Advancing the throttle ever so slowly, N7289S pitched forward and started to roll. I made a right turn out of the parking area and joined the yellow-striped taxiway that would take me southeast toward the warm-up pad adjacent to Runway 34. Once there, I secured the brakes and carefully recited the pre-takeoff checklist, just as I had been taught, and had done so many times before.

Confident everything was a "go," I reset the radio to the correct frequency and called the tower. "Peachtree Tower, Cessna Seven-Two-Eight-Niner Sierra is number one and ready for take-off at Runway 34. Ah, requesting a right downwind departure, east bound."

"Eight-Niner Sierra."

Throttle full forward, the little Cessna anxiously wobbled down Runway 34 and gradually picked up flying speed. At 65-mph, unfettered by Mother Earth, she hummed lazily toward a high, blue sky.

"Wow. This is great! No bumps at all. 400 feet, 600 feet...right turn to 250 degrees...800 feet...right turn to 160 degrees...1000 feet...left to 115 degrees to depart the airport traffic area. What a day."

As the miniature artifacts of the northern Atlanta suburbs slowly slid beneath the wings, I had little idea of what was in store for me the rest of the afternoon and evening.

Now all the sightseeing was about to create a problem for Eight-Niner Sierra. The intended en route course of 085 degrees had increased to 120-130 degrees as attention was diverted. The critical first checkpoint--Stone Mountain--was far too large and prominent to be of much value as a visual cue, if course correction was needed. (Stone Mountain is the largest piece of exposed granite in the world. It stands close to 700 feet above ground level. It is almost a mile long and close to a quarter mile wide. On a clear day it is visible for 20 or 30 miles.)

Undaunted and ill informed, N7289S winged its way onward and upward.

"Second check point: Lawrenceville, Georgia. I think I see it at my two-o'clock position and about six miles. Must be a few minutes behind schedule. Wait a minute, gotta be sure. The chart says Lawrenceville should be about 10 miles off my left wing. Hmmm, that one's off my right. Water tower? Yep. Main road through town? Sure looks like one...although I don't remember an Interstate highway...still it must be Lawrenceville."

"Third check point: Winder, Georgia. There it is, maybe ten miles left of my course. Where's the lake? Gee, that looks smaller than I remembered. The airport should be well east of town, but it looks more southeast. The chart shows several runways and I only see one...but gosh, it has to be Winder."

By now, three serious mistakes had been made in less than a half hour. Each one was taking the aircraft farther and farther south of the intended course. The pilot had failed to firmly establish the correct heading for the first leg of the flight, close to point of the departure. He had not positively identified either the second or third checkpoint and mistook Covington and Monroe for Lawrenceville and Winder. Seven-Two-Eight-Niner Sierra wasn't headed for Athens; she was headed for the Savannah River valley and for trouble.