PA 1

After you solo, the next block is PA's, or Precision Aerobatics, NOT acrobatics as some new students commonly refer to them as. Today, I was on standby to fly my first PA. Eh, no worries, no one ever flies when they are on standby. Not I. I got picked up for a flight almost right away. It was quite windy today so no solo's were flying which is why I got picked up. 

PA's include several new maneuvers. First, there is the aileron roll, which is pretty simple. It is just doing a quick roll of the plane, this is different from a barrel roll. A barrel roll includes a momentary gain in altitude and change in direction. But, you still come out heading the same direction you entered it in. It is very smooth, with hardly any G's. Actually, when performed correctly you could probably do it in most any airplane. The loop is another new maneuver. It is pretty simple, just yank on the stick and don't let up. The 1/2 cuban 8 is a combination of the loop and aileron roll. It is a way to change your heading to the opposite direction. You start to perform a loop, then with after about 2/3, when you are inverted, you roll over and head the opposite direction. Finally, there is a wingover. The only way to describe this is to think of a skateboarder or snowboarder in a half pipe. 

All of these are fun to perform and IP's usually love doing PA flights. Nothing is too difficult to do but are kinda difficult to do well. The nice thing about today was that he already declared me safe to solo these maneuvers even though the next time I solo is after the next flight. I get more practice tomorrow though. 

Chris

Also, Thanksgiving was nice. I went to my uncle's house in Atlanta and watched a lot of football. From high school to college to pro's, I saw it all, including, USC demolish Notre Dame.