Bass: You are absolutely right. I solo'ed last year and some people were commenting that I was spending to much time doing touch and go's rather than enjoying flying and doing 'things'. Another thing was practicing dead-sticks. I would go somewhere, then just cut the throttle, much like my Instructor did while I was flying with the buddy box. Then I would go all the way to almost landing, then turn it into a touch and go.

Well, first of all, I enjoyed doing the touch and go's. Secondly, those dead-stick drills paid off.. and paid off.. and paid off! For instance, last weekend, there was a guy that took off after I did, then landed before I was done my 10 minutes, then would putz around on the field. I asked him to get off of the field, he said, 'oh, I'm sorry, I get right off' then continued to putz around. I asked him again, this time I said, 'hey... I only have 10 minutes of fuel in this bird and my timer just went off so GET OFF OF THE FIELD'. Well, he picked up tail and started to walk the plane back off of the field but for some strange reason, not in a straight line. Now, I am out of fuel and announce 'DEAD STICK' and landed.

It sort of pissed me off but I kept my mouth shut. On the next flight, would you believe it, he did basically the same thing, and I ended up yet again doing a dead stick landing. He never NEVER flys a full tank.. usually goes up for 4 to 6 minute flights then lands and putz's around in the middle of the runway. I told him, this time, that he should wait till I land before he goes back up so that we don't have this conflict. His comment to me was that he is used to flying during the week when there is no-one there so he usually has the run of the place and does pretty much what he wants to.

So, my dead-stick drills paid off that weekend, that's for sure. Landings are pretty much routine for me now, after all those touch and go's, but I still do them, just to keep me 'in shape'.

DS.