Time: 1500Z (0900 MST)
Ok. 10 years ago I took ground school at the Hayden Planetarium in New York. Ever since then I've been dreaming of actually getting behind the yoke of a real aircraft, and today was the day. As an employee of Sandia National Laboratory, I'm elligible to join the Kirtland AFB Aero Club, and today I take my "discovery flight," a discounted 1 hour flying "lesson" in which the instructor takes us up to a good altitude, and then hands the plane to me and lets me fly for a while.
I was a little unclear on the concept, thinking the instructor would do more of the flying, so I asked him ahead of time if my wife and 5 year-old daughter could come along for the ride. He said sure, and they did.
The flight was beautiful. Took off on runway 17 at Albuquerque International Airport (what bonehead decided they should call in Albuquerque International SUNport? I refuse.), and climed to 7,500MSL, which is 2,200 AGL. From this point until our landing approach I have the aircraft. We flew northeast to the Jemez Reservoir, then climb to 12,000MSL and loop back down towards the Sandia Mountains. We flew directly over Sandia Crest, about 2500 feet below us.
Around this time things got a little bumpy. And sure enough we hear over the radio that a commercial airliner needs to land ASAP because one of the passengers has a medical emergency and is being put on oxygen. So we circle over the mountains (getting bumpier and bumpier air as we go) for another ten minutes, and then ATC vectors us back on a pretty bizarre approach, calling for us to fly to the "sandia solar tower", then overfly runway 8/26, then turn to our correct runway. Jeff (my instructor) takes charge once we do the runway 8/26 overflight.
Landing is gentle, and we park at the Aero Club.
I then learn that my wife has been freaking out for the last 20 minutes, not understanding that the bumps aren't my fault, and not realizing that we're SUPPOSED to bank 30 degrees each time we turn. My daughter, on the other hand, is thrilled.
Anyhow, I begin the negotiations with Mrs. R. to see if we can figure out a way for me to take REAL lessons. It takes about 3 weeks, but we do it.
My first real lesson (Cumulative 2.2 hrs)
Lesson two (Cumulative: 4.0 hrs)
Lesson three (Cumulative 5.4 hrs)
Lesson four (cumulative 7.5 hrs)
Lesson five (cumulative 9.2 hrs)
Lesson six ( 11.0 hrs)
Lesson seven (12.8 hrs)
Lesson eight (14.1 hrs)
Lesson nine (15.7 hrs)
Lesson 10 (17.1 hrs)
Lesson 11 (18.9 hrs)
Lesson 12 (20.0 hrs)
Lesson 13 (21.9 hrs)
Lesson 14 (23.0 hrs)
Lesson 15 (25.8 hrs)