Intro Flight on a Cessna 172

After a week of rain we finally got some good weather here in So Cal. I scheduled a demo flight with Justice Aviation. Most schools offer these demo flights at deep discounts and in this case $50 to encourage folks like me to give flying a shot.

Justice booked me with a Certified Flight Instructor ("CFI") who was about to leave for NY. I was a bit miffed because finding a good instructor is key and I saw this as an interview. But they did put me in a swanky new Cessna 172 - 180 hp. It had that delicious new car smell and came complete with a Garmin 1000 glass cockpit. Basically a Dior. I smell a seduction scheme unfolding here. In real life I bet this beast costs way more than the advertised $85 an hour for the Cessna 152. But at this point I told myself not to quibble about price and just accept the fact that this endeavour will cost me 714 pedicures!

The lesson began with the pre-flight checklist and I soon realized that it is check-o-rama. One checks at every stage of the flight, from when one walks towards the plane up until one walks away from it at the end. This is serious business. The list is so long that it is written, laminated and bound into menu form. And these are just the documented ones. I am sure it will all get tattooed into my brain at some point but for today my goal is to enjoy myself.

By the time we were done with the pre-flight check and powered up the engine, I was ready to GO!!! But first we needed to get to the runway and this was when I was introduced to the rudder peddles. When on the ground, the rudder peddles control the nose gear which directs where the plane is going. I was thus driving with my feet. I basically danced up to the run-up in a slithering pattern and blamed it on the awkwardness of the situation as opposed to my damn heels! Heels are absolutely forbidden here. So are skirts and low risers unless you want your wobbly bits falling out while climbing over or dipping under the plane during the pre-flight check.

For take-off, my CFI put the throttle to full power and off we went shooting down the runway. At a certain point, I was told to gently pull back at the yoke and the next thing I knew we were airborne. Wow. My first take off. We climbed and headed towards the shoreline. And as soon as we hit it, I was instructed to gently turn right and we were soon traveling up the coast. Once we got to the desired altitude, I was told to level the nose of the plane with the horizon and reduce power. While cruising, I felt half-dazed and was not really paying attention to my CFI nor the instruments. I told myself that I'll learn later. Kinda like the I'll-start-tomorrow-diet mentality. My eyes were concentrated on the gorgeous view laid out before and below me. With a high-wing plane, I could see clearly below me...the gleaming blue water, the gia-normous mansions peppering the Malibu coastline, etc. I could not have picked a more beautiful day to do this. I was truly smitten.

Once we reached Point Dume, I was told to turn left and circle around the tip of the peninsular to start our journey back to SMO. When we passed Pacific Palisades and started our descent, that was when my head started to spin. There was so much going on at the same time. The spy talk promptly resumed between my CFI and the SMO tower and my eyes began darting left and right looking for the supposed neighboring planes set against a backdrop of bobbing buildings and moving traffic. I could barely keep track of the instrument readings to note the power level, altitude and vertical speed. And there is the landing pattern that everyone needs to strictly follow. THE tower will punish you for bad behavior. Juvenile crimes will result in them dispensing a number and instructing you to call them. If you commit something extra heinous, there is the imaginary penalty box that the tower will instruct you to fly circles in. This is their version of flogging you publically for subversive behavior. What makes matters worse is the fact that this is all communicated over open airwaves!

Once we entered the pattern, my CFI had control of the power, rudder and yoke. However, he wanted me to "experience" landing so told me to handle the yoke and listen up. As the runway loomed ahead of me, I could barely croak. I gripped the yoke white knuckled and tried to follow his instruction word for word. Having the power lying near idle made me nervous because I had this notion that we needed power in order to move. I could feel the plane sway gently even from the slightest wind movements because the thrust created by the engine was now gone. We were essentially gliding towards the runway. All along the descent we had the plane's nose pointed downwards and when close to the ground, my CFI instructed me to level the nose to bring the plane horizontal and then lift it a tad. All very subtle movements. And low and behold I felt the reassuring thud of the main gear (back wheels) hitting the tarmac, soon followed by the nose gear. I have landed. Unbelievable. I looked over to my CFI beaming him a mega watt smile. Correction. We landed.

Off to Flight School

The weather has been pretty crappy lately in Southern California. I saw it as a good opportunity to visit the schools without worrying about getting seduced into signing up by the clear blue sky. One never goes shopping in the supermarket when hungry. Same rule applies here. I live close to Santa Monica Airport ("SMO") so I naturally chose it as my home airport. There are four schools located in SMO and they are American Flyers, Proteus Air Services, Justice Aviation and Skyward Aviation. I visited American Flyers and Proteus on the same day that Barney's had its warehouse sale at one of the airport hangars. American Flyers is fancy. It is a national brand and has its own campus building, fleet of Cessna 172 planes, uniformed staff, etc. It is a 141 school which essentially means that the FAA has blessed its curriculum and allows it to graduate students with a minimum of 35 flight hours. Learning how to fly is not cheap. One should allocate approximately 10-13K for the effort. However, for approximately 11K, American Flyers' program only budgets in 35 hours worth of flight time. I like to be conservative and follow the national average of 60 - 70 hours. If you were to compare apples to apples and just look at the rates of the aircraft rentals and instruction cost, they run about 20- 25% above average. Other downsides include the requirement to take a 3 day workshop (I think I can self-study using Sporty's or Kings School), unpersonalized instruction (I like to work with only 1-2 instructors), inflexible time blocs (I'm self-employed so I like to create my own schedule), requirement to take flight simulation class (I don't think I need this 'cause I'm not flying commercial planes). My goal is to get in as much flight time within a 11K budget. This is obviously not a good fit.

My next stop was Proteus Air Services. The school is basically a hut manned by a 19 year old boy whose name card lists him as the CEO. Confidence inspiring indeed. However, after a few minutes of discussion, I realized that this boy was one cool geek. He took me on a tour of the planes and answered every one of my tedious questions. He has flown with an instructor since he was 14 but couldn't get his license until he was 17 years old as mandated by the FAA. I feel like a grandma right now. Proteus has three instructors on staff and prides itself in providing personalized instruction according to your schedule. Its planes are from the Piper Cherokee family which are low-wing. A Cessna has a high-wing which means that I can easily see below me. This might affect the way I land I presume. Eitherways I really don't think it'll make a big difference at this stage of my flight career which is basically non-existent.

Why oh why?

That was the question my mother posed to me when I told her of my intention to learn how to fly. Naturally she was absolutely horrified. When? How? Why? Well, a date, what I now call my five-night blind spot, took me on a plane ride around the LA area and over the mountains. The date didn't linger around but the memory of the ride certainly did. Aside from the stunning view at 5,000 ft high, something about riding in the front seat skimming over earth in such an intimate manner... it is truly a glorious feeling! And this is just gross hazy LA. With the ability to fly a plane the world becomes your backyard. I do love to travel and explore new places. My goals are not ambitious at the moment. It is for my pleasure alone. No commercial aspirations. Just a private pilot license to ferry myself and loved ones along the coast.

So the purpose of this blog is to detail my journey in exploring this desire of mine. I won't say passion yet. Although it'd be an expensive mistake to make should I fall out of love with it. I doubt I would though.