34.3 hrs

So yesterday, I just happened to log 3.1hrs of flying....it was great. In the morning, I flew up to Millersburg (10G), and the air was clear and calm, just perfect flying. I felt like just keep going and flying up to the lake or something, but I didn't have a flight planned out, so no dice:). Up in the air, I just kind of played around with the airplane, seeing what control inputs (if uncorrected) would result in. I flew straight and level, and just pushed in a little rudder, and felt the plane bank slightly to the left and then level out. The Cessna 172 is really a very stable aircraft! After reading a couple of aviation blogs about power-on stalls, I did a couple of power-on stalls, and turns around a point, and some steep turns, both directions, just to get more familiar with the handling of the aircraft.

I'm really getting more and more comfortable with the "feel" of the aircraft - it's almost automatic when I correct a slip or level the wings. I'm also getting much better at holding my altitude, and maintaining a course heading. Now, I'm not trying to be cocky, but I'm just getting excited about my awareness and control of the airplane. Flying 3.1hrs yesterday was really fun, and I got lots of good landing practice in. I praticed short field, soft field landings & takeoffs, I'm really starting to look forward to the check ride, and I just need to get some night flying in, some serious solo cross-country time, and I'll be ready for the scary, scary C-H-E-C-K R-I-D-E!!!!! OooooOOOoooooo......maybe I should be more scared, but I'm actually kind of looking forward to it. Later that evening, I took a cross-country flight to Newark (VTA) and managed to get a couple of landings in, as well as some great sight-seeing of the Newark & Heath ohio area. I just love flying over an area that I drive frequently and seeing how much different it looks, and where the roads really go. You know how you get that idea of which direction the roads go when you're driving around. I just love seeing them laid out like a road map. Here's a photo of the world-famous Longaberger Basket, which I hear is visible from space!:) It's amazing what you can build when you're selling baskets for $120 and running what amounts to a highly paid sweatshop in the hills of Ohio. Nevertheless, it definitely is a unique structure.