Dawn Patrol

Today's flight was great- a whole hour in an airplane all by myself. I had a launch time of 7 am, which meant I had to leave here a little before 6, right at first light. The sun was up when I got to the airport, but still low in the sky. (I took the picture this morning) The wind was dead calm. Visibility was reported at 10 miles, but was really more like 4-5 in haze.

Shortly after takeoff, the tower asked if I could help him check his emergency radios. I tuned over to the designated emergency frequency (121.50 MHz) and responded as he checked out two or three radios. I guess I was the only one in the area.

The practice area was all mine, too. I practiced tracking VOR radials and navigating with reference to my chart so I'd have more than just Microsoft Flight Simulator experience in navigation when I go for my first cross-country flight with Rocky tomorrow. Then I came back for three landings at Mobile, with an increasing crosswind on each one.

The other good thing that happened today was my classmate and carpool buddy Louis Jackson had his first solo. He and Rocky had my plane right after I was done with it. Since I had to wait for Rocky for an hour of ground instruction after Louis's flight, I was there when they got back and was able to congratulate him.

Soloing an airplane is a big step in an aviator's career. To me, that's the day you become a pilot. Once you've flown an airplane, by yourself, and returned safely to earth, you are never quite the same ever again. The most important thing a solo flight does for you as a student pilot is to prove to YOU that you can do it. Like so many things in life, we are often capable of much more than we believe. I guess learning to fly, or "getting your wings" is not so much about receiving something, but finding something that's already there. Maybe we've had our wings all along, and we just need to find them and learn to use them.