Leg 2: Stadtlohn to Texel

The longest flight I’ve done so far! Over 100 NM, over an hour long. Besides, flying solo, it’s quiet (except for the regular radio chatter of DutchMil and Amsterdam Info). No instructor babbling on. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the flying lessons. But flying solo for so long was quite the experience!

I got to see a beautiful part of East NL, then I got to see the very colorful flower fields of the Noordoostpolder. I then flew to Lemmer, Eastwards from there crossing the IJsselmeer. At some point I was flying over water, I realized ‘if this thing quits now, I’m going to have to swim’. But it did not quit and I reached the land of Noord Holland after only a few minutes over water. I then flew North to Den Helder to enter the corridor towards Texel.

I almost forgot to mention the Weerribben near Giethoorn and being able to see the Tjeukermeer all the way from where I was flying.

After landing in Texel I was quite tired. Not too tired to continue, no. But tired because I’d just completed two flights for which I was feeling very responsible. Certainly, it was my instructor who’d given me his signature to go do this alone. Yet still, I was the one who was supposed to bring back that plane (and myself) at the end of the day.

I had some rest and then returned to the plane. It was quite windy (Texel is and island, after all) and so I sat in the plane and ate some of my M&Ms there to have some sugar and to avoid the cold.