Towering Airports

Today, I flew to Mansfield Lahm Airport (MFD) for my second cross-country flight with my instructor. According to the GPS, MFD is 49.6nm from I40, so it didn't qualify as a 50nm cross-country, but it was still a good learning experience for me in the airplane. Using the ol' E6-B slide-rule flight computer, I plotted my course, which I followed by dead reckoning and pilotage. It would've been easy to use the VOR's (Mansfield has one and Coshocton is right next to the Tiverton VOR), and the "direct to-" function in the Garmin 430 GPS is very easy and has a lot of functionality, but I wanted to see what it was like to figure out the winds, magnetic deviation, and plan my course to MFD. Based upon the winds of 7kts @ 160°, I chose a course heading of 320° for the flight up. The winds were calm at I40 at my departure at 12:15Z, with some light clouds at 4000ft, but the sky was clear towards MFD with some ground haze below about 4000ft. Visibility at 4500ft was only about 15nm, with the sun behind us. I picked out my landmarks with ease, and recorded my anticipated times (only 30 seconds off!) and after about 20 minutes, I could just make out runway 32, lined up perfectly with my desired course. It was a satisfying feeling to do the math, figure this course out, and set it without being able to see the destination, and end up at the right spot! MFD was my first towered airport, so I called approach, got a transponder code, was passed off to the tower, and I flew my first right-hand pattern! MFD has a very wide runway (9000ft x 150ft wide) and so it felt like I was landing on a huge parking lot, and so I flared about 5-10ft too high. I realized my error, and adjusted for a beautiful greaser of a landing on the runway. We quickly turned around and departed back to Coshocton, and once the plumes of Conesville and Smurfit-Stone were in sight, I knew I was home. Next week, I will plan a 2-hour cross-country for a couple of routes.....I hope the weather is good!