3rd Class - Traffic Pattern

Today Chris attacked me with THE traffic pattern. This is before I had fully digested my Lawry's 9 oz prime rib from lunch. I realized that I needed protein prior to each flying lesson 'cause the process just killed too many brain cells. I was also jet-lagged from my recent trip to Japan and ran 40 minutes late. So as you can imagine I arrived not only protein-rich but completely frazzled.

The pattern was splashed across the drawing board in an elaborate drawing not unlike a battle plan. The pattern is a rectangular shaped pathway of which the airport runway represents one of the legs. General aviation pilots need to fly along this pathway in order to take off from and land at airports. This makes sense because it creates order. The pattern reflects and tests the key maneuvers in flying. Take offs, climbs, leveling off, turns, descents and landings. A good measure of whether I am ready to solo is when I have mastered flying in the pattern with him.

Today they switched me over to Cherokee 777VP. Its 150 horsepower engine makes it fly like a slug. Because the pilot seat is on the left side of the airplane, the pattern begins to the left, thus keeping the runway visible from the left window. So it is all left turns and I suffer from Left-Turn-Phobia. For the first six months after arriving in LA, I could not make left handed turns unless there was a stop sign or a traffic light. I would turn right and right until I found a light. Indeed. I AM The Asian Female Driver!

Take offs are easy compared to landings. Knock on wood. Although I constantly forget to tap the right rudder to reduce the left yawing tendencies of the plane during climbs. No wonder I kept "going" to the left and compensating by working the ailerons just led to more wobbling.

As I climbed and hit Lincoln Blvd I turned left into the Crosswind leg. Chris reminded me to keep the airport in sight at all times and watch my bank angle. My eyes would constantly dive towards the instruments seeking guidance when that very thing laid right outside. My wing should now lie perpendicular to the runway which it was not. Soon after I had to turn again into the Downwind leg and reached an altitude of 1400 MSL. My wings should now lie parallel to the runway which again it was not. I tried to adjust but it was too late.

Before you know it I was "abeam" to my target landing spot and needed to start my descent. This is when everything happened in rapid fire motion. I whipped out the pre-landing checklist to ensure that my plane was in landing condition. I then dropped power to 1500 RMP and laid down the first set of flaps. Turning into base leg, the second set of flaps came in and during the final approach the final set of flaps followed. With each set of flaps, the nose of the plane would pitch up and my arm would ache from holding it down to keep our descent. Chris had control of the power and rudder and told me to focus on handling the yoke. Thank goodness for Chris we landed the plane. He yet again rescued me when we broke the glide. This is when I always run into trouble. I have trouble gently setting the main gear down by holding the nose up ever so slightly. I would do something funky like jerk the yoke back too much or too soon. Sigh! My excuses are endless.

I've learned that subtlety is key and there lies the secret in discovering the art of flying. Due to time constraints I only practiced the pattern one more time. The result was not memorable and I feel a bit hopeless at this point.

Flight Time: 36 mins