The airplane I flew today was great, but the weather wasn’t ideal. Crosswinds and gusts of up to 15 knots weren’t something a beginner pilot dreams of.
We made a couple of landings, but one of them had to be aborted due to a gust of wind we encountered at about 100 feet above the ground. I wasn’t completely ready for this weather in a new airplane, so I decided it was safer to go around.
Our school’s go-around procedure for the Cessna 172 is different from what I’m used to in the Cessna 150. Here, I had to set the flaps to 10 simultaneously with applying full throttle. In the Cessna 150, I was taught to apply full throttle, stabilize, retract flaps per one stage, stabilize, and so on.
Although I didn’t have many opportunities to practice in that kind of weather, it was a useful experience. My flying is gradually becoming more stable as I get used to the airplane and instrument flying. Of course, I can’t expect to be an ideal pilot after only two lessons, so I just need to practice more.
We also practiced recovering from unusual attitudes. This is included in the usual syllabus in the US, whereas in Europe, it’s a separate course. During the exercise, I had to cover or close my eyes, and the instructor would make some maneuvers that felt like a roller coaster ride. Then he would say, “OK, recover,” and I had to understand what was happening and bring the airplane to a straight and level flight. It’s important to note that all of this was done “under the hood,” which means I wasn’t able to look outside.
My IFR hours are increasing, and I’m also working on preparing for the written test.
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