Lesson Seven: Departures and landings

Today was a milestone in my training I would say. Today is the day we started practicing takeoffs and landings. After I preflighted the airplane, taxied, and did the run up, I did something I haven't yet done...I asked Tower for permission to do touch and go's.

Once Tower gave us permission, we made our first departure down the runway. My instructor Kam had the controls, and demonstrated what I would be doing the next time we flew the pattern. Kam departed the runway, made a climbing turn 90 degrees right to crosswind, and another climbing turn 90 degrees to downwind. We were now parallel to the runway. Once we were abeam our landing spot, we started our descent at 80 knots. We continued descending, and made a 90 degree turn to the base leg. Once on the base leg, we reduced speed to 70 knots. We kept descending, and made out last turn onto final approach. One on final we reduced speed to 65 knots. Now all that was left to do was to stay lined up with the runway, and keep descending at the right speed and angle...not an easy task I found out. Once over the runway, Kam was able to make the airplane float just a foot or two over the runway. While floating over the runway, he pulled back slightly on the controls to raise the noise, forcing the place to slow down, and help it settle onto the runway...this is called flaring.

With Kam's demonstration over, it was now my turn. I followed his instructions, making the turns when he told me to, and reducing power when he instructed. My landings were much harder than Kam's. I seemed to struggle with every aspect of landing, from staying lined up with the center-line, to floating the airplane over the runway, to flaring correctly. Multiple times I found the nose of the airplane facing towards the side of the runway, or flaring the airplane too fast, and ballooning off the runway. Landing is not an easy task, but it is not impossible. I was surprised just how awkwardly you could control the airplane, and still land it in one peice.

We made a total of seven landings, and although I don't feel like I did a very good job, Kam says I did good for a student, and that we can progress to landings with flaps on the next lesson. After the lesson I went home and made myself a few Jack and gingers, because I knew my heart, and mind would be racing all night thinking about today's lesson. The three drinks I had helped, but I still had a horrible nights sleep.

Today's lesson totaled $171. The airplane rental was $108 (1.2 hours x $90), and instruction was $63 (1.4 hours x $45).

Right hand traffic patterns, like at Palomar, are not typical.