Day 8: Talking to ATC

     "Do you want to fly over to Lunken today?" Matt asked me when I arrived for the first lesson today.
     "Sure!" I replied.
     Lunken airport is a mid-size airport on the east side of Cincinnati. It has 3 runways and handles many private jets and smaller aircraft. The thing that makes this airport different from Clermont County airport where I normally fly, is that it has a control tower. Rather than announcing our position on the radio, we have to ask the air traffic controller for instructions.
     We took off in N377ES and headed direct to Lunken. Once clear of the Clermont County airport area, I switched the radio over to the tower frequency. Matt and I had practiced what to say to the controller earlier, so I keyed the mic and went for it.
     "Lunken tower, Skyhawk three-seven-seven echo sierra is just off Clermont County inbound for landing, information Bravo."
     ATC replied, "November three-seven-seven echo sierra, Lunken tower, report a left base runway two-one left."
     "Report a left base two-one left, seven echo sierra."
     We entered the traffic pattern and set up for landing. Once we began the turn toward the runway, I gave tower a call, "Seven echo sierra is on a left base for two-one left."
     "November three-seven-seven echo sierra, runway two-one left cleared to land."
     "Cleared to land two-one left, seven echo sierra."
     We landed and with ATC's permission, taxied around the airport to take off again. We took off and did one more touch and go before flying back to Clermont County. Clermont was the busiest I've ever seen it with about 4 other planes lining up to land. In fact, one plane had to go around the pattern three times, because the aircraft ahead of them was still on the runway each time they tried to land.
     Matt told me to do a short field landing, so I set up for it. About a half a mile from the runway, we were still quite high, and I could tell I would have a hard time touching down in time. I asked Matt if it was ok if I aborted the landing.
     "A go-around is always fine with me," he replied.
     I applied full power and started climbing. After going around the traffic pattern again, I managed to execute a short field landing.
     That concluded the first lesson, and the afternoon was spent making a flight plan for a night cross-country flight. Then at 8 pm, we got in N121UC and took off into the twilight. The plan was to use landmarks to guide us to Richmond, IN. Once airborne, I called Dayton Flight Service Station on the radio to open the flight plan I filed with them earlier over the phone. Once our flight plan was activated, I called Cincinnati Approach control for permission to fly through their airspace on the way. They cleared us in, and I started looking for the first landmark I had written down. We were over eastern Cincinnati, and below us was a sea of lights. I scanned all over looking for the airport beacon that was supposed to be off the left wing. For several minutes I was unable to locate it among the thousands of other lights glimmering on the ground.
     Matt asked, "At what point do you want to abandon your landmarks and use the navaids?"
     "Right about now," I said.
     Matt dialed the proper numbers into the navigation radio, and I began following the indicator. We used the navaids for the rest of the trip, and I learned that finding landmarks is much more difficult at night than in daylight. However, as Matt told me, "We are never lost, we're just unsure of our position."
     After landing at Richmond and taking off again, we headed back south toward Clermont. I gave Columbus Approach a call.

     We leveled off at 3,500 ft. and continued on our route. Soon the Columbus controller handed us off to Cincinnati Approach.

     Clermont County airport was deserted, except for the security guard who drives around in his little patrol car all night and shines his headlights in our eyes while we are landing. We set it down uneventfully at 10:10 pm, tied down the aircraft, and called it a day.
     I know I've already said it, but flying at night is incredibly beautiful. Tonight it was especially so. Because tonight while buzzing along over southwestern Ohio, it suddenly hit me, that this is all reality, that I am finally earning a pilot's license, chasing after a dream God planted in me when I was younger. As I gazed out at the city lights reflecting off the cowl of the plane, ATC talking in my headset, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that I am doing God's will.
     Today's flying added 2.5 hours and 6 landings to the logbook, which brings the totals to 19.5 hours and 56 landings.