Practice the Basics

After reading through a fellow bloggers post about Back to Basics I found myself raising my hand and bowing in shame for I was guilty.  Yes, guilty of not working on the basics! Chris had the laundry list there, I  had to confess, I haven't done much basic work in ages.

Chris mentioned the following, "trips around the pattern, performing a mixture of take-offs and landings that included: normal, short field, and soft field. Some of the landings were done with full forward slips, with simulated engine failures, or without flaps." My plan for today was simply to get some air time but as I sat and waited for oil temps Chris's post was running through my head.

With temps in the green I made my call and taxied out. I was going to head to Millville and maybe Cape May and along the way work on some slow flight maneuvers. This was fun with the tail wind pushing me along and with careful turns back into the winds I could almost slow to a hover. Well, ok, not that slow but darn near pretty close.

I should have done a few steep turns but I passed, instead working on engine out procedures. It was good practice and actually fun.  I cut short my plan for Cape May and pointed to KMIV. I knocked out a few touch and go's with an approval over the CTAF from fellow workers in Op's. Thanks guys!

On the flight home I just looked out the window, taking in all the view. It's so much fun to be up here in the air flying, no street noise, honking horns or screaming kids. No crazy drivers trying to cut you off or people trying to beat the lights through an intersection, just me and my machine covering the ground below heading home.

I greased the last one for the day back into Wilmington and taxied for my tie down. It was only an hour in the log book but it felt so perfect.