Practice, Practice

I flew solo this morning to get another hour of practice time under my belt.  It was just a good day to go bore holes in the sky.  I can't describe how great I feel after flying--it is like a runner's high that lasts the rest of the day.  I had no idea before starting this training how much I would enjoy it, despite the difficulty:  I am clumsy, slow, and frustratingly dense at times, but I am determined to become a proficient pilot.

Manassas tower again had radio problems today: I couldn't hear voice on the ground control frequency--only a carrier--but they could hear me fine.  This lead to some confusion. I heard the pilot of a business jet (Lear?) give up and switch to the clearance delivery frequency, so I followed suit.  After I cleared the SFRA and Dulles class B airspace, I did a few stalls and steep turns, but then I just enjoyed the scenery for a few minutes before heading back to HEF for pattern work. 

I feel like rudder-to-the-stop forward slips finally clicked with me and I was able to hold the centerline with a VSI-pegging sink rate.  The wind built toward the end of the flight, which gave me a bit of a crosswind to practice holding the centerline (my goal after last Thursday's botched landing).  I was happy with my soft field and short field takeoffs (two each).
    
I have the FAA written test scheduled for next week.  It will be great to finally check off that requirement.

Flight time this lesson: 1.3 hrs PIC/Solo
Total time to date: 44.2 hrs total, 32.7 hrs dual, 11.5 hrs PIC