I was a grad student in Pittsburgh, living on poverty stipends when I wrote this.
Thanks to Google Groups for retrieving this from the usenet group rec.aviation.student. The usenet groups were the Facebook of that era. There were all kinds of topics you could talk about and if you kept clear of the alt.* groups, they were pretty safe too.
I couldn't afford to fly regularly till 1999 after this. The picture above was taken right after my solo - I did see the Budweiser blimp while in the pattern.
Newsgroups: rec.aviation.student
From: a...@pitt.edu (Anandeep Pannu)
Date: 9 Aug 93 15:57:08 GMT
Local: Mon, Aug 9 1993 8:57 am
Subject: My first solo
Well I finally did it. Flew an airplane all by myself around the pattern.
This has been a long road. I started training almost an year back, on 20th September 1992 to be exact. Money was the major problem, along with the usual graduate student overload.
I had been a glider pilot back in India with about 100 launches. That, and the fact that I have been an aviation enthusiast all my life, helped a lot.
The glider habits did interfere a bit too (negative transfer and all that). I last flew a glider over 4 years ago though.
The first negative habit I had to get rid of was - using too much bank! With those long slim wings you better add a hefty bit of stick to get the turn going - not so with the Cessna! Also I had not realised thermaling involved so much banking! A related problem was overcompensating for adverse yaw with the rudder.
The second mental change was getting used to the nose high attitude of the Cessna 152 vis a vis gliders in level flight.
The third, potentialy serious, habit which I had to get rid of was pushing the nose down for speed forgetting about that little thing called the throttle.
Well, I realised I had got all the right attitudes on my solo!
(More about this later)
I soloed at Allegheny County Airport in Pittsburgh (AGC) . I had done all my training there at Phoenix Aviation. A lot of the touch and goes were done at Rosstraver Airport(G08 ,narrower and shorter than AGC) and some were done at Washington County Airport (AFI). AGC is a very busy airport with a lot of GA traffic. It is a controlled airport with IFR facilities.
I soloed in 21.4 hours. Jay Domenico, my instructor, had been ready to solo me the last two times I went out. But thunderstorm activity the first time and high winds (15 kts gusting to 20 kts) kept me from soloing. There was a gap of two weeks before I could get back (I was at Oshkosh among other things). The practice in those conditions was very useful so I guess I
should'nt complain about the delayed solo.
Yesterday I bussed down to AGC. I dont have a car, cant afford one and fly too ! It takes me 2 hours to get from my home to the airport, with a 2 mile walk at the end of the road. But it was all worth it !
The weather was brilliant. Sunshine, no haze and clouds high in the sky. I reached a little late on account of the bus being delayed by the Pittsburgh Regatta. The Budweiser and the Gulf Oil blimps were being refueled before heading back over the city. Jay was waiting for me. We walked over to the aircraft, a yellow Cessna 152 N6575Q, known as "Tweety Bird" in the club.
After the preflight we took off for some touch and goes. I made about 5 landings and they were all okay. On the last touch and go, Jay asked me if I felt ready to solo. I said "Yes". We made a circuit and landed. Parked the aircraft and had it refueled. Jay went over a few things like radio failure, what to do if I bounce, aborting takeoff etc.
Well, off I went, the intrepid aviator ! Preflighted thoroughly. Strapped in and did the checks. Started the engine and switched on the radios. Switched to 120.55 (ATIS) and got a shock ! Seemed like there were people talking on this frequency! Switched to COM2 to see if the first radio had lost its frequency control. Same chatter on there too. Soon the ATIS message came
through and I set altimeter etc. Called ground with Bravo. They told me to taxi to runaway 28, the main runaway. Taxied out, suprisingly my taxiing seemed better than I had ever done before. A Cessna 172 and a Piper Apache ahead of me. The 172 turned off on A2. I want the full length, thank you!
Went to the end of the runaway and started my pre takeoff checks. Jay had said that I should request ATC for "a hold and wait" rather than an immediate takeoff. I called ATC, identified myself and said "Student pilot" after it all. The tower just said "taxi into position and hold".
No hint of any special treatment. Soon I got "cleared for takeoff" and started my takeoff.
The wind was calm and I held the centerline quite well. Rotation and climbout was routine. God, this thing is climbing. I was 500 ft AGL just at the end of the runaway. Turned left still climbing. Remembered to look around too.
On the downwind, reduce power at 2000 ft. Just as I established myself on downwind, ATC came up with "Seven Five Quebec are you staying in pattern?".
Of course I was staying in pattern. Had I forgotten to say "Closed traffic" ?
So I said "Yes, student pilot on first solo, 75 Quebec".
ATC came back with a "I asked you whether you are staying in pattern".
I was a bit flustered, but I replied "75 Quebec will be staying in pattern". ATC said "75 Quebec
number 3 to twin engine Cessna on 2 mile final". I remembered my radio procedures and said "looking for traffic, 75 Quebec". I could see a BAe 800 landing but could'nt see the Cessna. Pre-landing checklist. Oops whats this - I had climbed a 100ft during all this. I started looking
for the twin. Just as I saw it ATC came back with "Seven five Quebec do you have traffic". I replied "have traffic in sight, Seven Five Quebec". Reduce power, 10 degrees of flaps. Maintain height. Twin passes left wing start the turn. Dash it I am high. Power out, 20 degrees of flaps.
ATC comes in with "Seven Five Quebec cleared for touch and go". About time I was going to ask. Speed 70 kts. Align with runaway, 65 kts. Last flaps. Will I make it. Yes. Just before the fence I checked speed. This was an entirely unconscious action. My GOD I am at 47 kts (needle
halfway between 45 and 50 kts). Power to increase airspeed (not like my glider days - I did not push the nose down). Over the fence, cant make a normal flare, I am too slow. So level off keep the nosewheel of the ground. main undercarriage touches heavily. Bounce !
Full power, faint peep from Stall warning horn. Keep it level, dont pull back. Aircraft does'nt descend. Why is'nt it climbing ? Flaps! 20 degrees. Airspeed 60 knots. 10 degrees of flaps. Positive rate of climb, okay no flaps.
Everything in green. Turn on crosswind leg. Funny, I handled that okay, even though I never had this happen to me during training. Will that count as a touch and go ? On downwind leg. Pre-landing checklist. You stupid fool, carb heat is still on! Very, very stupid.When did you practice your last go around ? Two months ago. Not good.
Okay, you are number 2 to Cessna 152 doing touch and goes. Have him in sight. Downwind extended just a little. Correct configuration. Cleared for touch and go. Dammit, you are high again. Slip is required. Set up a slip. Right height now. Aircraft heading down centerline. Correct speed. Flare, flare , flare. Hisssssssss. Smooth landing. Carb heat off. Flaps up. Full power.
Cessna still in front even though I have reached 500 ft. Keep climbing straight ahead. Keep him in sight. Passes left wing, no other traffic in sight. Turn crosswind. Follow Cessna on downwind. Cleared for touch and go. Only slightly extend downwind. Perfect approach. Landing good, but not as smooth as the last one. Also remembered to tell ATC that this was a full stop. Get off runaway at the intersection. After landing checks. Taxi all the way to the back. Jay comes out of the clubhouse, directs me to turn it completely around.
Shutdown. WOW ! The eagle has landed !
Anandeep Pannu ( soloed 9 August 1993 )
--
Graduate Student
Intelligent Systems
University of Pittsburgh
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