Carrie's Flight Lessons!

May 23rd 2023 Today I worked more on my online flight school. I watched 5 videos and completed the quizzes with 100%. One video was on airspeeds and what wing angles correspond with them. The next video was on emergency lands which was super interesting. The third one was on yaw and how to land with strong crosswinds. I watched two more videos both about cross country planning. I learned a lot from these videos and was really focused because it was exact aspects of flying I need to know and work on. I am looking forward to putting more time into these videos and they are very accessible and can complete them from wherever. Not much else I did today. Thank you for reading!  Total hours today: 3 Hours Total hours: 63 Hours

 May 22nd 2023 I started my day by working my online ground school videos. I did about 3 videos and the quizzes that correlated with them. I learned about ground reference maneuvers and more about engines. After about an hour doing the videos, I worked on adding photos and perfecting all my blogs. I had lunch and then headed to Laconia for my 3pm flight lesson. I got there early to do the preflight and we were up in the air by 3:10ish. We stayed only in the traffic pattern today to work on emergency landings and how to apply what I was learning from practice to if I actually loose my engine no where near Laconia airport. I love flying during late afternoons, the wind is always great and the views of the lake are amazing. I made a significant amount of progress on landings as well today. I made four great landings without any support from my flight instructor, Karen. Although landings have proven to be the most challenging thing for me recently, I love getting up there to practice t...

 May 20th 2023 Similar to last Saturday, I didn't meet with Karen, but I did complete seven online ground school flight lessons. Unlike last week, I learned less about engines but more about what my first solo will look like and non-towered airport communications. I found those really interesting to learn about and I have a much more solidified understanding of what my solo will look and feel like and the purposes of communications in an un-towerd runway. I found it intriguing to learn about the aspects of flying I directly apply to everyday flight lessons. I look forward to using the information I learned today to my flight on Monday as I get ready for my solo. I spent about 2 hours working on videos and then headed to the airport to check out the "open airport" event that my mentor, Karen was running. We were expecting bad weather but nonetheless the turnout was fantastic and I got to meet so many sweet kids who were so excited to climb around in some cool aircrafts. Th...

 May 13th 2023 Today I worked on my online flight school. I got started around 10 am and worked on nine, 8 minute videos and completed the quizzes that went with each video. They were difficult videos to get through as they were not the most engaging, however, I did learn a lot about the physics of flying and the behind the scenes of how a plane really works. My favorite video was learning about the engine, how pistons work and how all the different parts of the engine come together to get us up in the air. Learning about the engine has also made me feel more comfortable in the air as I now how it works. I also found the aerodynamics of a plane video to be super informative and interesting to learn about. I mastered all the videos by completing the quizzes that correlated with them and made sure I had 100% score or I would go back to get a higher score.  Thank you for reading! Total hours today: 3 Hours Total hours: 26 Hours

Week 2 reflection These last two weeks have absolutely flown by. For majority of this week, I was so lucky to have perfect weather for flying. We flew everyday for at least two hours. I learned an unbelievable amount. Some memorable highlights of this week were completing my first "cross-country" flight and getting my solo endorsement. However, my favorite aspect of these two weeks has been getting to know my instructor, Karen Mitchell. She has been so informative and patient and I feel so lucky to have gotten to learn from her. I look up to her in so many ways and I have gained so much knowledge and wisdom beyond just how to fly an airplane. I appreciate how passionate she is about flying and is such a strong role model for me. I am so grateful to have had her as my mentor for this project.  On Thursday, I completed my first "cross-country" which was so so exciting. We started the day off in Laconia where we took my mom up for a joy ride. We dropped my mom off and ...

May 19th 2023 I had high hopes of soloing by the end of these two weeks, with all the planning and excitement leading up to today it came to a disappointing ending. There was extreme crosswind and rough winds in Laconia. I was pretty bummed but I know this means even more time to practice! Today I got to the airport at 8:30 as always and Karen and I started to finish up my pre-solo knowledge test. I completed it and was ready to get up in the air by myself. As soon as we headed out to preflight the wind sock was blowing heavily and I knew today wouldn't be the day I could solo. We took off around 11:15 and it was a rough one. We only did two loops of the traffic pattern and had to go in because the wind made things difficult. I will hopefully be soloing next week if the winds are good of course. I look forward to many more lessons because these two weeks have given me such a solid foundation for flying and a possible career path for me. Thanks for reading! Total hours today: 5 Hour...

 May 18th 2023 My Mom joined me today for a quick 10 minute loop around the traffic pattern 8:30 am. After the loop we dropped her off so I could work on landings and master my last day before my solo! As we taxied to the runway, the wind had shifted a bit and my instructor said "I think we should head to Concord and practice on their runway." I was so excited. After a smooth take off, she taught me how to put a track to concord into the Garmin because soon enough, I will be doing my own solo cross-countries. We got to concord within 15 minutes. We joined the traffic pattern where I was able to listen to Henry Krehbiel and Jack Parisian make radio calls. We passed them on the taxi way and gave them a wave. It was fun to listen to them and say hi to them through the radio. We continued to make about 6 loops in the concord traffic pattern. It was a challenge adapting to the new radio calls and the new traffic patterns. I was pretty comfortable by the last two loops in Concord a...

 May 17th 2023 Windy day in Laconia. I wasn't able to fly today which was a bummer but I was able to make significant progress on my pre-solo knowledge quiz. Karen and I worked on the quiz and continued to talk more in depth about every question. Although a disappointing day on the runway today, I am really looking forward to tomorrow's stellar weather and perfect winds for flying. We will be doing lots of flying tomorrow to prepare for my solo loop in the pattern, specifically landings and remembering all the little details. In addition to that excitement, my mom is tagging along with me for the first couple loops in the traffic pattern in hopes she feels more comfortable with me soloing Friday. These past two weeks have flown by and its crazy that these two weeks of consistent practice will pay off soon! Thanks for reading! Total hours today: 4 Hours  Total hours: 39 hours

May 16th 2023 So many great things to include in this blog! Same drill as always, got to the airport at 8:30am,  preflighted and headed off. We did power-off stalls again and practiced unexpected altitude adjustments which is basically when I close my eyes and my instructor puts the plane in a weird position such as a nose dive or a clim and I had to open my eyes and readjust asap. We also did turns around a point which I struggle with but I got much better today! We then came back to the airport to do go arounds. I did nine landings. We headed back to the ramp and did ground school. I worked on my pre-solo knowledge quiz and we talked in depth about each question to make sure I knew each one. Friday is the day! If all goes well tomorrow and Thursday, plan is to solo Friday morning! Thanks for reading. Total hours today: 5 hours  Total hours: 35 Hours

 Monday May 15th 2023 Today was a jam packed day of aviation. I started my day at 6 am with a drive from Lexington to get to the airport for an 8:30am start with Karen! I preflighted and we got in the air by 9:15 ish. A week ago today I couldn't make fluent radio calls and when to make them or preflight without wondering where and what everything is and today I have a whole new knowledge of all aspects of flying. I mastered power-off stalls then headed into the flight pattern for to work on landings. We did touch and goes for about an hour and did six total landings! I am getting so comfortable flying, everything is clicking which I so exciting. We headed inside around 11:40 and did ground school for about 2 hours. I learned so much in ground school. We covered so much today, from what makes dials function and all about pitot static to simulators and even started on my pre solo ground quiz. A productive and exciting Monday! Thanks for reading!  Total hours today: 4 hours Total...

Carrie Babson  May 15, 2023 When my dad was my age he got his pilots license. He has always relayed the fun memories he had while flying that prompted me to want to share the same experience. When I was 14 I did my first four hours of flying and could tell how excited my dad was for me. Going into Senior Project, I hadn't flown since covid and was worried I wasn't going to enjoy it as much as I had four years ago; since the start of senior project, I have felt nothing but joy flying. I have learned so much about aviation and most of all, about myself.  This past week was one of the most informative and memorable weeks of my year. From start to finish I learned so much about the ins and outs of flying. We started everyday at 9 am and flew for about 2 hours. We then did ground school until 1. On Monday, I needed my flight instructor for guidance with the preflight but by the next day, I was doing the preflight by myself and without help which I was so proud of. In my Monday blog...

 May 12th 2023      Today was incredible! I gained so much more experience and comfort while flying today. I arrived at the airport around 8:50 am and headed right out to do preflight. I took off completely by myself. It was the most perfect wind for take-offs, landings, and maneuvers so we didn't waste a minute and started power-on stalls. Power-on stalls are mimicking an over-pitched take-off at over 30 degrees pitch which is close to straight up in the air. The stall horn sounds and you have to drop the nose quickly back to wings level. Terrifying to say the least and reminded me of a rollercoaster ride but unlike a rollercoaster we weren't held down to anything. My flight instructor walked me through it once then I took over the controls to give it a try myself. Despite my fears, I did surprisingly well and needed less support than expected. After power-on stalls, we headed back into the Laconia airport traffic pattern and started touch-and-goes for about an hour...

 May 11th 2023     Started today later than usual. My flight instructor had a check flight for twin engine props in the morning until about 1pm. I watched her land and when she was done we headed into ground school. We didn't fly today unfortunately because there were some small storms rolling in. We worked on memorizing more things in the engine and looking at more planes in the hanger. It was a relaxed day but still learned a lot from the ground. Tomorrow we'll hopefully be doing more flying and maybe some more landings. Highlight of my day was watching some private jets land and learning about them. Can't wait for tomorrow! Total hours for the day: 3 hours Total Hours: 18 hours

       May 10th 2023       Started the third day of senior project with my second solo preflight check and fueling warrior 626. As I said in my first blog, I am still working on memorizing the dials and where they are all located but day by day I am mastering those little things! We took off around 9:45am almost completely by myself and headed right for the Ossipee area to follow a power line for S turns. After S turns we headed over Wolfeboro and waved down at my house. After that we went out over the water at 1700 altitude and worked on steep turns while keeping a small island off my left wing for 360 degrees. That was definitely the most challenging part of my morning so I am looking forward to working on those tomorrow! We of course ended the day with a little bit of ground school and I headed off to Wolfeboro for the night. Looking forward to tomorrow! Total hours today: 5 Hours Total hours: 15 Hours

  May 9th 2023 Another beautiful day in Laconia. I got to the airport bright and early and did preflight without my instructor there for support which was a big accomplishment. I did most of the take off by myself, and got us into the air at around 10am. It was another bumpy day but we were still able to do power off stalls. Highlight of my day was flying over Proctor (pictures above)!! I feel a lot more comfortable take offs and flight patterns. Something I want to work on tomorrow is landings and how to land without perfect winds. Karen and I did about an hour of ground work and then I made it back to Proctor for my 3:30 lacrosse practice. It's crazy that in about a week and a half until I start thinking about planning my solo flight! Thanks for reading! Total hours today: 5 hours Total Hours: 10 hours

  May 8th 2023      The first day of Senior Project is done! What a beautiful day to begin flight lessons and wrap up my senior year. I arrived at the airport around 8:50 am and met with my amazing flight instructor and mentor Karen Mitchell. We quickly headed out for the preflight to take full advantage of the clear morning. A reoccurring challenge I've noticed is I struggle to remember all the names of the gauges and where they're located. I know with more consistent preflights every day it will become second nature. After the preflight, we taxied out to the runway, did one last preflight check then headed into a heavy crosswind takeoff. It was a bumpy morning but I was able to do steep turns and three power-off stalls which were a lot less scary than I expected. I am becoming more and more comfortable with flight language and even made a few radio calls. After about an hour and a half of flying, we headed into the traffic pattern for landing. After landing, we hea...