My instructor just called to cancel todays flight. We had planned to just fly in the pattern around Pearson Field if the weather was poor, as long as conditions remained within VFR (cloud deck at 2000 feet AGL and visibility greater than 2 statute miles). No such luck today, visibility is down to 4 statute miles and falling this morning, and the winds will be picking up significantly by the time the visibility improves.
I was looking forward to making a whole lot of touch and go landings. I'm approximately halfway to my first solo attempt and I want to practice landing more than anything else. If I can get the weather to cooperate and get the hours in, I hope to solo by my birthday at the end of June. Between now and then we will practice landings and soon will go through some emergency procedures. Then, with a passed FAA medical examination in hand I will get a check ride from the head instructor at the field and they will determine if I'm ready to solo. If they say OK then...I'm flying and landing all by my lonesome...it does make me a bit nervous to think about it.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Flight Eight - Stalls, stalls, stalls...and more stalls.
It was a gorgeous day for flying today...sunshine and blue skies. Todays lesson was more of the same...slow flight, stalls and recovery. Being such a nice day there was a bit of traffic at the field, I guess everyone's getting in some stick time while they can. The new tower kept us apprised of other aircraft in our vicinity, we had a bit of a time locating another flyer that was in our vicinity as we were outbound over Vancouver Lake. Eventually we spotted him...just about 100 feet over the lake...crazy.
With nice clear weather, we were able to get to practicing right away...and I went through the routine of transitioning from level cruise to landing configuration. Carb. heat on, reduce throttle, add flaps, pitch down into decent profile - periodically adding more flaps, descending slowly, but not dropping below 80 knots or so...just above the virtual runway, level off, throttle to idle...and then flaring into a stall...feeling the controls get mushy, then the stall alarm horn goes off, the plane shudders slightly as lift spilled off of the wings impacts the tail...plane starts to sink...then it's carb. heat in, full throttle (trick is to stick out your thumb when pushing in the throttle so that it pushes in the carb. heat at the same time), raise flaps incrementally and start climbing out. Another Bald Eagle crossed our path today, but this time the eagle was much higher and further away than last time.
Theresa is really trying to get me to not grip the yoke too hard...something I still do when things change fast. So half way through our flight she had me weave a pen from my middle finger to my little finger of my left hand, leaving just my thumb and forefinger free to grip the yoke...it worked.
After we had been up for just over an hour, we headed back for a one touch and go and then our final landing. There was even more traffic in the pattern on the way back and radio traffic was getting confusing to me. In fact as we made our final approach the second time around...the radio traffic got overwhelming and I got so discombobulated that I was not remembering to fly the airplane. Theresa jumped in and handled the radio traffic to help me get re-focused. The second landing was awesome (the first was pretty good too)...stalling warning sounding the instant before touchdown, hearing the little chirp of the main tires hitting and then bringing down the nose wheel for a smooth(ish) landing.
I'm now about half way to my first solo (usually happens between 12 and 15 hours)...I gotta go get that FAA medical exam soon so I'll be ready.
Hours logged: 1.3 Dual Received (DR)
Cost: $168.51
With nice clear weather, we were able to get to practicing right away...and I went through the routine of transitioning from level cruise to landing configuration. Carb. heat on, reduce throttle, add flaps, pitch down into decent profile - periodically adding more flaps, descending slowly, but not dropping below 80 knots or so...just above the virtual runway, level off, throttle to idle...and then flaring into a stall...feeling the controls get mushy, then the stall alarm horn goes off, the plane shudders slightly as lift spilled off of the wings impacts the tail...plane starts to sink...then it's carb. heat in, full throttle (trick is to stick out your thumb when pushing in the throttle so that it pushes in the carb. heat at the same time), raise flaps incrementally and start climbing out. Another Bald Eagle crossed our path today, but this time the eagle was much higher and further away than last time.
Theresa is really trying to get me to not grip the yoke too hard...something I still do when things change fast. So half way through our flight she had me weave a pen from my middle finger to my little finger of my left hand, leaving just my thumb and forefinger free to grip the yoke...it worked.
After we had been up for just over an hour, we headed back for a one touch and go and then our final landing. There was even more traffic in the pattern on the way back and radio traffic was getting confusing to me. In fact as we made our final approach the second time around...the radio traffic got overwhelming and I got so discombobulated that I was not remembering to fly the airplane. Theresa jumped in and handled the radio traffic to help me get re-focused. The second landing was awesome (the first was pretty good too)...stalling warning sounding the instant before touchdown, hearing the little chirp of the main tires hitting and then bringing down the nose wheel for a smooth(ish) landing.
I'm now about half way to my first solo (usually happens between 12 and 15 hours)...I gotta go get that FAA medical exam soon so I'll be ready.
Hours logged: 1.3 Dual Received (DR)
Cost: $168.51
Monday, April 11, 2011
Flight Seven - Slow Flight and Stalls
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| A random Bald Eagle photo. Not the one we saw today, but this is the view we had. |
As of April 1, Pearson Field has been operating a temporary tower to improve separation from wake turbulence generated by commercial flights in and out of PDX. This changes the procedures slightly for departing and arriving. Theresa had me handling all the radio communications this time and it is starting to feel more natural. Check lists and taxiing went nice and smoothly this time (lot's of practice on the simulator pays off) and the take off was effortless.
We headed off the the practice area and did several slow decent to stall and recovery maneuvers and then returned to the field for a few touch and goes. Sometime during the practice runs a bald eagle flew right across our flight path, passing by on my side of the aircraft, we flew within 150 feet or so...it was really beautiful. Damn, it feels good to be back in the air.
We had time for one touch & go and as we came around again we could see some rain approaching and Theresa had me land on the next approach. I landed both times by myself and according to Theresa...I was awesome.
If everything goes according to plan - I'm flying every Monday for the next 6 weeks if the weather cooperates and my funds hold out.
Hours of flight logged this lesson: 1.0 Dual Received (DR)
Cost of this lesson and new sectional map: $162.96
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