Landings, landings, landings!

Lessons 9 & 10
5-17-12
1.8 hours logged
11.3 hours total recorded in logbook

Two more flight lessons this morning followed by harp lesson. Thirteen landings and another 1.8 hours in my logbook and am I ever tired! I didn't feel it then but I sure do now! Thirteen landings and as many takeoffs in the space of two hours really seems like a workout but I must say after all of these I've gotten really good at taxiing and knowing exactly when to do what when flying the pattern!

It was another beautiful sunny day with little wind, perfect for working on landings/takeoffs and we sure did! We stayed in the pattern the entire time. There was a definite improvement over last time in my takeoffs and as I said, taxiing has become quite comfortable. Landings still have a ways to go. We accidentally did a couple wheel landings today because I did not get the stick back far enough, soon enough. That seems to be my biggest problem. I'm too timid with the stick. I guess I feel if I pull back too much on it, I'll start floating. Joe said that's better than banging onto the ground like I did more than once. I haven't yet learned how to ease off the stick slightly without letting the nose drop. There were only maybe two or three landings where I actually made a three-point landing or anything close to it and on those ones I could feel immediately when I had it. That felt so good! I would think as I breathed a sigh of relief. It's just a matter of knowing how to get there consistently. I guess it'll come with time.

Not that I'm discouraged though. Not by any means! I could see improvement in my approaches. Last time, I was wondering how Joe could tell if we were too high or too low. This time, I could see it almost on my own! I would judge about three or four of my takeoffs to be quite good. Joe praised me for having good directional control on takeoff and landing--most of the time!

For a while I thought I was on a run with good landings when I made two in a row in about half the distance it took me to make the others, but no--the next time around I floated and bounced again. Maybe I was extra nervous as I was being photographed by someone standing at the edge of the runway!

I had the pattern to myself for some of the time but then the other Cub came up to join me. I also shared it at different times with a Pitts and a replica Travel Air, both owned by one of the guys at the airport. That's another thing I like about small airports. Where else can you have such neat airplanes to keep you company in the pattern?