pilot's logbook

6/13 8:30 AM C-152 N89933 LOU JVY Stalls, slow flight, steep turns, touch & go's # lndgs: 9 MB

prep: lots of flash card study yesterday. One of the cards was Mike's landing pattern card, and I spent hours (literally, since one big family of piano students didn't show up for lessons, and I had spaces in there anyway) interspersing quick literal answers with "air flying" (like air guitar) and talking my way from Six MIle Island to Air Center One tie-down. I added the phrase, "899, student pilot, say again please," liberally to the radio calls so when I need it it might just come out nicely.

Last night I renovated my Pilot's Checklist: I added the word "LOCK" to the engine primer step, clipped a couple of notecards in the back so I don't have to fumble for notepaper, and made a sticker with a couple of maps of Bowman field for the other side of that page.

This morning I put a sprig of mint and a daisy in my pocket, put the daisy on the dashboard of the plane, and hoped for the best. It was night-and-day better.

We did simple things--turns (came out on the wrong heading on one, oops), slow flight, stall recovery, basic flying, looked for landmarks, flew over a beautiful grass airport which might be Lee Bottom, then touch-and-go's at Clark Co. Airport.

I'm trying to figure out why I wobble the wings on takeoff and landing. Mike says it's holding the controls too tightly--use 3 fingers. I think if I could clean that up the rest would be a snap.

So, the session was much better. Mike said the checklist work was text-book perfect. Good flying. 4 great landings.

(The last landing at Bowman Field was horrible.)

Walking back, we were talking (don't remember what, harmonicas or something) and Mike said he used to, or sometime does, strum a guitar. He made a strumming motion left-handed. In that instant, I felt a non-physical breeze or a brightening, or a Claritin Clear commercial. I asked him if he played left-handed, which he doesn't, he just had stuff in his other hand. The funny thing was that in that instant, I had my whole brain/self at my disposal, which obviously wasn't previously, even though things were going well. I'm gonna crack this nut.

Engine fire: If the engine catches fire on the ground, ie there's smoke and/or flames showing, you should hold the ignition key on for a minute or two to see if it won't suck the fire back into the engine where it belongs. If it doesn't work quickly, leave.