It's About Time (For the Texas Heat)

We have been spared this year from the Texas heat because of some very unusual wet weather. Beginning in June, we expect 100 degrees to be the norm all of the way through September. Here we are in August and we are finally starting to see the temperature approach 100 degrees. With that as a theme for todays update, I'll start by saying that I try to do my flying in the mornings now instead of around lunch time or later.

My usual flight instructor is on vacation so I called Dick Stephens, who was one of my ground school instructors. I really like Dick as he has a great demeanor and is very fun to talk to. I'm learning that the actual flying is but just a portion of what you will go through during this whole process. If any of you are like me, I like to get to know the personalities of the people I'm around to make this a more enjoyable journey.

Since Dick and I haven't ever flown together, he went through my logbook to see what I have been doing. He noticed that I have been doing a LOT of touch & goes but have never been out to the practice area. So we took off and headed out east. I had already been sweating pretty good but as we got going, I kept sweating and it was getting worse. We had a broken ceiling at about 2500 feet so we really couldn't get up above the clouds to the cooler air.

He then had me do some 20 degree turns and some 30 degree turns. I was a little too "smooth" and he misinterpreted that as being timid. I just started trying to make it easier on passengers after my daughter threw up back in April. So he had me do some dutch rolls to get used to being able to manhandle the airplane. I was still sweating profusely as we were doing this. It was starting to rattle me a little that I was so hot. Dick then took the airplane and we did some 60 degree turns. After getting up at 6 and going walking for 35 minutes this morning, then having a large coffee from Starbucks, that I downed just before we took off , and the rather ease at which sweat was pouring out of my pores, the 60 degree turns were almost too much. Not to mention the fact that I have had some kind of bug for the last 4 days that left me less than hydrated. One more 360 of 60 degree turns was enough.

We landed at Caddo Mills (7F3) and turned around to take off again and head toward McKinney. I did my usual flying and we ended up right back at TKI to get in the pattern for some touch & goes. This is where I finally feel more at home, on final at TKI. I think I have finally gotten through my landing problems that I had back in June. We did a couple of touch & gos but were following another airplane in the pattern and he was carrying his downwind leg a lot farther downwind than I like to do. We finally decided that it was time to take it to the house so I requested a full stop landing and was granted one.

We got back in to the FBO to cool off and to let Dick sign my logbook. We talked about what I needed to work on and what I was doing right. I am rather encouraged that Dick seems to think that I am just about ready to solo. Just a few basic things and I should be ready by the time Richard gets back. I'll have to start choosing my attire carefully now that solo time is getting near (the tradition says that you get your shirt tail cut off when you solo).

In the past, I have been posting my hours flown and landings but from now on, I'll just be posting a link to My E-Logbook. Thanks to Tony Philips, a fellow pilot, you can now keep your logbook online so that filling out your form 8710-1 is a lot easier.

Thanks to dick for giving me a different perspective on flying and I will try to relax more, as soon as it cools down and I feel a little better.

My E-Logbook

Dick makes another successful landing with a student.