Year: 2005

Just finished up another page in my logbook, looks like this:

Takeoff/landings : 209
Single-Engine Land : 64.8
Night : 5
Simulated Instrument : 4.3
Cross Country : 9.3
PIC : 5.3

Astronomical right?

Tonight I did my night flight cross country. It was scheduled for a 3 hour flight, to complete 10 take off and landings, as well as a 2 hour cross country.

We stayed in the pattern here at Vero to do 8 touch and goes, and then departed north to Daytona Beach. This flight was an excellent demonstration of the night environment here in Florida. Basically I followed the interstate north, from airport to airport. Along the east coast, there is literally an airport every 10-20 miles. Tune in the airport frequency, and key up the lights 🙂 It was a pretty calm flight, didn't have much of anything come in the way. Ducked for a few clouds, but that's about it.

Once we got about 40 miles north, around Melbourne, we picked up flight following, and they helped us along to Daytona. Once we got it trimmed out, and was pretty easy flying, keeping the interstate in view.

Approach called the airport at 12 O'clock, 5 miles. Tower cleared us to land, and we were on our way back before I knew it.

I haven't flown at night for a very long time, and even then I don't think I did very well. It's a much different flying experience. The landscape completely changes, and you have to watch out for different things. You have to think about which way traffic is oriented, as far as nav lights. If you see a steady red light, you have to know which way that traffic is going, and determine if it's a factor to your course.

It's not really 'harder' to fly at night, just much different I guess. I like doing landings at night, because the runway is all you see. No distractions, nothing else to look at. Although the runway will jump up at you at night, but you get use to it.

If everything goes as planned, I should be taking my check ride by the end of next week. I'm super pumped to get this first speed bump out of the way. I can't wait to take some friends up, or my parents. To show them what I've worked so hard to accomplish. Show them how much I love what it is I'm doing.

I guess I haven't been giving too many updates lately. Haven't been flying a lot is what it comes down to. During the week before the hurricane, and a few days after, I was unable to fly. Since then I have had a few weather cancellations, and a few that my instructor just couldn't schedule, or he would schedule, but would then cancel. He's taking on some new students with some additional program, and that has put him into a bind. Not his fault.

Today I did a completely solo flight. Did everything to get myself ready, and my instructor signed off on the weather. They require that an instructor check the weather with you, make sure you're not flying into a tropical storm.

After that, I went out to the plane alone. Walking across the ramp alone is an eery feeling. I haven't done it very often yet, so I'm still a little nervous. I end up talking to myself because of the void of someone there to talk to, or read checklists to.

After taking off I went north along the coast to try and practice some maneuvers. I wasn't liking my options. To the north was a row of clouds I couldn't climb over, and didn't want to go under them. Inland was pretty misty, and there was already traffic in that area. South would have required me to go a few miles offshore, so I was stuck. After trying to get some maneuvers done, and unsuccessfully so, I headed back to the airport for some landings.

You can always tell when the controllers aren't busy. I'm 10 miles out, making my first call:

"Vero beach tower, cherokee niner two one two echo, two miles north of the Wabasso bridge, mid river, inbound touch and goes, with charlie"

Who I am, where I'm at, what I need. Basic format.
His response:

"Cherokee niner two one two echo, cleared touch and go one one left, then left closed"

I'm 10 miles away, can barely see the runway, and yet he cleared me to land. Normally they will vector you in, like "Make left traffic for one one left, report entering left downwind". That means once your less than a mile out, they'll clear you to land.

I don't know, I guess it's just funny.

I didn't get to do my full 1.5 of flight time due to some low rain clouds that came in. Other than that, it was an awesome flight. Speaking of flight time, I forgot to make an entry in my log book 🙂