CJ Rader
Pre-takeoff checklist
Well, I just completed my first solo flight.. My adventure started back in late September 2017. I work full time, and between that schedule and the weather dumping on some of my scheduled flying days (and/or giving me extra special bonus experience in x-wind landings), I finally arrived at the fateful 'first solo' moment, yesterday. I'm one of those people, maybe there are several, who actually felt trepidation at the thought of my instructor exiting the airplane and leaving me with it. Some can't wait to kick their CFI out of the airplane, I hear. I, on the other hand, have been quite content to have him in my ear and in the right-hand seat. For one thing, he's a Navy pilot and I always feel completely safe in the air with that guy, and secondly, he's just a lot of fun to fly with. In any case, once he exited the airplane after three landings with me, and there was no one to rely on but me, myself, and the tower, a funny thing happened: Everything sharpened up. I kept an almost constant step by step monologue going with each of my three landings (Yes, I was talking to myself), and they were among the best of my some 80+ landings thus far. My CFI asked me if it was anticlimactic after all was said and done. I told him I was glad it wasn't climactic to begin with as that would imply there was drama, and I was looking for drama-free, by-the-numbers takeoffs and landings... No white knuckle, edge of seat experiences please. Anyway, it's the end of the beginning, I suppose. The adventure continues..
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