94touring |
05-10-2004 10:41 PM |
So Friday I had my first solo x-country in a cesna 152. I planned a trip to one airport about 85 miles away, then north about 40 miles to another airport and back home another 70 miles. I have everything planned out nicely, file a flight plan required by the school, and activitate it after I take to the sky. I'm flying along looking for checkpoints to match what i'm expecting according to my sectional map, since this is all visual flying. I notice i'm a little off on my first two check points, but no big deal I figure I need to make some more wind correction since the winds were kicking. Well about the 3rd checkpoint I realize something isn't making any sense and it becomes apparant that i'm somewhere else. So i'm feeling kinda lost and wondering if i'm where I really think I am. I finally do a VOR cross check and sure enough i'm way the hell out in BFE. So now i'm like WTF how did I get out here. After a few minutes of hard investigation with my map and plotter, I realize i'm a retard and wrote down the wrong course to fly. There were about 10 minutes of feeling lost that were priceless. After I ammended my flight plan, it took me an hour and a half to get to the first airport.
Today i'm flying solo locally doing menuevers and notice the low voltage light was on. So now i'm thinking great, this SOB is gona lose power and shut off on me. I get out the handbook behind the seat and start reading about electrical malfunctions. I recycle the master switch like it says to do and the light still won't go off. I turn off my beacon and it goes off, but then comes right back on when I turn my beacon back on. Wonderfull there is no telling how quickly this stupid thing is gona drain down. I haul it back to the airport and land with no problems, but I was keeping my eyes on available fields the whole time! The good news is i'm only 1 flight away and an end of course flight to getting my private licence.
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