El Cochinito
Jun 18, 01, 2:21 pm
For years as a passenger I always wondered what it was like to actually fly a plane. Someday I told myself I would take an introductory lesson and find out. Well someday finally came!
Saturday (6/16) morning I drove over to Sacramento Executive Airport (SAC) for my introductory flying lesson. SAC is a general purpose aviation facility located in South Sacramento. It used to be Sacramento’s commercial airport before SMF was built back in the 1960s.
I checked in with the flying club and a few minutes later my instructor Pete arrived. He was an enthusiastic person and was looking forward to taking me up for my introductory flight. He asked if I had ever flown a plane before and I said no, but I have played with MS Flight Simulator for some time. He said that many students and pilots use FS quite a bit, himself included. We grabbed a couple of noise-canceling headsets, the log, and a chart then headed out to the tarmac.
The weather was perfect for flying. It wasn’t hot yet, it was clear, and there was no wind. This meant it should be relatively smooth.
Originally I was supposed to go up in a Cessna 152, which is a small two seater, but Pete said that between the two of us we’d be too heavy for the 152 so for $15 more we could go up in a Cessna 172 (a bigger 4 seater). That sounded good to me, especially after I sat in the 152 cockpit; it is not built for tall people like me. On the other hand, the 172 was much more comfortable.
Our 172 had just come back from a flight, so our plane was already warmed up. I was invited to sit in the left seat (very cool!). Pete asked me to show him which instruments I was familiar with based on my FS experience. I recognized several of them and pointed out the ones I remembered. We needed to top off the tanks, so after going through the checklist and starting the engine, we got clearance to taxi over to the gas pumps. Aviation fuel is more expensive than auto fuel; I think he said it was around $2.50 per gallon. The flying club’s planes are rented “wet”, meaning that the rental rate includes fuel. For example, the Cessna 172 rents for $80/hr. Rental rates are for engine time. For example, if you were going to fly someplace for lunch then come back, you’d only pay for the time the engine was running.
We decided that after takeoff we’d fly up the American River towards Folsom Lake, then south to Elk Grove before heading back to SAC. Pete got our clearance to taxi and we headed out to runway 20. During taxi, he asked if I wanted to give it a try. You don’t steer a plane on the ground with the wheel, you use the rudder pedals. The idea is to keep your left leg in line with the stripe in the middle of the taxiway. I was doing ok (in fact Pete said I was the first student he’d seen that managed to keep the plane in the center of the taxiway on the first try…most first timers either weave all over the place or try to steer with the wheel) so he let me taxi us all the way to the run up area where he took over the controls.
We went through the pre-takeoff checklist, including running up the motor, and awaited our clearance for takeoff. After an inbound plane landed we were cleared into position and instructed to hold. After the other plane left the runway, we were cleared for takeoff. We rolled down runway 20 and at around 50 knots we rotated (took off). Pete had me lightly hold the controls while he took off, so I could get a feel for what it was like. We continued on the runway heading until we got to the middle marker, where Pete turned us on to a northeasterly heading. After making the turn, Pete asked if I wanted to fly. Of course I said yes!
He said for me to continue on the same heading and continue the climb to 2000 feet. I quickly discovered that the plane needed just a light touch on the controls. Pete showed me on the air chart where we were and suggested that I simply head towards Folsom Dam, which we could see off in the distance. After we reached 2000 feet, I leveled the plane off and Pete taught me how to set the plane’s trim in order to keep it at altitude.
I continued flying towards the dam, while I was instructed on how to maintain a watch for other traffic, fly the plane, keep an eye on the instruments, listen to ATC, etc. Throughout all of this I was flying straight and level, but as we got close to the dam, Pete said it was time to try a turn. He said for me to turn to a heading of 180 degrees, keeping the dam off of my left shoulder (so I could get a good view), and maintain 2000 feet altitude. I actually did pretty good with the turn, managing to stay at 2000 feet (planes have a tendency to lose altitude during a turn unless you pull back the nose slightly) and ending up on a heading of 190 (hey, I was close!). Pete was impressed with my turn, saying that is was unusual for beginners to stay on altitude.
After I was straight and level again, Pete said for me to turn towards Mather Field airport which we could see in the distance and also climb to 2500 feet, which was the minimum in Mather’s airspace. Mather Field is a former AFB which is now used as a cargo plane terminal. So we kept our eyes peeled for any cargo plane traffic as we certainly didn’t want to tangle with the big boys and their wake turbulence. I got a great view of the airfield as we flew over it. We then continued south towards Elk Grove where I managed to spot my street and house off the left wing.
It was time to head back to the airport, so Pete had me turn towards SAC. When we got near Valley High, Pete got our approach clearance and told me to descend to 1500 feet. We were a bit too close to the airport to enter the approach pattern, so Pete had me do a 360 degree right turn while I continued the descent to 1500 feet. During the turn I spotted traffic at our 11:00 position but Pete said since that the other plane was climbing and we were descending it wouldn’t be an issue.
After I leveled the plane off at 1500 feet, we were a couple of miles from the airport. Pete took over the controls as we entered the approach pattern. During the downwind leg of the approach we went through the approach & landing checklist. Pete explained each step of the procedure along the way. As we turned left onto our base leg, I could see runway 20 off to the left. Pete asked me if I thought we were too high or too low on the approach. My guess was that we were too high, which turned out to be right. As we lined up on runway 20, Pete showed me how pilots use the lights on the side of the runway to get on the glide slope. According to the lights, we were high, but as soon as Pete dropped into the glide slope they turned color indicating we were right on target. Pete smoothly landed the plane and we taxied back to our tie down spot.
All in all I was in the air for around an hour, and I was at the controls from after takeoff until our approach, which was the majority of the time. I am definitely “hooked” on the idea of becoming a private pilot, but cost is definitely a factor. I might do it someday, we’ll see. My introductory flight was fantastic and well worth the $65 I paid for it. I now have even more of an appreciation for what pilots do and the training they go through.
And although I didn't get any FF miles, and there was no beverage or food service, and the seats were kind of small, I have to say this was absolutely the best flight I ever took http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif
I heartily recommend this experience to anyone who has an interest in flying.
Saturday (6/16) morning I drove over to Sacramento Executive Airport (SAC) for my introductory flying lesson. SAC is a general purpose aviation facility located in South Sacramento. It used to be Sacramento’s commercial airport before SMF was built back in the 1960s.
I checked in with the flying club and a few minutes later my instructor Pete arrived. He was an enthusiastic person and was looking forward to taking me up for my introductory flight. He asked if I had ever flown a plane before and I said no, but I have played with MS Flight Simulator for some time. He said that many students and pilots use FS quite a bit, himself included. We grabbed a couple of noise-canceling headsets, the log, and a chart then headed out to the tarmac.
The weather was perfect for flying. It wasn’t hot yet, it was clear, and there was no wind. This meant it should be relatively smooth.
Originally I was supposed to go up in a Cessna 152, which is a small two seater, but Pete said that between the two of us we’d be too heavy for the 152 so for $15 more we could go up in a Cessna 172 (a bigger 4 seater). That sounded good to me, especially after I sat in the 152 cockpit; it is not built for tall people like me. On the other hand, the 172 was much more comfortable.
Our 172 had just come back from a flight, so our plane was already warmed up. I was invited to sit in the left seat (very cool!). Pete asked me to show him which instruments I was familiar with based on my FS experience. I recognized several of them and pointed out the ones I remembered. We needed to top off the tanks, so after going through the checklist and starting the engine, we got clearance to taxi over to the gas pumps. Aviation fuel is more expensive than auto fuel; I think he said it was around $2.50 per gallon. The flying club’s planes are rented “wet”, meaning that the rental rate includes fuel. For example, the Cessna 172 rents for $80/hr. Rental rates are for engine time. For example, if you were going to fly someplace for lunch then come back, you’d only pay for the time the engine was running.
We decided that after takeoff we’d fly up the American River towards Folsom Lake, then south to Elk Grove before heading back to SAC. Pete got our clearance to taxi and we headed out to runway 20. During taxi, he asked if I wanted to give it a try. You don’t steer a plane on the ground with the wheel, you use the rudder pedals. The idea is to keep your left leg in line with the stripe in the middle of the taxiway. I was doing ok (in fact Pete said I was the first student he’d seen that managed to keep the plane in the center of the taxiway on the first try…most first timers either weave all over the place or try to steer with the wheel) so he let me taxi us all the way to the run up area where he took over the controls.
We went through the pre-takeoff checklist, including running up the motor, and awaited our clearance for takeoff. After an inbound plane landed we were cleared into position and instructed to hold. After the other plane left the runway, we were cleared for takeoff. We rolled down runway 20 and at around 50 knots we rotated (took off). Pete had me lightly hold the controls while he took off, so I could get a feel for what it was like. We continued on the runway heading until we got to the middle marker, where Pete turned us on to a northeasterly heading. After making the turn, Pete asked if I wanted to fly. Of course I said yes!
He said for me to continue on the same heading and continue the climb to 2000 feet. I quickly discovered that the plane needed just a light touch on the controls. Pete showed me on the air chart where we were and suggested that I simply head towards Folsom Dam, which we could see off in the distance. After we reached 2000 feet, I leveled the plane off and Pete taught me how to set the plane’s trim in order to keep it at altitude.
I continued flying towards the dam, while I was instructed on how to maintain a watch for other traffic, fly the plane, keep an eye on the instruments, listen to ATC, etc. Throughout all of this I was flying straight and level, but as we got close to the dam, Pete said it was time to try a turn. He said for me to turn to a heading of 180 degrees, keeping the dam off of my left shoulder (so I could get a good view), and maintain 2000 feet altitude. I actually did pretty good with the turn, managing to stay at 2000 feet (planes have a tendency to lose altitude during a turn unless you pull back the nose slightly) and ending up on a heading of 190 (hey, I was close!). Pete was impressed with my turn, saying that is was unusual for beginners to stay on altitude.
After I was straight and level again, Pete said for me to turn towards Mather Field airport which we could see in the distance and also climb to 2500 feet, which was the minimum in Mather’s airspace. Mather Field is a former AFB which is now used as a cargo plane terminal. So we kept our eyes peeled for any cargo plane traffic as we certainly didn’t want to tangle with the big boys and their wake turbulence. I got a great view of the airfield as we flew over it. We then continued south towards Elk Grove where I managed to spot my street and house off the left wing.
It was time to head back to the airport, so Pete had me turn towards SAC. When we got near Valley High, Pete got our approach clearance and told me to descend to 1500 feet. We were a bit too close to the airport to enter the approach pattern, so Pete had me do a 360 degree right turn while I continued the descent to 1500 feet. During the turn I spotted traffic at our 11:00 position but Pete said since that the other plane was climbing and we were descending it wouldn’t be an issue.
After I leveled the plane off at 1500 feet, we were a couple of miles from the airport. Pete took over the controls as we entered the approach pattern. During the downwind leg of the approach we went through the approach & landing checklist. Pete explained each step of the procedure along the way. As we turned left onto our base leg, I could see runway 20 off to the left. Pete asked me if I thought we were too high or too low on the approach. My guess was that we were too high, which turned out to be right. As we lined up on runway 20, Pete showed me how pilots use the lights on the side of the runway to get on the glide slope. According to the lights, we were high, but as soon as Pete dropped into the glide slope they turned color indicating we were right on target. Pete smoothly landed the plane and we taxied back to our tie down spot.
All in all I was in the air for around an hour, and I was at the controls from after takeoff until our approach, which was the majority of the time. I am definitely “hooked” on the idea of becoming a private pilot, but cost is definitely a factor. I might do it someday, we’ll see. My introductory flight was fantastic and well worth the $65 I paid for it. I now have even more of an appreciation for what pilots do and the training they go through.
And although I didn't get any FF miles, and there was no beverage or food service, and the seats were kind of small, I have to say this was absolutely the best flight I ever took http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif
I heartily recommend this experience to anyone who has an interest in flying.