Solo Through Van Nuys
Aircraft: Cessna 172L – N19688
Length of Flight: 1.3 Hrs – Solo
Total Flight Hours to Date: 34.5 Hrs
Altitude: 3500 Feet
Route: Whiteman to Whiteman
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This was one of my first solo flights to the Santa Clarita/Simi Valley.
Solo basically means that you’re flying the plane by yourself but not yet qualified to take passengers along with you because you’re still a student.
To solo you have to prove to your instructor that you can handle the airplane in basic operations like takeoffs, normal flight and landings and also in emergency situations. So it’s a big deal when you’re doing it by yourself for the first few times!
But then there’s airspace. Airspace is assigned to different airports, they have control of it around their airport and above it. Like Burbank Airport has so much airspace around it and above it and for me to fly into Burbank’s airspace I have to talk to them on the radio and get an OK to do that. I’m not allowed to fly into Burbank’s airspace yet…still a new student. Bigger airports are more complicated…but I was able to go through Van Nuys’ airspace making the proper radio calls all by myself! That was cool. Van Nuys has an airport that’s about 3 miles from Whiteman