On January 12, 2010, I prepared the flight plan for the long dual cross-country flight, a requirement as part of the Sport Pilot Training with my flight instructor, Jim Schmidt. The cross-country flight was from Raliegh Exec Airport (Sanford, NC) to Burlington-Alamance Airport (Burlington, NC) to Asheboro, NC and the final leg to Raleigh Exec Airport for a total of 103 nautical miles. AOPA Flight Planner - Navigation Log (KTTA-KBUY-KHBI-KTTA)
After preflight and engine start with the use of choke necessiated by the cold winter temperature, I took off with Jim from KTTA in Allegro 2007 Glass Cockpit aircraft from runway 03 on a magnetic course of 335 to KBUY. Performed pilotage and dead reckoning at the cruising altitude with radio announcements and checking ASOS/AWOS information. Upon reaching the Burlington-Alamance Airport, I made a landing at runway 24 with cross-wind from right. After taxiing and full-stop, tookoff from runway 24 for a magnetic course of 229 to Asheboro Regional Airport (KHBI). Entering the traffic pattern at KHBI, I performed a go-around due to being pushed off the runway by cross-winds. After the second traffic-pattern at 1000 ft AGL, I landed the light sport aircraft on runway 03 of KHBI with cross-wind corrections using left aileron into the wind. Taxiied and took off from runway 03 on a magnetic course of 104 to KTTA. From the cruising altitude of 3,500 spotted the North Carolina Zoo on the right. The Harris Nuclear Power Plant near the Sanford Airport provided a good visual aiming point for track heading. Entered the traffic pattern at Raleigh Exec but I was unable to land in a strong wind from 350 of 14 knots with gusts of 16 knots. Jim demonstrated a cross-wind landing at runway 03 and I taxiied to the FBO. That completed my long dual cross-country flight training.
