CFI-A Lesson 19 (Part 4)

Today's flight involved revisiting a few maneuvers that didn't go so well two days ago. We started by flying northeast over the coast towards Sebastian. I demonstrated Chandelles, Lazy Eights, and a Steep Spiral. After the spiral, I climbed back up to 3,000 feet and demonstrated a Cross Control Stall and an Accelerated Stall.

Back at Vero Beach, I made a Soft Field Landing, followed by a Power Off 180 to landing. I forgot to tell the tower that the last landing was a full stop, so when I pulled off the runway, he directed me back to runway 11L, even though I wanted to go to the ramp. I was confused on where he wanted us to go, so I stopped moving and he asked if I needed some directions. My instructor got on the radio and told him we'd like to go back to the ramp. The confusion evaporated and we returned to our parking spot.

I was pretty anxious before the flight. My confidence was shaken due to my lack of ability to fly these maneuvers properly. Once in the plane and over the ocean, I started to relax and enjoy the moment. The air was smooth and the view was fabulous. I simply talked my way through each maneuver. I did what I said I was going to do and said what I was doing. It worked out pretty good. And my 'student' got a clear picture of how to perform each maneuver.

Next up is a two hour (or longer) ground lesson that covers many key areas of instruction, including the Fundamentals of Instruction, flight instructor responsibilities, logbook entries and endorsements, Federal Aviation Regulations, and runway incursion avoidance. It is more like an exam than a lesson.