FRIDAY NIGHT

Friday night was, I can quite safely say, one of THE MOST INSANE NIGHTS OF MY LIFE! Now Im not bragging or anything but I have seen my share of insane nights. Started out as a crap day. Friday the 13th, need I say more? I was due for my solo and all I needed to do was nail my landings. Not flying for 2 weeks because CASA were taking their time with my license didnt help at all. Needless to say, I screwed up. Everything was perfect except my flair( keeping the nose wheel off the ground for a while when you land). After an hour of crap landings, we decided to call it a session. I stormed back into the building in a really REALLY bad mood. My instructor Charles heard about what happened and walked up to me. preflight the plane he says, We;re going up to fix your landings. I nodded stormed off to get my stuff. 5 minutes later, I was preflighting my plane with a snickers bar sticking out of my face. I was going to fix my landings and nothing was going to stand in my way.

We were coming in to land and everything seemed alright. Then, Plonk, landed on all 3 wheels again. F***, I mutter. Relax man, goes Charles (while we;re still rolling along). I give her full power and as I do, he very calmly explains my mistake and how I should fix it. Something he said clicked and I nodded. Coming in for the second landing all seemed well, got closer and closer to the ground and then Squeak! the sound of the back wheels hitting the tarmac first. The best feeling ever. After a couple of pretty nice landings, we taxi back to the parking bay. You tired? Charles asks. Nope, why? I reply. we are going to see if we can get you another pre-solo check. By this time all my friends, or as they call them over here, mates are at the pilot bar. It is also about an hour to sunset by now.

I preflight my 3rd plane for the day and anxiously wait at the pilot bar for my class 2 instructor. The sky was already a deep gold and I was pacing a bar filled with tipsy friends like a madman. And then, I get a phone call. Its Charles, the guy was on the ground! I rush onto the tarmac only to see a Mooney taxiing at an excruciatingly slowly. I jump into my plane and and get myself ready. Couple of minutes later the testing instructor jumps in as well. Fixed your landings? He asks. I think so I reply with a nervous smile.

After the fastest run-up I had ever done, we were airborne. Around to crosswind, downwind, base and finally onto final approach, I set the plane up for the landing. 60 knots, check, Carb heat off, check, flaps 3, check, centerline, check. As the ground got closer and closer I thought, this is it, if i screw this up, there wont be any time left to do my solo anyway. Above the ground now, leveling off, I take a deep breath, pull the power and feel the plane sink slowly. I ease back on the controls and Squeak! Touchdown. Nice landing he says. Whew... We soar off into the sky for a second one. And this time, He requests the option on downwind(option to stop, get out and release me for my solo). My heart starts pounding now. I come in on finals and Squeak! Another good landing. He makes me taxi him to the run up bay where he gets out and gives me a thumbs up. JUST FLY THE PLANE!!, he yells over the buzz of the propeller. I give him a thumbs up and he slams the door shut and jogs away.

So there I was, by myself. I will admit, my legs did shake a little bit. CALM DOWN, I told myself. At the moment, Something made me look on the roof of the Aero club building. Perfect I thought as I counted like 12 of my friends watching me, more pressure. But it sure as hell was nice to know that I had my them watching me, cheering me on. As you can tell from the video on my previous post. JULIET BRAVO X RAY CLEARED TO LINEUP, I hear on the radio just as my thoughts begin to wander. I read the clearance back and line up on the runway when I hear, Cleared for takeoff, Juliet bravo X ray. This is it, I thought, no turning back. I gave her full power and she just lunged forward without the excess weight.

When I got up to 1000 feet, I looked around and was simply awestruck. The suns head was poking just over the horizon, quite like a little kid peeping over a wall, splashing a sea of gold onto the land, river and lakes. In complete contrast, the sky was a deep blue, almost black. It was amazing. Okay, I thought, time to land this thing. Final approach. Everything looks good. CLEARED TO LAND, JULIET BRAVO X RAY. Here we go, here we go, here we go, Hold, hold!! Squeak! YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was ecstatic as I slowly taxied off the runway. Juliet Bravo X ray, congratulations on your first solo, goes ground control, and I acknowledge him. Charles, my instructor, was already waiting for me at the parking bay, I could see that typical Charlie-grin all the way from the runway. I do my checks and shut the plane down. Congratulations!, he says. He looked pretty proud at that moment.

So we walk towards the RACWA( Royal Aero Club of Western Australia) building where the class 2 instructor shakes my had and congratulates me. A photograph of me ringing the traditional bell and a couple of photographs later, we make our way to the pilot bar where I am greeted by a roar of clapping, yays and hugs. It was truly amazing. My friends are amazing. I buy all of us a round and beer never tasted so good. That, was just the beginning of my Friday the 13th.