This is going to be fun

Up in the 172 today with Cheryl to demonstrate slow flight, stalls and ground reference maneuvers.

I remembered to get set up in the right seat this time so I was optimistic, although it still feels weird. Even getting started doing the pre-flight inspection feels odd from the right side.

We taxied out and I eventually got the sight picture correct so we were more or less on the centerline.

Out in the practice area I explained what we'd be doing, then talked it through as I slowed the airplane down and trimmed it for slow flight.

Cheryl then took on the role of student and I started talking her through it. I can't say that it feels natural just yet, but at least I kept my gums flapping the whole time.

What was really interesting is that I was concentrating so hard on talking her through the maneuvers and describing what was happening I totally forgot that Cheryl was an instructor who knows way more about flying than I do. It was almost startling when she moved back into instructor mode and I switched back to being the student.

Next up I demonstrated a power-off stall then it was Cheryl's turn.

We got set up, had the power down to idle and I kept saying "more back pressure, more back pressure" to get her to stall it. Eventually I tried subtly pulling the yoke back to help out and a little wrestling match broke out.

Cheryl kept adding in nose down trim in response to me helping her pull back on the yoke and before long she had full nose-down trim in, which really got my brain working since I knew it would make for a dramatic recovery.

I talked her through the recovery and we talked through what happened.

I hadn't really thought about it but instead of my trying to gently help out I should have let her make the mistake (deliberate on her part, of course) then discuss it and try again.

Remembering to stay off the controls is going to take some getting used to.

We moved into ground reference maneuvers. There was almost no wind so there wasn't much to demonstrate. I talked through flying a rectangular course then we moved on to S-Turns across a road.

Now, I haven't flown S-Turns across a road in a very long time, so while I was able to explain it reasonably well flying it didn't work out quite as nicely. After a few lousy ones I brightly said "Ok, there's how not to do 'em."

Cheryl asked me to talk her through some but I realized I didn't quite know how to teach it so I had her teach them to me instead, which worked out much better.

Turns around a point worked out much better with Cheryl's instruction fresh in my mind.

We headed back to Crystal and I started talking through the approach and landing. A few miles out Crystal asked if we wanted to switch runways since the wind was calm. Stupidly I agreed and instead of being nicely set up for a left downwind for 32L I wound up high and fast on a tight base leg for 14R.

I did what I could, got the airplane slowed down but we were still high. And, of course, I was lined up perfectly about three feet right of the centerline.

I tried to correct for the center of the runway, had a bit too much airspeed in and ballooned. (I forgot how slowly those darn 172s will fly) Eventually we found the runway and I pointed out to my 'student' she'd just had a fine example of how not to land an airplane.

I found the centerline and we taxied back.

Teaching in the air is interesting. I was surprised at how my brain was working overtime when Cheryl was doing the flying and I was talking her through a maneuver.

Instructing is going to be a blast and I'm starting to grasp how much you can learn from teaching.