Lesson Two

Tonight was lesson #2 with Joel. A lot less adventurous than Saturday's tour, but much needed focus on fundamentals.

I did the pre-flight inspection myself; Joel invited me to do that myself in the future if I arrive ahead of him. ZT checked out just fine of course. The hardest part of pre-flight is inspecting the tops of the wings (which is also the opportunity to put back the few ounces of fuel extracted during fuel inspection--the fuel intake is up top). I need to work on my own agility, as I'm finding balancing on the struts and holding onto the wing a bit challenging. Maybe tomorrow I'll take the camera and ask Joel to take a picture of this entertaining aspect of pre-flight.

We completed the pre-start checklist, I got our taxi clearance, and we made the short trip from Glacier to the 17 runup area in just a few seconds. I did the takeoff on my own, climbed into the left traffic pattern, and began the process of driving in three dimensions. There are particular RPM, altitude, and speed targets for different segments of the pattern, interrupted by occasional radio transmissions. After a circuit or two, I got the hang of it, though certainly it will take practice.

The lesson was during that magical beautiful period when the sun sets through high clouds. The lights of Olympia were coming up, the airport lights were on, and on one circuit I had to extend downwind to get behind one of the Beechcraft 1900 aircraft that shuttles Intel employees back and forth between Hillsboro (near Portland) and the Intel facility near Olympia. As I extended downwind, I turned left base pretty darned close to home, though I was too busy to do any sightseeing. I found that the rabbit made it a little easier to find the centerline on approach.

We did four circuits of the pattern, and I did most of the flying, including landings (with a little adjustment from Joel). Tomorrow I think I may just about get it.

We parked the aircraft, went inside, and did about an hour of ground school. Joel, who is an aircraft mechanic on his day job, taught me more than I ever expected to know about magnetos, oil systems, and other mechanical details. I appreciate that he's capable of and willing to go into this depth--I find it interesting for one thing, and for another, you never know what that examiner might choose to explore on the particular day of my practical test...

Lesson three is tomorrow, and the weather looks good so far!