Went up in my first training flight Sunday. It was fantastic! Arrived at 3:45
Ellington Field. Got the books and keys to the plane (1964 Cessna 172).
Instructor (Phil) and I spent what seemed like forever on the preflight. Finally
in the plane, more preflight. We couldn't get the thing started. So the owner
gave us a few pointers - VROOM! Ok, now we're ready. Oh was it hot on the
ground! But finally we taxied out and got clearance to taxi to runway 17R. Did
our run up out there. Phil at the controls - got permission to takeoff. And so
he did. It was pretty bumpy at first. He climbed to about 1000' then gave me the
controls. I did a little playing with the rudder and a few shallow turns. Then I
climbed to 2000' about 5 miles from Ellington. I was amazed at just how far I
could see. I could see Galveston shortly after takeoff. It was very nice. The
water was beautiful. I was nervous. I have flown MS Flight Sim many times but
this time I was sitting in this bumpy little plane high above the Earth. It was
pretty cool, though. My climbs were very good. The trim tab control took a
little getting used to. Accidentally flew into a small cloud. I can see how
disorienting that can be. We followed HWY 3 to LaMarque. Then flew over the
Galveston Causeway. I cornered at the building where I work at UTMB and pointed
it out to Phil. We then flew up the Seawall and landed at Scholes. Not much
traffic. Phil let me get used to driving the plane on the ground. It was a lot
of work. I finally had to take my hands off the controls because I kept trying
to steer the plane with my hands rather than my feet. It was hard getting used
to. I think if we were taxiing a little slower it would have been easier for me.
We aborted a takeoff when we saw another plane coming in who hadn't announced
himself (herself?). I saw the plane just after we crossed the threshold. So we
did a 180 back onto the taxiway. The plane must've realized their error and
finally pulled up maybe 50-100' above the runway. You gotta look out for
everyone - esp at uncontrolled airports. It was a learning moment. We took off
again - this time I wasn't as nervous. Controls back in my hand - I climbed to
1500' and followed the coastline back north toward Ellington. The water and land
were beautiful. I love it! Saw my house along the way. Landed @ Ellington on
runway 22 with a 90-degree crosswind from the right. It was not so bad. Anyway,
it was a great day to be flying. I'm hooked. Should be going back up in a day or
2.-Brian
