First take off and landing!

[IanPZ]

So, I know its still very early in my whole learning curve, but I had to share this, and where better than on this forum. Today, 8 and a bit hours into learning, I did my first take off and landing.

Yes, I was with my instructor, yes, I was nervous as hell, yes, I was convinced I was going to plough into the ground, but no, nothing went wrong, and it was brilliant. My instructor was even quite complementary (and went on to reassure me it would get much worse before it got better, and most likely a fluke!).

It was a fluke, as the second landing was much more hesitant, and I think probably I had a bit more help, but....

I DID IT....I LANDED AN AIRCRAFT.

There you go. I can sit down and relax now. Just a few hundred more times, and I might actually get good at it!

Thanks all for listening. IPZ

[gileraguy]

gives you a big grin, doesn't it?

[Johnm]

gives you a big grin, doesn't it?

Every time:ok:

[Jan Olieslagers]

Twas quite the other way around with me: I was really surprised to hear the instructor ask "Are you aware you did this landing all by yourself?" Making the grin come only later.

[IanPZ]

Biggest grin ever, but I gotta say I was glad when the lesson was over too. Dry mouth, headache, obviously a lot more stress than I realised when I was actually doing it!

Now just hoping for good weather next weekend for some consolidation. :-)

I tell you, this flying malarky isn't half bad.

[Wibblemonster]

Great stuff! You will be on to your first solo before you know it! :D

[Pilot DAR]

Well done!

The smile will still be there decades from now, when you're still landing, though your personal standards will go up. Don't let the odd bumpy or drifty landing through you off, they happen to all of us - ALL of us!

The odd time I'll bounce on my mighty 150. I murmer to myself that after 2700 hours in it, I should be able to do better than that! But, the greasers I achieve make it all worthwhile.

Welcome to the flying fraterity!

[thing]

Well done Ian, exhilarating ain't it!

[Hannah222]

I did my first one a couple of weeks ago - still with the instructor though!! I was so scared we were going to crash ( and I think -I'm sure-I landed a bit hard!!) but I'm really looking forward to be able to go solo soon! I think I'm on the same amount of hours as you IanP! It does feel good to tell people doesn't it? :) x

[IanPZ]

Yep, sure is great to share it with people who understand, and have been there. If I tell people at work, or friends who dont fly, I either get looked at like "who you trying to impress" or else asked why i am doing it if i find it at all nerve-racking. Truth is, unless I tell someone who also wants to learn to fly, or already can, then it seems less.....exciting!!

Thanks all for the positive feedback. Now on to the next lesson (1 week to go). IPZ

[riverrock83]

I'm with Jan on this - my instructor said once we were on the ground that he hadn't touched the controls... :D I'm on 11 hours - only a few ahead of you Ian (but I'm on my third type of plane which has held me back from doing first solo...). Hoping for first solo soon! Wish I was up today but gusts up to 26 knots at Prestwick and a steady 16 knot cross wind forecast has kept me on the ground :(

Good luck with the next lesson!

[IanPZ]

Thanks riverrock, and hope you get your solo soon.

I understand what you and Jan are talking about. My instructor was very complementary about my landing, and did say that he did pretty much nothing. I think he has the measure of me, and in truth, I'd rather he makes a dismissive joke about it being a fluke, rather than set up any expectation that I would be able to do that every time at the beginning.

I've noticed that once I stop trying to work things out, and just "do stuff" then it works much better, as has my instructor.

The remarkable thing is that what I thought I would be freaked by, which was the distance from the ground, didn't bother me so much. However, there was so much going on that I started making basic mistakes like increasing throttle on final when I meant to decrease. All the same, I did manage to compensate very quickly, and all went well.

I was meant to have a lesson today, but weather would have been no use, as you say.

I feel really pleased that I've got to this point already. I can't quite believe that whilst landing was a huge challenge, just flying has become so much easier already!

Now looking forward to next sunday, and my next attempt at controlled crashing (oops, I mean landing :-) )