Flying Lesson #54 - Solo Pattern Work

This morning the winds were light and variable, perfect for pattern work.

My instructor had to fly a charter at the last minute so I had the option to cancel or proceed with a solo flight.

I decided I needed some more solo time, which I do, and headed out to the plane.

Good preflight, though I had to call for fuel which slowed things down a bit.

I was flying N757MK, and it started up with no problems and everything checked out good.

Nice takeoff, though it felt weird just being on my own again, and I was out sharing the pattern with a Cherokee and the occasional other bit of traffic.

First pattern was pretty good and the landing was decent, a solid meh. Nothing bounced but you felt the landing and it meant improvement was needed.

Second pattern I was ok but a bit high on final and the landing was not the best ever, landed kinda flat and not how I wanted it to go. I was still coming in a bit high and beginning to wonder of all the forward slip to landing practice had skewed my view of the proper approach.

For the third pattern I had to majorly extend my downwind due to traffic and then decided to do a go round once I got back as I was again too high on final and it didn't feel right and I didn't want to try and force it in.

On the fourth pattern, I did a go round due to traffic and then got an early crosswind turn as a result and then came in for a landing.

The wind was now a crosswind at 8 knots from 330 but I had it factored in and I actually had a great crosswind approach.

Then the landing itself:

It was perfect. I mean one of my best landings ever and certainly my best crosswind landing ever - soft, subtle, and touching down so gently you would barely know I had landed, the way all landings should be.

With that I decided to call it on a good note and took the plane back in, tied it down, logged the time and headed to work.

That was .6 solo and 3 landings with 2 go rounds.