Hitting My Wake!

Lesson 3
12-1-11                                                           
1.0 hours logged
4.3 hours total recorded in logbook


Cubs are a ton of fun to fly. I love every minute--even stalls! But I'm getting ahead of myself. I preflighted the plane while Steve (the other instructor at the flight school) warmed the engine with a heater. With that completed, we pushed the plane out of the hangar, Joe and I got in and Steve spun the prop. (One of the planes has an electric starter, but this one does not and thus has to be hand-propped to start.) After numerous tries, the engine finally roared to life. I taxied us all the way out to the runway--did okay--followed Joe on the pre-takeoff checks and then on the controls as we positioned for takeoff, headed down the runway,  and lifted into the air. I saw our shadow drop away beneath. While still on climbout, he gave me the controls and we were at it again.


A quick review of what straight and level flight looks like and turns--level, climbing, and descending. It all came back with no trouble. I did a couple more 360's. Once, as I levelled out again after completing one of these, we suddenly hit a bump like turbulence or something. "That was your wake!" Joe told me. How exciting! Rather than being only within feet of holding altitude, I must have been dead on! Pretty neat!
Then we practiced stalls--power on and power off. No problem there. I may have been a bit eager to get the stick forward after the actual stall--or at least slow about returning it to neutral but didn't do too bad. You can really get the nose up high especially on power on stalls before it drops. Cubs are pretty gentle in stalls.


When it was time to head back to the airport, Joe let me find my way and fly the pattern. Again, I followed him through on the landing and finally taxied us back to a stop in front of the hangar. Lesson three completed!