NEVER Stop Flying The Plane! Bad Bounce and Landing

This was my second bounced go around that afternoon. It was bad, really bad.

My dad got his PPL when we were kids and it is something I always wanted to do but life got in the way. Now at 55 I am finally working on my PPL. As of today I have some 140 hours towards my PPL but I have struggled with my landings.

In December of 2021 I got a sudden urge to finally get my PPL. By January I had my 3rd class medical and was taking lessons. In September I was able to purchase a 1969 Cessna Cardinal 177A. Today I have almost 100 hours in it.

A few weeks ago my brother was diagnosed with Cancer which in turn reinvigorated my resolve to finish up my license. And overnight my landings vastly improved, so much so that I was ready to get my second solo endorsement.

Today I was doing 2 long cross country flights to get the needed 5 hours solo cross country and 3 full stop landings. I was flying from U42 to KSGU and back. The flight down was uneventful. I started early in the morning for the best weather and to hopefully avoid afternoon thunderstorms. I did my 3 landings and stopped in KSGU for fuel and lunch.

The return flight was going to be later than I hoped and I was concerned about weather back at U42. But before that I had to endure 2+ hours of moderate to heavy turbulence. It was brutal and I was getting tired fast. As I arrived over KPVU I could see from the air and on Foreflight that I wasn't going to be able to land at U42 due to heavy rain and lightening. Knowing I was tired I chose to land at KPVU where there was a 8600 ft runway and a controller with a calming voice on the other end of the radio.

This video is of my second attempt and third and final landing.

The most important thing I learned is that I can continue to fly the plane, even if it meant all the way to the ground as I was certain it was not going to end well, yet I still did not give up.

I made several mistakes that day. I over committed myself and was not mentally prepared for the severity of the turbulence. I should have given it full power on the first bounce. Maybe I should not have pulled out the first 10 degrees of flaps.

I also made some good decisions that day. I had plenty of fuel. I chose not to try and make it all the way home. I chose the longest runway. I chose a towered airport. I took control of the flight, meaning I let the controller know I needed more time to decompress from what had just happened. And most importantly I NEVER STOPED FLYING THE PLANE.

I am grateful for the almost 150 hours I have now as a student and the instructors I have had. I could not have done this without their guidance and training!