SOLO!

Tonight was the big night! I completed the pre-solo written that Ed gave me (Thanks Fareed for talking through some of those questions with me!) and brought it back for us to review together before tonight's lesson. Of the 40 questions I only had one thing wrong, and that was about what elevator in what position for cross-wind taxi. A couple minor points on a few other questions, but nothing incorrect. I feel pretty good about this.

We plan to head to Bremerton, where if we both feel good, Ed will get out of the plane.

I learn somthing important though while we're waiting to be cleared for takeoff. After our run up we're waiting for the vorteces to die down from a heavy that's just taken off. As we're waiting, another large jet (DC-8, maybe?) is pulling in to park a few hundred feet from the run up area where we're at. Ed sees it just in time and has me turn our C150 towards the jet - and good thing too. The jet-wash from his engines buffeted us pretty good - enough that we could have been blown over had we not turned. Lesson is to keep an eye open for these type of things and learn to anticipate and correct for them!

In any event, this post is about my SOLO! We have an uneventful trip out to Bremerton and get into the traffic pattern and do two landings. The second one is a full stop, and true to his word Ed get's out. In all honesty, I'm not all that nervous. I was nervous thinking about it earlier in the day, but not now. I head for the runway, listening to the UNICOM, where I learn another plane in the pattern has just entered downwind. Since I dont have to do a runup, and I'm all set to go, I figure no-time-like-the-present and announce my intention to take runway 19 and depart. Which I do, quite gracefully.

Wow, this plane actually can climb. You just need to limit it to one person!

In no time at all I'm turning crosswind, then downwind, base, and final. Pretty good landing! Carb heat in, flaps up, power, and I'm off again. This time there's more traffic in the pattern, and I'm keeping an eye on all of it, listening to their radio calls and making my own.

For the third time around I'm relatively close behjind a Diamond DA-20 or 40, another student who's with her instructor. I slow my speed so I can lengthen the gap between us. She flys a looong downwind, which forces mine to be long since I dont want to turn base until I cross her on final. It all works out, and I'm turning final just as she's landing.

On this final I note that I'm fast, so I throw in some more flaps and control my speed. As I approach everything is looking good until the very end when I'm slower than I want and a bit short. So I add a little power and fly down the runway a bit before touchdown. Then it's taxi in and find Ed.