I don't recall the first time I flew on an airplane. I believe it was back in Russia when my parents and I traveled to the Black Sea for vacation. Ever since then, I have always been a fan of aviation.
When I was growing up, I always wanted to be a pilot and fly military jet fighters. I built a wooden glider that I launched from a 3rd story window in my apartment in Moscow.
As I got older, I learned that the U.S. military had very high standards for eyesight - 20/20 vision - which I lacked. Ever since I was young, I wore glasses to correct myopia (I was nearsighted). I could never fly one of those fast jet fighters (like the F-16). It was pretty disappointing.
When I attended Lehigh University for my BSEE, I briefly attended the Air Force training. However, I quit early on when I realized that all the other Air Force cadets do was march around. There was no flight training. I wanted to learn to fly - but I didn't think I would ever get the chance.
On April 26, 2012, I received an attractive LivingSocial deal by email. The Trade Winds' Executive Flight Package offered a chance to fly a Cessna 172sp single-engine aircraft with an instructor. I was excited and set up my first April 29, 2012, flight at 10:00am.
On Sunday, April 29, I met Gene Hudson, my instructor, at the Trade Winds Aviation clubhouse. He got an extra headset out of his car, and we walked to the Cessna 172SP aircraft. This was a practically new airplane with the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit (instead of individual instruments, it had multiple video screens). Gene had been flying for over 20 years and had thousands of hours of flight experience, so I was not worried.
The Cessna 172SP is a small single-engine propeller plane with a 180 hp engine. It has seating for 4 people (2 in the front and 2 in the rear). The seating is quite cramped, so there is not much elbow room. There are two identical sets of controls for both pilots sitting in front.
After inspecting the plane, we climbed inside the plane's cabin and diligently followed the pilot's checklist. Once completed, we climbed out of the cabin and manually pushed the plane onto a taxiway. We climbed back into the plane and started the engine.
Gene taxied the plane to the runway and contacted Reid-Hillview Airport (RHV) ground control. Before taxing on the runway, Gene verified all the control surfaces (ailerons, flaps, rudder, etc were operational). Then, he contacted the tower and got authorization to take off.
We slowly taxied onto the runway. Gene set the flaps to 10 degrees (a normal flap angle for takeoff) and the engine RPM to 2500. He let go of the brakes, and the plane began to roll down the runway. Once it reached 55 knots, Gene and I gently pulled up on the yoke, and the aircraft was in the air.
We flew straight, ascending in altitude, and then Gene turned the plane to the right to avoid entering class B airspace associated with San Jose Airport (SJC). We continued turning and flew south for a while. We practiced a few rolls to the right and left and saw several other faraway airplanes. Once we reached Gilroy, we turned around and landed at Reid-Hillview airport. It was a short but exciting first flight. The landing was relatively short, as the 172SP landed at about 60 knots (the same speed as cars on the freeway) and did not require a lot of runway distance.
Jets typically take off and land at much higher speeds, so it was unexpected to take off and land at such slow speeds.
When flying, I learned the importance of using trim tabs to adjust the altitude so I would not always pull up or down on the yoke. The Yoke should be neutral in flight; setting trim tabs correctly allows this. I also learned that one must always use the rudder in conjunction with the ailerons for all the turns.
My most challenging part was using foot pedals to steer the plane on the ground. The top of the pedal activates brakes on the rear landing gear, and the lower part turns the front landing gear. It's tricky to steer the plane using both feet.
I had a fantastic first flight and took the ground school class to learn more about flying.
A few months later, I took the written Airman's Knowledge exam and passed with a score of 93%. Not bad at all!
When I was growing up, I always wanted to be a pilot and fly military jet fighters. I built a wooden glider that I launched from a 3rd story window in my apartment in Moscow.
As I got older, I learned that the U.S. military had very high standards for eyesight - 20/20 vision - which I lacked. Ever since I was young, I wore glasses to correct myopia (I was nearsighted). I could never fly one of those fast jet fighters (like the F-16). It was pretty disappointing.
When I attended Lehigh University for my BSEE, I briefly attended the Air Force training. However, I quit early on when I realized that all the other Air Force cadets do was march around. There was no flight training. I wanted to learn to fly - but I didn't think I would ever get the chance.
On April 26, 2012, I received an attractive LivingSocial deal by email. The Trade Winds' Executive Flight Package offered a chance to fly a Cessna 172sp single-engine aircraft with an instructor. I was excited and set up my first April 29, 2012, flight at 10:00am.
On Sunday, April 29, I met Gene Hudson, my instructor, at the Trade Winds Aviation clubhouse. He got an extra headset out of his car, and we walked to the Cessna 172SP aircraft. This was a practically new airplane with the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit (instead of individual instruments, it had multiple video screens). Gene had been flying for over 20 years and had thousands of hours of flight experience, so I was not worried.
The Cessna 172SP is a small single-engine propeller plane with a 180 hp engine. It has seating for 4 people (2 in the front and 2 in the rear). The seating is quite cramped, so there is not much elbow room. There are two identical sets of controls for both pilots sitting in front.
After inspecting the plane, we climbed inside the plane's cabin and diligently followed the pilot's checklist. Once completed, we climbed out of the cabin and manually pushed the plane onto a taxiway. We climbed back into the plane and started the engine.
Gene taxied the plane to the runway and contacted Reid-Hillview Airport (RHV) ground control. Before taxing on the runway, Gene verified all the control surfaces (ailerons, flaps, rudder, etc were operational). Then, he contacted the tower and got authorization to take off.
We slowly taxied onto the runway. Gene set the flaps to 10 degrees (a normal flap angle for takeoff) and the engine RPM to 2500. He let go of the brakes, and the plane began to roll down the runway. Once it reached 55 knots, Gene and I gently pulled up on the yoke, and the aircraft was in the air.
We flew straight, ascending in altitude, and then Gene turned the plane to the right to avoid entering class B airspace associated with San Jose Airport (SJC). We continued turning and flew south for a while. We practiced a few rolls to the right and left and saw several other faraway airplanes. Once we reached Gilroy, we turned around and landed at Reid-Hillview airport. It was a short but exciting first flight. The landing was relatively short, as the 172SP landed at about 60 knots (the same speed as cars on the freeway) and did not require a lot of runway distance.
Jets typically take off and land at much higher speeds, so it was unexpected to take off and land at such slow speeds.
When flying, I learned the importance of using trim tabs to adjust the altitude so I would not always pull up or down on the yoke. The Yoke should be neutral in flight; setting trim tabs correctly allows this. I also learned that one must always use the rudder in conjunction with the ailerons for all the turns.
My most challenging part was using foot pedals to steer the plane on the ground. The top of the pedal activates brakes on the rear landing gear, and the lower part turns the front landing gear. It's tricky to steer the plane using both feet.
I had a fantastic first flight and took the ground school class to learn more about flying.
A few months later, I took the written Airman's Knowledge exam and passed with a score of 93%. Not bad at all!
