Date: 23.Jun.2017
Flight Number: 17
Flight Hours: 1.5
Solo Hours: 0.5
Solo Landings: 3
Instructor Hours: 1.9

What we did today:

• Short field take off
• Steep turns
• Slow flight
• Power off stalls
• Power on stalls
• Emergency power off landing
• Pattern work including solo take off/landings
• Working the pattern with a jet.

What went well:

• Short field take off was OK. I think I used more runway than necessary and maintaining the correct speed was challenging.
• Steep turns. I stayed inside 100' (200' is the requirement)
• Slow flight went well.
• Power off and on stalls were OK.
• Most landings. My last two solo landings were actually almost good. I'm still over-reacting on the stick but the roller coaster is now more like a kiddie ride than something at Cedar Point.
• The jet thing was interesting. We kept each other apprised of our location and intent. He went out for a wider pattern and was able to land after me. I think it worked OK for everyone.
• Side note: After last Monday's debacle I was almost afraid to fly today (Wed was bad weather and I didn't fly). When Rick asked if I wanted to solo again I was thinking no but the landings I'd done with Rick today went well enough I figured I'd give it a go. I'm glad I did. Feeling much better today about the whole process.

What didn't go so well:

• The emergency landing was going well but I was too close in on my last circle so I'd have overshot my intended landing spot. The good news is that there was another field just past the one I'd selected so if that had been a real problem, I'd have been OK.
• The first solo landing was...interesting. I was on a good approach, slowing down, lined up well, poof...gust of wind from behind and I dropped. Power on, pulled nose up (wrong thing to do), sorta got it under control but failed to get back into a normal landing attitude and speed. I hit kind of hard on the mains but kept the nose wheel off the ground. Nothing fell off so I kept going.
• Pattern work was a bit sketchy today. There was a pretty stiff wind coming down the runway so I gained altitude like a nobody's business. I turn crosswind at 2000' MSL. On one take off, that turn happened just after I left the end of the runway! Dang I was close in.
• The wind was also pushing me hard on downwind. Loosing speed and altitude was a challenge. On my first couple of landings (with Rick) I was wicked high and we had to do a forward slip to get down to the runway. I eventually pulled the throttle way back early and was able to get into a more reasonable approach setup. 
• This ain't driving a car. 8 landings, one right after the other and no two were alike. Every minute in the plane, you've got to be paying attention and thinking 'what next'

What I need to work on:

• Short field take-off, get off the ground right at 50 kts, hold to build speed, and then climb.
• Emergency landings; circle the landing spot up to the point where I'm going to commit to landing, then do a more classical downwind/base/final so I'm out far enough to land at the target point.
• Keep working the landings. Getting speed down to 60 kts makes a huge difference and makes the landings smoother. 
• Keep paying attention to ground speed vs air speed and adjust what I'm doing to compensate for wind. Today was pretty much the first day I was able to feel the wind and its affect on the plane. That's a good sign.
• Checklists. My use of them needs to become automatic. I tend to skip the climb and cruise checklists.

Prep for next flight:

• We're going to repeat most of what we did today.
• We're adding short field and soft field take-offs and landings. Need to commit those procedures to memory.