First solo 1863C

This was a beautiful morning for a flight. I dropped Amanda off at the airport at 5:30am – she is going to a conference in San Francisco for a few days – and then headed over to the plane. I have been a pilot for almost a year now and so far my solo adventures have been relegated to renting planes. This is good for practice, to stay proficient, and to get up flying. (I was able to take one lunch trip up to Talkeetna.) But, when the sun was shining and I had a free hour I yearned to just be able to drive to the airport, hop in a plane, and take a flight.

So, a couple months ago I started flying with Rich Young in Dad’s 170 in order to start earning my taildragger endorsement. I put in 12 or 13 hours with him and he signed me off. Next signoff I needed was Dad’s. (Not to mention getting on the insurance!) We went up a few times and my landings were a bit shaky, but I felt okay. Earlier this week we went up and did some stall practice and recovery and with that, I received the all clear.

So, after dropping Amanda off I went over and took a flight. The morning was beautiful – calm, sunny, a little traffic. I was a little nervous but made sure I kept going through my checklists and visualizing what I needed to do. I went over to Goose Bay and did several stop-and-goes. My landings were pretty good… I had one bounce that ended up settling in really nicely, so it was a good confidence builder. Then, on the way home, coming into Lake Hood, I probably had my most perfect landing yet. I flared at the right height and flared completely so that my tail wheel hit right before my mains. I kept it straight on the runway – no swerving… it was gorgeous, if I say so myself! Man, what a feeling! I don’t think there is any better way to start out a day than have an exhilarating flight like that!

Now that I’ve conquered the first taildragger solo, I’ll keep going up to gain practice… whenever the weather is right and I have a free hour I’ll be heading to the plane to take to the air.