First Flight - Just Finished!

[Bryan Porter]

Salutations All,

I just finished my first introductory flight in a Diamond Katana.

I have but two words to describe it: Absolutely Amazing!

My instructor was a great guy by the name of Jeff Willis, out of
Skyline Aeronautics at Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS). Today was a
beautiful day in St. Louis, clear skies, 10 miles visibility and almost
no wind.

We took off west from runway 22R (as I recall), and I was shocked by
how much this airplane wanted to fly! Just the smallest amount of pull
back on the stick and the thing really seemed to jump in the air! Jeff
handled most of the rudder work - I was also surprised at the turning
tendency of the aircraft during takeoff, that's something simulators
don't capture well. Once we got above 400 ft, he retracted the flaps,
took it up to about 3000 feet, looked over at me, smiled and said "Your
Airplane."

Wow! My first thought was "There is no way I can do this." My legs were
actually shaking. Since I'm a flight simulator geek, I was already
familiar with the majority of the instruments and their relationship to
one another, so he didn't have to do much explaining once in the air.
The first thing I did was timidly move the stick into a left bank, and
it was quite the exhilirating experience to finally see and feel the
way the instruments reacted to one another, and the way the forces felt
against the airplane.

I also loved the way the aileron trim worked in the Katana - the small
switch right on the top of the stick was convenient. It was so weird
how quickly the aircraft responded to even the smallest of
modifications to the trim tab.

One thing I *didn't* like was my headset - the microphone on mine kept
cutting out, and the instructor missed half of what I said; not that
big of a deal, but I'm going to purchase my own headset before my next
flight to be sure.

I must say, this was one of the most exhilirating experiences ever. It
was challenging and fun - while up I was trying to do things like
maintain a certain altitude while making a turn, things that I've
mastered long ago in Flight Simulator, but now faced with the real deal
take away and entirely different viewpoint on the instruments
interrelations.

As I told my wife, the whole experience was as if God himself had
picked me up, placed me on his shoulder, and gave me a guided tour of
all of creation. It was amazing!

Now that my first flight is over, the "hard" part begins. I've got
books to buy, and studying to do - the technical aspects of flying
simply fascinate me, and I'm looking forward to digging in! I'm a
software engineer, so it's in my nature to be inquisitive and detail
oriented, and I'm now faced with a topic that seems enormously
technical, and I'm quite excited!

Regards,
Bryan Porter

PP Student - 0.5 Hours VFR! ;-)

[Mark Hansen]

On 01/14/06 12:41, Bryan Porter wrote:
> Salutations All,
>
> I just finished my first introductory flight in a Diamond Katana.
>
[ snip ]

Great story! Sounds like you have a really nice time.

>
> As I told my wife, the whole experience was as if God himself had
> picked me up, placed me on his shoulder, and gave me a guided tour of
> all of creation. It was amazing!

That's a nice quote!

>
> Now that my first flight is over, the "hard" part begins. I've got
> books to buy, and studying to do - the technical aspects of flying
> simply fascinate me, and I'm looking forward to digging in! I'm a
> software engineer, so it's in my nature to be inquisitive and detail
> oriented, and I'm now faced with a topic that seems enormously
> technical, and I'm quite excited!

Well ... you'll probably do fine anyway ;-) ... I'm in the same profession
and have a hard time seeing the big picture because of my narrow, analytical
approach to everything. However, even it some aspects are difficult to
pick up, they come in time with practice so don't worry about it.

Congratulations, and keep the posts coming!

>
> Regards,
> Bryan Porter
>
> PP Student - 0.5 Hours VFR! ;-)
>


--
Mark Hansen, PP-ASEL, Instrument Airplane
Sacramento, CA

[John Gaquin]

"Bryan Porter" > wrote in message
> Salutations All,
>
> I just finished my first introductory flight in a Diamond Katana.
>
> I have but two words to describe it: Absolutely Amazing!

Congrats! I can remember the feeling. Now, welcome to our world! Carry
on....

[Larry Dighera]

On 14 Jan 2006 12:41:38 -0800, "Bryan Porter"
> wrote in
. com>::

>As I told my wife, the whole experience was as if God himself had
>picked me up, placed me on his shoulder, and gave me a guided tour of
>all of creation. It was amazing!

If you consider God to be a product of man's intellect, then indeed He
had. :-)

[Jay Honeck]

--
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"
"Mark Hansen" > wrote in message
...
> On 01/14/06 12:41, Bryan Porter wrote:
>> Salutations All,
>>
>> I just finished my first introductory flight in a Diamond Katana.
>>
> [ snip ]
>
> Great story! Sounds like you have a really nice time.
>
>>
>> As I told my wife, the whole experience was as if God himself had
>> picked me up, placed me on his shoulder, and gave me a guided tour of
>> all of creation. It was amazing!
>
> That's a nice quote!
>
>>
>> Now that my first flight is over, the "hard" part begins. I've got
>> books to buy, and studying to do - the technical aspects of flying
>> simply fascinate me, and I'm looking forward to digging in! I'm a
>> software engineer, so it's in my nature to be inquisitive and detail
>> oriented, and I'm now faced with a topic that seems enormously
>> technical, and I'm quite excited!
>
> Well ... you'll probably do fine anyway ;-) ... I'm in the same profession
> and have a hard time seeing the big picture because of my narrow,
> analytical
> approach to everything. However, even it some aspects are difficult to
> pick up, they come in time with practice so don't worry about it.
>
> Congratulations, and keep the posts coming!
>
>>
>> Regards,
>> Bryan Porter
>>
>> PP Student - 0.5 Hours VFR! ;-)
>>
>
>
> --
> Mark Hansen, PP-ASEL, Instrument Airplane
> Sacramento, CA

[Jay Honeck]

> I have but two words to describe it: Absolutely Amazing!

Welcome to our world, Bryan. The view is lovely from here!

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Ricky Summersett]

On Sat, 14 Jan 2006 21:04:22 GMT, Larry Dighera >
wrote:

>On 14 Jan 2006 12:41:38 -0800, "Bryan Porter"
> wrote in
. com>::
>
>>As I told my wife, the whole experience was as if God himself had
>>picked me up, placed me on his shoulder, and gave me a guided tour of
>>all of creation. It was amazing!
>
>If you consider God to be a product of man's intellect, then indeed He
>had. :-)

How about if I consider God to be who he really is...God, a product of
nothing, with no beginning and no ending, indeed the creator of our
tiny "intellect?" Must Bryan only subscribe to this false view of God
(a product of our intellect) to have had the experience he had?

[Nathan Young]

On 14 Jan 2006 12:41:38 -0800, "Bryan Porter"
> wrote:

>I just finished my first introductory flight in a Diamond Katana.
>
>I have but two words to describe it: Absolutely Amazing!

Congrats!

[Dave]

Welcome to our world!

We LOVE to share.... :)

You never forget your first! :)

Dave






On 14 Jan 2006 12:41:38 -0800, "Bryan Porter"
> wrote:

>Salutations All,
>
>I just finished my first introductory flight in a Diamond Katana.
>
>I have but two words to describe it: Absolutely Amazing!
>
>My instructor was a great guy by the name of Jeff Willis, out of
>Skyline Aeronautics at Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS). Today was a
>beautiful day in St. Louis, clear skies, 10 miles visibility and almost
>no wind.
>
>We took off west from runway 22R (as I recall), and I was shocked by
>how much this airplane wanted to fly! Just the smallest amount of pull
>back on the stick and the thing really seemed to jump in the air! Jeff
>handled most of the rudder work - I was also surprised at the turning
>tendency of the aircraft during takeoff, that's something simulators
>don't capture well. Once we got above 400 ft, he retracted the flaps,
>took it up to about 3000 feet, looked over at me, smiled and said "Your
>Airplane."
>
>Wow! My first thought was "There is no way I can do this." My legs were
>actually shaking. Since I'm a flight simulator geek, I was already
>familiar with the majority of the instruments and their relationship to
>one another, so he didn't have to do much explaining once in the air.
>The first thing I did was timidly move the stick into a left bank, and
>it was quite the exhilirating experience to finally see and feel the
>way the instruments reacted to one another, and the way the forces felt
>against the airplane.
>
>I also loved the way the aileron trim worked in the Katana - the small
>switch right on the top of the stick was convenient. It was so weird
>how quickly the aircraft responded to even the smallest of
>modifications to the trim tab.
>
>One thing I *didn't* like was my headset - the microphone on mine kept
>cutting out, and the instructor missed half of what I said; not that
>big of a deal, but I'm going to purchase my own headset before my next
>flight to be sure.
>
>I must say, this was one of the most exhilirating experiences ever. It
>was challenging and fun - while up I was trying to do things like
>maintain a certain altitude while making a turn, things that I've
>mastered long ago in Flight Simulator, but now faced with the real deal
>take away and entirely different viewpoint on the instruments
>interrelations.
>
>As I told my wife, the whole experience was as if God himself had
>picked me up, placed me on his shoulder, and gave me a guided tour of
>all of creation. It was amazing!
>
>Now that my first flight is over, the "hard" part begins. I've got
>books to buy, and studying to do - the technical aspects of flying
>simply fascinate me, and I'm looking forward to digging in! I'm a
>software engineer, so it's in my nature to be inquisitive and detail
>oriented, and I'm now faced with a topic that seems enormously
>technical, and I'm quite excited!
>
>Regards,
>Bryan Porter
>
>PP Student - 0.5 Hours VFR! ;-)

[Doug]

The bit about the microphone is probably the "squelch" adjustment on
the intercom/audio panel, not really the microphone at all. You see,
your microphone is voice activated. If there is no voice sound to turn
it on, it is not on. The squelch controls how loud a sound you need to
activate the mic. Turn the squelch up and you need to shout into your
mic.

Also the mic should almost be touching your lips. Like one mm
away.Close as possible.

[Gene Whitt]

Brian,
I still think that the use of a recorder or perhaps an IPod hook up would
cut your training costs from 25 or 30 percent by enabling you to review
everything that is said and happens.
Gene Whitt

[Bryan Porter]

Agreed. I've been listening to ATC feeds from www.liveatc.net all day,
writing down terminology, and catching various instructions given from
towers to crew. I don't know if recording would save me any money, but
I do think it would help to be able to review communications after a
flight. I'm probably going to steal my wifes iPod next time I go up! ;-)

[Larry Dighera]

On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 01:20:59 GMT, Ricky Summersett
> wrote in
>::

>Must Bryan only subscribe to this false view of God
>(a product of our intellect) to have had the experience he had?

Was not the aircraft that carried Bryan aloft the product of man's
intellect?

[Donald M. Ross]

Hey Bryan

Congrats on the first of many "firsts" -

First Solo
First Cross Country
First Night FLight
First Passenger
First Argument with some of us

Welcome to the family my new brother.

Don

[Jack Allison]

Sounds great Bryan. The first flight is a very cool experience. I was
surprised when I did mine how much of the flying I was able to do.

In order to really get the complete student experience though, you
really need to spend hours in a ratted out old C-150 or C-172. That
way, when you get in to the Katana, you'll have an even greater
appreciation for flying new vs. old hardware. :-) I remember getting
into a two year old C-172 for the first time. Still had the new
interior smell and...cup holders! It was a very comfortable
plane...good thing since it was what my brother and I flew on our first
trek to Oshkosh.


--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-IA Student
Arrow N2104T

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

[Jon Woellhaf]

Don wrote of future firsts for new student pilot Bryan ...
> First Argument with some of us

I recommend as a good argument starter, "High wing airplanes are superior to
low wing airplanes."

It's true, you know.

Jon

[Bryan Porter]

You know, not to feed the flames, but the Katana did seem pretty
unstable - not dangerously unstable mind you, but very sports-car-ish.

Of course, I've never flown a high wing, so I really don't know what
I'm talking about here!

[Malcolm]

Congrats and welcome. I'm a software engineer too and when I learned
to fly I realized something interesting to me, perhaps to you too.

In software we're required to always be learning new stuff, pretty much
constantly. But, we never have to actually remember all the details
continuously. After all, there's always reference books and the web
for that!

However in an airplane if you gotta know it, you really gotta know it!
All the way - not something to look up. There's no pause button. Or,
for that matter there's no reboot in case of crash either.

Also, knowledge in aviation is often exercised while doing something
else. Distractions happen. (Your instructor will simulate these later
in your training.) It's also more physical and exercised by your hands
and feet.

But, your background in software will be useful. You're used to
learning and used to technical detail.

Best of luck with your training, keep us posted!

-Malcolm

[John Huthmaker]

I fly a piper warrior, and find it superior to the cessna 172.

--
John Huthmaker
PPL-SEL P-28-161

http://www.cogentnetworking.com
"Bryan Porter" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> You know, not to feed the flames, but the Katana did seem pretty
> unstable - not dangerously unstable mind you, but very sports-car-ish.
>
> Of course, I've never flown a high wing, so I really don't know what
> I'm talking about here!
>

[John Gaquin]

"Jon Woellhaf" > wrote in message
>
> I recommend as a good argument starter, "High wing airplanes are superior
> to low wing airplanes."
>
> It's true, you know.

Jon...... Pandora. Pandora...... Jon.

Jon, put the cover back on the damned box and give it back to her.

NOW!!!!

:-)

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

"John Gaquin" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Jon Woellhaf" > wrote in message
>>
>> I recommend as a good argument starter, "High wing airplanes are superior
>> to low wing airplanes."
>>
>> It's true, you know.
>
> Jon...... Pandora. Pandora...... Jon.
>
> Jon, put the cover back on the damned box and give it back to her.

Oh, let then argue about it. The're just doing it because they don't want to
admit that they can't handle an airplane with the third wheel in the back
where it belongs.

:-)
--
Geoff
the sea hawk at wow way d0t com
remove spaces and make the obvious substitutions to reply by mail
Spell checking is left as an excercise for the reader.

[Jack Allison]

Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe wrote:

>>>I recommend as a good argument starter, "High wing airplanes are superior
>>>to low wing airplanes."
>>>
>>>It's true, you know.
>>
>>Jon...... Pandora. Pandora...... Jon.
>>
>>Jon, put the cover back on the damned box and give it back to her.
>
>
> Oh, let then argue about it. The're just doing it because they don't want to
> admit that they can't handle an airplane with the third wheel in the back
> where it belongs.
>

No no no...it's not the location of the three wheels that is important.
What makes it a *real* airplane (or more expensive come annual time)
is whether or not the wheels go up and down :-)


--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-IA Student
Arrow N2104T

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

[John Gaquin]

"Jack Allison" > wrote in message
>>
>>
>> ....they can't handle an airplane with the third wheel in the back where
>> it belongs.
>>
>
> What makes it a *real* airplane ...is whether or not the wheels go up and
> down

Or maybe...... real airplanes -- (the ones that really talk to you) -- have
the third wheel in back, and round engine(s). Its not true aviation unless
the airplane's [much] older than you are!

[Don Byrer]

On 14 Jan 2006 12:41:38 -0800, "Bryan Porter"
> wrote:

>Salutations All,
>
>I just finished my first introductory flight in a Diamond Katana.
Cool...

My $0.00...free advice...

I'm not a software engineer, but I am a ham radio/electronics
geek/radar & data-processing tech.

DONT OVERANALYZE THE HECK OUT OF IT. I did, didnt help.

Have fun, learn baby steps and you'll do well.

Start studying for the written tes. I recommend www.faatest.com for
test practice. Highly satisfied customer!

FYI, I haven't flown the Katana, have flown the DA40. Similar but
bigger. When you fly other planes you may find they need more rudder
and more flare on landing...I found I could land the DA40 almost flat.

Above all...HAVE FUN!

--Don
Don Byrer
Radar Tech & Smilin' Commercial Pilot Guy
Amateur Radio KJ5KB
kj5kb-at-hotmail.com

"I have slipped the surly bonds of earth; now if I can just land without bending the gear..."
"Watch out for those doves...<smack-smack-smack-smack...>"

[Al]

>
> PP Student - 0.5 Hours VFR! ;-)
>

Ah-Ha! Now a "PP Student", no longer a prospective student. Well, that
didn't take long. Welcome aboard.

Al CFIAMI

[Tom Young]

"Bryan Porter" <...> wrote in message
oups.com...
> You know, not to feed the flames, but the Katana did seem pretty
> unstable - not dangerously unstable mind you, but very sports-car-ish.
>
> Of course, I've never flown a high wing, so I really don't know what
> I'm talking about here!


Hey, something I can comment on. I just checked out in a Katana after
completing my PP training in a C172. The Katana is definitely more sensitive
in pitch than the 172... I don't believe that has much to do with high vs.
low wing, but I'm no expert.

I'm still trying to figure out how to land it properly. I'm flaring a lot
later than in the 172, which is unnerving... It feels like I'm going to
stuff the nose into the runway, but my instructor says that's the way. He
tells me it's easier going from 172 to Katana than the other way around, but
I can't say. Visibility is great, except to the right rear, which makes the
turn to base on right pattern a little bit of a guessing game.

The Katana is much more inclined to dip a wing during stalls than a 172, so
I expect my rudder skills will improve. It's also approved for spins, so I
can get a little spin training once I save up some rental money.

--
Tom Young
t e y o u n g 1 @ c o m c a s t . n e t
(remove _this_ to reply)