A Young Pilot Is Forced To Improvise To Save The Day

At my airport, it’s rarely ever quiet; that’s a price we have to pay while flying at one of the busiest general aviation airports in the country. It’s not often that I get to fly in the morning with my busy schedule, but I woke up extra early to do a quick engine break-in flight before work. It was the time of year in Colorado where the mornings are cold and the afternoons are hot, in between summer and fall. As I walked out to the Cessna 172 I was supposed to fly, I felt ecstatic about the chilly morning; it meant I’d get better performance with the 160 horsepower engine the Skyhawk was equipped with.