After years of wanting to learn to fly I finally managed to have a go last weekend. I don't want to start the full program that will eventually lead to knowing how to fly but I decided to have a one-off for the time being, just to remind myself that it's something I intend to do.
There's a small airport a couple of miles from my house so I popped over last Saturday to see what it was all about. When I got there my instructor was busily checking the plane: (click to embiggen)
I walked around behind him asking lots of questions like, "why are you doing that?", "why is it that color?", "what's this hole for?", "what do these do?", etc. He seemed to take it well even though this just encouraged me to ask more.
After a few more minutes it was time to get in the cockpit. I climbed in and realized I'd gotten in the wrong side so I got back out and started walking around until he told me I'd gotten it right the first time. But, thought I, this is the driver's seat. Then I saw that he had a set of controls on his side so I figured he'd be flying from there and I was sitting on this side just so I could see everything that was going on.
We sat still for a few more minutes as I pointed to each of the gauges and asked about its purpose. Then he went through taxi and take-off procedure while I listened carefully. At this point my crow was completely overloaded but I just kept on concentrating and hoping that some of what he said would stick for when I did this for real next year or so (subject to the approval of my masters in the IRS, of course).
Then he told me to push the throttle in and let go of the brakes. I did so and started to wobble out of the parking spot and onto the taxiway. I was excited and nervous. I didn't think I'd get to have a go at any of the controls on my first try. I weaved down the taxiway, trying to get used to the idea of steering with my feet. It came to me pretty quickly as I remembered a similar set of controls from a go-cart I built as a kid.
When we got to the end of the runway and lined up the plane I thought he'd take over. I was wrong. "Off you go", he said. "Gulp", said I.
So I pushed the throttle all the way in and gripped the controls as the plane picked up speed. I wobbled it a bit as it got going but, whilst sweating profusely, I managed to keep it straight enough. At the appointed speed I pulled back a bit and, suddenly, I was flying! Wow! The plane tilted over a bit as the rotation of the engine pushed it over in the opposite direction but I managed to remember what he'd said to do and, sort of, got it straightened out.
Then he told me to point it at a power station on the horizon and continue to climb until about 3,500 feet.
After that I spent about 40 minutes pushing the controls in various directions and combinations to see how they affected the craft. It felt a bit like being on a boat, the way it bobbed on the air currents. I kept asking him questions but we soon got to the stage where he was simply quoting the manuals rather than understanding what it was I was actually asking him. Sigh. I had hoped that this point would take much longer to reach than it does with every other instructor I've had, what with flying being so complex and all, but that wasn't the case, unfortunately.
So I shut up and continued to experiment with the controls. All too quickly it was time to head back to the airport so I pointed it at Kennesaw Mountain and off we went. At this point I started to get a little nervous again. He wasn't going to get me to land the thing, was he? That seemed foolish after only a few minutes behind the controls. Thankfully, I was right and he took over just as we approached the end of the runway so I left my fingers on the controls to feel what he was doing as we fwumped back onto the tarmac.
Then it was my turn again as we taxied back to the parking spot. At this point I realized I was pretty damp from the mental strain of keeping my poor, squawking crow going that long. When I got out of the plane I also realized that my legs were a bit quakey. Shaking the instructor's hand showed me that my arms were in a similar state.
So, I did it. A bit nerve-racking but highly enjoyable. I'll be doing it again just as soon as the feds decide to allow me to keep some of my wages.