5 Fantastic Flights!

Thanks to Globalair, I know I’m getting a check in the mail this month that will pay for approx 5 hours of flying time!!

(5 hours, not five full flights, but for the sake of the title it sounds better flights 😂)

So here they are, my 5 or so hours of flying with my first 3 passengers as a pilot!

My first official passenger was my brother Nathan. He’s been a huge key in helping me to pursue my license because from the beginning he thought I could do it, and agreed I should! I took him Labor Day to a small airport to the south, it happens to be exactly 53nm so that’s time I can log for my 50 hours I need before I get my Instrument Rating! This particular airport was the one I went to during my first solo cross country flight. I have sentimental attachment to it for sure, and it helps that the owners of the FBO are really nice and welcoming. Because it was a major holiday and we flew late in the day, everything was closed except the bathroom and self serve fuel 😂 I felt bad that it was a “more boring flight” but in reality any flying is a pretty big deal so I just promised my brother next time we’d plan more! (He looks unhappy in both pics but he was really stoked I promise!)

My second passenger was my 99s mentor. Elizabeth has helped me SO MUCH throughout all my training and I wouldn’t be as far as I am without all her help and encouragement! She owns her own plane & has taken me on rides, taken me to dinner/lunches/coffee dates to network with other women pilots, and helped me plan out my training. Shes been an amazing mentor!

I’ve been wanting to fly in the gorge for awhile, but kept getting intimidated by the gusting winds. Elizabeth is really good at getting people flying, and I mean really good. She goes “Abbie you have a friend letting you fly his 172, PLEASE take me in the gorge, you’re a pilot now!!”

So we did, and I landed at 2 new airports! It was a real confidence booster for sure, landing at 2 new airports! It was also SUCH a smooth day in the valley, that almost never happens! Perfect day for flying!! ☺️👏🤩

My 3rd passenger was my sister Becky. She’s come with me on flight training with my CFI, so that felt pretty much the same. More trust involved, but she was pretty conked out for the whole ride there because turbulence. The ride back however was smooth & we caught the sunset! I’ve landed at Salem airport before, but it was for my night flying reqs and also there was no tower since it was so late at night! Becky and I had a really good time, and I did my first transition through class Delta airpsoace on the way home because I wanted to try it. The other option to avoid the airspace would have been to climb another 1000ft or so to avoid it by going “above it”, but I’d never asked for a transition so I wanted to this time. It went really well! Way less turbulent on the way back which we both enjoyed. The first pic is my best friend who’s going to school in Salem, then the park & bridge where we walked, the fancy FBO computer I had to take a pic of, & my sister!