The flying has been getting more challenging with each place we visit. My face is literally sore from smiling. I belong here and find this experience as simply pure joy. I’m going to sleep very well tonight.
My checkride is scheduled for 7:30 tomorrow morning (Tuesday), and I’m planning to not try to fly home after that. I don’t want the schedule pressure since these folks are on Florida time; 7:30 am might mean after lunch from what I’ve seen.
Back in the 172, Dave takes it to the next level. We approach a too small pond that isn’t much bigger than a retention pond. In fact – I think that is what it is, but for a development that was never built (all over Florida). He tells me to land, and that we’ll use the confined space techniques we talked about and practiced a few times. Only this time it is for keeps. I basically handed my judgement over to Dave at this point, necessarily. I can do the flying, but my lack of experience makes it very difficult for me to look at a body of water and judge whether or not I can do this safely.
Dave says go – so buckle up.
I approach the pond from a flat upwind spot so I can get low and slow. I use full flaps and an entry point that is clear of obstacles like street lights and people. Flying feet off the ground down a slight bank and onto the water, I am landing near the stall. I follow the contour of the pond to slow down. Holy S#$!. Did I just do that?! Adrenaline juice is flowing. Gonna have to get a crane to use the airplane again though. We circle around the circumference of the pond.
So now we have to get outta here. Best I could tell, Dave has not touched anything through all this, but acted as the voice in my ear training me on the timing of the actions he has already trained me to do. Getting out of the pond will be an even bigger rush….
On ‘base’ in the pond, perpendicular to the wind, I push the throttle in and get up on the step. We follow the contour of the pond around into the wind. Raise up on the inside float to reduce the drag and help the airplane accelerate. You need some skills to be able to do this. On the step and on one float; in a bank; I’m airborne and gradually increase the bank while making sure not to drag a wing-tip in the water. Use whatever bank you need to stay within the confines of the pond as you climb away, staying clear of the stall – obviously. Adrenaline flows freely and fights off the Fried Grouper from earlier in the day.
Dave’s seems to be having fun. He is excited – I’m excited. My face is sore.
My heart isn’t exactly racing, but I’m flush with adrenaline. I haven’t felt this high since performing aerobatics and flying in formation with a P-51 Mustang out of Kissimmee. Before THIS – THAT had been my very best VFR experience. Not any more.
We head south and he is thinking of more things to do. At this point we over-flew a something scale train set. I’d say it was half the size of a football field and within a fenced area out in the middle of nowhere. The owner had put up several home made tressles and is obvously a huge train fan (me too). I’d love to have seen that on the ground, but can’t imagine hanging out there in August.
Moments after looking at that – Dave points out a canal filled with green water. Bright green or aqua, like you often see at construction sites. All I see is a few hundred yards of this canal, since it had a turn in it around a bend with trees. Dave says – lets land there…..
“You sure?” I say. Yup – here we go. I target a small tree at the start of the usable canal and head right for it. Looking for wires; down I go to put the floats through the weeds. The small tree flashes by off my left as I bank to line up and plant it in the canal. On the water with only a short distance before the concrete canal turns hard left; Dave has me get it up on the left float. I get that done by …. adding power …. and make the turn in the canal on the one float. Freakin’ awesome.
Around the bend we go, only to see that the canal goes underground. Not sure of the details, but I can tell you this ride will end in a few seconds if I don’t take off. Full power and out of the canal.
Now I’m essentially high on adrenaline and really pumped. Established again at 500′ agl, Dave starts me toward another pond when I finally start to feel a wave of fatigue coming on. What else could we possibly accomplish today? It was about 3:45 or so, and I’d be up since 4:30. I’m thinking that I don’t want to hit the point of diminshing returns, and whatever the examiner throws at me will be nowhere as intense as this.
I make the call and tell Dave that I’m tired and prefer that we return to base. Roger that – we turn toward the BOC tower for a smooth water landing to a step taxi and a final docking experience for the day.
I was wrong – just one more post will be required. We’ll wrap this up with the checkride.