Pilot Life: Returning to Proficiency with some Pattern Work

It has been almost two weeks since I last flew. With the semester quickly winding down, it's crunch time to get some flight hours built up and be ready for some upcoming important flights, such as the second stage check, a solo cross-country, the end-of-course, and the final check ride to ultimately obtain my Private Pilot Certification (Yikes! That's a lot to get done in a limited amount of time!).

N220NH, "Wolf 03," the DA-20 I took up today with my instructor for some circuits in the Provo pattern.
(Ah, crap! I'm starting to sound British!)

My second stage check has finally been scheduled for early next week. Since a little time has passed where no flying has occurred, I didn't want to go into the stage check with a lack of proficiency in some areas. Today's flight really was for me; I asked my flight instructor yesterday if we could do a flight today so I could do some pattern work, work on my radio calls, and just so I could get back into the groove of flying an airplane. He graciously allowed this and accompanied me on this hour-long hop around the Provo pattern.

Once I got dispatched out, I went out to the airplane I was assigned for today's flight and conducted the pre-flight inspections, which I finished before my instructor joined me in the airplane. We hopped in and did the usual start-up checks and taxi checks. I then picked up taxi clearance from ground and we were directed to taxi out to the run-up area. After completing run-ups, we continued our taxi to the runway. Once we reached the hold-short line before the runway, I contacted the tower and requested clearance for takeoff and we were cleared. I then taxied out to the runway center line and throttled forward and we began our takeoff roll. Once we reached takeoff speed, I pulled back on the stick for rotation and we got airborne.

Once airborne and past the threshold on the opposite end of the runway, I turned the airplane to the right and climbed up to pattern altitude and got established on the downwind. From there, it was the typical pattern I've flown on so many times already this year. I got in seven landings total during our rounds in the pattern. I also had my instructor call out landing techniques for me to practice on and where he wanted me to make contact on the runway, whether it was a short-field or soft-field landing and takeoff. So following each landing, it was full throttle and back in the air for another subsequent round in the pattern, getting in some short-field and soft-field practice in via touch-and-go and stop-and-go runway operations.

I have to say, I did pretty well, fulfilling what my flight instructor called out for me to do in the pattern. After my seventh landing, we called it a day and taxied off the runway and returned to the UVU ramp. Confident with my landings, we filled out the logbook and logged the landings. Here's hoping my second stage check will go well. I'll be honest though, things are feeling tight with the end of the semester looming. I'll take it one day at a time for now...