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| I finally get to log time in my uncle's Cessna 172N Skyhawk II (N5174E)! |
After fueling up, we hopped back in and got the engine started. My uncle even allowed me to fly from the left seat! We taxied over to the run-up pad by Runway 34 and my uncle walked me through the run-ups. Engine gauges looked good and the engine sounded good, so we were ready to go. I taxied us onto Runway 34, began takeoff roll, and we were airborne. We made a straight-out departure northbound and climbed to our cruise altitude; we also called up Flight Service in McMinnville to open our flight plan. Once we reached cruising altitude and got the plane configured, I went under the hood while my uncle Alan acted as my safety pilot with eyes outside the cockpit. We also called up Portland Approach and picked up VFR Flight Following to get traffic advisories en route; we were handed off quite a few times between various controllers along the way.
It was all a matter of maintaining altitude and heading as we made our way towards Yakima. Personally, I could've done a little better, especially when I ended up deviating a little bit during radio calls. But I made corrections to my course and altitude and stayed focused on monitoring the instruments and engine gauges. Eventually, Yakima came into sight. We called up Flight Service up in Seattle and closed our flight plan. We were eventually in contact with Chinook Approach and that's when I requested radar vectors to shoot the practice ILS 27 Approach, which was granted. We flew the approach profile until we were established on the final approach course. We were then eventually handed off to the tower controller in Yakima and they cleared us to land. I removed my foggles at the decision altitude prescribed on the approach plate and handed control of the airplane to my uncle since he was experienced at landing it. We made the landing on 27 and tower directed us over to transient parking, where we shut the engine down and hopped out.
After a moment to make a pit-stop and stretch our legs, we walked around a bit before we decided to amend our flight plan with a earlier departure time. After my uncle made the phone call to Flight Service, we headed back to the airplane and did a quick, expedited pre-flight before hopping in. My uncle and I also switched seats for this leg. After getting the engine started, I picked up local weather and called up the ground controller to request taxi clearance to Runway 27, which was granted. My uncle then taxied us over to the runway, where we did our run-ups. Everything looked and sounded good, so I called up tower and informed them we were ready for departure. We were asked to hold short for landing traffic, a FedEx Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster.
Once the arriving traffic cleared off the runway, we were cleared for immediate takeoff. My uncle taxied us onto the runway and we were on our way! Once airborne, tower handed us off Chinook Approach. I first called up Flight Service up in Seattle to open our flight plan. Once that was done, I picked up VFR flight following from the approach controller. Once leveled off at cruise altitude, my uncle decided to go under the hood and it was my turn to act as a safety pilot!
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| A view of Mt. Adams as we made our way southwest bound. |
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| A view of Mt. Hood, Hood River, and the Columbia River Gorge as we made our way southwest bound. |
After aviating, navigating, and communicating as needed, we eventually made our way back to Albany, where we landed. After clearing the runway, we taxied to the local fuel pumps and shut the engine down. My uncle and I then topped off the Skyhawk's fuel tanks. After refueling, we hopped back in, re-started the engine, and taxied to the hangar, where we put the airplane away and called it a successful cross-country flight, and the first of many flights with my uncle in the Cessna 172!
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