether Eric would allow me to solo. It was a big decision as he was putting his CFI license, his plane, the airport and least of all my life on the line when he signed me off to solo.
We went around the pattern practicing landings and I wasn't doing too well. Some people are born to fly. Some aren't. I was in the latter category. I'm still figuring out what I'm naturally good at. So far I haven't found it. But not having talent has not stopped me earlier and I wasn't about to allow it to stop me this time. I worked hard, did my best and tried to compensate for my lack of talent in other ways, like following a structured and consistent process.
Finally at 1700, Eric said, give me 3 more good landings and I'll allow you to solo. Somehow I managed to pull off 3 decent landings and Eric allowed me to solo. He signed off my logbook, took his radio and walked to the side, so I could takeoff and land.
I was nervous. So nervous that I switched the radio to mute, and could not hear the tower respond to my request for taxiing. Finally I gestured to Eric to come over and he came and corrected my stupidity. I feared he may change his mind about whether I was ready. Luckily he didn't and let me go ahead.
"Henderson Tower, Sky Hawk One Seven Two Charlie Bravo, request taxi to active with Papa", my first nervous words as a single pilot. "One Seven Two Charlie Bravo, taxi to Runway Three Five Left." I repeated the instructions and started taxiing to Runway 35L.
Holding short, I went through my checklist and made my call "Henderson Tower, Sky Hawk One Seven Two Charlie Bravo, holding short Runway Three Five Left, ready for takeoff, request closed traffic". I got the clearance, "172 CB, cleared for takeoff, left closed traffic.".
With sweat on my brow, I started my taxing, lined up, put the throttle to full, and away I went. I rotated at 60 knots and I was airborne. Once that hapenned, it became progressively easier. I made my 3 landings comfortably and picked up Eric, who was relieved that I had survived, and more importantly his plane was intact, to fly another day.
And I did that on Friday. My flying instructor Eric and I started early morning on Friday to fly to Henderson, a towered airport in Las Vegas, a few miles away from Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport.
The FAA requirements for a private pilot license needs 3 solo landings at a towered airport and the closest towered airport to St. George, Utah where I was doing my training was Henderson.
We arrived here at around 12 in the afternoon and had lunch at the airport restaurant. While walking towards the terminal building, we met a few people and realized that there was an accident a couple of hours ago, a mid air collision. One plane made it back to Henderson, and the other made an emergency landing on a dry lake. Not a good omen to start with.
I wasn't too hungry as I had butterflies in my stomach. It all depended on how well I did, whether Eric would allow me to solo. It was a big decision as he was putting his CFI license, his plane, the airport and least of all my life on the line when he signed me off to solo.
We went around the pattern practicing landings and I wasn't doing too well. Some people are born to fly. Some aren't. I was in the latter category. I'm still figuring out what I'm naturally good at. So far I haven't found it. But not having talent has not stopped me earlier and I wasn't about to allow it to stop me this time. I worked hard, did my best and tried to compensate for my lack of talent in other ways, like following a structured and consistent process.
Finally at 1700, Eric said, give me 3 more good landings and I'll allow you to solo. Somehow I managed to pull off 3 decent landings and Eric allowed me to solo. He signed off my logbook, took his radio and walked to the side, so I could takeoff and land.
I was nervous. So nervous that I switched the radio to mute, and could not hear the tower respond to my request for taxiing. Finally I gestured to Eric to come over and he came and corrected my stupidity. I feared he may change his mind about whether I was ready. Luckily he didn't and let me go ahead.
"Henderson Tower, Sky Hawk One Seven Two Charlie Bravo, request taxi to active with Papa", my first nervous words as a single pilot. "One Seven Two Charlie Bravo, taxi to Runway Three Five Left." I repeated the instructions and started taxiing to Runway 35L.
Holding short, I went through my checklist and made my call "Henderson Tower, Sky Hawk One Seven Two Charlie Bravo, holding short Runway Three Five Left, ready for takeoff, request closed traffic". I got the clearance, "172 CB, cleared for takeoff, left closed traffic.".
With sweat on my brow, I started my taxing, lined up, put the throttle to full, and away I went. I rotated at 60 knots and I was airborne. Once that hapenned, it became progressively easier. I made my 3 landings comfortably and picked up Eric, who was relieved that I had survived, and more importantly his plane was intact, to fly another day.
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