[karlbown]

Well after not flying at all in January, and only 1 hour in February - due to weather - 1st March saw me finally complete my Dual Cross Country from Gamston to Peterborough Conington then on to Humberside International.

Apart from quite a lot of turbulence in the first five minutes, and a rather bumpy landing at Conington as I'd made the circuit a bit too tight, it all went as well as I could have hoped.

I can't wait to do my Solo XC now, I've got it booked for Friday but the weather looks like I won't be able to do it then.

[leiafee]

Fab. The solo cross country is one of the most delightful bits!

[Melanie Moxon]

Well done hopefully you will get it done soon. It is a fantastic feeling when the solo QXC finally happens.

[Ground Effect]

I cant honestly say I enjoyed my solo qxc. Yes its a milestone and its a major box ticked but for me it was just something I had to do and I found it massively draining both physically and mentally.

The best flying I did as a student was just before my test when I had 1.25 hours of solo nav left, and so I just wandered off under the east midlands cta down to pitsford. Gave myself a few steep turns and a pfl until id made up the time and then came back.

Such a great way to consolidate the ppl course without any pressure

[Nick T]

I cant honestly say I enjoyed my solo qxc. Yes its a milestone and its a major box ticked but for me it was just something I had to do and I found it massively draining both physically and mentally.

The best flying I did as a student was just before my test when I had 1.25 hours of solo nav left, and so I just wandered off under the east midlands cta down to pitsford. Gave myself a few steep turns and a pfl until id made up the time and then came back.

Such a great way to consolidate the ppl course without any pressure

Yep, agree with all of that!

My QXC was quite a bumpy ride from East Mids down to Turweston.
Then there was the small matter of actually finding Turweston... I knew it had to be roughly the same place as where it was a few days earlier when doing my dual
Then Turweston to Retford/Gamston was a long, stressful affair with a whole load of lookout and 'diversions' from the planned track as HusBos was VERY active with gliders and I wanted to be well clear.
The short hop back from Retford/Gamston to East Mids was welcomed, and the sigh of relief when I landed back at East Mids said it all

The most enjoyable bit of the build-up to the skills test was when I was 30 minutes short of solo time. Instructor said "There's the plane, off you go wherever you like... see you in half an hour"

So I flew over my house, wife came out to wave, flew back

[Rob P]

My first solo x-country was Wellesbourne > Moreton in Marsh > Worcester > Wellesbourne. Non-stop, just turning overhead. If you get high enough you can probably see all three points at once, but when you are starting out it seems daunting.

All went well until the leg to Worcester when, peering through the windscreen of the trusted Tomahawk a small puff of smoke issued from the screen vent directly in front of me.

At that point I was certain I was about to die, and in lieu of breathing was weighing up the alternatives of staying with the aircraft as it plummeted with me burning to death at the controls, or jumping over the side without a chute and possibly a fairly hard landing.

After half an hour.. well 45 seconds at least, I took a breath.

The Lycoming throbbed along, all the dials normal, no more smoke

Eventually I tried a second breath and decided to take more of them. My vice-like grip on the yoke relaxed a little.

I turned a little short of the racecourse and headed back.

Landed at Wellesbourne and was quizzed by the FI. "How was it?"

"Fine Rick"

No problems?"

"Not really. Well.. just one"

He looked quizzical

"Just short of Worcester there was this puff of smoke from the screen vent."

"Yea. It does that sometimes" and he wandered off.

Rob P

[Cessna57]

I cant honestly say I enjoyed my solo qxc. Yes its a milestone and its a major box ticked but for me it was just something I had to do and I found it massively draining both physically and mentally.

The best flying I did as a student was just before my test when I had 1.25 hours of solo nav left, and so I just wandered off under the east midlands cta down to pitsford. Gave myself a few steep turns and a pfl until id made up the time and then came back.

Such a great way to consolidate the ppl course without any pressure

I did a few "just for fun" flights during training. Slipping in the odd extra flight to do a bit of solo XC just to relax and stop learning stuff for 5 minutes

[Cessna57]

Well after not flying at all in January, and only 1 hour in February - due to weather - 1st March saw me finally complete my Dual Cross Country from Gamston to Peterborough Conington then on to Humberside International.

Apart from quite a lot of turbulence in the first five minutes, and a rather bumpy landing at Conington as I'd made the circuit a bit too tight, it all went as well as I could have hoped.

I can't wait to do my Solo XC now, I've got it booked for Friday but the weather looks like I won't be able to do it then.

I think this is when it starts in earnest, suddenly you're a PIC who's allowed to wander off solo.

[karlbown]

I think this is when it starts in earnest, suddenly you're a PIC who's allowed to wander off solo.

Yup. Solo nav is great fun, and you've always got the confirm blanket of knowing you'll be landing at home. But cross country land aways are a whole new ball game!

[Paul_Sengupta]

I've always said that first solo land away is better than first solo, as you're standing there at a distant airfield having flown there yourself. Even better if it's somewhere you haven't been before.

[skydriller]

Well done, congrats on finding out what its like to go places by personal aerial conveyance.

and a rather bumpy landing at Conington as I'd made the circuit a bit too tight.

Oh, and "tight circuits" are a good thing..

Regards, SD..

[Cessna57]

Well done, congrats on finding out what its like to go places by personal aerial conveyance.

and a rather bumpy landing at Conington as I'd made the circuit a bit too tight.

Oh, and "tight circuits" are a good thing..

Regards, SD..

I remember first landaway finding the other airfield and flying the tightest circuit I'd ever flown.

My FI said all students do it, having found it you want to give it a metaphorical hug and not let go.

On my first solo landaway, I arrived at an A/G airfield to find 1 on long final and 3 aircraft lined up at the hold waiting to depart one after the other as a group. No R/T operator on duty and them doing blind "traffic" calls amongst them as to their intentions. I decided to let them know I'd depart the circuit to the north and come back in 10 minutes when it was less busy, with copious use of my "student" call sign !

I then had to "let go" of the airfield I'd just found and wander off for a bit. Best headings I have ever held. Funny how 10 minutes away seems a million miles at that stage in your training.