All syllabus requirements have been completed! All that remains for FAR Part 141 certification is to reach the minimum 35 hours. I have three flights in preparation for my Private Pilot oral and practical exams, which should occur sometime next week as long as my schedules don't get delayed.
Today was flight #1, a solo hop to improve my skills for short and soft-field operations. Today's winds were straight out of the east, so I got some good crosswind practice. After simulating a short-field takeoff to leave Easterwood (which is fun because its like flooring it in a car!) I flew up to Hearne. The first approach I simulated an aborted landing that required a go-around, then a normal approach to get a feel for the winds and aircraft handling. Next I made a soft-field landing, keeping the nose up as long as possible, then came around for a short-field landing. After coming to a complete stop on the runway, I turned around to back-taxi and takeoff again, this time simulating soft-field procedures. For a 'soft' field, like turf or dirt, you try and get the plane off the ground as soon as aerodynamically possible. Once airborne, you level the plane and accelerate close to the ground to pick up speed before climbing out. Back at CLL I made another short-field attempt, because the test standards require you to land on a target within a +/- 200' zone. 1.1 hours today.
Next is a flight with an instructor (Wed 4/14) to review pretty much everything; he will designate areas that need improvement, and I will add those to the flight plan for my final solo flight. (Sun 4/18) After that I have a mock-test with a chief instructor (Mon 4/19) then I will get endorsed for the practical! (TBD) If an examiner is available on the 21st, I will complete the course exactly three months from the date of my first flight.
Logbook: 30.6 hrs
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