Wed: 9/18
Hobbs 1.9 - Solo XC, PIC
20117 (Cessna 172)
First Solo XC!!!
OAK<->STS(santa rosa)
9am-1pm.
first: took these hurdles step-by-step, evaluating each, and nearly decided to 'no-go', but each one was resolved to my satisfaction before proceeding.
*make sure to read below - fun stuff there!
Today was a crazy, murphy's law kind of day.
1. Arrived to be handed 99348's binder (thought I had it too), and after filing a VFR flight plan + double checking weather with WX-brief,
was told that I had 20117, not 99348. Amended my VFR flight plan, and then...
2. They couldn't find 20117's binder... anywhere... finally calling the MX (maintenance) staff who came over with it.
3. Last Sqwak of 'Total Radio Failure' was unresolved... MX staff forgot to sign off that this was due to the alternator/batt failure - now fixed.
4. MX staff forgot to enter MX taxi hobbs/tach/fuel.
5. Finally started preflight around 10:15am, noticing that the nose strut was a bit low - but ok after a call to OakFlyers.
6. Had to top-off the tanks, as I couldn't see the fuel visually (after the MX)
6.5. Rough 'R' magneto during runup - and the first 30-sec lean burnoff didn't clean/clear it. Thankfully the second try at max power did the trick.
7. Time-Off for STS was 10:45 (activated VFR flight plan 1 min prior, all was good etc.)
8. By the time I got to STS (approx 11:20) had to use the restroom! so I didn't ask for T&G, but full-stop.
9. With the very helpful & non-stressed STS-ground's help, I easily (no mistakes/perfectly) found the Apex Aviation FBO where I parked, shut-down, and used their restroom.
I thought it better to do a mini-preflight (total time out of the plane was < 6 min) and shutdown/restart than rush back to OAK without the bathroom stop.
10.Taxii'd (with tower perm of course) along the STS ramp... and just before taxiing near the hold short line...
11.As I adjusted the air-vent, the pilot's wing-vent-assembly fell out completely.
12.I asked STS ground if I could hold where I was and they approved.
13.Figured out how to stick the (curse here) vent back into place, and then requested taxi again.
14.Off again back to OAK with flight following the whole way.
15.Nice landing at OAK (centerline, ~250 feet beyond my target 500' markers) and ground psychically asked me to taxi across 27R on H as I was holding doing the after-landing checklist.
16.Fuel prob at Kaiser Chevron - the credit card machine kept killing the current fueling - this took ~ 30-40 min!!!
17.squawked an altimeter prob back at OAKflyers
Flight Following today was really easy + good. On the way back, I didn't know for certain which freq to use, so simply used OAK center that followed me to STS. I'm getting used to position reports etc not having to be 'perfect', but close enough that they can find you after you squawk.
In STS saw a B-17 (refinished/tour plane) taxiing - what an awesome sight! - four props - yes, that's 4 propellers, and as I walked to the FBO, the B-17 took off runway 32.
As I made my left downwind departure, I climbed out above (offset) the B-17 which was now on about a 3-4 mile final for 32. Very *very* cool!
Along the way out to STS, heard Jeff in a piper doing IFR instruction, and recognized about 1/2 of the GA traffic as Oakland Flyers: 85Q, 348 (jim) etc...
This was really fun.
No comments:
Post a Comment