Flight 1
Yesterday was ground school, 1.7 hours, to cover how to plan and what to plan. At various times Fred had given me three separate routes but the one we settled on was Tampa North to Orlando Executive to Gainesville and back to Tampa North. After the ground school I asked him to come up in to practice stalls. I'm still hesitant about departure stalls and not getting the nose up quick enough and getting it to break sooner, so I keep ending up in a very nose high attitude. Arrival stalls aren't much of a problem since they are pretty gentle.

This morning I filed the flight plans (One for each leg) and pulled the wx via DUATS. I arrived at Tampa North about 10:25 but the 172SP, 615DB was still out on a solo x-c and Fred was up in 612CB with an instrument student. Both planes arrived several minutes later, about 5 minutes apart and Fred and I finally got airborne in 615DB to ORL about 15:00 Zulu. I contacted St. Pete FSS to activate the flight plan after we got above pattern altitude and the first hint that this would be a long day of learning started right there. Seems like there was no flight plan for 615DB but there was one for 613DB. I had apparently mis-typed the call sign when I entered it in DUATS flight planning.
- Learned Item #1

Once that was cleared up with the controller, we were on our way. Planned altitude was 3500 feet but clouds moving in from the South East with bottoms around 2500 feet so Fred said stay at 2000. My check points started to appear at the right times and in the right places, so I was pretty happy about that. Once we were approaching Orlando's Class B Airspace, I contacted Approach and advised we were inbound VFR to ORL. He gave us a squawk. Shortly after that I missed his first call to us to descend to 1500 because of conflicting traffic at our altitude. First thing I knew, Fred had nosed the plane down and asked why I didn't comply immediately. I told him I didn't even hear his call. "You've got to *LISTEN*" I thought I was, but was preoccupied with flying the plane.
- Should have Learned Item #2.

Orlando Class B was pretty busy, or so I thought and Fred said "No, doesn't seem to be." There was so much traffic on frequency I would hate to think what Fred thinks *IS* busy. Fred was mentioning something about cockpit management and I missed the second call from ATC. Fred answered which was the first I knew we were called again. I told him I didn't hear that call either. Fred said much more sternly, "YOU MUST LISTEN!" to which I replied, "I was listening, but to you."
- This time Lesson Item #2 sank in but not enough.

Approach handed us over to ORL's tower but when Fred made the call, he was so busy he didn't know we were inbound. He asked what type aircraft to which we replied "Skyhawk". The controller said "OK, we'll get you in but I don't know were to put you yet." By this time we had the airport in sight and he vectored us a bit to the south and asked us to keep our speed up as there was traffic behind us. Fred told me we will be making a straight in and I told him I had still not done a single straight in approach. He said "We will now and it'll be a high speed approach. Well, those 180 horses came in handy because as the controller was talking to the plane behind us he told them that the traffic in front was a Skyhawk. The other pilot reported us in sight. The controller then said "He's going... Hey, 20 knots faster than you!"

The landing went rather quickly with Fred doing the flying and explaining what he was doing the whole time. Fly fast. Throttle back here. Once at 110 kts. First notch of flaps to slow more. Full flaps. Once on the ground the controller told us the intersecting runway or the next taxiway. We took the taxiway even though we could have made the intersecting Rwy.

Once we shutdown and went inside the Executive Air Center FBO, I call FSS to close the flight plan. The voice at the other end told me the flight plan had not been opened! I told him we opened it with St. Pete Radio. He said that he'll just delete it from the system and asked if there was anything else I needed to which I replied "No. Thanks."
- Lesson Item #1 reinforced!

While guzzling the water I brought with me, Fred and I discussed my missing the radio calls and the vital importance of listening, answering and complying with every instruction from the controllers in crowded airspace.
- Lesson Item #2 reinforced.

We taxied out back to Rwy 7 where we had landed, did our run-up and waited for about 15 minutes as we listened to the very busy tower controller work his arrivals and the two departures in front of us. One in-bound busted Class B Airspace and the tower told him. "... You were NOT cleared into Class B, which you violated by 1000 feet. If Approach calls, I will give you their number." After a few seconds the pilot responded, "Roger". Fred and I both said at the same time

"UUUhhhhh, he's in trouble." Lucky for him when he was cleared to land the tower told him Approach had not called.
-Lesson Item #3 learned from someone else's mistake!

When we finally got cleared for take off it was for immediate departure and Fred handled it until we were a few hundred feet when he handed back the plane to me. As we were climbing to 1500 feet to stay under the Class B, the controller said we could turn to the west. I heard the controller call us this time, but didn't hear what he said. Fred told me to turn to the west. I did but not enough. After a few minutes, Fred said, I don't know where we are to which I replied
"Neither do I." I had a rough idea, but not exactly. Fred dialed in the Orlando VOR and the radial I needed to fly outbound and it showed that we were well east of our planned course. This helped me confirm that were I thought we were was where we actually were. Fred said,
"You have a million things in here to get you where you need to go. USE THEM!"

As the needle started to move back towards the center, Fred said "See how far the needle moves in 45 seconds and when it is that same distance from being centered start your turn on course. Roll out on your intended heading and the needle will be centered." I timed 45 seconds, noted how far the needle had moved and started my turn when the needle was that distance from centered. When I rolled out on my heading, the needle was indeed centered! My next few checkpoints showed up where and when they should, but I identified a lake that should be on my right to be on my left about 20 miles along our flight path. I was about 4 miles off course and probably less then a mile from Restricted Airspace. As soon as I realized my mistake I made an immediate turn to the west.

I hadn't stayed on the radial like I should have and was chasing the DG which had precessed while trying to keep my wind correction angle.
-Lesson Item #4 learned.

Once I got back on course, my next checkpoint was in sight. Once there I made a more northerly turn to parallel the Restricted Airspace and the adjacent MOA. After several minutes Fred said "Looks like you are right on course now. Your doing much better than I would." Yeah right! I said "I doubt it."

My next few checkpoints came and went as planned we tried to get the Gainesville VOR in on the Nav radio. On the correct frequency, but no reception, It was supposed to be put online in June, but we guessed it wasn't/ I suggested we use the GPS to which Fred agreed. He told me to put in Gainesville which I did.

At this point Fred asked if we had opened the flight plan for this leg?
"Nope, I forgot to."
"Don't worry about it, it's too late now."
I told him I guess I was still a bit overwhelmed by the amount of traffic around Orlando. Fred says, "Well this will be the route you take on your first solo x-c."
Ugh.

There were two lakes between us and GVN and Fred said "You need to be contacting the tower soon. There's the airport. Vis was reported to be 10 miles and we were still about 20 miles out so I said "OK, but that's the lake before the airport." He said "Oh yeah? OK."

I dialed in ATIS and contacted the tower. The freq. was dead quiet and the tower controller came on immediately and told us to report 3 miles out. I realized that I had given our position over a lake more then 20 miles behind us and Fred commented on that too. I said "Should I tell him I gave a wrong position?" He said "No, unless he questions you about it." It was about then that I realized that Fred had the airport in sight when he said "There's the airport." because the treeless area behind the lake that I saw was indeed GVN.

When I reported 3 miles out the controller said "Right hand traffic for Rwy. 6 cleared to land." Ahh, much nicer then ORL! No rush, no body else around.

On landing we taxied up to the Flightline FBO and shut down. The linesman was already chocking us and Fred told me to tell him that we didn't need anything. I opened the door and saw that a red carpet had been placed right behind the left tire. WOW, That's service! We went inside to cool off a bit and discussed that leg. He asked how we were real time against estimated and I told him we were about 9 minutes later than planned. I figured that it was those two easterly excursions I took that accounted for most of that time and he said "The headwind accounted for a bit too."

Once we were finished with our drinks, we departed the FBO, taxied out and took off to the south. I opened this flight plan as we left GNV's airspace and again had to tell the operator at FSS that we were indeed 615DB and not 613DB. He corrected my mistake, offer additional services and told us to have an enjoyable flight. Fred then told me that he wouldn't help with this leg at all and I told him if he wanted to take a nap he could. "I'll nudge you if I need you." "No. I'll just enjoy the scenery." He did help however by dialing in X-39 (Tampa North) into the GPS. Again my check points came and went where and when they should have and we discussed all the lakes and ponds that looked good for fishing, Fred's pending retirement, flying stories and other things to make the trip move faster. As I was approaching Inverness airport I was satisfied that this checkpoint was again arriving as it should. A few minutes later I realized that I wanted to pass west of it but was heading for the east side. I told Fred of my mistake and turned to the west to take up my intended track again.

From there it was a leisurely 119 kts ground speed flight back to Tampa North according to the GPS. 5 miles out I made the call to Tampa North traffic of our approach, made my entry into the right downwind, base and turned out on the centerline on final for Rwy. 14.

I leveled the wings while still a bit too high and bounced the landing. Fred commented that I tired and I replied, "Yes, I am tired." Back on the ramp, I checked the fuel gauges. They showed I still had 22.5 gallons left. I had estimated that we would use 44 gallons for the trip and Fred said "Good. You WANT more fuel in the tanks than your estimate when you land!" Once the plane was refueled for the next student, I inquired how much fuel 5DB actually took and it was only 21.5 gallons for 3 hours of time, or 31.5 gallons left. I commented that the gauges were pessimistic and all agreed that THAT is a GOOD thing too!

Inside the FBO I was talking with Fred's next student, who I learned has 5 hours. I slumped in the chair and apologized for being tired. He asked how much time I have and I replied "A total of about 45 hours" He said, "You must be ready to get your license." To which I replied, "Yeah, I thought so too, but this cross country showed me I still have A LOT to learn."

My compliments to that awesome professional in the Tower at ORL and my thanks to those at Exec Air Center and Flightline FBOs at ORL and GNV for your friendly service
Richard Kowalski

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