The next stage for me was to master cross-country flights. First, we had to complete three joint flights with the instructor — one short-range, one long-range, and one at night. Then, to solidify the skills learned, I would need to complete the short-range and long-range flights solo.
As I mentioned earlier, general aviation is very well-developed in America. In California alone, there are about 250 airfields — you can fly anywhere you want. Sometimes private pilots take friends along, and fly somewhere just to have a sandwich and then fly back. Such a trip is often called a “seven-hundred-dollar burger” or something like that, referring to the cost of the flight.
During cross-country flight training, I learned how to use navigation charts, plot routes using visual landmarks, calculate fuel consumption, plan for alternate airports and weather conditions, and practice using various navigation and communication systems.
Aeronautical services for general aviation in America are largely free of charge. There are two main types of traffic control en route. The first is Flight Following, where controllers monitor your flight in real time on the radar and issue commands to ensure safe separation from other aircraft. The second is filing a flight plan with the Flight Service Station. The plan includes the route, estimated time en route, number of people on board, fuel reserves, and other details.
After taking off, the flight plan can be activated by contacting the center’s controller via radio. After landing, the plan needs to be closed, for example, by phone. If the pilot does not check in within the expected time interval, a search and rescue operation will be initiated. Nowadays, creating, activating, and closing a flight plan can be done directly from an iPad via the Internet. During our cross-country flights, we used both methods simultaneously.
Before starting cross-country flights, we practiced actions in case of loss of orientation, radio communication failure, engine failure, and other system malfunctions. At any moment, I had to be ready to land at the nearest unfamiliar airport or even on any minimally suitable area, such as a highway or a field. At the most unexpected moment, the instructor could call out “engine failure” or “engine fire” while simultaneously reducing the engine power to idle. I immediately had to choose a place for an emergency landing, start the approach, and follow all the emergency procedures. The instructor would stop the simulation only when he was certain the plane was on final approach and ready to land.
Our short cross-country flight was to the city of Petaluma. It is located in the wine valley, 45 minutes of flight time northwest of Reid-Hillview. The airport there is small and does not have a control tower. Together with the instructor, we selected key landmarks and plotted the route on the map.
Preparing for the flight, I filled out the flight plan, marking all the key points along the route with distances, headings, and estimated times en route. I also calculated the necessary amount of fuel, the aircraft’s weight and balance. Additionally, I carefully studied the weather at the departure and arrival airports, as well as along the entire route.
Back then, the U.S. already had specialized online resources with detailed weather information for aviation. Additionally, you could call a toll-free number, and specialists at the center would provide a professional assessment of the weather conditions and warn you about other potential hazards along the route.
So, on May 4, 2013, we flew to Petaluma. It was the first time we got so far from our home airport. It felt like we were on a real flight, like a large passenger airliner. I was eager to take pictures of everything, but Cecil never tired of inventing various navigation tasks, using the time to its fullest advantage.
“…You must always be mentally one step ahead of the airplane…”, “…You should know in advance what you will do at the next point…”, “…If you think you have free time, then you’re missing something, and later, under stress, you’ll have to make many decisions at once…”
After landing in Petaluma, we tied the plane down in the transient parking area and went to eat our “seven-hundred-dollar burger”. This airport has an interesting aviation café that pilots love and often fly to for meetings and socializing. I couldn’t help but notice two Russian Yak-52 planes on the ramp. The planes looked to be in perfect condition, and the pilots — elderly Americans in flight suits — looked very impressive. And they clearly knew it! :)
The Yak-52 is a true legend among aerobatic pilots and enthusiasts of advanced maneuvers. Dives, loops, rolls, wingovers, and stall turns — it excels at all of them. Equipped with a powerful aviation engine and retractable landing gear, it boasts excellent flight performance, high speeds, and exceptional reliability.
For the long cross-country flight, the instructor suggested Hanford — a small provincial town in the agricultural Central Valley, about 1.5 hours southeast of Reid-Hillview. Like Petaluma, the airport in Hanford didn’t have a control tower, although its runway was even longer than the ones at our airport.
Since all the agricultural fields look the same and it’s difficult to navigate visually, we flew most of the route over highways. Another key landmark along our route, which was impossible to miss, was an active Air Force base with gigantic runways. One of my instructor’s students once mentioned that F-15 fighter jets zoomed past him there.
While we were approaching Hanford, Cecil called his taxi driver friend, Bob, directly from the plane. By the time we landed and taxied to the parking area, Bob was already waiting for us at the exit. He drove us to the city center, where, according to Cecil, the best ice cream he had ever tasted was available. The portion size was incredibly huge, and it was indeed pretty delicious. Still, it’s a shame that I couldn’t treat him to Russian plombir ice cream.
This airport didn’t have ground services, so refueling the plane was done using a self-service pump. This is quite common at small airports in America. It is very much like a car gas station — you simply pay with a card and refuel the plane yourself.
We usually performed our training flights in one of three planes. Two of them were equipped with GPS navigators with large screens, which greatly simplified navigation. However, for my first solo cross-country flight, the instructor chose a plane without such a navigator. Moreover, it was the plane we flew the least. I asked to switch to another plane, but Cecil replied, “I understand you perfectly, but I want to make you a real pilot, capable of flying any plane and navigating even without modern systems”. There was nothing to argue about because our goals were aligned :)
My first solo cross-country flight took place on June 26, 2013. I had to fly to Petaluma Airport and back. We had already flown there together with my instructor, so the route was familiar to me. Since no one was assigning me extra navigation tasks this time, I enjoyed the flight and took tons of photos of everything :) At one point, I could see how the fog was rolling into San Francisco. How could I not take a picture of this?
Overall, the flight went smoothly. The main challenge for me remained radio communications. I already understood all the standard commands from the controllers well, but it seemed as if every time, they ‘invented’ something new for me. This time, they terminated my flight-following halfway through, and I never understood why.
On June 28, 2013, I had my second solo cross-country flight. This was a long flight to the already familiar “ice cream city” of Hanford. According to the plan, I was supposed to make an additional landing at Visalia Airport, 12 miles east of Hanford.
In the summer, the Central Valley gets unbearably hot. The temperature in Hanford reached 110°F (43 °C) that day. Throughout the flight, my iPhone was lying on the instructor’s seat in the sun, and by the time I landed, it had completely overheated and shut down. I desperately needed to make a call to close my flight plan; otherwise, a search operation could be initiated. The instructor was also waiting for my text message.
I applied some cooling measures, managed to revive my phone, and made the necessary calls. However, all my attempts to find a taxi to get to the ice cream café were unsuccessful. It seemed that Bob was the only taxi driver in town, and he wasn’t working that day :) So, I walked to the nearest store under the scorching sun. After sitting under the air conditioner for a while and buying some cold water, I returned to the airport. It felt like it was about 120 degrees in the cockpit. I quickly prepared for departure, loaded up, and took off, setting the course for home with only one thought: to gain altitude as quickly as possible and get some cool, fresh air.
The story continues in Part 6 — Night Flight
All Links:
Part 1 — Russian Origins
Part 2 — New Page in America
Part 3 — First Flights with the Instructor
Part 4 — First Solo Flight
Part 5 — Cross-Country Flights
Part 6 — Night Flight
Part 7–100% on Written Exam
Part 8 — Checkride and I am a pilot!
