Flying can be sometimes nerve-wracking and can make you anxious. At least it is sometimes like this for me, mostly because I am not very experienced yet. Usually when I got flying, as I am driving to the airport, I am a bit nervous and anxious. But when I get to the airport I am more relaxed and less nervous. These worries come because of not a lot of experience and not flying very often at the moment. However, once I get in the cockpit and simply go through the procedures on my check list I get comfortable with the task at hand and just go for it.
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| Runway at night. The four lights in a row on either side of the runway are the glide slope indicators (Red/White). Click on the picture to see the lights blink to signify the direction of the runway. |
In order to stay current as a pilot you must fly and do at least 2 full stop landings at night within 90 days of the last time you flew at night. Tonight, that is what I did. I had never gone on a night flight solo and I hadn’t done night flying in a while, so I was a bit nervous. But when I got to the airport and got ready to take off I just took a deep breath and told myself that “I can do this”. Take off and pattern maneuvers were fine and then I started my descent. Everything went superbly! I kept a steady descent rate at -500 feet per minute and my airspeed was a constant 70 knots and everything went well. I turned on the last leg and my glide slope was just a bit high so I tweaked my pitch and got on track with the correct glide slope. It’s better to be high than to be “red over red you’re dead!” There are lights that help you see how high or low you are when approaching the runway. All white lights means too high, a red and white light means you are on glide slope (where you’re supposed to be) and all red lights mean you are too low and so you need to increase your altitude. As I got down to the ground I eased back and had a nice and smooth touchdown. I was surprised that it went so well and happy that it did. I continued practicing landings at Bowman for a while and then hopped on over to Clarksville. The interesting thing about night flying is trying to find the airport in the dark between all the other light of the city. Usually airports have a blinking white and green light that signifies where it is located so all you have to do is look in the general direction of the airport until you can spot the beacon and then fly to it. I landed a couple more times at Clarksville and got gas and then got home (Bowman) just before the tower closed. It was a great night for flying since the moon was out and the weather was perfect. After my first landing went well I knew the rest of the flight would do the same. The best thing about night flying is the view- you can see for miles and you see all the little golden lights shining that light up the city.
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| Back at the hangar- wrapped up for the night. |
One thing I now know is that worrying does no good! I was nervous before my flight but I just took it one step at time and trusted in God. That’s the amazing thing about having Christ as your personal savior! He takes all your worries away no matter how small or big they are. If you trust in him fully then he will help you through the tough times and will help you overcome fears as well as anxiety. No matter what you are going through, God understands and He will help you if you rely on him. If there is no one to talk to about your worries there is always God- He will answer your prayers.
Philippians 4:6-8
Matthew 6:25-34
Trust in Christ, walk with Christ, fly with Christ, and ask Him to come into your life!
Helen
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