| I have completed my first solo flight with only 9 hours | | | | and of course, plot your course and calculate how |
| of dual flight time. It was a very exciting experience. I | | | | you'll get there. |
| loved it from the moment the wheels left the ground. | | | | My instructor taught me how to use 'Dead Reckoning' |
| It got even better though. | | | | to keep myself on track and it was a great feeling to |
| As soon as I finished my solo, my instructor started | | | | figure out what heading to use so that I would be on |
| preparing me for my first cross-country trip. We would | | | | course. |
| fly to Muncie, IN which is a little over 50 miles away. | | | | When the airport appeared in site I was thrilled. I could |
| I say 'a little over' because the requirements for cross | | | | make it anywhere I thought. After all, most trips like this |
| country flight to credit my training is 'a flight of over 50 | | | | are actually made up of smaller trips along the way. |
| miles'. Well, on some computers it says 49.5 or so, but | | | | Unless, of course, you decided to fly to Hawaii. That all |
| if you look on the map and measure the scale, it is a | | | | pretty much looks like water. |
| tad over 50 miles. That's good enough for me! | | | | Aside from that though, it's a great feeling to jump |
| The cross country trip involves a lot of planning. You | | | | from your first solo to calculating and plotting a course |
| also have to learn a lot about radio communications. | | | | to a far off airport, even if it is just a thirty minute flight. |
| You have to prepare frequencies, load them into your | | | | Next week, I'm doing my solo cross country which is |
| radio (after you find them), file a flight plan (you don't | | | | 150 nautical miles and entails three stops along the |
| actually HAVE to do that but it's good to know how) | | | | way. Very exciting indeed! |