Delays

Just a quick update - my plane time on Monday was cancelled because they found a couple of things during the annual inspection. They sounded minor like something with the exhaust and a part for one of the mags. But then, Jim called me last night and told me they found something wrong with one of the cylinders, possibly a valve problem. So, they are trying to decide what to do, because dealing with a valve problem is a bigger service effort, and the plane is due for its next major overhaul this fall. Sounds like they will give it an overhaul, or swap in a freshly overhauled engine. Jim is not sure how long the plane will be out of service, but it could be a couple of weeks more. At this point, I am not going to be flying until I hear from Jim further about the status of the plane.

Pics

Also, I took a few pics while I was out flying today. Something screwy happened with my phone, and the last two turned out purple for some reason. A reboot fixed it, but there's a lurking bug in there...
Pictures

Map of Practice Area

OK, this is fun. Here's one more that shows Forest Lake, Osceola, and the area where I practice maneuvers.
Forest Lake and Osceola

Map of Moose Lake Cross Country

I made another google map of the cross country flight we took to Moose Lake and Princeton.
Moose Lake Cross Country

21st.... Flight?

I can't really call it a lesson this time. I took the plane out solo today. Getting it out of the hangar alone isn't too bad, but I have to use the winch to get it back in. The winds were fairly strong around the area - out of the south east at 10-15kt gusting to 20-25kt. This is fine in Forest Lake, with only a minor crosswind component, but this gives a fairly strong crosswind at Osceola. First, I flew three laps through the pattern at Forest Lake, then I departed to the east and climbed to 4,500ft. I spent a half hour or so practicing power-off stalls and steep turns. Then, I tuned the Osceola AWOS and got the latest weather info. 11kt gusting to 21kt out of 140 - which means crosswinds on runway 10 would be about 7-14kt. I decided to go ahead and land there though. There was one other plane in the area I was talking to, and that wasn't a problem. I did two landings at Osceola, and neither landing was very good, but I got it on the ground safely both times. Then, I headed back towards forest lake. On the way back, I practiced some more stalls and steep turns, and then I did three more landings in Forest Lake. Aside from the bouncy crosswind landings in Osceola, I'm real happy with how the flight went. After the flight, Jim came flying into the area, and I stuck around to watch him drop his banner onto the runway. Monday Jim and I are going to fly our route through various towered airports in the city, and after that I'll need to fly a solo to Anoka.

Map of Cross Country from 18th Lesson

I threw this together. Took a little time, but it's kind of neat. I'll try to create these for all of my cross countries and post the links here.
18th Lesson Map

20th Lesson

Okay, 20 lessons in now. I was supposed to go out flying around the local area solo yesterday, but we had direct crosswinds of 10-12kt at the airport, which is more than Jim recommended that I fly solo in. So, since Jim was still available at the planned flight time, we went out together and worked on my instrument hours. We took off and went north, and then when we reached our altitude and I got the plane trimmed up, Jim had me put on the Jeppshades (like these: http://sportys.com/Pilotshop/product/9407). I got 0.6 hours of instrument training in. We practiced the usual maneuvers - power off stalls, straight and level flight, turns, and climbs and descents both straight and turning - but I could only see the instrument panel. We also practiced unusual attitude correction. Jim would have me close my eyes, then hang my head down and turn it to the left, then fly the plane blind for a few minutes (while he fiddled with the trim wheel I might add). After a while like this, you typically end up in an unexpected attitude. The first time I was in a 45 degree bank to the left doing 120mph and descending - you really can't tell what the plane is doing just from your equilibrium. So, this is good practice for if you accidentally fly into a cloud, where you are effectively blind. So, I'll need another 2.4 hours of instrument training before the checkride. When we got back to the airport, we landed, and then did another lap through the pattern with the crosswinds. I didn't have any problems with either landing, so Jim had me take the plane out solo and practice some crosswind landings. I did four laps through the pattern, and didn't have any trouble with the crosswinds. So, now Jim is comfortable with me taking the plane out with 10kt of crosswind or so. He basically said whatever I feel I'm comfortable with, so we decided 10kt - I'd probably be fine with a little more.

Since this is my 20th lesson post, I'll give an update on my stats. I've completed my second page in my logbook. I've flown a total of 30.1 hours. I've done 92 landings with Jim and 10 solo landings for a total of 102 landings. I have 0.6 hours of instrument training, 28.9 hours of dual training, and 1.2 solo hours. Friday I'm supposed to take the plane out by myself and practice some solo flight around the area. Jim also challenged me to go try a few landings solo at Anoka or Osceola. I want more time with Jim at a towered airport before I go to Anoka solo, so I'll probably head over to Osceola for a few landings if I'm feeling brave (mainly it's dealing with the other traffic that I'm worried about).