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- Monday May 27, 2002 - On My Own Again
One of the main reasons you become a pilot is to fly. One of the
points of success in your training is to fly on your own.
So this morning my task was my first solo away from the airport. I'd
soloed, I'd been up on my own in the pattern and today I got to leave and go
wherever I want (sort of - within normal limitations of safety and the
general training area I knew and the more specific limitation of generally
staying within 25nm of Livermore.
For all the big deal it was this one was anti-climatic. The real
event for me had been the first unattended solo - even if it was in the
pattern. Flying alone was something new - flying out to the San Joaquin
Valley to practice was not.
But I did have a little fun - I swung wide to the West over Pleasanton so
I could circle my home and then went over to the Central Valley over the
hills South of Livermore. I was also in the "new" Warrior with a Garmin
430 color GPS. Maybe a bit too much of a distraction for a new student
pilot but fun nonetheless.
The flying was unremarkable - out over the valley, practice steep turns,
stalls and a sane amount of touch and goes and then back to Livermore.
I did get a nice challenge coming into the field. I was sequencing in
via a right base and there was a Beechcraft Baron on the ILS on long final so
I got #1 for landing but had a "fly fast to the numbers" clearance. So
haul my little Warrior along at 100 kts down to short final and then get it
slowed down sit a lot of flaps and slipping and nailed a perfect short field
and Taxiway C (first taxiway off the big runway past the threshold - always
the acid test of a short landing at Livermore).
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