D.R.

It was time for an exercise. I wanted to navigate the "old way", by planning a flight, drawing lines on a map, and using dead reckoning and visual landmarks on the ground to get from "Point A to Point B". No GPS for this one. I took off solo from KRYY in a Warrior on a Friday morning to avoid the afternoon CBs. First point was Calhoun (CZL), pretty easy as it is just up I75. Next, over to Dalton (DNN), was a little more difficult. Roads are not as prominent as you might think, and there are a lot of tress out there. Even a little haze makes searching the ground difficult, but after a few long minutes the airport was in sight. Finally, the leg home was along a road, keeping the ridge line on my left an looking for the lake. No problem. Entered with a right downwind to a full stop. In can be done...but it sure is nice to have a moving map

Time = 1.3

T&Gs

The weather stinks. The plan was to go out and tour the local area, but visibility is less then 5 miles in haze, so we won't see too much. Kathy decides she wants to come along, and while she has an anti-airsickness device, I'm skeptical. I love to do Touch and Go's. To me they encompass everything in flying; climb, transitions, and landings. But these are not good for someone prone to air sickness. She did great! Four T&Gs in the Warrior plus the full stop. A nice way to spend a summer evening.

Time = 0.5

Kathy's 2nd

Saturday morning, sunny and dry, with yard work and lots of house work to do. Kathy finally asks;"Can you get the airplane today?" A quick call to the school and I find out that the Warrior is available. Drive over to KRYY and it is really busy. Some Warbirds are in selling rides for a charity. I get the dispatch kit and have her wait in the A/C'd lobby while I do the preflight. I take extra time to brief her on what we will do, what to expect, what things to look for. I also have her read the checklists for me, keeping her involved in the progress of the flight. It is hot!

Taxi checks, run up and take off go fine. Depart to the NW for some simple cruising, and let her fly for a bit. It is going well. Nice easy turns, good horizon, slow climbs and descents. I don't do anything to disturb that inner ear.

Fly over toward Cedartown, where Nate skydives, and listen to CTAF for traffic. No problems, but decide not to risk a T&G, just wander back toward home. All is going real well, she is comfortable, even smiling. Upon contacting the tower I'm told that my traffic is a P51. Can it get better then that? Oh, according to my faded old logbook, her first flight with me was over 31 years ago.

Time = 1.2

Humility

It seemed simple enough. I had been flying a low wing airplane for awhile now, and still liked the round out, transition, and flare that is unique with the wing in ground effect. The weather wasn’t real good, with lots of ‘bumpers’ in the area, so we decided to stay in the pattern and bounce. First one was OK, but the picture wasn’t quite right. Next was left of centerline and fast. It went down hill from there. It just seemed that the airplane was fighting me. I would have a “happy airplane” on base, but turning final things would fall apart. Finally, after numerous attempts, my instructor had pity on the airplane and called it off. Time to try it another day.

Time = 1.2

What happened? A long night flying in my easy chair in front of a silent TV gave me time to replay the flight. First, the pitch was all wrong, because the Tiger is faster and flatter then a Warrior. Second, I was off speed by always coming in too fast. Third, I spotted the deck. I was landing left of CL and in concentrating on that I failed to scan the entire runway prior to the flare.

The first thing I needed to do was go out to the practice area and see a stall. That would help to visualize the correct pitch attitude. Next, I needed to get the basics right. If the approach speed is 74 kts, then don’t fly it at 80 kts. Finally, don’t fixate or ‘spot the deck’. Keep eyes moving all the down the runway.

I got checked out on the next flight without problems…which included a couple of ‘squeakers’.

Time = 1.3

Nate's 1st

The weather has been lousey. Lots of t-storms, normal for summertime in Georgia. We've been weather'd out twice so far, and I'm not sure about today. I've been unable to get into an airplane for more then a week. Nervous, excited, and iffy weather, is not a good recipe for success. Fortunately I get a Pirep from a returning pilot saying that its pretty good to the south and west, just where I want to go. We can at least take a look. We take off about an hour late (fuel and oil) on 09 with a right hand pattern. I tell the tower that we'll stay in the pattern for T&Gs. The first is high and fast (missed) but the next one good. We depart for Cedartown (KCZL) and the weather turns beautiful! We watch a C5 out of Dobbins circle way out in front of us and we bounce just a bit when we pass through his wake. I make a sloppy entry but a nice T&G. Nate is having fun and I feel great. Straight in back at KRYY to a beautiful landing. Kathy is there to welcome us and take some pictures.

Time = 1.2

Solo

This was it. Nervous but confident. The instructor wanted to see some Lazy 8’s and chandelles out in the practice area. I looked up the definitions on AOPA.com, but was unable to visualize exactly what the pilot should see. Slow flight, stalls, and all the procedures to taxi, T.O, depart and enter a controlled field are all easy now. Not perfect, but I am comfortable and confident. It goes well.

Time = 1.2

The next day is my first solo in nearly 25 years. The weather is fine, no problems with the airplane, and I can’t think of a better way to spend a Friday afternoon. I just want to stay in the pattern for T&Gs. My air work is a little sloppy, but head work is fine. It’s peaceful. This is good stuff, its fun.

Time = 0.6

What's New

The first entry in my logbook dates back to the late '60s. I flew a Cherokee 140 and built time in an Aeronca Champion. I think both of those planes are probably still flying. The airplanes I'm flying now date back to the early '80s. Not much new there. ATC really hasn't changed much, TCA's are now Class B and Victor airways are still drawn on the charts.

What has changed is what is in the flight bag. When I walked up to the Champ, I didn't even have a flight bag...didn't need one. The biggest improvement is in headsets. I can actually hear the instructor and the tower, and if needed the navaid dit-dah in the background. It is comfortable to carry on a conversation.

Of course its also nice to have the technomagical stuff like a hand held GPS and Transceiver (just in case...), but by far the biggest improvement in the cockpit are headsets.