ET's Info-Stew

I intended to fly solo to Modesto today with Nick's endorsement, but Nick wasn't so sure. When I check the winds at KMOD and they were 350 at 11, which is higher than my allowed crosswind component. So Nick decided to come with me. I did very well in the planning and execution of the flight and with the other aspects. The high density altitude was instructive: we never actually got to 5,500 feet! It turned out that when we got to the airport the winds were 300 at 12, which is within my allowed range. Oh well.

On the way back we were going into a fairly strong headwind. Combined with the high density altitude and therefore low groundspeed while climbing, it took one and three quarters of an hour for the whole flight. In a sense, the time was wasted. It was a little instructive but because it wasn't a solo it didn't satisfy any of my requirements. I would have been much better served by doing pattern work, especially since my landings are still rusty. In fact, Nick wants me to work off some of the rust by doing ten solo circuits this weekend. After this, I don't want to waste time by soloing to Modesto. I would rather dual to Fresno so I can then satisfy my long solo requirement. And once that is done we can start working on night flight, instrument flight, and fine-tuning.