Flight Lesson 7/7/08- Cross Country

Well I got discouraged today. As we departed from Bountiful my takeoff and climbout were good until I was supposed to maintain 6000. I am having a really hard time maintaining my altitudes. The sight picture in the Cherokee looks like a nose down attitude so I pull up and continue to climb. I was finally able to intercept and maintain it though. We then practiced some air work slow flight, stalls, steep turns, and then he showed my how to intercept a radial and track a VOR. I did this with both the Ogden and Malad VOR's. And after a while I finally got the hang of it. We then turned the plane towards Brigham City for a quick touch and go. We entered the pattern and I got really messed up on final. After I passed the threshold I was still high so I decended and then flared too early! I then somehow got the plane on the ground. I felt horrible! I felt that I had to relearn everything I had learned. We departed the pattern and then climbed to 6000 to land at Logan Cache Airport KLGU. The pattern was a slightly busy with Utah State University students but we slipped in just fine. I made a perfect approach and an ok landing. After the touch and go we departed the pattern towards Morgan County 42U. This is now one of my favorite airports! Even though the approach can be very tough, it is rewarding to get on the ground. During downwind my instructor asked me what I think I need help on. I asked him, "how are my patterns and landings?" He responded saying, "that my patterns were good and overall my landings were not too bad." As I turned final, it was a perfect approach and a perfect landing! I was ecstatic and my instructor was thrilled. We went around for one more touch and go and then we departed back towards Bountiful. In the end the lesson ended better than it started. And even the helicopter in the pattern was nice enough to do a 360 to let us enter the downwind. I talked with my instructor and he said with the way I am going now he could probably solo me by the end of the week! Great lesson and my first real cross-country!