First flight lesson down!

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FireRescue85
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First flight lesson down!

Post by FireRescue85 »

Today I accomplished a longtime goal. I finished my first flight lesson. I believe that lesson solidifies the realism of the A2A system. I am not a pilot, nor have I ever sat in a cockpit during a flight. I arrived early and was able to help the CFI with the pre flight check and walk around. During which, he quizzed me on some airplane parts and seemed impressed with me knowledge of aviation and the preflight check (like checking the fuel for contamination or water).

In the aircraft, I sat left seat and while he ran through the checklist I carried out the checks (obviously with his permission), after which he goes “huh....taxi around the parking lot for a minute”. After completing a lap he goes “I’m comfortable with it, taxi to the active”. He handled radio to ground control, and assisted with differential breaking. After getting permission to takeoff, he goes “you’re doing the takeoff. I’ll handle radio and flaps.” Not gonna lie, that was a small pucker moment, but I figured if I can handle driving a ladder truck lights and sirens to a fire, I can handle this lol. I was so focused on airspeed and keeping the wings level I don’t even remember lifting off. I asked him what he wanted my airspeed at, how long he wanted me to fly runway heading, and what rate of climb he wanted and then followed the orders as he gave them.

I ended up flying for the entire duration of the flight (about 45 minutes) and then headed back to the airport. Luckily in western NY there’s the Buffalo Bills stadium, Lake Erie, city of Buffalo and Niagara Falls, so navigation by VFR landmarks is incredibly easy. I flew a left downwind approach to runway 23 and was waiting for the CFI to retake control, and he surprised me by saying “you’ve been extremely impressive this flight. Feel comfortable to land?” I figured I’d give it a try and went for it. He handled the flaps and trim while I got it into a steady descent. Once I had a rate of 70mph and a descent of -250, the plane was incredibly stable. I flared over the stripes and added a small amount of power, and touched down smoothly albeit the left main hit first.

After a taxi back to the hanger, we went over the details of what it takes to become a private pilot, training and hours required, etc.

I look forward to the continuation of this endeavor and can say 100% that A2A helped prepare me for the procedures and flight system management I had to do.

I actually told the CFI that this product (I flew a Piper PA-28 today, which is a newer version of the Cherokee) and as an avid user of FSX he’s going to look into it!

-Scott
Last edited by FireRescue85 on 21 Mar 2021, 08:05, edited 1 time in total.
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DHenriques_
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Re: First flight lesson down!

Post by DHenriques_ »

FireRescue85 wrote: 20 Mar 2021, 18:40 Today I accomplished a longtime goal. I finished my first flight lesson. I believe that lesson solidifies the realism of the A2A system. I am not a pilot, nor have I ever sat in a cockpit during a flight. I arrived early and was able to help the CFI with the pre flight check and walk around. During which, he quizzed me on some airplane parts and seemed impressed with me knowledge of aviation and the preflight check (like checking the fuel for contamination or water).

In the aircraft, I sat left seat and while he ran through the checklist I carried out the checks (obviously with his permission), after which he goes “huh....taxi around the parking lot for a minute”. After completing a lap he goes “I’m comfortable with it, taxi to the active”. He handled radio to ground control, and assisted with differential breaking. After getting permission to takeoff, he goes “you’re doing the takeoff. I’ll handle radio and flaps.” Not gonna lie, that was a small pucker moment, but I figured if I can handle driving a ladder truck lights and sirens to a fire, I can handle this lol. I was so focused on airspeed and keeping the wings level I don’t even remember lifting off. I asked him what he wanted my airspeed at, how long he wanted me to fly runway heading, and what rate of climb he wanted and then followed the orders as he gave them.

I ended up flying for the entire duration of the flight (about 45 minutes) and then headed back to the airport. Luckily in western NY there’s the Buffalo Bills stadium, Lake Erie, city of Buffalo and Niagara Falls, so navigation by VFR landmarks is incredibly easy. I flew a left downwind approach to runway 23 and was waiting for the CFI to retake control, and he surprised me by saying “you’ve been extremely impressive this flight. Feel comfortable to land?” I figured I’d give it a ?()^ and went for it. Handled flaps and trim while I got it into a steady descent. Once I had a rate of 70mph and a descent of -250, the plane was incredibly stable. I flared over the stripes and added a small amount of power, and touched down smoothly albeit the left main hit first.

After a taxi back to the hanger, we went over the details of what it takes to become a private pilot, training and hours required, etc.

I look forward to the continuation of this endeavor and can say 100% that A2A helped prepare me for the procedures and flight system management I had to do.

I actually told the CFI that this product (I flew a Piper PA-28 today, which is a newer version of the Cherokee) and as an avid user of FSX he’s going to look into it!

-Scott
Congratulations on your first flight and doing well to boot.
You seem to have confirmed that all the effort we at A2A have put into our work has been worthwhile.
Have fun with your flying.
Dudley Henriques

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WB_FlashOver
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Re: First flight lesson down!

Post by WB_FlashOver »

Congratulations Scott :D :D
That sounds like it was a real hoot. Good luck with your future endeavors in the 'real' skies.

Roger
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ratty
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Re: First flight lesson down!

Post by ratty »

Congratulations, Scott. Speaks volumes about your dedication and the dedication of the folks at A2A. Also, your instructor now has a story to share: "I took a fella for his first flight today, and I think he's ready to solo!"
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Jacques
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Re: First flight lesson down!

Post by Jacques »

That sounds like an absolutely AMAZING experience! Have you come down to Earth, yet? 😀

MarcE
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Re: First flight lesson down!

Post by MarcE »

Outstanding job! I personally don‘t know anyone who die takeoff and landing alone on his first flight, usualy they feel the stick but take control in the air and do some turns. That‘s great!

Welcome to the skies, Scott!

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wblackret
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Re: First flight lesson down!

Post by wblackret »

That’s awesome! Congrats! It brings back memories. :D
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Oracle427
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Re: First flight lesson down!

Post by Oracle427 »

That's really great news and good to hear you're thinking through things and applying the skills you've developed with the A2A simulator. :) The A2A Cherokee is the absolute best there is. From the sound of it, you're going to have to pound the ground school hard to continue to make good progress.
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