In our second lesson, we finally got up into the air. I conducted my own preflight inspection, speaking everything out loud so that my instructor could know what I was thinking.
After the preflight, we discussed some of the mechanics of “airplane driving,” as my instructor calls it, which I was pretty familiar with, although he insisted that flying in a light sport aircraft with a stick was going to be far different from flying in a Skyhawk with a yoke. He was much more right than I expected, and it ended up taking me a couple minutes of flight to get used to the way that the airplane behaved.
As we were completing our checklists, my dad actually showed up to the airport unannounced on his way home from work, so that is where the picture above came from.
After we started the engine, we began taxiing, which I had never done before. It was very different from what I expected, and I quickly realized the importance of very small rudder controls, being extremely vigilant of straying from the center line, and making sure to idle the throttle as soon as the wheels are rolling to keep the speed under control. It took some getting used to, but I did (believe it or not) make it to the runway.
The most challenging part I found during the lesson was actually controlling the aircraft during the takeoff. I was a little bit more wild with the rudder pedals than I should have been, but we made it off the ground safely. Once we got in the air and I got used to holding correct airspeeds and attitudes, it became a lot more comfortable, and taxiing after landing went a lot better. Still, the controls on the Evektor SportStar Max are VERY touchy, and it was a hot day, so when I got out of the airplane, I was absolutely drenched in sweat. Overall, though, I would definitely say it was a successful first flight lesson.
Till next time
William Knauth
The photo shows exactly why we couldn’t properly latch the canopy at first. Note to self: remember to check headset cord before closing the hatch.