All We Ever Do Is Landings

I had a much better time flying today. We just did pattern work and touch and goes the entire lesson. I think my instructor is going to keep me staying on landings until he feels I've got it down cold. I was better today. I had less of a cross wind to worry about, but there was still some element of that and got a better feel for how the plane reacts when on final approach and not fighting the plane so much. That's the trick to flying. You setup the plane and it pretty much stays the way you want it to and you only need to use light touches on the controls. Also, some of the landing procedures are coming much more naturally for me. All that said, I still have a lot of work to do to get landings.

Now that the club is back at McKinney, I actually made my first radio calls today... There is a procedure that you have to get used to. When talking on the radio it's,

1. Who you're calling.
2. who you are
3. where you are
4. what you want to do.

Also, you need to acknowledge anything the controller tells you. If you don't they get really mad. So here the calls I made today...

ME: McKinney Ground, Cessna 733NB on the north ramp ready to taxi.
GROUND: Cessna 733NB, cleared to taxi to runway 17.
ME: McKinney Ground, Cessna 733NB, cleared to taxi. (repeating the controller's command/request).

Now, I've taxied to the end of runway 17, I've completed my run up checks and ready to take off. So I call the tower controller and ask for permission to take off.

ME:McKinney Tower, Cessna 733NB, ready for takeoff doing pattern work and touch and goes.
TOWER: Cessna 733NB, Hold Short Runway 17.
ME: Cessna 733NB, hold short runway 17.

The command "hold short" means to go up to the lines that divide the runway and taxiway, but don't cross, and wait for the Controller to clear us to proceed. So, I wait until I hear from the tower, then...

TOWER: Cessna 733NB you are cleared for take off.
ME: McKinney Tower, Cessna 733NB, cleared for take off.

With that, I took my position on the runway and gave it full throttle and in a few hundred feet I was airborne. After that, we got calls from the tower usually when we were on our downwind leg of the pattern clearing to land at our option (meaning we could touch and go, low approach, or full stop).

Next lesson is Friday the 14th.

Time logged for today's lesson: 1.4 hrs

Total time: 4.9 hrs