My 1st Solo

Finally after much waiting, sleeping, more waiting.. finally the day came! Good sunny weather (minus the strong wind), instructor is available, I'm alert and wide awake and there's available slots in Jandakot (by the way I think I've mentioned that Jandakot is the Southern Hemisphere's busiest airport but I can't stress enough of it)... and then I'm off!!

My solo bird is VH-LTM. Instructor is Andrew Spencer - a cool guy who bikes and keeps fit for hobby. Don't think there's a better instructor for my solo check than him though he's busy most of the time. I first did few circuits with him until he thinks that I'm competent to do a flight safely on my own - have to work for his trust!

Then he'd get out of the plane (of course after we landed! No, he didn't take a parachute with him and jump out mid air if that's what you're thinking of). He'd then gave me some last minute instruction and wished me luck. With my taxi lights on so that he can recognize which is me, he'd stand at an open location to see my 1st flight. I then take off, do a circuit and then land. Then I picked him up and then we headed back.

Anyways, only after I landed did Andrew tell me that its more stressful to be out of the plane watching me taking to flight and land on my own than be in the plane cause there's nothing that he can do to help me if anything goes wrong. Luckily (actually its more of skills and talent and practice.. ahem.. ahem.. ok, I'll stop with the bragging here...) I landed safe and sound and manage to post this online...