Pilot's logbook

3/26 Check-in ride with T.

Beautiful day, perfect weather, surprisingly, since rain and TS had been forecast.

We should have sat down and talked first. T was with another student, so I went on to preflight. Also, I didn't bring my computer bag with all my books, flight plans, etc. so I wouldn't have had what we needed, anyway.

First time in 011 in several months. Only the third time in any plane in 6 or 7 weeks.

Preflight-I saw T flip a little toggle switch (one that I never use, guess what? it's radio.). Then when I tried to get myself on the headset, it didn't come in. It was the switch. Now I know that switch.

Taxi OK. Runup OK, just don't check the carb heat. Stay with the checklist.

Takeoff ok. Tower didn't specify right turn, and I took it anyway without verifying. It's what we usually do. Should've checked.

At some point we figured out that T thought we were recreating a cross-country, and I wasn't. I didn't even have an older one since I'd just reorganized my kneepad stuff to keep having junk that might fall out.

Clearing turns. I'm still not used to them.

We were doing slowflight exercises, and I couldn't get it right. I wasn't always sure what he was asking me to do. Usually I'm pretty much on the money with slowflight. I am NO GOOD at flying with somebody else in charge. I'm trying to figure out what they're getting at, and tuning in on the wrong things, I guess. Need to get a fool-proof pattern established (for all my planes) for each of the standard check-ride procedures.

Then T tried to save the day with an engine-out exercise right near Lee Bottom. I knew we should take the airport. I couldn't see where it actually started, and aimed for a point that turned out to be about 1/2 mile north, with trees between us and the threshold. I certainly didn't make any radio calls. T had the throttle. We went too low, I should have told him we needed to pull up.

Coming back, it was hard to see Bowman field. Then, when we finally got to 6-mile, the radio wasn't working right so I embarrassed myself by not being able to hear Tower (or anybody else) and not seeing Todd in 16T or a bird.

Landing was cross-wind, and I let the wind push us. T offered to fly with me one day to just do cross-wind landings, and it would be a good idea. Probably. When I first got my license, I had practicing cross-wind landings at the top of my list. It's still there. Why can't I null this out?

I didn't call in for touch-and-go, so we had to full stop. Off at Kilo, and there's that runway hold-short line that you have to not cross.

So, a good time was had by all.

Also. I still don't have a permanent copy of my license. FAA thinks I'm still a student. Peyton has more than one that are "lost." He says the FAA people can just print me another temporary, and they will. Still, it has to be mailed. I'm calling him again tonight.