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!