Today’s lesson was pretty much the same as the last one. The only difference is that Gene had already signed the necessary documents, so when I dropped him off after three rounds in the pattern on runway 3, I didn’t even cut the engine. He got out and I took off.
There was a little more traffic in the area, though, so I had to pay more attention to the radio and make sure everyone knew where I was and I knew where they were. Nothing major to deal with, though. The sun, however, was a factor. It was off to the right on downwind which made it really hard to see. Not much one can do as it approaches the horizon.
I made 7 solo rounds. Gene suggested I throw in a go-around for practice as well. My second approach was a little high (I turned base too early), so I decided to go around. I could’ve easily made it down on this enormous runway, but I figured it was as good a reason as any to practice a go-around.
All but maybe one of my landings started with a roundout that was too high (see the roundout photo below). I could tell because it took longer than it should’ve to touch down. Some were better than others, none particularly bad, but I need to cut the distance above the runway in half to make for a better/shorter landing.
Other than the high roundouts, Gene had nothing more to say. He said next time I can schedule without him. So, for the first time, I’ll go to the airport solo, preflight solo, fly around solo (still only in the pattern), and leave solo. Yikes.
While he watched me fly around, Gene took some photos. He said he couldn’t get one of me touching down because I was so far down the runway due to my high roundout. 🙂 Yeah, I know. I get the hint. I’ll work on it.
To my knowledge, these are the first photos taken of me anywhere near an airplane. N4640B isn’t much to look at, but it gets the job done. Enjoy!
High in the Sky:
On final (that’s a club Mooney in the foreground):
Roundout (I should be about 50% closer to the ground):
Taxi back to the ramp:
