Dual Cross Country to KRUT

KBTV-KRUT-KBTV

So I finally got good weather for my last dual x-c. Three days were canceled because of high winds, low ceilings, and just all around bad weather. But finally a cloudless day, and hardly any wind.

I got to the flight school, and had to figure the rest of my flight plan with the winds (internet cut out at home). I got a standard briefing and filed two VFR flight plans, one there, and one for the way back.

The plane had just been filled so fuel was no worry, and the preflight came up okay, other than one landing light burnt out. Hopped in the plane and got taxi clearance out to runway 33. Light x-wind from the right, and before calling up tower, we opened our flight plan with Burlington Radio.

Climb out was a little bumpy, but once past 2000 feet it smoothed out for the whole trip. I got up to our cruising altitude of 5,500 and went under the hood. We did an unusual attitude, and then I had to find out where we were. Good thing there was a pond I was planning on crossing right to my right. For some reason I kept the hood on, until my instructor asked why? I thought I was supposed to, but he just wanted to fly normally, haha.

From around 20 miles out I saw Rutland, so I headed straight for it. Entered a 45 for left traffic runway 01, and made a short field landing right on the numbers. We only stopped in Rutland long enough to organize the sectional and flight plan for the next leg back to Burlington, and opened our next flight plan.

The flight back had a beautiful view of the sun over the Adirondacks, but my camera died right as I tried to take a picture. I'll have some pictures, and hopefully a video of my solo x-c. Boston Center was pretty much a hello and good bye deal for flight following, and Burlington Approach cleared us to land on runway 01 about 15 miles out.

We made a soft field landing that made me smile and my instructor gave me an elbow in the side. With a slight crosswind from the left, and landed on the left wheel so smoothly that all you felt was a little drag. Soon the right tire was down, the nose, and we were making a 180 to go back to the hanger. A good 1.6 hours in the logbook, and soon for my solo long x-c.

PS: Weather isn't looking good, hopefully going on Tuesday, April 19th

Stage 2 Check

Yesterday I got to do the ASA Part 141 Stage 2 check. Being at this new flight school, they have an option of a part 141 curriculum, which I gladly accepted being in because of the benefits. For someone like me, hoping to have a career flying, it cuts out some of the hours needed in the normal part 61 program. For private you need 35 hours, and an equal number of ground. (Same for the instrument course). Also for the commercial, you only need a minimum of 190 hours, instead of the normal 250.

So I went up with a different instructor and started out going to the southern practice area. I had never been to this location, but that didn't matter. I did .4 hours of hood work. I didn't get to see it anyways. Hood work was pretty good, and he gave me a little training about what's going to come during instrument training. We tracked to/from a VOR, intercepted a radial, and also worked on passing the station.

On the way back, we got some funky vectors. First go straight west, then go straight east. Turns out a pair of F-16's were landing. We came in and did a spot landing on the numbers 33, then taxied in to look over a flight plan I had prepared.

I just have to go over steep turns, ground reference manuevers, and then I'm going up solo today. After that I'll most likely go on my first cross country flight with this school. I have another post with a link to a video of my first cross country.

I'll try to snap some pictures today.