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.

 

nice.

 

lol. Congrats on nearing completion of your provate pilots license. Ill have my A&P liscense as soon as I get off my *** and take the test, and then on to the private pilot. It helps a bit that my dad has his CFI and ATP for fixed wing, and is an instrument rated helicopter pilot. The helicopter liscense is the one im really looking forward to though. Its truly a feeling of being free.



I got to fly this a couple of years ago. It was amazing.

 

Sweet helicopter.

 

dude.. soloing rules.. i have 2x so far.. good luck with it.. best feeling evar.. i should finish my private pilots license this summer..

 

i want to learn how to fly,



don't they use GPS these days? the microsoft flight sim latest version has it.

 

Yeah GPS is commonly used on IFR planes. Our 172's have GPS. I'm tempted to get a cheap handheld to have another source to check myself.

 

Lawrance has entered the world of aviation with a handheld GPS that is quite excellent and half the price of the hand held Garmin.



My Dad has one and it is very accurate with moving map and all. It can also be adapted for the road and you can download and create maps for anywhere in the world. You can also set up flight plans. Quite nice.