*sigh* here goes

[Woodlouse2002]

[quote]
Basically, a direct line from airport to airport is the exact same on my chart as it is on my GPS.

[flightmedic]

Beefy oh beefy.................

Havn't chated with you in a while.

Don't worry bro.........you'll do fine. One thing I have found out is that if your not nervous a little bit......your not ready!! X-countries are great. As long as you can fly track and make corrections should drift occur you will be fine. I loved mine. Yes, there was some drift and using my training I was able to reconnect with the tract and was fine.

Keep us posted bud.

Brent

[beaky]

Duh- I never mentioned my first solo x-c story:
Let's see now (in Grampa Simpson voice).... It was November 1996; I had about 53 hrs., and had flown solo from KTEB to 4N1 to N07 to TEB back in a C172 that September, but that didn't officially count.... so I planned a longer flight to Sullivan County (MSV) and back, this time in a C152. My usual 172 was down for repairs, which I didn't find out until I walked into the school, with a now nearly-useless navlog in my hand (times were now all wrong).
No big deal; as long as I hit my first checkpoint properly, I could re-calculate the groundspeed and take it from there. But it would've been better to just re-do the log on the ground first...
 My flight journal from that day also reveals:
"Stationary front NW, wind calm, sky 6000 BKN".
I maybe should have changed my entire route, too...
 As I made my way NW, I could see things thickening up a bit ahead, but at all times I made sure I could make a 180 in VMC and just go back...no, really. I had no desire to flirt with IMC.
Near the Hugenot VOR, it started raining a little, and the MSV AWOS confirmed that the clouds there are  nearly touching my student ceiling limit of 5000 feet. But I still had a little better than 10 miles vis., the way back was sunny and clear, so on I went..
Only to get lost- sort of. I was looking for an oblong-ish lake close to the airport, and saw one, but it didn't look right. As I circled in light drizzle over the lake  trying to read the chart, I decided I'd drifted north to Neversink Reservoir, or maybe Rondout. You can see if you look at a NY sectional that I was definitely a greenhorn then- that's a lot of drift!!
 I turned slightly south, expecting MSV to come up, but found more small lakes. Another look at the chart, and I realized I was just south of my course (there's a private floatplane base on the sectional: 'Fireman's'). LOL... did I feel stupid. But proud I'd actually been more or less on-course originally.
Soon I was about to give up. the clouds were quite low several miles west; seemed to be getting worse- it was turning into marginal VMC. I tried to get a radio check from MSV and only heard clicking (realized later that somebody was keying the mic in response, but not speaking).
 I decided to turn around, and as i did, I looked down, and there was the runway. Somehow I'd flown right over MSV.
A Skyhawk pilot there announced a downwind takeoff to the east (to avoid the clouds west, I guess), so I decided to follow suit for my landing, in case I had to go around. The runway is long there, and it wasn't too wet, and the rain had stopped, so it went quite well. Hadn't flown a 152 in months- i was pretty pleased with myself.
I jumped out to take a leak in the deserted terminal, grabbed a pamphlet as a souvenir and proof for my instructor, and high-tailed it out of there before the clouds could smother  the airport, or the rain could start  up again. I lucked out- it was still pretty good at that point.  MSV AWOS still claimed 5000, and it looked about that. I was well under the upsloping layer of clouds all the way back to KTEB, although there were a few tendrils reaching down around me the first few miles.
 Got back to KTEB near sunset, and of course the tower had me circle the NDB over Paterson a few times... sigh... good thing I recently had taken some night dual, and Teterboro has tons of lighting...
 And of course, the landing light wasn't working... dazzled by the runway lights as I was, the darkening runway looked like a black void as I came in to flare. I have no idea if I was officially night-flying on that landing, but it was pretty dark on the ground...
All in all a good first official X-C, but it would've been less stressful if I'd decided to go south instead of towards the front, even though it was barely moving.

[Boss_BlueAngels]

I learned to fly in the western half of Washington State.  X-countries were prety easy.  Keep the water on one side, and the (closer) mountains on the other.

Only had one problem... and that was because the airport I used as a checkpoint was right under my butt.  ::)  


Don't worry about the flight.  As long as you have a VOR and flight following, it's impossible to get lost.  

[Brett_Henderson]

My first, solo cross country was long enough ago that I'd have to make up the details to make an interesting story out of it. It was in upper Michigan so, like Boss' I was always in sight of a coast (Lake Michigan), nearly impossible to get lost. I do remember being thorough about everything EXCEPT checking NOTAMs.. AND calling each field before taking off (a good practice in upper Michigan, mid-winter).

My first stop, 5Y1, a fairly remote field, was still snow covered but easy enough to find, as it's nestled in the middle of a forrest... even a snow covered runway stands out.  Had to do a low pass there. The main runway, 34/16 at my next stop, KCIU was closed for work on the lights.. so I had to tackle a crosswind on the shorter, narrower 9/27. No big deal, but underlined the importance of pre-flight planning. I was the rawest of student pilots, already altering the simplest of flights.

Instead of going straight back to ISQ (original airport), I had to divert to ERY for the required, third landing.

Anyway.. if you can.. pick airports with VORs at the field. If you ever do get really lost, you can always fly right to the VOR.  KEEP THE GPS ON A NON-MAP PAGE... Or off completely if you don't need it to keep from straying into restricted or towered airspace (the only reason I ever even turn one on).  A moving map takes all the fun and skill out of learning navigation.

[beefhole]

Where I think I'm going and where the GPS says I'm going, and where I am and where the GPS says I am never agree.

And the GPS is always right.

Surrounded by a military airfield (whose airpsace I have busted before and they are NOT happy when you do that), a class D and a class B I am obliged to use the GPS for at least the first part of the flight.  I'm just not good enough at finding my position visually to do completely without it.

Yes, the only way I'll learn is by flying without it-but that's for when there's an instructor in the plane.  Plus, it should also be noted, I do not plan on being a regular VFR pilot-of course I need the good foundation, I can't shuck it aside and go "I don't need to know this", but in the future (and after I get my IFR, of course) if I ever take a GA plane anywhere it'll be a filed as IFR.

Thanks for sharing your stories everyone

[Censport]

It never occured to me until I read this thread, but....

I've never solo'd cross-country.

Since my dad has been a pilot since I was a kid and he's the one who got me started, I've always taken him with me. Flying is the one thing (other than politics) that he and I can get along over, so it's our quality/bonding time.

If fact, I'm not looking forward to the day when he's gone and I can't fly with him.  :'(