Solo!

I'm still giddy as I write this - I finally solo'ed! It was awesome to finally be the sole occupant of an airplane I was flying.

Before we play the clip though, let me provide some background. The fact is that I had been "ready" to solo for a long time (according to my CFI, Tommy's signoff a month and a half ago) but travel schedules and the ever-changing Colorado weather conspired against me on at least a half-dozen possible solo candidate days. So, instead of soloing earlier on in my training, I went the route of finishing most of my required training with Tommy (ie. dual cross-country = done, night flights= done, towered airport operations = done, 3.0 hrs of IFR time = done, etc.) with the goal of getting the solo in when all forces aligned and I finally got a relatively nice day.

Well, that day was yesterday, 7/16/13. The weather at KLMO wasn't perfect by any stretch but it wasn't bad either. Runway 11 was favored but the winds were at anywhere from 080° to 150° and calm to suddenly 10+ knots, it was hot and bumpy as usual, and the density altitude was 7,800' but nevertheless, it was to be the day and I was ready for it. 

Before Tommy got out, we did a few performance takeoffs and landings with with varying degrees of success on my part. Then, it was time. Tommy got out and I was ready. I somehow mustered the presence of mind to start up the GoPro to capture the event and off I went. In the video, you'll notice I forced myself to narrate throughout the flight hoping that it helps me keep the examiner in the loop during the checkride, but also looking back, it should aid in figuring out what I was doing and when.

The first landing was far from my best and way to the left of centerline due to my poor compensation for wind drift. The subsequent two were slightly better but still not great. Regardless, I was giddy having finally passed this milestone. I loved how the "mighty" 180 hp Cherokee climbed with only one person onboard. I swear I saw 700 fpm at one point after departing - instead of our usual 300-400 fpm at 85.

Post flight, finally soloed!

Now, some solo XC time, review/study/review, and hopefully it'll be time to schedule the exams.

Total Logbook Time: 35.4 hrs