It has been 5 times now that I've sat on the left seat in the cockpit of a Cherokee Piper Warrior II. Studying hasn't been a part of my life for the past four years and I don't know if turning 30 had anything to do with it, but getting back to good studying habits has been quite challenging. Focusing is not as easy as it used to be and remembering... well, not a lot of that is happening in this neighborhood.
It is quite different to sit on a jumpseat as a flight attendant than to seat with your feet against those rudders, controlling every movement of that plane.
The second time on the plane was really the first time when I got to have the controllers. I conducted my first pre-flight checklist. Everything was still chinese to me. What they said on the radio, why we were turning, why flaps were going down in stages vs all at once. I followed the shape of Lake Marion as I went up and down and up and down and... well, you get the picture. Lots of turns and trying to keep up with what seemed like a million instruments in front of me were my duty. I managed; somewhat.
I felt as if I was getting sick the third time flying a plane. It was way too hot and I did what seemed like one too many climbs and descents while trying to follow the "pattern". I wanted to be DONE with that lesson and I asked myself once again if this is something I really want to do. I was told it is normal to get sick when you first start to fly. Needless to say I was still hoping for a quick landing. After letting some air through the tiny window as we weren't supposed to while in flight, I felt way better.
Fourth time didn't really hit me like the third. I only felt sick for a brief moment. I had to pick a tree and go around it, keeping the same distance from each side. Some more climbing, some more descending, and a little bit of slow flight. It is called "minimum controllable airspeed". It's a bit more complicated when the instructor tells me "you need to be looking outside 90% of the time" yet I am to maintain the same altitude and airspeed. Quick glances is what I'm to do. Do I? Not so much. I do more of a 60/40 than 90/10. The one million instruments start to look more like a six pack and a couple other things, so it's not quite as overwhelming.
My fifth time I was told to go straight to where the plane is kept. Preflight was already done for me, which was kind of nice since it could be a little tedious. More MCA (minimum controllable airspeed) was done and we began doing stalls. Stalls- I've been told "you'll hate them at first, but then you'll like them. It's like roller coasters". I'm not a big fan of the drop part of the roller coaster, which is exactly what a stall feels like. I'm still on the I HATE THEM part; looking forward to warming up to them. Not all were bad; some were actually really easy to recover from, but there was that ONE where I felt butterflies in my stomach- not very pleasant.
I still have a lot to go to be able to do my first solo flight, but it is work in progress. I am starting to understand more and more of the plane and what it is doing. It really does what I tell it to do. I'm looking forward to having my private pilot certificate and it serving as a milestone and inspiration towards completing all the other certificates I need. Money has been a big issue, but hopefully I'll be able to manage and I will be able to do this. Let's see what the future holds. The sky is the limit, literally.
