In September, it will be the 54th anniversary of my first going solo in an aircraft. Today, I went solo in the fifth single-seat aircraft that I have flown, but this was the first with an engine!
It was a Pawnee tow plane. Two other members of my club also got checked out today. Before we were allowed to fly, we had to make use of the “plastic chair training aid”. The top of the Pawnee’s cowling is parallel to the ground, so new pilots need to see the view when the tail is raised, before they go flying.
Our Pawnee’s gross weight is 2900 lb but we operate it at about 2000 lb and so its performance is spectacular. On my first takeoff, I was off the ground before I had the throttle fully open! I was reminded of a famous quote from the Lightning pilot after his first flight - “I was with it all the way until I let the brakes off!”
It was a delight to fly - the handling is precise, although with large stick movements, and the stalls were benign. The unusual view over the nose was not as much of a problem as I expected, but getting the flare right will take some practice. What I did not expect was the rough ride over our fairly smooth grass runway. We shall need to install bungees that are less stiff.