Pilot Life: 1st Flight Logged!

The first time for anything is always and should be a memorable moment. And my first flight where I logged my first flight hour is no exception to that statement! In fact, this particular flight was several "firsts" for me. Not only was this my first flight where I got to log my first flight hour under the watchful eye of an instructor, but this was also my first time flying in the left seat. This was also my first time flying in a Diamond DA-20 Katana. So far in terms of general aviation aircraft, I've flown in a Mooney M20, a Cessna 152, a Cessna 172, and an Atec Faeta, getting only a taste of flying each time.

Diamond DA-20-C1 Katana (N957CT), "Wolf 05," the aircraft that I logged my first flight hour in parked after my instructor and I took it for my introductory flight. The first plane where I officially logged my first hour in has a special place in my heart!

Today's flight served as an introduction to what I will be experiencing in the days and weeks to come. My instructor and I took "Wolf 05" to a section of airspace just south of Provo and west of Spanish Fork near Utah Lake we immediately went into some basic maneuvers such as turns and maintaining altitude and speeds. Control of the aircraft shifted between me and my instructor frequently during this, which was expected since this was an introductory flight. On the ground, my instructor even allowed me the opportunity to taxi the aircraft. And before I forget, yes, I once again did a preflight inspection of the aircraft, as is expected every time one goes flying!

Instrument panel of "Wolf 05."

At one point during the flight in the designated practice area, my instructor took control of the aircraft and he demonstrated to me what to do and how to react when an airplane goes into a stall. Recovery from a stall in an aircraft is a requirement a student pilot is expected to master and I expect to be doing so during a training flight in the near future. A stall occurs on fixed-wing aircraft when the wings are not able to produce sufficient amount of lift (usually due to a high or increased angle of attack, a nose-up attitude). It's that lifting force an aircraft wing generates that keeps it in stable flight. As a result of the reduced and loss of lift, an aircraft slows to the point where it can drop out of the sky. Stall recovery training is where pilots deliberately put an aircraft into a stall situation and then get themselves out of it by recovering the aircraft back to a stable flight condition. Such maneuvers introduces some G-forces and that was the other element my instructor wanted to introduce me to as he wanted me to get an idea on what these G-forces are going to feel like. If you've ever ridden on a roller coaster, it's that kind of feeling!

View from the left seat prior to departure!

After learning some of the basics and getting to know the DA-20's flight handling characteristics a little bit, it was time for us to return to the Provo Airport. Once again, my instructor allowed me to take the controls as we headed to the airport. He took control again to show me what exactly we do for a landing and we did performed a touch-and-go, which is landing and taking off again without coming to a full stop (Trivia: Touch-and-go landings allows many landings to be practiced in a short time). Once we were back in the air, I was given control of the aircraft and my instructor walked me through on performing our full-stop landing to get an idea what this will be like. And just like that, we were back on the ground and we taxied back to the UVU ramp and my first flight was complete! And just for the record, it was a very good, educational first flight and I'm looking forward to the next one! By logging this first hour, I have taken a big step forward towards my private pilot certification and the rest of my aviation career.

One flight hour down, with (hopefully) many more hours to go! The flying adventures are just getting started!