I am actually writing this about a week after my first flight. So I am probably forgetting a few details. I have been in small planes twice, but the last time was almost 20 years ago. I am taking my lessons at O’Connors Flying Service based at Shawnee Municipal Airport. My first time up was scheduled for 3:30pm. When I arrived Bob was up with a student. There is locked gate, but I was able to get in just as another person was leaving. About ten minutes later Bob and his student arrived in a Cessna 152.
After Bob finished debriefing his student, it was my turn. I had already done my 3rd class medical, so I presented him with that and my birth certificate. He asked me why I was interested in flying and I told him it was something I had wanted to do since I was a kid. I also told him that part of this first flight was just to find out if this is something that I really wanted to do. So part of it was discovery flight and some light training.
So we went out the plane and I sat in the left hand seat and Bob took the right. He got out the preflight check list and started working our way through that. After that is completed he has me put my feet high up on the rudder pedals, push down on the toe brakes, yell out clear and start up engine. I know I am leaving out some steps such as setting mixture, throttle position etc, but looking back on it the whole experience is sort of like being in a whirlwind.
Bob tells me to release the toe breaks and we begin to taxi. I have a hard time controlling the rudders. They seem stiff. I am also afraid if I press too hard I might tip the plane over!. Bob notices my reluctance and encourages to operate the rudders. I try, but he does take over a few times so we do not go off the taxiway. We approach the runup area and work through the checklist there. I can not remember all the steps, but I do remember checking the magnetos.
After the check list is complete, Bob has me do a full 360 clearing turn to check for other aircraft in the pattern. We then taxi onto the runway. Again I get shy of the rudder controls and have some difficulty lining up. so Bob helps with that while I advance the throttle. I remember him telling me to keep my hand on the throttle. He also points out the air speed and at about 60 knots one of us pulls back on the yoke. I can not remember when we start climbing. As we are climbing out he points out the cowling and the horizon and says to keep the cowling at a certain point relative to the horizon. So I do so. At some point he says to maintain the climb, but start a turn to the west. Bob points out the vertical speed indicate and says it should be 500fps. He says it can go higher, but if you have passengers it is better to keep the climb rate at 500.
Next he starts talking about setting the trim for the elevator. He has me do a few turns, then takes over to demonstrate a stall and emergency procedures. I can not remember all the details, but he pulls the throttle back, sets the airspeed and starts talking about good and bad locations to set down. He points out a road and comments that intersections tend to wires going across. He points out a plowed field and says that is not good. He then points out green field and says that looks good and starts heading that direction. After a certain point he starts pushing the throttle forward and climbing out. I ask him if anyone has ever called about a plane having problems. He says he has gotten a few calls from the police asking him if he was giving lessons.
As we start climbing back up I start looking around and notice this is not too far from where I live. So he says take me there. I turn the plane and start heading up the road towards where I live. As we proceed in that direction he points out a small runway where someone flies an ultralight. I had seen ultralight buzzing around from time to time and had wondered where it came from. As we get closer I realize that while I am heading towards my house I am going to pass directly over it. So you would not get a good view. I point this out to Bob. He takes the controls back and puts us into a steep bank and drops the altitude some for a closer looks. After that we have a great view of my property. I comment it looks better from the air than on the ground.
After this, Bob asks me to take the plane back east towards Shawnee. I try to maintain altitude, but I notice at one point that I am about 200 feet above where he started. I try to push the nose down some to drop some altitude. Again memory is a little fuzzy, but I think he had me also do a few turns. So I do some left and right turns. Bob also encourages me to play with the rudder pedals a little more. That part may have happened before he demonstrated emergency flight procedures.
As we approach Shawnee midfield he takes over and puts us in a right hand downwnd pattern. He cuts back the power and we glide it all the way back in. As we turn final Bob tells me to keep lined up with the runway using the rudder pedals. So I try to do so, but I think he has to assist me a little bit. We set down on the runway and Bob tells me to taxi it in. So I do so. I start getting a little more comfortable with the rudder control, but I am still a little shy of them.. As we approach the hangar area I get a good first lesson on needing to pay attention to what is going on outside. Bob points out how close the left wingtip is to a hangar we are passing. After that point Bob takes over and taxis to our stopping place and has me shutdown the engine. I get a little confused about the which way the key goes and have to ask for confirmation about which way to turn. I am not used to keys being on the left. That will pass soon enough.
Bob then goes through the post flight procedures and we head inside to his office to debrief. He asks if I want to continue and I say yes and that it felt good being up there. He was out of ground school kits, but had an extra log book. So I have my first entry of .8 hours. Bob says he will not be available next weekend because he will be out of town. So I decide to schedule the next lesson for August 3 after work.
Flying in Shawnee 