After some trips in bigger and more powerful craft, hour 64 found me back in the trusty 152 in which I had flown my first solo and become a private pilot.
I really like 17L and not just for the nostalgia. I enjoy the small cockpit and light weight for the same reason that I like driving small cars - I feel more connected to the outside world. I also have more hours in it than any other plane and just feel more comfortable with the controls and the equipment.
Joining me for the adventure was Tony, a friend of mine from work who is interested in learning more about flying and even possibly getting his own license some day. As a result, I took the time to explain everything that I was doing during pre-flight and throughout the trip. I don't always geek with passengers out about how all the gauges work or the finer points of airspace rules, but for those who are interested, I'm happy to hold forth!
Our flight was a pretty short affair, heading along the coast past the harbor and Montecito, doing some maneuvers and heading back. I demonstrated climbs, descents, turns and even slow flight.
I think that Tony had a good time and might be willing to come up with me on a longer trip. It's been great being healed up again and finally getting the opportunity to take up friends like I hoped to do after getting my PPL last year. The New Zealand trip and broken ankle kind of delayed all of that stuff.
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