First solo 1863C

This was a beautiful morning for a flight. I dropped Amanda off at the airport at 5:30am – she is going to a conference in San Francisco for a few days – and then headed over to the plane. I have been a pilot for almost a year now and so far my solo adventures have been relegated to renting planes. This is good for practice, to stay proficient, and to get up flying. (I was able to take one lunch trip up to Talkeetna.) But, when the sun was shining and I had a free hour I yearned to just be able to drive to the airport, hop in a plane, and take a flight.

So, a couple months ago I started flying with Rich Young in Dad’s 170 in order to start earning my taildragger endorsement. I put in 12 or 13 hours with him and he signed me off. Next signoff I needed was Dad’s. (Not to mention getting on the insurance!) We went up a few times and my landings were a bit shaky, but I felt okay. Earlier this week we went up and did some stall practice and recovery and with that, I received the all clear.

So, after dropping Amanda off I went over and took a flight. The morning was beautiful – calm, sunny, a little traffic. I was a little nervous but made sure I kept going through my checklists and visualizing what I needed to do. I went over to Goose Bay and did several stop-and-goes. My landings were pretty good… I had one bounce that ended up settling in really nicely, so it was a good confidence builder. Then, on the way home, coming into Lake Hood, I probably had my most perfect landing yet. I flared at the right height and flared completely so that my tail wheel hit right before my mains. I kept it straight on the runway – no swerving… it was gorgeous, if I say so myself! Man, what a feeling! I don’t think there is any better way to start out a day than have an exhilarating flight like that!

Now that I’ve conquered the first taildragger solo, I’ll keep going up to gain practice... whenever the weather is right and I have a free hour I’ll be heading to the plane to take to the air.

Gotta tri...

We've done it! Amanda completed her second triathlon a few weeks ago - the world famous Gold Nugget (http://www.goldnuggettriathlon.com/). And I have completed my first triathlon, the Eagle River triathlon (http://www.eaglerivertri.com/). Both of us are very excited about the achievment and also all the fun we had talking about it, training for it, and doing it. Kris Hadden did it with me also, which was very nice to have someone else to encourage you along on the first one. He's done some others, but it has been a while, so he was a bit challenged by the course, also.

The races are called a sprint distance and they average about 500 yards swimming, 10-12 miles biking, and 3-4 miles running. Mine had a 12 mile bike with some pretty nice hills... wow, I was a bit out of it when I came in from the bike. I wasn't sure how my body would respond to running right away. I just started going and hoped the mind and body would click in. They eventually did after about a mile. My intercostal muscles and diaphragm seemed to cramp up for a bit. I thought that may be because I was breathing so hard through the bike and then again in the run. After a couple miles though I got into my typical running groove and, other than being tired, felt pretty good.

The volunteers on the course are great... they are always yelling encouragments, clapping, and waving the racers on. Everyone of all ages and abilities participate, so it is a great atmosphere. On the run in I had my whole family, Pam and Kiera, and Rich and Stacy Young and family cheering me in, loudly. Stacy's practice is one of the sponsors and she had brought bright green shirts for everyone, so I think I officially had the biggest cheering squad. The announcer called my name as I was crossing the finish line... Brian Walch and the Walchettes!