• My instructor, Freeman Dorr, oriented me to the aircraft controls in a Piper PA-18 Super Cub [specifications]. The Super Cub is a two place (two seat) airplane where the instructor sits behind the student pilot. Frankly, this plane is designed for short people since it took me a few minutes to figure out how to squeeze into the cockpit.
• We took off from the William T. Piper Memorial Airport [picture] in Lock Haven, PA with Freeman at the controls.
• Once we got headed toward Williamsport, he handed over the controls and I got a good feel for flight controls while orienting myself with the flight instruments.
• I flew us over Williamsport Area High School where I took a number of pictures.
• The weather was beautiful and the flight lasted 1.0 hours once we landed back in Lock Haven with Freeman at the controls.

• This flight was in a Cessna 150. This plane is also a two place plane but the student and instructor pilots sit side by side. This plane has many more controls and instruments than the Super Cub and is capable of instrument flight (2 VOR radios, glide slope indicator, etc.).
• I oriented myself with the flight controls and instruments. This time, Freeman had me start it up, taxi it out, do the run up, take off, and do the entire flight right up to the landing! I couldn't believe that he allowed me to take off on only the second flight! It was easier than I thought. Freeman landed us safely...
• We took off just before twilight and got to see the sunset over the beautiful ridge and valley topography of central Pennsylvania. I got to practice coordinated turns and stalls.
• Flight time: 0.7 hours.

• This flight was in the Piper PA-18 again. We flew from Lock Haven along I-80 [picture] over the Bald Eagle Ridge to Loganton, PA where we buzzed by my friend, Dan McCormack's farm [picture 1 | picture 2 | picture 3]. He was out cutting hay and I got a few pictures but most didn't turn out too well.
• Flight time: 0.7 hours.

• This flight was in a Cessna 150 and was my first cross country attempt. We learned in class how to navigate using the VOR radio, by pilotage, and by dead reconing. I combined these techniques to fly to Grand Canyon State airport (N38) near Wellsboro, PA. There are hardly any landmarks on the way but my crafty navigation skills put us right on the spot.
• Here is a picture of LHU on the return trip.
• I piloted the entire flight with the exception of landing.
• Flight time: 1.8 hours.

• This flight was in the Cessna 150. Now I've got the hang of it!
• I took off, climbed, used VOR radio navigation to fly IFR to the Selinsgrove VOR and the Selinsgrove Airport (SEG) [picture]. I got some arial pictures of my sister's alma mater, Susquehanna University [picture1 | picture 2] and her favorite city, Milton [picture]. We also flew over a coal power plant in Sunbury [picture].
• I used pilotage to fly to Sunbury where I picked up the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. We flew back to Lock Haven by following the radio signal from WBPZ (1230 AM) past the bald spot [picture]. I needed a little help on the landing [picture 1 | picture 2] but overall I did fairly well.
• Once you figure out how to use radio navigation, it is ten times easier to get around in the air!
• Flight time: 1.3 hours.

Other pictures

Bald spot on Bald Eagle Mountain | Coal power plant by Sunbury | Glider Ride Pictures