This time, in Bettles!

I passed my checkride, got checked out in the Ercoupe, then buzzed around a few times to get comfortable. Then it was time to sally out on my first real xc trip as a private pilot. The trip–going and returning–was both beautiful and challenging. Some weather gave me a pretty good run for my money on the return trip. Lots of zigging around cloud obscured hills, refiguring my route when I couldn’t make it the way I’d planned. It was tiring but a great experience, and it helped me to realize just how much I appreciate the things that Forest taught me :). To top it off, there was a stunner of a big blue sky in Bettles saturday evening–combined with the photogenic Ercoupe, it made for a lovely panorama. I highly recommend the Bettles Lodge–the staff is super friendly and the lodge is beautiful.