Heads up: This post is outdated and/or represents a previous opinion of mine that has since changed. Please enjoy a look into the past, but don't link to it or reference it externally. Thanks!

Looking for my current writing? You can find that here.

Flight 5 map

PAO -> PAO

Aircraft: 2000 Cessna Skyhawk SP (Tail #: N610SP)
Flight hours: 1.2
CFI: Garrett Krosse
Cockpit voice recording (via Black Box app):

These recordings are no longer available


Flight and Lesson Summary

I practice steep turns (45 degree bank angle) over the coast and try to get Garrett to let me fly through a cloud (no luck).

Flight Notes

  • This is the toughest maneuver that I’ve attempted so far, and the first time I didn’t feel like I had a complete grasp on at the end of the lesson. Fairly frustrating, but I found comfort in reading that this seems to be a tough spot for many student pilots.

  • The biggest challenge I had with the maneuver was maintaining the correct bank angle. I was fine with maintaining altitude and airspeed, but I would often not roll into the turn at a steep enough bank angle or find myself too steep halfway into the maneuver.

  • This is where one of my favorite learning tools, the Visualized Flight Maneuvers Handbook, will come in handy. I’d highly recommend it to anyone working towards their PPL.