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United States24761 Posts
Blog after I flew a plane for the first time
Blog after I flew a plane solo (without an instructor in the plane) for the first time
It's been slow going working on my private pilot's license, but I'm making steady progress. Weather has caused a fair number of cancellations, and I only fly on the weekends to begin with. I'm now in the cross country phase of training where most of my flights are to airports greater than 50 nautical miles away from my home airport. The first two cross country flights I did with the instructor in the plane. Today, I was solo.
The plan was to take off from Manassas Regional Airport (KHEF), proceed west-southwest out of the special flight rules area around Washington DC, then fly direct to Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport (KCHO, cue jokes about white nationalists). Throughout the flight I was taking advantage of an optional service called VFR flight following, where my transponder squawks a unique code that allows folks working at flight services to monitor my location throughout the trip (like an eye in the sky). Navigation is still my responsibility, but at least if I disappear at any point, emergency services will know roughly where to look 
The plane I fly does not have GPS or any fancy navigational equipment. All it has is VOR receivers which give you an idea as to where you are (I won't go into the details). However, as a student I am expected to navigate using pilotage and dead reckoning. In other words, I plan ahead what heading to fly, and for how many minutes, in order to reach each checkpoint. The checkpoint is some landmark I can see on the ground. Note that there are not very good landmarks in the middle of the rural countryside. There was definitely one point where I was looking around and thinking to myself, "Where the @$%^ is the prison!?"
Otherwise, I landed without issue at Charlottesville, took a break to duck into the air conditioning and make a pit stop, then took off to return home. The first leg of the flight had me passing a little below a layer of clouds, but the clouds were gone by the time I did the return trip. Here is a rough approximation of the trip, which was roughly 60 nautical miles each way:
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/3pToAKM.jpg)
Tomorrow, I am going to fly solo again to a different airport that is a little further away (Hanover, KOFP). I will need to go around a big restricted zone where the military performs various munitions firing that I am happy to stay away from. Once I get south of the restricted zone I will join up with 95 (the big highway) and follow it to the airport. I'll even pass right over King's Dominion!
After tomorrow's flight, I'll still need several more cross country flights including a night flight (with the instructor) into Richmond International Airport, a solo to two different airports for a total of three stops, and a final solo of my choosing (thinking of going east into Maryland for that one). If I can complete these cross countries and my written knowledge exam, I'm almost ready for the check ride, which is the final exam before being awarded your pilot's license.
 
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United States24761 Posts
Today I completed the solo flight to Hanover I mentioned earlier. It went about as planned.
I am so physically and mentally exhausted after this weekend!
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Wow, that's so cool! Loving the progress update on this. As I've mentioned before I've always thought about getting my pilot's license so it's fun to read around.
On a sadder note, a few weeks ago a coworker's son died in a private plane crash. It really has me questioning how safe of a pilot I'd be.
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Not trying at all to put you down, but aren't small private planes infamous for having a poor safety record?
Is this simply a misconception or just accounts of poor private maintence/piloting skills?
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United States24761 Posts
On July 02 2018 11:17 CHEONSOYUN wrote:
Not trying at all to put you down, but aren't small private planes infamous for having a poor safety record?
Is this simply a misconception or just accounts of poor private maintence/piloting skills?
The #1 cause of death for general aviation pilots, per the FAA, is loss of control in flight. Basically, when you are near the ground you need to be very careful not to stall. If you are properly trained during your flight school program for proper techniques for takeoff and landing, and don't screw around near the ground otherwise, you are much less likely to crash. Some pilots stop following the advice of their flight instructors when on their own, I think.
The #2 cause of death is controlled flight into terrain, meaning, the pilot was not aware they were on a collision course with the ground or a mountain/obstacle. This becomes less of a problem once you have an instruments certification. This is much less likely to be a problem if you fly in places where it's easy to know you are higher than all the terrain around you. Mountain flying makes that much more difficult.
The #3 cause of death is a system component failure in the powerplant. Obviously, proper preventative maintenance is a must to help make this less likely, but you also test everything out thoroughly before you take off, so if you don't skimp on the time spent doing your run up you should be able to catch many problems before you take off.
#4 is fuel related. Obviously, if you put the wrong fuel in your plan that's very bad. I fly on 100 low lead fuel which has a slight blue color. Whenever I am going to fly I check the color of the fuel to make sure it's the right type. I also strain the sump to check for water intrusion or other contaminants... if you skip this step your engine can fail in flight.
I think it's really good to know what the most common causes of crashes are for general aviation, and for your type of plane in particular. Flying is dangerous, but when you put it into perspective it's not so bad compared to other common activities. It's not that much worse than driving, mile for mile, if you take some basic precautions like I discussed above.
On July 02 2018 10:10 Cauld wrote:
Wow, that's so cool! Loving the progress update on this. As I've mentioned before I've always thought about getting my pilot's license so it's fun to read around.
On a sadder note, a few weeks ago a coworker's son died in a private plane crash. It really has me questioning how safe of a pilot I'd be.
Do you happen to have any specifics regarding that crash?
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Baltimore, USA22259 Posts
Super cool man! Take me for a ride!
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United States24761 Posts
On July 02 2018 15:12 EvilTeletubby wrote:
Super cool man! Take me for a ride!
There are a few reasons why I can't do that:
- As a student pilot, I am not permitted to carry passengers yet.
- Even after I get my license, I will want to build experience before I start bringing friends and acquaintances up with me.
- Comcast
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Glad to hear you’re continuing on. I received my PPL June 22,1995 and still remember it well. Iv gotten the ATP and six Type ratings and don’t remember any of those dates. The Private is truly special.
Much like how you learn more while you solo vs receiving dual, you also learn quite a lot with passengers. Don’t sell yourself short, multiple people have to deem you safe to fly with passengers. Once you receive your private, you earned it.
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Once you get your license will you rent/buy your own aircraft and continue flying often? Alternatively is this is a hobby or something you want to make a living off at a later point in life?
You're from the US and I know Alaska needs plenty of pilots up there (Or so I've heard) That's one path to take for those who want that.
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oh sick
what do you fly? what rate?
I fucking love flying
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United States24761 Posts
On July 03 2018 22:49 Jan1997 wrote:
Once you get your license will you rent/buy your own aircraft and continue flying often? Alternatively is this is a hobby or something you want to make a living off at a later point in life? Right now I'm doing it for fun and betterment. I may continue my training after I get my private pilot's license. I'm focused on finishing this for now. I will likely rent rather than buy in the future... having your own plane only makes sense in limited circumstances.
You're from the US and I know Alaska needs plenty of pilots up there (Or so I've heard) That's one path to take for those who want that.
A pilot I know actually suggested this but my career has taken me in another direction
On July 04 2018 00:44 Incognoto wrote:
oh sick
what do you fly? what rate?
I fucking love flying
I'm training in a Cessna 152, working on my private.
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great work. i'm impressed.
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No I meant how much are you paying for the 152 per hour where you're at?
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United States24761 Posts
On July 04 2018 21:06 Incognoto wrote:
No I meant how much are you paying for the 152 per hour where you're at?
Woops sorry, the hourly rate to rent the 152 is $90 wet (so fuel is included). You can get 10-20% off if you buy in bulk, which I did by pre-purchasing the entire private pilot license training program.
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Incredible blog, I can't even imagine the stress, relief, and satisfication that have come through all of this.
How do pit stops work if you're a small airplane? Do you have to book hangar space beforehand to store the plane overnight while you check in a hotel or how does that all work?
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United States24761 Posts
On July 05 2018 13:13 lestye wrote:
Incredible blog, I can't even imagine the stress, relief, and satisfication that have come through all of this.
How do pit stops work if you're a small airplane? Do you have to book hangar space beforehand to store the plane overnight while you check in a hotel or how does that all work?
I've never done an overnight trip but I'll do my best to answer your question. If you are flying to a geographic area and want to park your plane overnight, you typically will have to pay either a hangar fee or tie-down free. Most small planes are parked outside on the tarmac and are simply tied down to the ground using some rope to prevent the plane from getting picked up by the wind. You probably should call the airport of choice before you start your trip to verify that you will be able to rent tie-down or hangar space for the evenings you wish. Note that you aren't going to be flying into a major airport in a small plane, but there's usually a smaller airport or two somewhat nearby.
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On July 04 2018 23:14 micronesia wrote:Show nested quote +On July 04 2018 21:06 Incognoto wrote:
No I meant how much are you paying for the 152 per hour where you're at? Woops sorry, the hourly rate to rent the 152 is $90 wet (so fuel is included). You can get 10-20% off if you buy in bulk, which I did by pre-purchasing the entire private pilot license training program.
That's a pretty good rate, especially if you fly sea level.
I get 94 an hour for a 152 in Denver, which is a pretty good rate. During summer at altitude when it gets hot though, some aircraft are a little underpowered and struggle to climb.
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On July 05 2018 19:45 micronesia wrote:Show nested quote +On July 05 2018 13:13 lestye wrote:
Incredible blog, I can't even imagine the stress, relief, and satisfication that have come through all of this.
How do pit stops work if you're a small airplane? Do you have to book hangar space beforehand to store the plane overnight while you check in a hotel or how does that all work?
I've never done an overnight trip but I'll do my best to answer your question. If you are flying to a geographic area and want to park your plane overnight, you typically will have to pay either a hangar fee or tie-down free. Most small planes are parked outside on the tarmac and are simply tied down to the ground using some rope to prevent the plane from getting picked up by the wind. You probably should call the airport of choice before you start your trip to verify that you will be able to rent tie-down or hangar space for the evenings you wish. Note that you aren't going to be flying into a major airport in a small plane, but there's usually a smaller airport or two somewhat nearby.
Gotcha. Do they have a crew that'll inspect your plane before takeoff if you're doing a long trip or is that something you just have to do yourself. Sorry for some reason the logistics of that fascinate me.
My dad had this awesome story of like, he missed his travel arraignments when he was in the Marine Corps, so my uncle took him in his small plane over to the base where he was stationed, and simply radioed and asked permission to land. They let him and my dad wasn't late. Thats an insane story because I'd never dream they'd just let you fly and land at a marine corp base.
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United States24761 Posts
On July 06 2018 13:22 lestye wrote:Show nested quote +On July 05 2018 19:45 micronesia wrote:On July 05 2018 13:13 lestye wrote:
Incredible blog, I can't even imagine the stress, relief, and satisfication that have come through all of this.
How do pit stops work if you're a small airplane? Do you have to book hangar space beforehand to store the plane overnight while you check in a hotel or how does that all work?
I've never done an overnight trip but I'll do my best to answer your question. If you are flying to a geographic area and want to park your plane overnight, you typically will have to pay either a hangar fee or tie-down free. Most small planes are parked outside on the tarmac and are simply tied down to the ground using some rope to prevent the plane from getting picked up by the wind. You probably should call the airport of choice before you start your trip to verify that you will be able to rent tie-down or hangar space for the evenings you wish. Note that you aren't going to be flying into a major airport in a small plane, but there's usually a smaller airport or two somewhat nearby. Gotcha. Do they have a crew that'll inspect your plane before takeoff if you're doing a long trip or is that something you just have to do yourself. Sorry for some reason the logistics of that fascinate me. My dad had this awesome story of like, he missed his travel arraignments when he was in the Marine Corps, so my uncle took him in his small plane over to the base where he was stationed, and simply radioed and asked permission to land. They let him and my dad wasn't late. Thats an insane story because I'd never dream they'd just let you fly and land at a marine corp base. The pilot in command (me) inspects the plane.
Normally the Marines wouldn’t let you land there in a private plane but I guess they made an exception. Cool how that worked out.
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This is awesome. Congrats on the progress!
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EPT
