Read the Instructions - Completely

Hmmm, the angle doesn't show how thick this puppy is.

There's a fat book that pilots become acquainted with early on. It's really two books in one, under the title of FAR/AIM - Federal Aviation Regulations and Aeronautical Information Manual. Certainly not the kind of book you'd typically be reading while sipping lemonade on the porch - unless you enjoy reading legal verbiage. However, there is a fair amount of useful information inside, such as what kind of stuff you have to do to get a particular pilot certificate.

I was leafing through FAR 61.129 a couple years ago, and saw that as part of the commercial pilot requirements, I would have to do a long solo cross-country flight. (I notice people's eyes usually widen when I tell them I have a cross-country flight to do - it's just a term that means a distance of 50 nautical miles or more, not necessarily an air trip to Washington's Air and Space Museum). I was a bit bummed that this 300 mile trip would have to be solo - a bit of a silly rule when you're already a certificated private pilot, and one who has had significant success saving a few bucks by bringing friends with cash along on flights. Regardless, I bit the bullet and began planning my flight so that I would be one step closer to being ready for the commercial ticket.

Charting my short-term future.

The destination I chose was Redlands in southern California, where my good friend Corey Harms lived. I would make a weekend out of it, flying down on Friday morning and returning on Sunday. Seeing that I would be coming with a plane, Corey asked if he could ride back up with me so he could check out housing by U.C. Davis for vet school. He would return home via Southwest. Sure, of course - I would meet the 300 nautical mile solo trip requirement on the way down (348 nm total distance) and then it wouldn't matter if I had someone riding along for the flight back. 

So off I went, on the first real trip I'd ever done in a light airplane. The choice of steed was the trusty, but slow Cessna 150. But who cares about speed when it's the journey that makes it all fun? Besides, I was test-flying a brand-new, noise-cancelling Lightspeed Zulu headset from the airport shop and that was going to definitely raise the comfort of travel. With an auxiliary cord input and an iPod, I was going to be living it up. 

Yes... it's a pink iPod. On loan from my sister.

I got a late start departing Auburn, as I forgot to remind the office staff to leave the keys for me in the night box. It turned out better this way, however, because it gave extra time for the fog layer reported at my destination to burn off. I was wheels up by 0830 and flying my way down the Golden State with my ears bathed in beautiful classical melodies while the scenery passed below. Let me tell you, going somewhere in a G.A. plane is totally different than flying the airlines (for one thing, every seat is a window seat...).

I arrived at Redlands after an uneventful flight with one fuel stop.

Gassing up in San Luis Obispo.

I felt pretty accomplished that I didn't even once use the single navigation radio during the trip, instead using the old-fashioned methods of using a map, following a heading, and oh yeah, looking out the window. Then again, it's pretty difficult to get lost in California. I tied down the plane and headed out through the orange groves with Corey to his house.

After a short, relaxing weekend (with some not-so-relaxing moments when we came across 3 separate rattlesnakes while hiking), it was back to the air, this time with some company. I let Corey do a bit of flying, while I referenced the map and told him where to point the plane.

Friends + Flying = Fun.

We stopped for fuel in Coalinga, catching a powerful whiff of the beef farms below while approaching the field. Then, it was on to University Airport at Davis, where I bid farewell to Corey, and finally back to Auburn. A whopping 10.7 hours round-trip - and a whopping bill to boot. But it was a really fun flight, gave me great experience, and I had gotten the necessary flight in for my future commercial certificate. Or had I?

It was a couple days later and I had my nose in the FAR/AIM again, perusing the certification regs. Looking at the list of items under the Aeronautical Experience section for commercial pilots, I was mentally checking off the long solo cross country when something on the page seemed to stand out. I didn't quite remember reading that the first time round: "One cross-country flight of not less than 300 nautical miles total distance, with landings at a minimum of three points". My face and ears started to feel very warm. How many points did I land at on the solo leg? I knew the answer, but I was in denial. I was having a hard time believing what I had done - or failed to do. But unfortunately, my logbook recorded the cold facts: one fuel stop and one full stop. That was two landings...at only two points.

I have since learned the very practical lesson of re-checking important things. No, learned doesn't describe it well enough. Internalized would sum it up better.

More great views on the way! Ahem.

When you internalize something, it ceases to be a learned-by-rote fact, and instead almost becomes a part of you. Well, that reg also has almost become a part of me too, after all the times I have gone over it again. When I head out on that cross-country again, I won't be stopping at less than three airports.

That was May of last year. Now it's time to get this requirement taken care of for good. You want to guess what I'm going to be doing this coming week? Well stay tuned. Should be seeing a report with a more picture-perfect outcome.