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Flight 6 map

CBF -> CBF

Aircraft: 1997 Cessna Skyhawk (Tail #: N368ES)
Flight hours: 1.4
CFI: “Ted”
Cockpit voice recording (via Black Box app):

These recordings are no longer available

Flight and Lesson Summary

While on vacation in Omaha, Nebraska, I track down a CFI + plane and practice a couple of power on and power off stalls over Northwestern Iowa.

Flight Notes

  • Driving to the airport, I really didn’t think I’d be able to fly in the conditions. Very hazy, winds at 16 knots, and visibility at 5 SM. When I arrived, my CFI met me and seemed pretty pleased with the conditions. It didn’t seem like much would keep him out of the skies.

  • I left the wheel chocks in and don’t notice until I try to taxi. First time for everything, I guess.

  • This was my first time flying out of an uncontrolled airfield (class E airspace). No need to ask anyone to taxi or take off, I just let other airmen know that I was doing on Council Bluffs Traffic.

  • While I wasn’t planning on doing stalls until back in California, Ted encourages me to try some power on and power off stalls. He seems to be doing them about 80% by the book, but it’s pretty fun to give them shot.

  • We do power off stalls first, and I confidently run through two of them. I really mess up the one power on stall that I attempt. By using too little, then too much, then too little right rudder. Even though I know better from ground study, I almost got us into a spin on my first power on stall by attempting to correct for a wing dip with the ailerons. Shortly after, we had to jump down to about 2,500’ to duck below the clouds that were closing in on us, so I politely decline an offer to attempt another.

  • Continuing with his “I’ll do it once and then you can just try it” style, Ted flies in the pattern and completes a touch and go landing. On final, we encounter a massive (100+) flock of birds and pull up to avoid them. Instead of going around as I would by myself, he just puts it down a little further down on the runway. It’s 5,500’ long and there was no other traffic on the ground or in the pattern, so I guess it wasn’t a big deal. After we’re back in the air, Ted hands the controls back to me for the second time around the pattern (flying at 2,100’).

  • My first landing is pretty uneventful – my biggest challenge was keeping my speed up on final. I flare and touchdown with a little squeak, but Ted mentions that I would have probably wanted to go around if I was flying solo.

  • Overall, the flight in the middle of the country left me pretty enthused that I’m:

    • Doing my training in controlled airspace in the Bay Area.

    • Learning from a CFI that’s most concerned about safety and setting good habits for my future years of flying (Garrett wouldn’t have let us takeoff in the haze).

    • Part of a club v.s. a dedicated flying school.