5th Class - The Dementors

It was late Thursday afternoon and the sky looked a bit cloudy. We practiced the pattern once at SMO before hiking up to Simi Valley to steer clear of the clouds. I botched that landing as I came in way too high. The PAPI was screaming white on all four! Chris took over and yawed the plane to the right to create drag. This slowed down the plane and allowed it time to descend onto the runway. We did a touch and go and headed towards the shoreline.

We traveled up the Malibu coast and then flew over the mountains. It was an incredibly beautiful view and like a calming additive, it melted away the day's stress. This is worth it. My brain cells did not die in vain from all this flying drama. Chris snapped me out of my reverie by reminding me to look out for nearby traffic.

At Simi Valley, we played pretend with highway 118 because it sat straight as a ruler, mimicking a runway. Although we never landed and flew at an minimum altitude of 1400 MSL. We practiced the pattern a few times before heading back to Santa Monica. As we approached, Santa Monica was blanketed by a thick layer of clouds. Despite the stunning view created by the setting sun with its golden fingers splayed across the sky, the fact remained that we needed to fly through the clouds to get down. Gone is the notion that clouds are these cuddly forms that Care Bears live in. Clouds are now threatening characters and must be avoided when flying VFR. Chris took over and flew IFR after getting cleared by ATC. When we dipped into the clouds I stopped breathing. There was zero visibility and I could feel the cloud wisps lick at our windows and swirl around the plane. It felt a tad eerie as it was also getting dark. I looked over at Chris and he sat there cool as a cucumber. No biggie. I was ready for a Dementor to jump out at me anytime and if you have no idea what A Dementor is shame on you!

After almost a minute, we finally emerged from the underbelly of the clouds and I saw the city lights flicker below me. Phew! The cloud ceiling hovered around 1200 feet and was descending quickly. We approached SMO and there was not much traffic. We landed and I cannot honestly remember how it went. Must be the usual with Chris's paws running the yoke, throttle and rudder. Sigh! I must improve my landings!

Flight Time: 1 hr 30 mins