Lesson 1 - Discovery Flight

I hesitate to even call this a "lesson," but since my instructor signed my pilot logbook, I suppose it counts towards my 40 hrs required. Honestly, instead of this truly being a lesson, this was a test. A test to myself whether I fully mastered my fear of flying. In truth, I still have some work to do, but looking back I have come a very long way. But rather than rehash my prose on my fear of flying, let's look forward to this interesting adventure.

I finally decided to do it. I've become comfortable flying virtually with FSX on FSMP, and I recently bought airline tickets without an ill feeling, but was I ready? Well, no use paralyzed in anticipation, let's just get on with it.

I scheduled a 30 minute discovery flight with my local FBO for Tuesday, May 6th at 6:00 pm. For the days before, I was watching the weather forecasts like a hawk. I've mused at my past discomfort with turbulent flying, so I really wanted clear weather for my first foray into flight in a single engine piston propeller plane. God instead thought it as an additional trial, as I saw the weather developing for Tuesday, it looked fine for the morning, but deteriorating in the afternoon. About mid afternoon, my CFI Chris gave me a call and wondered if we could move up the flight to 5:15 pm. Due to weather (and his daughter had a soccer game that evening), he wanted to make sure we got off the flight without having to reschedule. Ok, I thought, great! we are going to be racing bad weather, not the start I was looking for.

Finally, the time came around, I raced out of work, eyeing those darkening clouds to the west. I marched myself into the lobby of the FBO, there was Chris waiting and asked... "Are you Dennis?", I replied "Yup!", he said, "Ok, let's go!" Honestly, I was anticipating some more buildup, some time to prepare myself a little more, I didn't expect to walk straight through the lobby and 40 feet directly into a Cessna 172R. I was beginning to freak out a little bit inside, and I wasn't sure if I was experiencing anxiety or excitement. As I started walking to the right side of the plane expecting to be the "passenger," Chris quickly said "Nope, you are the pilot, get yourself in on the left side." He showed me how to open the door, adjust the seat, put on my seat belt, put on my borrowed headphones. Chris explained he already did the pre-flight checklist, and did a very brief introduction to the instruments and controls.

Before, I knew it, Chris was yelling "Clear!" and we were taxing to the runway. Still a bit unnerved, we sat at the run up point short of the takeoff runway. Run up is basically when we hold the plane in place with the brakes and rev the engine, checking to make sure things like manifold pressure, temperature, and RPMs are within tolerances. He also did this check with each of the magnetos (basically spark plugs) running solo. Chris did the final pre-takeoff checklist, we taxied on the runway, and off we went down the runway. Chris explained all propeller planes have a natural tendency to turn in one direction, something I am learning about in ground school study: two I can remember off the top of my head are spiraling slipstream and by newton's laws, when the propeller turns in one direction, the airplane wants to rotate back in the opposite direction. It's amazing I was able to hear anything he was saying since as we began to lift off the ground he said "Ok, you are flying the plane!" I was what!!?? At the time I had probably the most mixed emotion, intense fear trying to overwhelm me as I looked at the departing ground beneath us, but also exciting disbelief, I said to myself two things: "What the heck are you doing up here?" and "I am really doing this, I can't believe I am really doing this!!" Despite Chris said I was flying the plane, I really didn't feel like I was in control, sure the plane rolled when I turned the yoke, and it was climbing with the back pressure I was applying, but it really felt like the plane was flying itself.

So, then Chris said, "Ok, let's head for those rain clouds." Huh!? But! Wha? He explained, when you fly long enough, you will be able to recognize dangerous weather, and it was much wiser to put ourselves between the airport and the rain storm. If we found the weather was rougher than we expected, we simply turn back to the airport. It's much smarter than letting the storm chase you away from a known landing spot! Now we practiced a few turns, which was really neat. My FSX time was prompting me to focus on the instruments instead of looking outside the plane, I have a feeling that is something I will need to work on. After some standard rate 20 deg bank turns, Chris said "Ok, this plane is capable of a lot more." I think if Chris knew me better, he probably would've know that my first discovery flight wasn't the best time to show me the performance limits of the airplane, but as I've learned, that's exactly what my flight training will be focused on. He had me do a 30 degree turn, which I did but I lost some altitude, and he showed me how to compensate with some back pressure on the yoke. Again, all these things should've been very familiar to me from FSX, but there is just too much stimulus coming at you, I forgot most of that stuff. Chris prodded, "Oh, this plane can do a lot more, do you want to try or would you like me to show you?" I timidly replied that he should take the reigns. Chris proceeded to do what seemed to be a 60 deg turn, Wow! The confidence I was building got a little eroded, its an ominous feeling looking straight down at the ground when you are turning, and the G-forces! I actually didn't know what the feeling was and I thought it might be a panic attack or something, when I groaned, Chris replied "Yep, you can feel those G-forces!" Alright, that wasn't my imagination, I was feeling something real!

About now we started hitting some rain, so we turned back toward the airport and starting descending for our first landing. We were a little high, so pitched down, wow is that an intimidating sight, seeing that ground getting closer and closer! We came in for a crosswind landing, which on a high wing plane like a Cessna requires some attention. It felt weird! We dipped our wing into crosswind, landed with the left main wheels first, then let the wind push us onto our right main wheels, then lowered the nose. Wow! But we weren't done yet, he reconfigured the plane for takeoff (adjust trim and retract flaps), and gunned the throttle again, and we were quickly back in the air. We circled to another runway that was more directly into the wind, which changed the landing signficantly, it was much easier. Without having to fight a crosswind, it was a matter of flaring to get the main gear down together first, then lower the nose gear. Chris let me tax back to the FBO hangar; the brakes, rudder, and nose wheel control are all down with pedals on the floor. I didn't have to worry too much about rudder control on this first flight, but its essential to keep your turns coordinated in the longitudinal and vertical axis planes. But I got to work the brakes and nose wheel control to steer the plane on the ground... baby steps!

So, 30 minutes of flight history are behind me. Chris explained that the next logical step would be for me to get my medical certificate. It would be a waste of money to continue to take flying lessons if I have some medical condition that would prevent me from soloing and hence bar me from getting my PPL. I bought a pilot logbook, and he signed it. I plan to put my logbook online too, watch for that shortly.