=============================================================================== LOG ENTRY - 04-JAN-2012 Matt Borland Flight: 31 - 04-JAN-2012 - 1.6 hr - First Cross-Country Solo Depart: KCOS ~0850 -> KLIC -> Arrive: KCOS ~1026 =============================================================================== Today's flight was the best flight I've ever flown! It was my first cross- country solo flight, from Colorado Springs to Limon and back. Everything went well, and moreover I was happy, calm, and feeling very confident the whole time! It had been almost a month since my last flight, so yesterday I did a lot of review of my airwork and landings. I was a little rusty but most of my skills came back quickly. My instructor told me I was good to do my cross-country solo after that. That night at the hotel I did a couple things. First, I set up my navigation log, marking each waypoint and determining the distance, altitude, and true heading for each. Second, I took time to meditate and relax. I was feeling a little nervous, not about anything in particular, but because I think I was experiencing a little bit of an pre-emptive adrenaline rush. It's important to have your mind in a good place and to have good sleep before flying, so meditating helped me relax a little and focus my attention on the basics. I got up at 6 and got into the hangar a little after 7. The weather was great...clear with light winds aloft. Winds at the altitude I'd be cruising at were expected to be about 5-7 knots...not very strong at all. I prepped the plane, filed my flight plan and was ready to go. By this point I was feeling very confident...the sun was up and I was feeling great. I started the engine, called into clearance, and in a couple of minutes was taxiing to the threshold of runway 31, where I did my run-up and called in ready for takeoff. I held short of traffic for a minute, then they told me to line up and wait. Finally I was given the go-ahead and throttled up and was off the ground in a few seconds. After a few minutes I had transferred to Springs departure and asked to go off the frequency to contact the Denver FSS to open my flight plan. Once I switched back to departure, I was getting about 10 miles outside of the airport and was reaching my cruising altitude. At this point, I throttled back to the cruising RPM and adjusted the fuel mixture to a little under 8 gallons an hour. At this point I was feeling very good--for the first time in all the training, I was just flying for the sake of flying. I was still performing all the operations I needed to--scanning for traffic, listening to the radio, timing my waypoints, and keeping the plane on course--but for the first time I was just enjoying the act of flying on a beautiful day. More than on my last cross-country flight, I divided my attention well enough to better maintain my altitude and course. I was flying at 9500 feet, so about 3/4 of a mile above the ground. From this vantage point, you can see objects on the ground below for a pretty good distance, probably about 15-20 miles, and on a clear day like this the only limits to your vision are due to the curveature of the Earth. The skies were not only clear of clouds, but air traffic as well. The snow from last weeks' storm was still pretty well covering the ground, so all the rivulets in the plains were shown in high relief. About 10 miles out of Limon, I made a radio call on the shared frequency to let any other planes know of my position. Getting closer in, I knew approximately where the airport was but couldn't make it out just yet. I had planned on looking at Google Maps' satellite photos to better see where the airport was in relation to the various buildings in the town, but forgot to do that. So I just had to look for it. I knew the road it ran perpendicular to, so I just entered a long base leg and when I spotted the strip I was able to call my final turn. My landing was not spectacular, but was pretty good, so after touching down I pulled up my flaps, throttled up and rotated back to lift off. The way back was just as fun as going out...this time I had to climb to 10,500 feet, so I was a full mile above much of the land below. Pikes lay pretty much in my direct heading, and the Spanish Peaks showed up clearly to the left. Climbing to the cruising altitude, I felt I could sense a thinning of the air, the propeller and wings responding a little differently than at 9,500 feet. But at 210hp the engine still felt good and strong. Because of the differences of air pressure (and temperature, all related) you have to adjust various aspects of your engine accordingly, such as the mixture and target RPM, based off of guidelines in the plane's operating handbook. Coming back within about a 20 mile range of the airport, I checked the automatic weather broadcast then called into Springs Approach. Traffic became a little busier as I came nearer and kept a close eye out for traffic through the training area east of the airport. ATC also watches for you, but you should never rely on them to avoid other traffic. A couple planes near my altitude were within about a mile of me but they were no factor. Finally I was transferred to Springs Tower and I landed back on runway 31. I was so happy and proud that I not only made it through the cross-country, but so well and on such a beautiful day. I even pushed the plane into its spot on the ramp perfectly...a little tricky with the plane's 'tricycle' gear. To make sure I didn't get too cocky, however, fate had me bang my head HARD on the under-wing doorstop as I was putting the airplane cover on. I think the guys running up an Air Force Gulfstream got a good chuckle out of that. Coming up, I need to work more on the different types of landings, and on my tested airwork. Then, I'll do some longer cross-country flights and night flying...and will soon be ready for my check rides!