Some love it, some come to loathe it - but pattern work is a necessary skill that must be repeated, almost ad nauseam, to ensure proficiency.  As a student learning to fly at a smaller airport, the traffic is relatively light and makes for excellent use of time, and while some have come to despise their time in the local pattern, I'm always just excited to be in the air.  The focus of today's flight was routine proficiency and my instructor, K.Duarte, placing added faith in my abilities by opting to remove all her inputs from the controls - a subtle but noted progression that means I'm one step closer to solo!