More Flying Lessons

This is the NEW airplane that I flew today. It's the very latest model of the same plane I've been flying. This is the first one that's IFR certified (which allows it to be flown in bad weather where you can't see the ground or horizon.) I'm not to that point of my training yet, but it's nice to fly the very latest equipment. They sold the plane I was flying up until now.


I had such a great time today with the flying lessons. When I arrived at UrbanAir in Melbourne, I asked Jim if we were up for cross country training today and he said we were. I suggested we fly over to Quest Air, where a lot of my friends were completing the last day of a hang gliding competition. Jim, a past US Hang gliding champion himself, agreed that would be a fun day.

We did our flight planning, flight plan filing and pre-flight check and then we were off toward the west, headed around the southern end of Orlando's airspace. We made a dogleg turn over Wallaby Ranch (another hang gliding flight park) and headed NNW to Quest Air. Arriving there, we circled the field once and then landed toward the south on the grass strip.

It was great to spend about 2 hours hanging out while the competitors launched and then after a quick lunch under the shade trees, we got back in the plane and took off toward the west and then headed north along the hang gliding competition task route. We spotted a good number of gliders climbing out about half way to Ocala turnpoint and then made a decision to head back to Melbourne - taking the route around the northern end of the Orlando airspace - over toward Daytona Beach and then down south toward Melbourne.


In the center of this photo is the Titusville Cracker Barrel - where Jan works. We flew over it today during the last leg of today's flight.

I got to learn a lot about planning airplane cross country flights. Where there's lots of restricted airspace (like in central Florida), there's a lot to be aware of. Filing a flight plan for the first time with the FAA was interesting - especially since the briefer that I filed it with didn't 'file' it and I had to do it again from the air over the radio while climbing out and beginning my navigation. It can only get easier from that point huh?.

Jim is an excellent instructor. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to get my training from him. I'm looking forward to my next lesson - in 2 weeks after I get back from 2 races in Charlotte.