"Casey Wilson" wrote in message
news:XfMvd.4651$Z%1.9@trnddc03...

The plane lifted off just as it had before, then....
WHAT THE HECK IS THAT NOISE!?!
Something was rattling and thumping hard enough and loud enough to
be heard over the muffling of my passive headset.

snip

As I read your story, the seatbelt was the first thing that came to mind as
the cause. Same thing happened to me once, but my instructor warned me about
checking for a flapping belt because it makes a huge amount of noise. So
when I took off and heard a racket, I had a good idea about what was wrong.
After I climbed to pattern height, I opened my door and pulled the belt in.
That thing was flapping pretty violently I have to say.

If a flapping seat belt is all that happens to you, you're blessed. I got
lost on my first solo cross-country, which was pretty embarrasing. I forgot
to close a flight plan once. Once, I was taking up one of my first
passengers after getting my ticket and forgot to push the mixture in when
starting the plane. I nearly killed the battery before I noticed it. I flew
on the leeward side of a mountain in an extreme headwind [holy crap].
Somebody stop me!

-Trent
PP-ASEL