My 2nd Solo!

This morning, I passed another milestone in my mind...my 2nd solo. After my first solo, it just never felt that real, like maybe it wasn't really a solo...but today was a little different. I was still really nervous, but my 2 landings were smoother and I executed a go around when I saw that I wasn't going to be able to touchdown until about midfield (and our field is short 2200ft!). I guess, because I've been in airplanes since I was a baby with my father and grandfather, I just assume this should be easier, like driving a car...but it isn't easy at all...if it were, then everyone would be doing it I suppose. Had a north wind blowing right straight down runway 36 this morning of about 8mph...and other than speeding up my downwind run, it was pretty smooth and didn't affect me much. Over the next few lessons we are going to work on getting me out of the pattern on my own for the first time. So anyway, which is often the case with me, I am struggling with confidence, but I've learned already, that it is just a matter of sticking to it, working through it and talking issues over with my instructor and my mentor (more on that in my next entry). And finally, on a related note, I won a Toastmasters International Speech Contest at the Club Level giving a talk about my first solo and all of my failed attempts to get to that point and what I learned from the experience.