I have completed my first solo flight with only 9 hours of dual flight time. It was a very exciting experience. I loved it from the moment the wheels left the ground.
It got even better though.
As soon as I finished my solo, my instructor started preparing me for my first cross-country trip. We would fly to Muncie, IN which is a little over 50 miles away.
I say 'a little over' because the requirements for cross country flight to credit my training is 'a flight of over 50 miles'. Well, on some computers it says 49.5 or so, but if you look on the map and measure the scale, it is a tad over 50 miles. That's good enough for me!
The cross country trip involves a lot of planning. You also have to learn a lot about radio communications. You have to prepare frequencies, load them into your radio (after you find them), file a flight plan (you don't actually HAVE to do that but it's good to know how) and of course, plot your course and calculate how you'll get there.
My instructor taught me how to use 'Dead Reckoning' to keep myself on track and it was a great feeling to figure out what heading to use so that I would be on course.
When the airport appeared in site I was thrilled. I could make it anywhere I thought. After all, most trips like this are actually made up of smaller trips along the way. Unless, of course, you decided to fly to Hawaii. That all pretty much looks like water.
Aside from that though, it's a great feeling to jump from your first solo to calculating and plotting a course to a far off airport, even if it is just a thirty minute flight.
Next week, I'm doing my solo cross country which is 150 nautical miles and entails three stops along the way. Very exciting indeed!
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