My quest for my license

Due to the Cherokee being sent in for annual, and being down for up to a month, I have switched to the Skyhawk. It is fresh out of annual so it will be good to go for the rest of my training, and since the weather is improving rapidly I will be doing a lot more training! I have 5 flights scheduled over the next 7 days, the same amount I have in the last 3 months! And the weather looks like it will cooperate for all 5 days.

Anyway today was my first flight in the Skyhawk. First impression: I love it! There are a few annoyances but I like it a bit more than the 140. What we did today was practice slow flight, approaches, and stalls. So basically a review of the last two Cherokee flights to get me used to the plane, and let me tell you, if you can avoid switching planes early in training, DON'T SWITCH! It was like starting over again. I can't hold it level, I can't climb steady, I can't descend steady, stuff that was second nature after 5 flights in the Cherokee. That said, by this time tomorrow I should be caught back up, but it will be about 3 wasted hours. I'm sticking with the Cessna until I solo (I will probably solo before the Cherokee is back anyway)

I like the visibility from the 172, I like the cabin, it's much roomier, much easier to get comfortable. Same thing preflighting, seems to use a little less RPM and fuel (even thought it's the same engine) I don't like the way it stalls, but that's probably just me needing more practice. I LOVE the way it trims, the trim wheel is much more responsive. I HATE the flap "switch" I like the mechanical bar in the Cherokee. "yank" one notch, "yank" two notches, easy. My instructor showed me what happens when you put 40 degrees of flaps in, full throttle, the plane refuses to climb. Said to avoid it if possible, says there is an AD from Cessna advising against it. I like that he shows me this stuff.

Back at it tomorrow! Might go really early to get some calm winds so I can land it. The winds have been really crappy all "spring" around here. I did my first 5 in crosswind in the 140, but today was even worse. I did one approach and he said "uhh, lets go around" The winds switched 90 degrees and doubled from the time we took off so we just headed back to BQR. My stomach was a little upset too, like after my first flight.

Total time: 8.5hrs
Aircraft: 1976 Cessna 172M
Route: BQR-GVQ(aborted landing)-BQR
Total time with instructor: 2:30
Billed instructor time: 2:00
Hobbs time 1.4hrs
Tach time 1.0hrs
Fuel used 8.3g
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
FTFY...:wink2:

Isn't that the whole point? To go flying?

(Keep up the good work)
Click to expand...

Yeah, flying anything is better than flying nothing! It's just I was a little frustrated, it felt like my first flight all over again, but I didn't have a choice.
 
Wow, what a difference a day makes! Today was much much better, I felt like I was caught up, we spent almost 2 hours flying today. I feel lucky to have a patient, skilled, and flexible instructor. If I say I'm not comfortable and want to re-do or don't understand what he's trying to show me, he has no trouble letting me redo it, and he can explain it in multiple ways. Today we went up and re-did some more maneuvers in the new plane, steep turns, and ground reference maneuvers (S-turns, turns around a point) Those we did in the Cherokee but on a pretty calm day so I had a bit of trouble with them. good wind at altitude today, really showed how bad I suck at those, I still need practice at those (except the steep turns, those are even easier than the Cherokee).

Then we did some more slow flight which I had trouble with yesterday. The air was much more stable and I was able to get the pitch, power, trim right much more quickly. Then it was time for landings! I did 3 at KGVQ (5500x100) first two were not very good, my approach was good, the flare point wasn't had to have a little help there, the last one he did an experiment. He took the throttle and had me feel out the flare point and hold the plane off the runway as long as I could, he kept playing with the throttle letting me feel it out, rise, drop, rise, then finally cut it and land. With a runway that long it really helped. My final landing at KBQR (3200x75) was pretty decent, landed on all three wheels though, kerplunk! So lots of work to go but I feel I made much more progress today, I felt much more comfortable in the plane.

We had a working camera today so video will follow in a couple hours. We used his camera which is the Sporty's cockpit camera

http://www.sportys.com/PilotShop/product/15727

Video looks great but the prop is distorted, something my T2i doesn't do. Audio sounds great, better than my T2i. The T2i takes awesome video but it's a pain to set up, and I can't record a whole flight with it.

Total time: 10.4hrs
Aircraft: 1976 Cessna 172M
Route: BQR-GVQ(3 landings)-BQR(1 landing)
Total time with instructor: 3:00
Billed instructor time: 2:30
Hobbs time 1.9hrs
Tach time 1.4hrs
Fuel used 9.92g
 
Cessna or Piper - they both fly like airplanes. They may feel a little different but you'll adjust quickly.
Major differences are primarily on the takeoff and landing phases due to the difference in ground effect and the sight picture.
 
Short videos, first video just shows a takeoff, me flying over my sister (over 1000' agl of course, and under Buffalo class C, not a lot of room there) and the first landing in the 172, second video is my instructor trying an experiment, he uses the throttle while I try and keep the plane off the runway, I wasn't completely successful but the exercise really helped me get a feel for the flare point. And it also shows my 4th landing of the day back at our home airport KBQR, it was a tripod landing, not very good, all 3 wheels down at once then the left wheel was up in the air for awhile. Kinda windy but only 20-30 degrees crosswind today.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150164183281486

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150164222266486


 
Making progress today, 3rd flight in 5 days, 2 more the next two days to come. We worked on landings and pattern flying today, GVQ with a light crosswind and a few touch and goes, 9G3 (Akron) with no crosswind, and back to BQR. The final landing was the first one where I did it totally unassisted, finally! Having some trouble getting the flare point right, got the approach part down pretty well. Had one hard landing, and one balloon landing where my instructor had to add power to soften the touchdown (then told me I better keep my hand on the throttle)

Tomorrow we are going early, and going to IAG for some tower experience, more touch and goes (they are frowned upon at 9G3 and BQR) and a nice long, wide runway where I can work on my flare.

Total time: 12.4hrs
Aircraft: 1976 Cessna 172M
Route: BQR-GVQ(4 landings)-9G3(3 landings)-BQR(1 landing)
Total time with instructor: 3:00
Billed instructor time: 2:45
Hobbs time 2.0hrs
Tach time 1.3hrs
Fuel used 9.89g
 
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Today was similar to yesterday, except as I said we did touch and goes at Niagara Falls INTL/ANG on a 150x9829' runway. Big, long, wide, plenty of time to practice flares, and plenty of time ti get the flaps up and take off again. I think I was making the turn to crosswind before reaching the end of the runway :D Or right about at that point. Also since this was a class D towered airport I got some experience with that. It's kinda nice! Don't have to announce every single turn. Also on the way back Buffalo had us fly directly over the airport, where both runways cross. Just as a USAir 737 was departing below us, very cool to fly over a departing 737.

Getting much more comfortable with the pattern and the approach, still having trouble with the flare point, speed, and holding the nose up high enough. I did 9 landings and only had 2 or 3 I was satisfied with. No hard landings (had one yesterday) and only one balloon. I have them all on video, I will bore you with those in a couple hours.

Tomorrow we are going to Geneseo (D52)! 90x4700' GRASS! Isn't that HUGE for a grass field?

If you are wondering why my videos all seem different, I'm experimenting with 3 different cameras. I used the camera I used on my second flight today, but with an added modification. I taped some ipod headphones to it and plugged that into the intercom. It worked great for approaches and landings, not so great at higher power settings but that wasn't important today. I also used the Sporty's camera, that's not mine, that's my instructors and he's a bit forgetful with charging it. I also used my Canon T2i, that takes beautiful video but it's a PITA to use, gotta keep turning it on and off.

Total time: 14hrs
Aircraft: 1976 Cessna 172M
Route: BQR-IAG(9 landings)-BQR(1 landing)
Total time with instructor: 2:30
Billed instructor time: 2:00
Hobbs time 1.6hrs
Tach time 1.2hrs
Fuel used 8.13g
 
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eMKay said:
Video...Of 10 landings, so you might get bored

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEmycUx5yMM
Click to expand...

Looking pretty good for where you're at in the process! Good job.

Mild critique info for ya, but don't over think this or take it too hard...

The "cocking" of the airplane in the last landing (and others) looks to me like adverse yaw. It's perfectly in time with your largest aileron deflections and goes the opposite way.

Here's a tip for that: As you roll out high on final, get the aircraft lined up with the centerline and fight with your feet to keep the alignment straight down the centerline. Aileron for left right drift.

But try to not let the nose wag back and forth by actively tying the rudder to your centerline angle. If the nose drifts left push it back right with rudder. If right push left.

Add bank if you're sliding downwind.

Yes, you can end up cross-controlled doing this. In normal/light crosswinds you'll be in a slight slip toward the upwind wing. (It will be down.) In fact, it's virtually an automatic crosswind correction slip. Rudder for alignment. Aileron for drift. Whatever it takes.

The main point here is to get your feet involved. If you bank with the aileron you're going to see the nose go the other direction. Press against that wag with your feet (or if you're already holding too much pressure with say your left foot, "pressing" with your right foot is actually releasing some pressure with the left, but you can still envision it as pressing with your right foot, if you catch what I mean here. "More right" of wherever it was when you first saw the nose drift off the straight down the runway angle.

Now that you know you're straight, aileron to "slide over" to the centerline.

Of course when you do that the nose is going to want to move again opposite of the aileron. Don't let it move. React with your feet as soon as you see that nose move left or right.

If you get your feet very involved in your landings you *can* keep the nose pointed straight down the runway. Don't worry if you over-correct at first, just push the other way. As one taildragger instructor told me once, "I don't care if you wag the tail back and forth all the way down final and on the ground as long as you're reacting to every left/right movement of the nose."

Hopefully that makes sense. It's a technique that works for some. Think "nose moves, feet have to move. Nose left, right rudder. Nose right, left rudder.", then just modulate how *hard* to push. The nose wheel airplanes are awfully forgiving of landing them crooked. Don't let it.

Remember also as you slow that the rudder will lose authority due to reduced airflow over the tail. The nose will start to creep left or right and can also dart around as you chop power since there's no prop blast over the tail. Try not to "chop"... Smooth on the power in the flare but sometimes you still need fast corrections. You'll get a feel for it.

I still hear more than one instructor in my head saying, "Fluid, continuous corrections with rudder, aileron, and power." Think speed of control movement. The faster you move the yoke the faster your feet have to move to correct the yaw. The faster you chop power the faster your elevator has to respond to the lack of prop blast.

You'll over-correct like mad at first. That's okay. The more you fight for centerline, airspeed nailed over the numbers, enough aileron to stop any sideways drift, and timing the flare just right, the more experience you'll have in that particular airframe as to just "how much" control pressure to feed in and how fast.

Only one other thought for you. Your instructor is teaching you how to "rescue" landings like number 9. That's good since we all need to know how, but be aware that it can build a bad mental habit. No landing ever has to be accepted (unless you're a glider or out of gas!)... Do not think you have to "salvage" ANY landing.

Be prepared to go-around and 100% committed to do so at any time. Airplane on the runway, wildlife, or even just, "I don't like how this looks, it ballooned bad, let's try this again!" Max power, level off, speed up, retract flaps to appropriate climb flaps, climb.

I think my first CFI might have made me reject number 9. Just for the practice of rejecting the landing and going around.

Really enjoying your videos. I hear my own first CFI's voice in my head talking me through them still, all those years ago.

Your instructor will slowly work up to demanding the nose touches down on the centerline paint. Surprise him with your new fancy footwork. ;) It's looking good. Keep 'er up! Great job!
 
Yeah I haven't been using much rudder on landings yet, adverse yaw makes sense. We practiced a few go-arounds too, at that point we were really working on the flare, if we would have been at our home airport which is only 3200 feet I would have done a go-around, but this is why we went to IAG, to practice the flare, get a feel for what happens a few feet off the runway.
 
Ahh cool beans. I forgot it was edited to remove other stuff.

Use those rudder pedals! You'll like the results! Especially in a "Land-O-Matic" Cessna. Later when/if you transition to something less forgiving it'll pay off in spades.

Point her down the runway with the rudder pedals and "lock it in" and fight to keep it there with no wiggling back and forth. You will quickly see the direct results of aileron input if you're trying to keep the nose exactly pointed at your chosen landing aim point on the windscreen. Move an aileron and the nose will also move. Press on the rudder to stop it and put it back where you want it to be. You are the master of your own control surfaces! The airplane will go where you put it.

Dead bugs or any scratch on the plexiglass that you can see while you're focusing *through* the plexiglas to the aim point will let you see relative motion left/right and up/down (power/pitch). If you're flying something with sparkling clean windows, you can learn to use an extended line off of a bump on the cowl or something easy to line your eyes up with.

Now it's a big video game. Move the spot back to the other spot/line/scratch. Don't let it wander away.

Won't take too long before it's second nature and it won't be a mental wrestling match with your feet.

The flare practice will then also "kick in" and you'll find your brain suddenly tracking all three axes of flight. It's a cool feeling when that all "clicks".

Sounds like your instructor is using "building blocks"... You will get the flare right, then he'll ratchet up the game and demand the airspeed stays nailed all the way from abeam/downwind to landing, then he'll demand centerline landings with no side-loads, then he'll demand you hit a spot you call out 500' up and on final, then you'll start having those sneaky CFI-induced engine failures, and he'll ratchet that up until you can lose an engine on final or downwind and land on a chosen spot on the runway. And you'll do it after a long two-hour cross-country with tons of mental math, watching landmarks, noting times, and perhaps a brain-dulling airport cheeseburger at the far-end! ;)

If you start to get cocky, he might challenge you to a best out of three competition where you owe him his favorite beverage if he does better than you or you don't hit three in a row. (Ha, okay not all instructors do that, but it's fun if you get lucky on a gusty day and "beat the CFI" at their own game... Rare to do that too, so it must be accompanied by appropriate ribbing for the next 24 hours!)

All normal! All good! Keep going up! :D
 
Ask your CFI to show you how to fly the plane straight and level and in shallow turns, using only feet on the rudder and the elevator trim wheel with hands off the yoke - This will jump start your brain into connecting your feet to yaw control...
 
We didn't go to Geneseo today, instead we practiced patterns and landings at Lancaster, today I only needed a bit of help on two of them, and didn't have any adverse yaw issues, didn't need very much rudder either, on a couple he said I was using too much. I kissed the runway early a couple times but I'm getting the flare point right, and getting the nose on the centerline a little better, ballooning much less than yesterday. The pattern at Lancaster is a little tighter than most because of Buffalo, so did the first two with 20 degrees like I was doing yesterday, then did the rest at 30 degrees. Did some steep approaches, some so steep I was at idle, probably getting me setup for engine out landings.

I'm almost comfortable in the pattern, still not smooth with the pitch power trim though. Final approach I'm pretty comfortable with, and on the last couple landings he said something clicked in my brain for the flare, guess he means after 35 landings I'm finally getting it right :) I did almost 30 landings in 3 days

Total time: 15.8hrs
Aircraft: 1976 Cessna 172M
Route: BQR-BQR (10 landings)
Total time with instructor: 2:30
Billed instructor time: 2:00
Hobbs time 1.8hrs
Tach time 1.0hrs
Fuel used 6.87g
 
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eMKay said:
When choosing between them my instructor says the Cherokee is a bit more difficult to fly, and with the stubby "hershey bar" wing, it likes to drop like a rock when you cut the power. So I chose that one for training because it's a little more difficult to fly.
Click to expand...

I hate dumb CFIs. Yes, Cherokees have higher wing loading. When you pull the power it goes right where you want it, instead of floating all day. If you ever loose an engine, look down. That's where you're landing. You'll never fly an airplane easier to land. Faster too.

Cherokees rule.

Keep up the good work, kid

dontgetcocky.jpg
 
steingar said:
I hate dumb CFIs. Yes, Cherokees have higher wing loading. When you pull the power it goes right where you want it, instead of floating all day. If you ever loose an engine, look down. That's where you're landing. You'll never fly an airplane easier to land. Faster too.

Cherokees rule.

Keep up the good work, kid

dontgetcocky.jpg
Click to expand...


So he's dumb because his opinion is different than yours?

Ok then.
 
Excellent postings eMKay. I think it's a good move taking several days doing back to back lessons so the "landing plateau" occurs over a couple weeks instead of a couple months. If I had it to do over, I would have planned to do the very same thing.

With lessons once every week or two, it took me making 53 landings before my instructor said, "Next calm day, it will be time to solo". That was this past Sunday.

Keep up the good work, and thanks for posting your progress.
 
eMKay said:
So he's dumb because his opinion is different than yours?

Ok then.
Click to expand...

No, he's dumb because he doesn't realize the awesomeness of Cherokees! Fortunately, you've been spared the same hideous fate.

Keep up the good work. Flying season is finally here.
 
steingar said:
No, he's dumb because he doesn't realize the awesomeness of Cherokees! Fortunately, you've been spared the same hideous fate.

Keep up the good work. Flying season is finally here.
Click to expand...

I dunno, I like the Cessna better, but that's compared to a Cherokee 140. We'll see how I like Cherokee's when they let me fly the Archers. Photography is a hobby of mine, so that's another plus for the Cessna.
 
if I'm flying by myself, the pipers win hands down. If I'm going to have even a single passenger cessna takes the cake.

Between the single door, the cramped sportcar type seating, middle PITA trimwheel and lack of ventilation, the pipers can be a pain for passengers; not to mention they can't see that well when the wing is covering what they want to see: The ground.

The cessna wins in all the things I pointed out but I find pipers much more fun to fly and the other things are a huge plus if I'm in the plane solo (the trim wheel, sportscartype seating, etc, etc.
 
The weather has sucked for the last week, missed 5 scheduled flights, but today was a beautiful day. I did 10 more landings, I'm starting to get a feel for the proper flare position and technique, still cannot put together 2 good landings in a row but I'm getting there.

Also today we did some simulated engine outs and go-arounds, and a feel for how far away I can be in the pattern and still make the runway, first one I would have landed on that big white building before the runway, that would have been ok I guess :) Rent a crane, pick it off, no harm done! Second one I was way too high and same for the 3rd one. But on the 3rd one I quickly got the plane trimmed for best glide speed. Just need to get a feel for how it glides and we will practice that at altitude next week. Today I think he just wanted to pull the power on me in the pattern.

So getting better at landing, still lots of work to do to get them perfect, but pretty close to good enough to solo. Monday is my birthday and memorial day, and there is a fly in breakfast at Akron (9G3) he is giving airplane rides, and I'm bringing my wife with me, it will be the first time my wife has been in a small plane, and I will be flying, so that will be just for fun, looking forward to that! We will be in a Cessna 172N, so basically the same thing.

Total time: 17.7hrs
Aircraft: 1976 Cessna 172M
Route: BQR-9G3(9 landings)-BQR (1 landings, 3 simulated engine outs)
Total time with instructor: 2:30
Billed instructor time: 2:30
Hobbs time 1.9hrs
Tach time 1.1hrs
Fuel used 8.7g
 
MKay,

Thanks for the video's! What kind of camera and audio source are you using. The audio comes through real well. If you have already explained this earlier in the thread, I apologize for asking again.

Doc
 
Right now I'm using a Sanyo HD camera with one of my ipod earbuds taped over the microphone. Next flight with be with a GoPro, same audio setup.
 
Today was a great day, my birthday, memorial day, CAP pancake breakfast at Akron (9G3), so my wife and I went there this morning, they were doing airplane rides, $25 per person benefiting charity. My instructor offered me the left seat, and my wife took the rear seat for her first small plane ride ever, and her first time with me flying. We took off from Akron (NY), flew over Dairen Lake (theme park) got to see a town parade from the air too, and landed back at Akron. It was about a 20 minute ride no big deal, but my wife loved it.

Now for the real training flight, which ended up being the longest yet because the weather was so perfect (if a little hot) We went to Batavia (GVQ) and did 2 full stop landings, then some touch and goes, an engine out which I did better on than last week, couple more touch and goes. On one landing I screwed up a bit and did a go-around without my instructors input, he was impressed.

Then we went north to the practice area and practiced some forward slips, showing me how to lose altitude quickly while maintaining speed, first couple I had a tendency to lose too much speed, then I started to get it. I found keeping whatever I was lined up with lined up easy, but there was little wind today.

And then he asked if I wanted to land at Royalton, which is 35x2500, really narrow! As we were approaching he asked "Want me to land so you see what it looks like?" I sad, nah, I got it :) And I did it too. It was like landing on a street. As Jeanie pointed out in the landidns thread I have a tendency to drift left, landing at this airport will help cure it :D

Anyway I did another 10 landings today and he said 6 or 7 were really good, as opposed to 2 or 3 each time before. I also feel a little more comfortable in the flare but still have trouble with the centerline and keeping the nose straight. I had a few side loaded landings today. Vids coming later with the GoPro. Terrible audio though, I have to try something tomorrow to fix that.

Flight 1
Total time:18hrs
Aircraft: 1978 Cessna 172N
Route: 9G3-9G3
Total time with instructor 0:30
Billed instructor time 0 ($25 rides for charity)
Hobbs time: 0.3hrs
Tach time: no idea
Fuel used: not much

Flight 2
Total time: 20.2hrs
Aircraft: 1976 Cessna 172M
Route: BQR-GVQ(9 landings)-9G5(1 landing)-BQR(1 landing)
Total time with instructor: 3:00
Billed instructor time: 2:30
Hobbs time 2.2hrs
Tach time 1.8hrs
Fuel used 12.9g
 
Alright! Instructor says my landings are "good enough" for solo, now we just have to work on crosswind (which we did the first time I did landings) and the engine outs. Today he said all my landings were good except one, and that one isn't that bad. I still need to work on centerline and is anyone ever truly done practicing landings? Nah, didn't think so :)

Today I also managed an engine out landing, on I think my 6th or 7th attempt (3rd today, did a few yesterday and last week) It wasn't pretty, and my instructor though we weren't going to make it, I thought we could, and we did with plenty of room to spare.

I also tried a slip which we did yesterday at altitude, I need more work on those, I tend to lose too much speed, Instructor says I need to pitch forward to keep the speed up and descend (which is the whole point right?) Tomorrow we do more engine out stuff, more slips, and it's supposed to be windy so crosswind landings.

The video and audio is much better today bit my iMovie is having an argument and I can't get it to work. If I do video from the last 2 days will be up later.

Total time: 21.6hrs
Aircraft: 1976 Cessna 172M
Route: BQR-BQR (7 normal landings, 1 engine out landing)
Total time with instructor: 2:00
Billed instructor time: 1:30
Hobbs time 1.4hrs
Tach time 0.8hrs
Fuel used 6.0g
 
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Crappy weather today, shifty, windy, hazy, we did a couple crosswind landings then were going to call it a day because the surface winds were just too unpredictable, but I decided I wanted to work a little on ground reference maneuvers because we barely touched on those, so we did some more S-turns and turns around a point. No reason to do rectangles because that's just flying the pattern and I'm already good at that.

So not really the best day, better weather tomorrow coming so we can pound out some more landings.


Total time: 23.5hrs
Aircraft: 1976 Cessna 172M
Route: BQR-GVQ-BQR (3 crosswind landings)
Total time with instructor: 2:30
Billed instructor time: 2:00
Hobbs time 1.9hrs
Tach time 1.4hrs
Fuel used 11.42g
 
Much better weather today, did a bunch more landings, engine outs, and slips. Approaches are all good, getting the slips down, engine outs and gliding good, still working on the flare. Weather permitting, next week I solo. So look for that post Thursday or Friday.

I have a good video of a no flap slipped landing, the battery died before my best landing to date yet though, that was back at Lancaster, perfect slip, perfect flare, squeaker! First time everything was perfect.

Total time: 25hrs
Aircraft: 1976 Cessna 172M
Route: BQR-9G3-BQR (8 landings, 3 engine outs, 1 resulted in a go-around)
Total time with instructor: 2:00
Billed instructor time: 1:45
Hobbs time 1.5hrs
Tach time 0.9hrs
Fuel used 6.99g
 
Today we did crosswind landings, tried a couple at Lancaster (BQR) but it was just too gusty, did a go around and my instructor decided to call KBUF and see if they could squeeze us in for some touch and goes, so we did 4 on runway 23 with winds from 140 at 10kts, tricky but not too hard on that giant runway, I'm starting to get a feel for it but there is no way I feel comfortable in crosswinds yet. It was fun playing with the jets though, they are a lot easier to see than small planes in the pattern. KBUF was quite busy though, had us do a 360 and a couple really early base turns, all right pattern too so there is something else new I did.

After that we decided to try some more at BQR and the gusts were just too much, I did a couple go arounds then a pretty terrible landing which should have been a go-around. Almost landed on top of a very large turtle, so I bounced and should have firewalled it. My instructor did say my go-around decision making is pretty good though. If the winds are better tomorrow I will solo! The forecast look good (3-6 from 200) but it looked good today too, and wasn't. But I needed crosswind practice and got it, so in the end it was perfect.

Total time: 26.1hrs
Aircraft: 1976 Cessna 172M
Route: BQR-KBUF (4 crosswind touch and goes)-BQR (1 landing, 3 go-arounds)
Total time with instructor: 2:00
Billed instructor time: 1:30
Hobbs time 1.1hrs
Tach time 0.8hrs
Fuel used 6.3g
 
:rockon: SOLO TIME!


Crosswind landings were (are still) my most difficult landing. Learn to stay on the center line. The big runways are forgiving, but you don't want to get complacent. The narrow runways will bite you on a bad crosswind landing.

Once you get decent with cross wind, normal, short, soft, all become a breeze. Then you have to start combining short/cross wind, soft / cross wind. Ooooo the fun continues.
 
Video of a REAL airport :) I fly as a passenger here so often it was an amazing experience to land here, and play with the big boys! I mean I landed at KIAG but that's not the same, class D with 4 or 5 commercial flights a day vs. Class C with 120 or so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdFWdLWDsnY
 
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