flybymike wrote:I couldn’t even find the airport I had just taken off from (Leeds) on my second solo circuit! (ATC gave me an orbit on the downwind leg which got me completely disorientated and sent me off cross country...,)
When I went solo my club had a policy of sending you up with the CFI prior - I'd had some really good circuit training and due to bad wx, was more than ready I just needed the right day.
So off I go with the CFI for the first ever time and for some unknown even to me reason I was happily half way through Downwind when I look down and my brain misreads the triangle and decides in stead of being downwind for the - bit of the A, that I've actually gone wrong and I should re-orientate for the \. I even declared "Oh, I've cocked this up" before I tried to re-align for the now-wrong runway.
The CFI to his upmost credit allowed me to do that all the way until short Final when things like the DI, Compass and big white runway numbers got in the way and I had to admit it had all gone wrong. How he had the balls to still send me solo I'll never know