I Learned About Flying From That: Snatched by a Vortex

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I was at the tail end of three months of training for my CFI reinstatement check ride. My instructor Kevin and I were flying into a deepening Pacific Northwest twilight as we descended westbound over Lake Washington toward Boeing Field/King County International Airport (BFI). We began maneuvering to enter right traffic for Runway 31R in four-one Romeo, one of our flying club's Cessna 172RGs. The wind was almost directly straight down the runway at five knots, and the air was perfectly smooth.