Today was a big day! I flew solo to NJ! I crossed the Delaware Bay! It was quite the experience! After days of landing work, I prepared my flight. I picked out my landmarks, calculated the wind correction angle, checked the weather many times, and calculated the fuel consumption for each leg. I decided to use flight following during this flight as I new I would have a lot on my plate flying solo and it would keep me calmer knowing someone was watching me on radar.
I called and opened my filed flight plan. After all the planning and preparation, I took off from W29 on runway 11 and began my climb to 5,500' towards the Eastern Shore. Check point after check point, I slowly made my way across the Eastern Shore. As I flew north of Dover AFB, the center controller informed me that I had traffic at my 3 o'clock west bound at 4,500'. I scanned the skies but could not find them. I was happy to have someone watching over me. The Delaware Bay grew larger and larger and my heart started pounding as I could see MIV and WWD (Cape May) and I wasn't sure at first which airport was mine. I remembered my flight instructor telling me to trust my heading, trust my instruments, and to trust my check points. I new that there was a twisting winding river north of MIV and not north of WWD. I checked my sectional chart again. I looked outside, pilotage was working wonders. I was confidant again and told the center controller that I had my destination in site. I asked permission to change frequencies and tuned into the MIV CTAF. As I flew over the bay, I noticed that my oil pressure gauge was teetering towards yellow. My heart was pounding again. I needed to descend anyways and now I was sure that I needed to tip my nose and reduce power. I continued to watch the oil pressure gauge. I had to focus on getting to TPA and begin advising on the CTAF. This was an interesting experience as their was a center controller monitoring the airspace around the airport rather than a tower controller. I gave my traffic advisories and the center controller reminded the aircraft in the pattern the sequencing of landing. I was very proud of myself as I entered the pattern at a new airport and had a solid landing! I taxied to the terminal and closed my flight plan. I called my flight instructor to tell her I had made it to NJ! I then went to relax and enjoy a lunch.
After lunch and a quick potty break, I began my preflight. I opened my flight plan and taxied down to do my engine run up. A low wing was behind me as I throttled up. Immediately, the oil pressure gauge was in the yellow. I shut down the plane. I advised the plan behind me to go around to take off. I got out of the plane and grabbed the spare quart of oil from the baggage compartment. I checked the oil level and topped it off. I cleaned up and hoped back in the plane. Feeling confidant that I certainly wasn't losing oil, I taxied back to the terminal. I called the FSS and informed them that I would be delaying my departure and updated my arrival time at W29. I then called my flight instructor to inform her of the events. She asked me if I had cross checked my engine gauges. I said, uhhh no. I knew the oil pressure was in the yellow and the oil temperature was nearing yellow and the engine temperature was in the green. She asked me if I was flying fast and if it was a long flight and if it was a hot day and if I had flown to a higher altitude than normal. I was surprised that she knew all of these things about my flight, duh she reviewed and signed off my flight planner. She was also very experienced and reminded me that the oil viscosity was lower causing the oil pressure to slightly drop because the oil had warmed up beyond what I was used to. It was the longest flight to date and the more I thought about it, I realized what she was saying. After thanking her, I taxied and took off again for W29. I did a deviation for RJD (Ridgely Airport) and was proud to be able to pilotage my way there.
As I neared the Kent Narrows Bridge, I saw a large plume of black smoke in the sky. There must have been a house fire south of W29 near 3W3 (Kentmorr). I landed quickly and called my wife to let her know I had made it! I closed my flight plan and called my flight instructor to tell her the good news! It was an amazing accomplishment and a real confidence booster as I am nearing my stage 2 check!
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