I woke up yesterday morning feeling as though it was going to be a very lazy day. Having just worked the last 4 early morning shifts, i peeked out from under the covers at 8 and decided to dive back in and close my eyes for as long as i felt like it on my day off. I had nothing planned and was in the mood for a relaxing day. I didn't know that so much more was in store for me!
I hadn't flown the float plane since February 19, the day of my last post. My instructor said the wind had to be less than 5 knots, and it had been a steady 2 weeks of windy days, complimented by me working longer horus and heading up to the local ski hill for a weekend trip. My one day off, my intructor was too fully booked to accomodate me, so i was resigned to a lazy day of sleeping in. I awoke rudely at the early hour of 11 (hah!) to a text message from my instructor. "Pulled some strings. Can you do 1:00 today?" I was instantly stoked and wracked with nerves all at the same time. My confidence is a little shaky on the best of days in the airplane, and i knew that the goal was the get my 5 solo takeoffs and landings done as soon as possible. There was just something about an empty co-pilot seat in that float plane that gave me the jitters. Worst case scenarios about flaring too low and catching my tips, sending myself catapaulting over, raced through my mind. I had been trying to work through these worries for weeks by running through Pedro's words in my mind, that he would never send me solo, risking hmy life, his livelihood if he did not deem me ready. However i drove out to the airport with absolutley no expectations, as it had been about 2 weeks since my last flight in the float plane.
When i hopped out of the car into the sunshine to see Pedro's smiling face at the launch, I was nervous all over again. What were his expectations? How would i fly today after so long off and with a head cold? I could barely remember the power settings, which were blending together in my mind with those from the Piper Seminole, which i had just begun training in on Wednesday. (More on that in another post!)
Pedro and i engaged in our usual banter and chatting as we set the plane up, and i jumped in the pilot's seat and fumbled around trying to relocate where all the switches and dials were on this particular model. I nervously fumbled with the seatbelt and jangled my headset cords around. I basically looked like a 25 hour pilot.
But as I worked together with Pedro, smoothly applying full power and pulling aft, and the little beauty gained speed, bumping through the waves to pop magestically aloft them and then 3-2-1 becoming unstuck from the watery grasps of the waves, all my knowledge trickled back to me. We flew towards Shawnigan lake, the place where Pedro takes all his students to solo. I fought to keep my palms from sweating on the yoke. We arrived at Shawnigan the water looked perfect. A gentle ripple of wind on the surface which gives the water definition, yet not too much as to create a bumpy landing. He eased me into my first landing, guiding me through with his hand gently bracing the controls just in case. It was a seamless landing. A smile broke out over my face. With the water rudders still up, we chatted for a moment before i smoothly applied full power again, counteracting the yaw with hard right rudder. The plane did not fishtail around on the surface like it had in my early lessons, it held its heading under the firm pressure of my foot as we gained speed. As we levelled off i found i remembered my level-off checklist perfectl, and as we turned base i could gently and confidently execute speed control as i slowed her down to a purring 70 knots and regulated my alititude with power settings. The early spring sun shone into our eyes and i felt happy, excited and confident!
We did about 5 circuits and my arm began to feel that familiar ache of good solid stick and rudder flying, before Pedro announced something surprising.
"I'm going to show you a few emergency procedures now."
I knew what that meant! he had told me that on solo day he would show me a few emergency maneuvers, and then set me free! I instantly felt alert and surreal. First he showed me engine failure on take-off, which frankly freaked the crap out of me. Taking control, he rotated and climbed about 40 feet before pulling the power and jamming down on the yoke into a steep dive. My stomach lifted out of my body and i let out a little yelp, flinging my hands into the air.
"it's ok!" he soothed, grabbing my arm to calm me before gently levelling and flaring, making the perfect landing. "When the engine fails, you need to do the opposite of what you think you need to do. Peopel always want to pull aft to climb. But you have no power! You'll go into slow flight and maybe even stall. push down to gain enough airspeed for an approaqch. get 70 knots, then level off, float, sink, then flare. Make a nice eay landing. Just don't try and pull up to get it to climb. You have no power, so you need to gain speed by nosing down."
After locating my dignity somewhere in the back seat where i had tossed it with my little shriek, i practiced engine failure in flight (turn for the lake, get 70 knots and land where appropriate) and overshoot (kind of the same as a land overshoot).
After a circuit made up of these procedures, Pedro sat in silence for an entire circuit, looking bored. The tight mountainous landscape that had once scared me at the beginning of this day was familiar and my maneuvers within in were methodical. I was flying without overthinking, and with an even mixture of alertness and calm. After a nice landing, Pedro told me to taxi to the dock and let him out! I was more nervous about pumping the floats into the dock than flying at that point!
As he hopped out, Pedro smiled at me and gave me a thumbs up. "How you feeling?" he asked.
"Nervous!" i replied quietly.
"Don't worry, there hasn't been a pilot, with the exception of maybe one of two fearless 18 year old, who wasn't nervous on their float solo. Just remember, you're flying well! You are a licensed pilot already! This is just like any other flight. You're going to do great. Now have fun! Let's see a smile!"
I smiled unconvincingly and he laughed.
"Go have fun out there!"
I turned on the master and started her up, putting away from the dock. I looked over my shoulder, past the empty seat beside me to Pedro waving from the dock. This was it.
Out in the open water, i second guessed where i should take off. I got on the radio. "Should i wait until after this signpost?" I asked Pedro feebly
"Go ahead there if you feel right." He replied. A clear message that if i looked inside myself to find my true confidence, i knew what i was doing and would find the asnwers. This part was about engaging my inner pilot in command and beleiving her!
I looked at the mountains acorss the lake, and swept my hand across the cockpit in a pre-takeoff check. I reached down to pull the water rudder, applied left rudder and gently pushed the throttle in to full power. As I gained speed, a strange relief rolled through me like rain down a windowpaine. I realised that it was getting here that was so hard for me. Convincing myself to let go and trust my skills, sit proudly in the left seat and let my training take over. Getting over my fear of the float solo and forcing myself into my seat, letting my instructor get out, i discovered that the challenge and the fear was all in my mind, and now that i had gotten here, it was time to have fun and let my skills keep me safe and help me achieve and strive forward. I thought about a little card called a "wisdom card" that i had pulled out of a basket from my yoga instructor after class the day before. "It is time to let go of things no longer serving you. it is only then that you will move forward." It had said. It was not serving me to worry about this moment. The moment was now, and it was time to live it and choose to engage and excel within it!
As i lifted off, i was filled with a burning in my throat of adrenaline, and a smile burst out across my face. I raised the flaps to 10 degrees, and set power and manifold pressure to 21" and 2450 rpm. I climbed past the sunlit spruce and toward the mountains at the end of the lake, filled with excitement. I turned crosswind and levelled off at 950 feet, setting the power to 17" and 2300 at 1000 ft. On my downwind leg i did a downwing checklist and then sat in awe, riding the gently rolling currents of air and listening to the engine purr. My mind was not worrying and anticipating the future. It was not stuck revisitng the past. If only i could live every moment of my life like i live it in the pilot's seat! in a total state of being in the now.
Abeam the little island i made my base turn, reducing to 15" and adding 20 of flap. I used power to help my descent and pitched to slow her gently to 75 knots in the turn, then to 70 on the approach. I was vauguely aware of Pedro's figure on the dock in the distance, but was too focused on my runway and my airspeed to give it much energy. As i softly came down, i let my senses guide me into the moment at which i levelled off. When i felt the familiar sinking feeling, i flared and held my nose across the horizon, waiting for the sensation when my floats met the water's surface. It came gently and with a satisfying "whoooooosh", and Pedro got on the radio from the dock immediately, saying an encouraging "WOW!" I had made my first solo landing! and it was a greaser!
Throughout the next 4 circuits I enjoyed the ride. On one i hit some daytime heating turbulence, on another i landed a little hard due to excessive sink rate from a little lack of power. Overall, it was a perfect day, and my flying and my accomplishment felt surreal, even as i was completing it. After my last landing i could not beleive it. I stared in awe at the glimmering lake's surface as i putted back to the dock. In my traditional way, i had to do a little left seat happy dance! My float rating was done! This day had truly been living proof that having no expectations and freeing the mind of hang-ups on the past will get you far.
And what was the first thing i did, as a newly rated float plane pilot?
I peed in the bushes!
haha! it had been over 2 hours of flying and i had drank a grande latte on the drive to the airport! Like a true and strong BC girl, i jumped from the left seat, gave my instructor a hug, and then raced inexplicably into the bushes to find a secret place to pee. He was both baffled and amused.
It turned out that I had finished my rating in less than the required hours, so we had some time to burn! Pedro had a surprise in store. He navigated me up and out of Shawnigan and to the West atop a hill about 10 miles away. There he showed me a tiny hidden mountain lake caleld Grant lake, with nothing but a lone wooden cabin and a logging road that lead there. He demonstrated for me a glassy-water short field landing on the tiny isolated lake. I felt like we were the only two people in the universe, that feeling brought to me only by wandering the wild on camping trips or getting up early on the beach to see the sun rise. This is why we fly floats! To find the world's last little isolated paradises :)
Though i may not have it in my future cards to fly loggers up north, or businessmen to Vancouver on a twin otter, flying floats awoke the raw and bold pilot in me. I was living what John Magee described when he "danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;" Float flying was the closest flying comes to dancing. I will take forward with me into my next, often more structured and methodical ratings, a sense of creativity, adventure, dexterity and fluidity that float flying has taught me. If flying can be broken down into types of music, then floats are definitey playing jazz. And i will remember this tune fondly all my life long :)
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