The mid-day weather at KTTA (Raleigh-Exec Airport) today (April 19, 2010) was sunny with clear skies with a temperature of 75 degrees but with gusty winds of about 4 knots varying in direction. I preflighted the Allegro 2000 LSA just after my instructor, Jim Schmidt taxied the airplane to the FBO after his flight training session with another student.
I taxied the airplane with the stick all the way back and entered the RWY 3 without stopping to simulate a soft-field takeoff. I applied full-power and the airplane lifted off at 50 mph with flap 1 (15 degrees). I levelled the airplane to gain airspeed in the ground effect and climbed out at the best rate of climb (Vy = 70 mph). I retracted the flaps at about 150 ft altitude and crossed the remaining runway.
I flew the plane at an altitude of 1400 msl to the NW of the KTTA Airport and performed the two following flight maneuvers, each a couple of time to gain practice:
1) Circle around a point (intersection of two state roads below)and
2) S-turns around a straight stretch of a state road with the intersection as the mid-point.
After the flight maneuvers, I entered the mid-point of the downwind leg for RWY 3 at 1250 ft. Turning base and final with an airspeed of 70 mph, I landed the Allegro 2000 LSA and turned off to the taxiway. I took off from RWY 3 for the second time today entering it via taxiway Echo. I performed a normal takeoff with Flap 1 and lifted off at 56 mph. I did the traffic pattern work and entered the base and final legs a little high. I applied full-power to perform a go-around (I should have tried a forward-slip!). After another traffic pattern with idle power from abeam the number 3, I landed the airplane after a short flare. The varying winds with not much corrections made me land a little off the center-line. I taxied the plane to the FBO.
Today marked my eighth solo flight and with this short 36 minute flight, I now have accumulated seven hours of PIC solo time.
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