Quick note about a busy day.

Had a great day today. At the airport at 9:00am to fly with my most recent student, let's call him Carl. Carl is having a really tough time figuring out the relationship between pitch, power, and how the trim control factors into that relationship. I have been trying to come up with a lot of different demos, explinations, and diagrams to explain it, and we have been beating the basics of flight by visual reference to the horizon over and over. We are making a little progress, but I have been afraid that he would get discouraged.

After our lesson today, he asked to talk with me for a minute, so we went into the office and shut the door. I was afraid he was upset at not making progress or something, but he just wanted to thank me for being so patient, not getting annoyed by having to say the same things over and over, and generally helping him to keep track of what is going on. He also told me that I was a very good teacher, and was glad we were flying together. I was beaming when we left there, that made me feel very good, and I am glad that my hard work is being recognized.

I also flew with another instructor's student, Robin, while she practiced crosswind landings this evening. She was planning on flying solo, but the winds were higher than both her endorsement restrictions or her confidance level; so when the other CFI called and asked me to fly with Robin, I gladly accepted. She flew great, and did four stop and go landings with absolutely no help from me. I really hope that her confidance rose a little bit, and I am pretty sure that she would be OK by herself.

All in all it was a good day, and I feel like I'm doing my job well. Can't wait till tomorrow when I fly with my weekly student, Dustin, I fly with Carl twice, and my ready-to-solo student Francis, who will solo provided he gets there before dark and the winds aren't tornado strength.


Also, I decided to take a plane up by myself tonight around sunset. I was only up for about .4 hours, but did 5 landings, and really got to practice my skills, which was a blast. Best $30 I have spent in a long time. I did maximum performance takeoffs (made over 200' altitude by the end of the runway), grass takeoffs and landings, a simulated engine out return from Vx during the crosswind turn, and a short field landing that I was quite proud of. The best part was, I sat in the pilot seat, not something I do a lot of these days.