First Local Sector Solo : 12 August 2021

 

I did the first local solo outside of airport patterns on 12th August 2021.  This was my fifth solo till date - and it was probably the first time I was really comfortable - i.e. didn't lose any sleep the previous night. Having done a solo just the day before set me up well for the day.

I intended to do some touch and gos' before setting off for a local sortie over in general direction of the south. I pretty much know the locations and landmarks of all of New Castle County and really didn't think I would need any GPS or VOR assistance. If there was going to be a flight by VFR, this one is going to be it.

Right off the bat after take off, I was instructed to follow a Cessna that had taken off moments earlier in left pattern. Then on downwind heard about the local Pitts S-2 (N864) joining in the pattern. So it became a bit busy with radio traffic.  You can hear the Pitts being on my heels during the short final for my first touch and go.

I followed the first landing with a second left one, and then requested for a right pattern for the third one. This time I made sure I didn't make the mistake from my 3rd solo where I flew quite close to the runway and overshot base to final on the right pattern.  By this time I am able to make my headings and turns based on local landmarks. 

Out of the third touch and go, I requested ATC for VFR departure to the east and promptly headed west! - duh!.. flew over Bear, took a turn to south and went east of Summit Airport.  After crossing Middletown, turned east till I hit the Delaware River Bay. Most of the time the aircraft was trimmed at 2500 feet and about 90KTs and I didn't have to do much except for keeping a look out and figuring out the landmarks. As I said it was fairly easy.  On hitting the bay, turned North, requested for a full stop and was given the Left base to 27.  I did that pretty well though arrived over the waypoint (the water tower!) 200 feet high.. but was able to lose altitude and come home for a full stop. 

Had my share of learnings for the day,  including proper usage of checklists for all phases of flight.  Above is a 13 minute excerpt of the Sector Solo . 

First Solo , 4th of July , 2021. 7:48 pm

First Solo , 4th of July , 2021. 7:48 pm I completed my first solo flight, on the 4th of July at ILG, Wimington, Delaware. It wasnt a day i was expecting to Solo . My previous pattern work with my CFI four days before sucked bad. I walked in that day with no intention of Solo-ing. I need more practice, I told myself. Its getting dark (class scheduled at 1830) . President Joe Biden was in town so no flying happened throughout the weekend. Mine was probably the first 'class' after the TFR lifted. The Presidential TFR ended at 1800 hrs, we got airborne around 1900 hrs. after about five to six landings, my CFI said, show me one landing and I will get off, and It was good enough, we taxied back, with the engine running, he got off, got the paperwork done, came back in and stuck the endorsements in the logbook. His instructions - you dont need to change the fuel tanks, you can fly for four hours without landing, but you will realise you have a problem much before that. With a wave, I made my radio call 'Wilmington Tower, Student Solo...." and went up again. I was supposed to do three landings, taxi backs, and takeoffs. I remember the first take off and I turned on cross wind is when the thought struck me - I got to get this down by myself! An almost perfect pattern, and a touch down by the numbers, it was only after i pulled to Taxiway K on the right that I left out a Woaahhhhh! of excitement.

The first two landings went smooth, and I got a bit overconfident that the third pattern will be wrapped up soon and I will land back shortly. I should note that as I was on the downwind for the third pattern, a Learjet landed and I was briefly cautioned that I was No.2.. but by the time I was abeam numbers -traffic was no longer a factor. Then on the final for the third (and supposedly final landing), I might have come in faster than normal, or perhaps given it a burst of throttle right before the numbers, the aircraft bounced hard - I tried to hold her off, hoping it will settle back on the runway again but it bounced again. Before it hit the ground a third time, with thoughts of 'porpoising' at the back of my mind, I decided to go around, pushed (or slammed?) the throttle forward and the aircraft lurched a few feet into the air , parallel to the runway with three notches of flaps deployed. I dumped the first notch and slowly climbed away, getting rid of the next two notches of flap with me replaying my CFI's voice in the back of my head.. during this time for the first two seconds I forgot to hit the right rudder and drifted off to the left!..I do remember gently turning the yoke to the right with a bit of right rudder and flew it back to the runway centerline. And I also remember thinking, yikes , what a way to make your CFI panic at the FBO.. he was listening on the Radio but apparently didn't have the line of sight to where I had landed and bounced. So I had to go around for a fourth unplanned circuit.. ATC called me to offer Runway 32 , assuming I had a problem landing on Runway 27 because of the setting sun.. but hell No!, Runway 32 was where i had a horrible time landing the previous week, it had no VASI/PAPI and was much shorter.. I declined the offer and stuck with Rwy 27.

This time I got my numbers around the pattern right and came in slowly and made one final landing - taxi back to school. The Tower ATC was especially nice, after I pulled over onto the taxi way, they congratulated the solo flight and said good things about the go-around decision. Even as I was switching off the fuel pump, i could sense my hands were shaking badly - I told the ATC that much and thanked them for their help.

As I taxied back to the FBO (it was almost 8.15 pm, semi-dark.. and all the souls left the site. My CFI, Tom, got a white T-Shirt out to do the tail cutting ceremony - with just him and me around, I regret we had no one around to take photos of that. After that he was gracious enough to take some photos to celebrate the 'feat'.

The drive home was strangely devoid of any excitement - I didn't think two hours before when I drove in, that I would solo on this day of all days..at such a late hour.. but solo I did.. and with that a burden was lifted, I can go back to learning other stuff again.. (Oh wait, I got to do a second solo! - UPDATE was done after 28 days) The video only covers the first two landings. My camera ran out of power right before the third landing, which was when the actual excitement started.. too bad!.. I missed turning on the intercom audio for the first landing, so it gets enabled just before the second take-off. so half way through the video , before the second pattern starts, the radio tx was enabled when i put the mic in.. But this video does not have it as it covers only my first pattern Final part of the video shows the distant video of the piper taking off as captured by my CFI , Tom Tolento. The view from the FBO is too blurry but it offers a night external view. The music track is from the soundtrack of the french movie les chevaliers du ciel https://amzn.to/2VyWWlk I think this is much suited for a Piper's slow flight than the Top Gun sound track ;)

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I was so humbled by the genuine happiness and congratulations extended from my IAF veteran community that to say that I was overwhelmed by the response is an understatement. Here I am merely flying a Piper whereas many of these veterans had flown birds that i cannot even dream of flying in this life - MiG-21s , MiG-29s, MiG-25s, Gnats, Hunters, Canberras, Dakotas you name it..and they understood my joy and shared their happiness. To them, I say thank you!

As another friend of mine, a MiG-23 BN pilot stated - "You will only have a first solo once... you can marry multiple times - but first solo is always a one time thing" .. and he was right.