I know I know…busy times. Lesson 24, 25, 26 and possibly 27 are coming soon!

It was brought to my attention that some people are not able to comment on this site. I just readjusted the settings so anybody who wishes to leave a comment can. I encourage all feedback and constructive criticism of my training or the site itself.

In an attempt to do something different today, my CFI called me into the classroom to go over some navigation. With winds at VNY gusting to 10 knots, he suggested we fly over to Oxnard so I could get used to navigating by sectional chart and communicating outside of class C airspace.

We went ove the basics of reading a sectional and explained that since LA is such high highly dense area, it might be better to have a terminal chart as well. Since my usual training aircraft was having the transponder fixed (again) we had some time for me to go across the street and pick up some updated charts.

After killing a few minutes off in hopes the transponder would be working and installed, we got word that the plane would not be ready today. My options were to reschedule or to spend a bit more and take the 172RG. I am at the point where I don’t like switching planes too much because I am trying to gain some knowledge without having to worry about getting familiar with a new plane but I was already there and I wanted to get a lesson in.

I did the preflight on the 172RG and we hopped in. I was a bit confused and not familiar with some of the controls that the 172M doesn’t have. The 172RG sports a constant speed propeller and a retractable landing gear and I was worried that it would be too much on my unfamiliar trip to Oxnard.

Once we were airborne, the first thing I noticed was that the 172RG had a lot more power. It climbed quickly but I was able to control altitude. Once we were passed off to SoCal and across the class C airspace, we climbed to 4500 feet and followed the 101 Freeway due West.

I am glad I had the support of my CFI because I was not used to some of the controls on the new plane nor the communications with SoCal. It was surprising how quickly we got to Camarillo compared to how long it usually takes me in a car. I was able to find some good landmarks that would help me navigate in respect to the sectional.

Once we passed Camarillo, Oxnard was but a couple of minutes away. We landed there and taxied back for a spin around the pattern. I have to say, regardless of how unfamiliar I was with this new plane, that second landing in Oxnard was my best landing to date. It even warranted the applause of my instructor.

After making our way back to VNY, I had a bit of a rough landing in the winds and ended up with a small bounce which rarely happens to me. We taxied back and I was able to log 1.2 hours of complex time. It was a nice step in getting me used to cross country navigation as Santa Barbera (an XC destination) is about 20 miles up the coast from Oxnard. My instructor told me next lesson, he will endorse me to solo in Oxnard. This seems like a good idea because I think I’m almost TOO comfortable in the pattern at VNY. Not only that but the strip at Oxnard is very low in traffic and taking off with the ocean in front and beautiful scenery on either side is a reminder of why I started flying in the first place.

Now that I finally have some time to sit down and start typing, I am happy to be putting some time back into this site.

With the weather on and off since late December, I looked for every open window that presented itself to get back in the air. Before I left for work, I checked the weather outside to see if things would be clear enough to fly later in the afternoon. The weather checks called for some clear skies with high visibility so I brought my flight bag to work just in case.

I waited until about 10:00am before calling my flight instructor and seeing if he was available later in the day to spend some time with me around the pattern. I was upset what I got his voicemail, fearing I may not be able to take advantage of the beautiful weather. It wasn’t long after he called me back to let me know he was free and that he would book 222CV for a 2:00pm flight.

When I got to VNY, I chatted with the people at Continental for a while and then headed outside to preflight the plane. Everything was in tip top shape so I pulled the plane to the red line for taxi and my CFI and myself were ready for departure.

We went into the pattern and did 3 landings together before he asked if I wanted to get some solo time in. I felt confident that I could fly the pattern alone now so I pulled off of taxiway Bravo to drop him off at the new CFI bench. He told me to do a few landings to a full stop and taxi back each time.

I was surprised to find that the nerves I had from my first solo were replaced with confidence. After flying the pattern at VNY so many times, it was almost like second nature to me. My nerves were calm and I was focused on making the best landings to my ability. My first landing was as smooth as I could have asked for. I pulled off of 16L and made the call to tower to taxi back to the runway. My second time around I landed on all wheels at the same time but it wasn’t a rough landing. It wasn’t perfect but it was comfortable. On my third landing, one of the things I fear when landing happened. I came in at a bit of an angle and the right side of the plane dipped a little too much. I was able to keep control and straighten out the plane for a taxi back to my CFI at the bench.

He approved of my landings and told me that he wanted to do another supervised solo and then I would be free to check out the plane (upon his approval) and start racking up solo hours when I have the free time. I was good to get that time in and add to my existing solo time. I logged 1.1 hours and contributed to my logged solo time.

With a short break between 2 storms, I knew I needed to get some training in before it was too late. My flight instructor hadn’t contacted me in a couple of days and my usual training Cessna was already being rented out.

I made the decision to do a lesson at Hollywood Aviators (whom I have done a couple of lessons with before). I was set up with a CFI and proceeded to preflight the 172. After inspecting some dripping water and determining it was no cause for concern, we taxied to 16L for a departure that would lead us to the practice area beyond the Newhall Pass.

We did some review of maneuvers and emergency procedures so he could get an idea of where I was in my training and then we made way back to VNY. We did 2 landings (which were not my better ones) and taxied back to Hollywood Aviators.

There were some control differences in the new plane, which had a new engine, that I had to get used to but a 172 is a 172. I logged another 1.1 hours and am in the midst of planning out the rest of my training. It’s time to stop the procrastination and get that PPL!