Today was my last solo flight in the IFS program. it was bittersweet. I had hoped to be able to spend it flying free out in the practice area, where I wanted to fly as high as I could to get up over the haze and enjoy the view and the feeling of flying way up high. Unfortunately, two things conspired against me: Broken clouds at 1,300 ft., and the fact that I was supposed to shoot for a 0.7-hour flight because I'd gone a little long on my last couple of flights. So, I was restricted to the traffic pattern at Mobile Downtown.
It ended up being a very satisfying flight anyway. I made 5 landings, all of which were some of my very best ever. I touched down softly with the runway centerline between my main wheels on all five of them, and I'm sure the nosewheel touched down right on centerline on at least three. This was in spite of a light but noticeable breeze blowing straight across the runway.
Flying every day for the last three weeks has gotten me really comfortable in the airplane. Today I really felt like I had total, precise control over where I landed with regard to the runway centerline. It was really a great feeling. My traffic patterns were crisp and precise, with 30-degree-banked turns, rollouts right on course, and holding altitude within 20 feet on downwind. I realize these are the kindergarten skills of aviation, but it's still immensely satisfying to just do it right and know you've done it right.
The worst thing about my flight today was nobody was there to see it. ;)
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