Solo!!!!!!

Solo!!!!

No, not Han Solo or Red Solo Cup.

Solo!!!

As in Melissa soloed today in an airplane and lived to tell the tale!

It was a hot and humid day at our fair airport and Melissa and Instructor Cheryl were flying in the pattern at Anoka (KANE). A few WWII planes were also out and about, flying here and there (as well as a few helicopters and jets, but I did not get any photos of them). So after a few lovely landings and only one go-around, Cheryl asked me if I was ready to solo. One more time around I told her. So we flew the pattern once more time and then she asks again if I am ready. Sure. Absolutely. Kind of. I think my response was “ok.” Then Cheryl asked the Airport Tower for permission to taxi to the Tower (Cheryl would watch my flying from inside the Tower) and we taxied over there. Once there I turned off the airplane and frantically looked for my airport diagram, as I normally don’t taxi on that side of the airport. But I usually have the airport diagram with me, but for some reason I did not have it today. Luckily I found two copies in my flight bag (no idea when I put them in there). Then Cheryl signed me off in my logbook and I was “official to solo” and she left the plane. At one point she did comment that I looked like I was going to cry. No I did not cry, as crying is not allowed in the cockpit. Next Cheryl stood outside and watched me do the pre-flight on the plane. I waved. She waved. Then I called Ground for permission to taxi to Runway 18 (my call was something like ‘I am outside the Tower and would like to taxi to 18’). Luckily the Tower guys are really nice and did not laugh at my lame call (I should have been a bit more specific on my location, but they could see me parked right below them), and later I even got a few ‘good job’ from them during my flight!

So off I taxied to Runway 18 and did my run-up. There were a few jets leaving on 18, but by the time I arrived they had already taken off. So I received permission to take off and off I went. My mission was to complete 3 take-offs and 3 landings with full stop, taxi backs between them. One thing I noticed right away was how quiet it was in the airplane. Too quiet actually. The silence freaked me out a bit. Every time I have flown I always had an instructor or someone else in the plane, so there has always been talking. I am a talker and I talk when I fly. When I fly with Cheryl we are always talking and laughing. But now I was alone and it was too quiet. So I stared to talk. I talked to the plane, I talked about what I was doing, I started to swear (oh yes, I often shock Cheryl with my language), and I just talked to myself out loud. So talking the whole time, I flew around the pattern and came in for a landing on Runway 18. At this point I was terrified, but I was also calm. It was an odd thing. I knew what to do, as I had landed many times (over 200 landings so far), but still. Knowing what to do and doing it with someone there helping you is one thing, totally depending on yourself not to damage yourself or your airplane is another thing. There was no wind and no other planes, but I was still terrified. But my landing was great. Smooth. A very good landing. Then I had to talk to the Tower to get permission to taxi back to the runway and I was so nervous I had to ask them to repeat the directions.

Take-off number two was nice. I always have very nice take-offs. I was talking my way around the pattern and almost on base when Tower told me to extend my base because there was another plane coming in to land on Runway 18. Oh and the plane was coming directly towards me (I was going North and he was going South). So I had to keep flying until Tower told me I could turn final, all the while looking for the airplane. I finally found him as he was almost at the airport. Then I could turn my final, but by this time I was way out of the pattern. So I just gave the Sundowner a little more gas and slowly flew on in. It was another good landing. I even answered the Tower correctly the second time when he was giving me directions back to Runway 18. While taxing back to Runway 18 I see a hawk sitting on one of the taxiway lights. I see him. He sees me. I taxi on by. I take off and off to my right I see two hawks flying by as I am trying to gain some altitude. Really? Like they could not have waited 2 more minutes until I passed by? Damn birds. Yes, they are beautiful and I always love seeing them, but not when I am trying to fly an airplane by myself. So I continued to talk my way around the airport pattern (including some foul language directed towards the birds) and came in with a nice landing. Nice, not great. I had now completed 3 landings! I had soloed!!! Tower then came on the radio and gave me directions back to the runway, but I answered back something like ‘I would like to taxi back to the Tower and pick up Cheryl please’! Haha. Sometimes I am so lame. So back I went to pick up Cheryl (thats her leaving the Tower in the photo. FYI…if you were wondering, before Cheryl exited the airplane she said no photos while I was flying and I did not take any photos until my flight was over and I was picking her up). So I picked up Cheryl and I taxied us back to the hanger and received a final ‘good job’ from the Tower! Back at the hanger it was time for the official solo picture and the cutting of the shirt tails! Sadly my camera was acting a bit odd and I ended up with video instead of photos, but luckily the iPhone camera still worked, and Cheryl cut my shirt tail- which is an old flying custom! Cheryl also got me the flight progress strip from the Tower with my flight info on it!

A great day to solo!