| AVSIM Column "Contrails" My First Solo: September 28th, 2001 by Dan Pergau | |||
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As my friends know I am earning my private pilots license at the Ottawa Aviation Services school in Ottawa, Canada where I live. I started to attend ground school last December and I have been taking flying lessons since then off and on. I go right from work to the flying school and then usually turn around and go back towards downtown to Rideau Park church for a music rehearsal which makes for a pretty long day. I've learned more about aviation then I could have even imagined a year ago which constantly amazes me... and I am slowly making a dream into a reality.
I shall remember September 28th, 2001 forever as that was the day when I first flew alone. The morning started off cool and wet... there was a dense fog in Ottawa and at first glance you knew it would be an off day for VFR pilots. I got to work and checked the TAF (Terminal Area Forecast) which was a little out of date but calling for clearing in the afternoon. I remembered my last planned flight on another day I shall never forget, September 11th, 2001 and what a nice day that was... until around 9am or so.
The day progressed slowly and the overcast clouds and low visibility did not seem to be moving at all... I kept checking the TAF and it assured me that the afternoon would have clear skies. 14:00 (2pm) came around and the clouds were slowly getting higher and higher as layers moved off... and I could now clearly see the Peace Tower (I work about 2 miles from it). 15:00 came around and I was out the door and on my way to the airport... the clouds were easily as high as 5000 feet above ground level now and the visibility was increasing. My instructor, Joe, was all ready for me when I got there. I finished signing the forms for my student permit and got my ID photocopied. He asked if I had all my forms with me and I was sure I did but unfortunately I was wrong... the medical certificate was no where to be found.
We went up and did 5 circuits... I admit that I had two careless episodes by forgetting important things but having said that I won't do it again! I forgot to turn ON my fuel pump on the 3rd circuit and I forgot to go through a checklist (oops!) when we had completed the run up. These things happen and were corrected! They won't happen again! I don't know how or why but I usually have good landings... maybe I focus on the proper thing or I feel comfortable but my last landing on the 5th circuit was a beauty... barely felt the rubber meet the asphalt. We cleared on taxiway Tango and taxied back to O.A.S. Joe again asked that I look for the medical certificate but I still couldn't find it. However, I was happy that I felt I was ready and looked forward to next time... which wouldn't be until October 10th due to my and Joe's schedule.
I find some of the important things in life happen to me in the craziest ways... this is a perfect example.
I was waiting for the bus at the bus stop to go to the mall and do some shopping on the way home when I decided to call home and share the news. My father answered and I told him I was ready to solo but had unfortunately forgotten my medical certificate. I was very happy, to say the least, so I was speaking relatively fast as the traffic rushed by. I have no idea how many words Dad made out but I told him I would call him later to talk about it. The bus arrived and I found a seat and started to make a mental shopping list. Something in the back of my head insisted I look again for the medical certificate because I was sure that I would have it on hand; after all I did have my flight bag with me... where else would it be?
We turned on to the transit way and approached the South Keys station and I started my search... shuffling through receipts in my bag. As we drew closer to Greenboro station I made the discovery of the day when I spotted my medical certificate. I had a bus transfer with me so I got off the bus, got out the cell phone and called Joe. The planes were available until 18:30 (6:30pm) and it was currently 17:30... lots of time! I checked the 116 bus schedule which I take to O.A.S. and I had missed one by just 2 minutes… the next one was at 17:56 (5:56pm). I remember then thinking about getting a cab as I was so close to South Keys mall there should be one there. I decided to wait… and wait... and wait some more. While I waited I called my good friend Alex Milojevic who has just about every pilots license one can get for a hobby and asked him for some pointers. As usual he was very positive and told me I'd be just fine. I had images of not pulling up or flaring in time running through my head for a few minutes but then that turned to anger as 17:58 had appeared on my watch and... no bus yet. A bus approached which was changing his numbers and only stopped for 10 or so seconds... that couldn't be it I told myself. 18:04 came by and still nothing. I thought some bad thoughts and checked the schedule again.
The next bus is at 18:26... there was no way I would make it. I called Joe again and told him I had two plans. Plan A was to get a cab and Plan B was to wait until Wednesday, his day off. I was hoping he'd be willing to come in for 30 minutes as he lives close by. The urge was too great—I threw caution to the wind and I ran over to South Keys to get a cab. Of course there were none around so the cell phone again appeared and I called for one. While I was waiting I made call #2 to Dad exclaiming "I found my medical certificate... I'm going for it!). 5 minutes later the Capital cab showed up and off we went to O.A.S. We arrived at 18:20 and I ran to the door. Joe was typing at the computer which I thought was odd but it was a crazy day so anything goes. He gave me the flight bag and lucky #13 headset and off we went to the plane.
Luckily the plane he had finished using an hour ago was still where he left it. He gave me some pointers on how the plane would feel differently since he wouldn't be there and what things I should remember when calling clearance delivery. I was to tell him/her that this was my first solo. I shook his hand, told him it was nice knowing him and got into the plane... the plane that 9 months ago seemed like an impossibility to control had evolved in to an extension of my body...or maybe it had evolved me! Pilots always say "Strap the plane on your back."
I think I understand what they mean completely today. When you write tests the worse you can do is get an answer wrong... with this test there was no failing! No one to save my hide so the plane was truly strapped only to my back. I started the Katana and taxied out to the hold short... I had the little window open to get some fresh air and I suddenly heard a little whining noise. A pilot checking out his private plane glanced in my direction and I suddenly realized what it was... I was riding on the brakes. I gave him an embarrassed thumbs up and came to a stop short of the taxiway.
I advised Clearance Delivery that I had received ATIS information Romeo
and when asked my intentions I took a deep breath and said "Whiskey Sierra Hotel would like 1 circuit... this is my first solo." I can picture a red light and claxon going off in the tower when those words are spoken! The winds had changed a bit since I left so I was told to taxi to runway 22 and hold short. At that point I went in to an 'autopilot' mode... things just came naturally. I didn't forget a thing and did all my tasks in order. I waited for about 3 minutes to get a word in edgewise to the tower and before I knew it I was taking off runway 22. The plane leaped from the ground and definitely wanted to fly... 170lbs of instructor definitely decreases performance. I was still in an 'auto mode' and doing everything as instructed countless times before. My first time doing my circuit checks was dismal... I was doing them automatically now it seemed as I climbed to 1500 feet and was established on the crosswind.. Joe and I earlier had been chatting about his new house earlier... now I just mentally did the checklists and looked around for traffic. Although I admit I did talk to myself a bit. The auto sequence was broken though when the tower told me I was cleared to land as I was turning downwind. That isn't normal at all... the earliest I've ever been cleared to land was turning base. So I replied with "Cleared to land, I'm just turning right downwind now, Whiskey Sierra Hotel." No response from tower so I assumed he was giving me a very early landing clearance so I didn't have to worry about that. I completed my downwind checks (fuel pump, flaps, engine gauges, brake pressure, fuel and my security belts) when the Tower called me again. "Whiskey Sierra Hotel, confirm you are on the climb?" My eyes shot to the Altitude indicator and I was level around 1500 feet. I replied "Negative, Whiskey Sierra Hotel is on right downwind runway 22, full stop." The supervisor in the tower took over at that point and gave me a 'disregard'. There were a few planes up and I'm always amazed how the guys in the tower can keep us VFR guys straight when they don't give us squawk codes. No big deal. I slowed down to my approach speed, dropped the flaps and started my turn.
There was an aircraft sitting on the threshold of runway 22 and he wasn't going anywhere... so I banked the plane a bit to give him, ATC and most importantly myself a little more room in case he was going to start rolling late. I had good altitude so I pulled the power to idle, landing flaps, pulled the carb heat ON and full prop... and started my turn to final. At this point I realized again then no one was to my right and I was doing this all alone. The student controller released the plane on runway 22 and he was rolling away... I then got a clearance for a touch and go. I asked for a full stop and he corrected himself.
Joe warned me that the plane would want to float a bit with the light weight so I was aiming for the numbers... I pulled back on the stick to flare and I touched down... had a little bounce which used to completely freak me out so I pulled back on the stick some more and did a nice military landing nose up style all the way down to taxiway Mike. I let the nose drop and the student told me to clear on to Tango. I wished him a good night. The supervisor came on and much to my surprise congratulated me on my first solo. I thanked him and cleared on taxiway Papa. That seemed fitting as my Grandfather on my Mother's side who died a few years ago was Papa to me (what I called him). So he brought me safely off the runway and all the way back to O.A.S. I guess I am sentimental, who knew.
Back at the school, I parked and shut the plane down after doing all the appropriate checks and saw a smiling Joe waiting to take my picture. He also gave me a certificate which he printed off the computer to celebrate my accomplishment, not to mention a 3 month membership to COPA (Canadian Owners and Pilots Association) and a Katana pin. He and Mike, the CFI shook my hand and said I had done a superb job which made my year. I quickly boarded the 116 bus again to go back home (forget grocery shopping) and at Hurdman station while waiting for my connecting bus I called my Dad for the last time that evening and told him "I did it!!!"
My Mother called me later on and told me that Dad had written a note from the first call stating something to the effect of "Dan almost soloed today"... which he promptly changed to "Dan did solo today!" I look forward to the further challenges ahead but the experience of soloing for the first time is something I shall never forget!
— Contributed by Dan Pergau |
