Oakland to Sacramento (SAC) to Oakland (OAK)

8/27/2002
5pm-6pm plan
6pm-8pm fly XC OAK-SAC-OAK
Usual CFI
Cessna N20117 (C-172)
Hobbs 1.7
Dual XC

I was a bit late, and it took until just before 6pm to complete the winds etc...
We took off at approx 6:30 and headed on my XC plan (non-filed) to SAC
All went well, but I was a bit North-West of course, flying near CCR. In N20117 I had more trouble keeping a heading w/trim.
Once past the river, I found a river on the chart that led right up to SAC. Finding it from approx 10nm out was very cool.
Jeff was happy with that. We were brought in for a wide left base for runway 30 (was on the ATIS, but Jeff heard it and I didn't - it was the active with winds from 300)
Called in a 3/4nm left base as instructed, and in for a T&G. Not perfect, but more or less a decent short-approach (trees at the end of 30)
Departed straight out until SAC 'exec' tower approved our left turn towards OAK.
Handed off to Travis Apch - no problem.
They terminated us VFR near Mt. Diablo w/o transfer to Bay (d'oh!)
Called Bay with the DME as 12nm NE of OAK which they confirmed - cool... and were vectored to the mormon temple.
I didn't realize exactly where it was and was a bit off course, but after the freq change to OAK tower, we were told to fly over
lake chabot (we were already close).
Aside from not seeing traffic on downwind and then base (we were # 2 after them) and Jeff didn't see them either, Jeff asked
me to land on the 2000' markers.

Now the landing :)
20117 has MPH instead of Knots on the airspeed indicator, so I was using the green arc (better than my rusty memory - should have been more prepared, but didn't know we were in 20117 until I arrived).
Staying well (15mph or so) above the bottom of the green arc, and mostly by feel at this point, I dialed in progressively more
flaps until about 30deg. Our approach was very *very* stable, and over the runway it was like slow motion / floating.
I let us descend more steeply at the 1000' markers, rounded out in ground effect, and right on the centerline, cut the power at about the 1500' marker.
Landed exactly on the 2000' markers and on the centerline!
Awww yeah :)


things to improve:
1. Short approach - nothing too bad, but could have been more nose-high and slightly firmer landing.
2. Heading - particularly on the way back (I had planned from Yolo 2Q3, not SAC to OAK - so didn't have exact heading TH).
    - get a better long term 'out of the cockpit' reference on the horizon and hold it - using feet mostly - as trimmed out as possible.
3. Pay attention to altitude and throttle - if it moves, tighten it up to avoid the up/down oscillation I kept getting with alt.
4. Checkpoints should have more than one identifying feature!!! Why not use: Cities, Water, Highways, Towers, etc... all of these combine to give
    - a greater sense of situation / confidence in the position. These were much better than simply 'abeam ccr' etc...