Back in the Saddle

Soon after getting the official go-ahead from the TSA, I scheduled my normal Wednesday night 6pm to 8pm lesson in the flight school's Cessna 152.  About a day later I got the news that the Directional Gyro had been steadily getting worse since the last time I flew, and it was decided that it was time for a replacement.  The gyro is still under warranty, but we have no spare while it's being rebuilt.  As a result, the 152 is down for maintenance until some time next week. 

Fortunately Michael took pity on me, and offered me a discount rate on the larger Cessna 172.  I immediately agreed.  Bob and I had talked about getting me checked out on the 172 so we could use it for the cross country lessons, as it's faster, and has better range than the 152.  Wednesday afternoon Bob called and said he had a spot open for a 4pm to 6pm lesson if I could make it, I got permission from work, and at 3:30 headed for the airfield.

I have to admit I was nervous as I really wasn't sure how much I had forgotten in the two months of bureaucratic shenanigans since my last flight. 

Michael met me at the flight school, and had a new checklist for the 172 that he wanted me to try out, so we both went out to the plane, tail number 370JA, and started through the checks.  There were a couple of corrections we found to simplify the flow a little, such as "Fuel Shut-Off In" instead of "Fuel Shut-Off Off".

As we continued around the plane, I really got a feel for how much larger than the 152 a 172 really is.

Cessna 152

Bob and I got in the plane, and we got the weather report.  Winds were light out of the North, and the temperature was about 70f on the ground.  The airport was very busy due to the nice weather, lots of pilots enjoying the last of the warmth before winter really sets in.  I got clearance to taxi from ground control, and after the run-up checklist was complete, I was number 2 to take off on runway 1 left.

Cessna 172

Bob and I had gone over all the appropriate speeds, most of which were just 5 knots faster than in the 152, rotate at 55 knots, climb at 74 knots.

We were cleared to take off, and given instructions to maintain a heading of 300 degrees, north west.

The largest flying difference between the planes is that the 172 model we were in is really sensitive to Pitch inputs, so I had some difficulty maintaining my proper altitude until I got used to it.  The other difference is the power, we were buzzing around at 120 knots, and hit 140 at one point, the 152 has to work hard to reach 100 knots straight and level.

The plan for the day was just to see how much I had retained, so we did slow flight, stalls, turns, and steep turns, then headed back to Riverside for a couple of Touch-and-Go landings before calling it a day. 

By the time we got back to Riverside it was getting dark, but the airport was still pretty busy, we completed two touch-and-go's on runway 1 right, then asked for a full stop landing on runway 1 left, so we would be closer to the flight school's parking area.

We got the plane tied down and went back inside to discuss the lesson, Bob told me I had done really well, and we could start the syllabus lesson plan on our next lesson. The whole flight had been a great confidence booster, but I can really understand the importance of staying current in your airplane, one of the requirements to carry passengers is that you have had at least 3 take off and landings within the previous 90 days.

I have another lesson scheduled in 370JA on Saturday, and 69212 should be flight-worthy again by next Wednesday.  I really enjoyed flying the 172, but I am a lot more comfortable in the 152 that I have been flying since the beginning.

More to Come!
-Gareth