My Second Solo X-Country

Nice work. Sounds like you are well on your way to being a very
competent pilot.

I was wondering about that myself. Been a while since I visited student
regulations, but I though there was something about having visual contact
with the ground at all times.

mike

"Ben Jackson" wrote in message
...
On 2006-10-29, CareBear wrote:

I decided to go above the clouds. I talked to Huntsville Center
and informed them of my intentions. They had no problem with my decision

Also, since I didn't notice anyone else suggesting it, you might want to
send in an ASRS form since you did bust the rule about students flying
without visual reference to the ground.

--
Ben Jackson AD7GD

http://www.ben.com/

Thanks for the feedback. Having read all the replies, I need to clarify a
couple of points.

I mentioned that "there were clouds everywhere!" This was not one humongous
cloud but several scattered/broken. I could see land to my left and right
and also past the clouds. My dilemma was whether or not I could go below
the clouds and maintain minimums and also remain safe (would rather not fly
into any power lines, towers, etc.) I also mentioned that "the MEF for this
quadrant is 2200 feet" and "the clouds were about 2300 feet". BTW, I did
check with ASOS/AWOS throughout the flight. The forecast was indeed
different from what I experienced on my return flight to 3A1. My CFI would
not have let me fly if he didn't feel I was prepared and could handle the
situation. I also mentioned that I talked with Huntsville Center and
informed them of my intentions as a safety precaution (I did file a flight
plan prior to departing 3A1). Flying VFR over the top, in my opinion, was
the best solution at the time as opposed to getting below 2200 feet and
crashing into something. I'm sure there will be some disagreements to that
statement.

Again, thanks for all the advice, comments, and constructive criticism. All
are welcomed and appreciated.


--
CareBear


"CareBear" wrote in message
...
Well, I did my second solo xc today. I went from 3A1 (Cullman, AL) to RMG
(Rome, GA), then to CHA (Chattanooga, TN), and back to 3A1.

I was supposed to depart at 8:00am CDT but had to wait until the ceilings
changed for the better. So I did not leave until 11:30am CDT. I had
asked my CFI if he thought I should fly another time and he replied with
something along the lines of how do YOU feel about it? Since I was anxious
to fly, I told him I felt good about it and I was heading out. (Looks
like he smiled but I can't be really sure).

The trip to RMG went rather smooth. There were no issues except I kinda
botched the landing a little since the winds were high. BTW, my school
still wants the logbook signed. (I guess they want to make sure the
students actually land).

Going to CHA was an "interesting" flight. The winds on this flight had me
really going bump, bump, bump. I was getting thrown around like there was
no tomorrow . After landing at CHA and getting my logbook signed, I
headed back to 3A1. This was a 94nm flight. About 40 nm from 3A1, I
really had an experience. There were clouds everywhere! The MEF for this
quadrant is 2200 feet. So now I got to make a decision since the clouds
were about 2300 feet. I decided to go above the clouds. I talked to
Huntsville Center and informed them of my intentions. They had no problem
with my decision but cautioned me to get below the clouds when I see land
again. I was above the clouds about 10 minutes although it seemed like
forever! I got below the clouds about 25 miles from 3A1. Boy was I
relieved. After landing and tying down the plane, I went and completed my
paperwork and logbook.

Thinking back over the day, I really feel good about this xc, even with
the difficulties that existed. I think these type of events will make me
a better pilot

--
CareBear

On 10/28/06 18:20, CareBear wrote:
Well, I did my second solo xc today. I went from 3A1 (Cullman, AL) to RMG
(Rome, GA), then to CHA (Chattanooga, TN), and back to 3A1.


[ snip ]


Thinking back over the day, I really feel good about this xc, even with the
difficulties that existed. I think these type of events will make me a
better pilot

That is the usual case. Most all experience will make you better, if you
allow yourself to learn from it.

You got a lot of good responses to your posting. I hope you will take the
things that were said and discuss them with your instructor - don't sweep
them under the rug. If you think now that you may have done one or more
things wrong, the best thing you can do is learn from it.

The most important thing is don't let the responses you got to your posting
scare you away from these groups. All students (and pilots) make mistakes, and
these groups are a great place to hear various points of view from many, many
excellent folks, most of whom have been there and done that ;-)

Congratulations on the successful cross country!


--
Mark Hansen, PP-ASEL, Instrument Airplane
Cal Aggie Flying Farmers
Sacramento, CA

Mark Hansen wrote in
:

The most important thing is don't let the responses you got to your
posting scare you away from these groups. All students (and pilots)
make mistakes, and these groups are a great place to hear various
points of view from many, many excellent folks, most of whom have been
there and done that ;-)

Agree 100 percent with what Mark says above.

I'd rather myself learn from others, and others learn from me rather then
you (as a student) make a mistake that is at minimum mostly avoidable.

Allen

"CareBear" wrote in
:

I mentioned that "there were clouds everywhere!" This was not one humongous
cloud but several scattered/broken. I could see land to my left and right
and also past the clouds.

My only concern is that distance ahead of you above a cloud deck is very deceiving. What looks like around the corner
can really be many, many miles past a point you may be trying to reach. Stratiform clouds are the worst in my opinion
due to the flatness of the clouds. I run it parallel to trying to gauge distance on a large body of water. Without any
reference to size, it's very difficult to gauge distance, and that would apply to flying above a cloud deck.

Also remember, since you did not expect the clouds, the clouds may be developing, which just may close up that escape route
down you thought you had enroute.

Flying VFR over the top, in my opinion, was
the best solution at the time as opposed to getting below 2200 feet
and crashing into something. I'm sure there will be some
disagreements to that statement.

Based on your subsequent post, yes, you made a very good decision. Altitude is your friend in avoiding things that poke
out of the ground.

As long as you kept up with AWOS and FSS, you used all available tools to you,
and that is a sign of a good pilot :-)

Just beware, those benign scattered strato cumulus clouds may multiply unexpectactly, so you don't want to find yourself
in a pickle, thus a good weather briefing is in order before the wheels go up.

Allen

"CareBear" wrote in message

Thinking back over the day, I really feel good about this xc, even with
the difficulties that existed. I think these type of events will make me
a better pilot

I think you're right. You took a flight, encountered a couple of features
with a bit more pucker factor than you're accustomed to, and handled them
ok. This is how you learn. Ya done good.