| WEEK 1 |
|---|
Date & Time: Tuesday 29th April, 1997, 18:30 CDT
Where: From SPX, local flight
Instruction: 1 hour (ground) 0.5 hrs (air) - - Total 1.5 hrs. Running logbook
total: 0.5 hrs
Aircraft: Cessna 152, number N48830
Dual Instruction with Lee Simmons.
What Happened.
I got to SPX at just before 6:30 pm, and waited for my instructor to finish
up with a commercial student in the club's Piper Arrow. In the meantime,
I watched other aircraft flying the pattern, and the windsock showing some
crosswind component to the headwind across the active runway. It wasn't long
before my instructor arrived.
First, a little ground work which was some introduction, some memory jog
about what the various V-speeds are (somehow I managed to forget what Vx
and Vy were even though I'd only read about them the day before). The first
thing that Lee asked me startled me - just the simple question, "OK, what
can an airplane do?" My engineer's Achilles heel caught me at this one, as
I tried to overcomplicate my answer. "Well, you can roll it with the ailerons"
etc. I start. No, you don't need to complicate it that much... it just goes
up and down, left and right...
Well, to the preflight. We collect the airplane's book from the club along
with the keys to the aircraft, and go over to the aircraft, which is tied
down not far from the clubhouse. The first thing about the preflight I find
out is not to try to memorize it - just follow the book each time. This means
you won't forget something. Then we go over the checks. We follow the sequence
in the book which gives the order in which you should go round the airplane,
and we look carefully at the aircraft to make sure it's good to go. We look
at the brakes to check that there is no fluid leaking and that there's friction
material on the pads. I look at these closely...the rotors look far
less substantial than the ones on my Dodge Ram, but then again, they need
to only stop about 1/3 of the weight... We look at all the hinged surfaces,
and that the castellated nuts (nuts with the top end shaped like a castle
turret) are secure with the Carter key running through them. We check that
the flaps work, and stay in postition, and so on as we move on around the
airplane. At each stop, Lee has some anecdote about somebody who didn't check
something and had a post-flight laundry visit because of this, and also the
facts about the effects of various parts being broken. The engine check also
includes the check for bird nests - a bird finds the engine cowling a very
nice nesting place, which will nicely stop the engine from cooling
correctly.
Now it's time to start the engine. We follow the engine start checklist,
yell 'Clear' and we are ready to taxi. We also perform a quick brake check
as we roll on, since it's difficult to tell if the system is not functioning
correctly by just looking at the brakes as we walk around the airplane.
Taxiing is...odd to say the least. You steer with your feet for one. Fortuantely,
I already know this from having Flight Simulator equipped with rudder pedals,
but in the real thing I still had the occasional urge to try to turn the
wheel. After some zigzagging around the taxiway centerline, I finally got
it more or less straight. I've heard stories about taxiing being the last
thing you get right...
Then the runup check. Keep following that checklist, make sure that the oil
pressure is still correct, make sure the vacuum is in the right place, make
sure that the RPM drop is within limits as we switch mags, make sure there's
some slight RPM drom as carb heat is added. Then a clearing turn (turn round
to look for traffic - SPX is an uncontrolled airport) and we are ready to
go. On to the active runway, and Lee opens the throttle...
Off we go down the runway. The acceleration feels quite light compared to
the commercial jet and turboprops I'd flown on the day before, returning
from my visit to Chicago. It wasn't long before we rotated and left the ground!
Since Lee is flying the aircraft, I don't get to feel the P-factor and other
forces we had so far talked about in ground school. I look outside - and
at last I'm starting on the road (road? isn't that a bad analogy) to learning
to fly! The instruments are active and the altimeter hands started to wind
around the instrument. At 500 ft, we dip the nose to check for oncoming traffic
(someone has almost run into somebody coming from the opposite direction...)
and continue in the departure pattern. It's not long before Lee has me doing
a few turns, and I can see out of the corner of my eye that he's not touching
the contols. The thing that I'm worried about most right now is overcontrolling.
A 20 degree bank feels like a lot when this is the first time you've done
it, but I'm enjoying myself. Buying rudder pedals for Flight Simulator has
also set me in good stead - I even get the ball in the center on one of my
turns! Too soon, dusk is drawing in and we need to get back to the ground.
Lee is doing the radio work, and announces our heading into the traffic pattern,
as we travel towards it. Abeam of touchdown point, Lee reduces the RPM and
adds carb heat, and the nose eases down. We go round to the base leg, then
final, and touch down. As we flare, I can feel the ground affect as we float
a little, then the stall warning goes off as we touch down. I get to taxi
the airplane back in, and this time I manage to leave the yoke alone, and
work with my feet.
Conclusions.
There is nothing to compare with this. If you have even the merest inkling
to fly, or you enjoy flight simulator, just get out and do it, although save
the money to do it before hand (I've done this - it means I can get out as
often as time permits) As I write this, I can't wait until Thursday, which
is my next flight. Flight Simulator is nice, but is no substitute to actually
doing it...the whole sensation of actually taking the flight controls and
turning the airplane alone gives a sense of, well... je ne sais quoi (sp?)
for want of a better description. Just go and do it, ok?
As for the learning curve, this is what I've found so far. As we started,
I found I suffered some information overload! This will decrease over time,
as you have done more and more preflights, you'll come to appreciate the
finer points better, as you taxi, you'll get the feel of the airplane on
the ground better, as you manoever, you'll get to feel the controls better,
and so on. Lee told me to expect this sort of feeling as we got started,
so it wasn't unexpected.
What was learned.
- Flying is indescribably good to do!
- Preflighting according to the airplane's POH (Pilot's Operating Handbook)
is extremely important. A potential involuntary evacuation of the bowels
at the least and a wreck at the worst are the consequences of not doing a
good preflight.
- Hold the yoke with one hand. I've already found out that it's easier to
control that way.
- Keep a good look out for other traffic.
- A good way to remember the V-speeds is attach memory jogs to them (in
particular, the ones I forgot: Vx and Vy - Vx is the best angle of climb
airspeed, and Vy is the best rate of climb airspeed: the way to remember
the order of these are X is before Y in the alphabet, and Angle is before
Rate in the alphabet too).
Date & Time: Thursday 1st May, 1997, 18:00 CDT
Where: From SPX, local flight
Instruction: 1 hour (ground) 1 hour (air) - - Total 2 hrs. Running logbook
total: 1.5 hrs
Aircraft: Cessna 152, number N48830
Dual Instruction with Lee Simmons.
Keep your hand on the throttle control!
More groundwork today - we talked a little about radio work at our uncontrolled
field, and what to say, when to say it, and useful things that tell other
pilots flying in the area where we are at. I preflighted the aircraft myself
(under Lee's watchful eye). We had to get fuel today - the tanks were a little
low (the aircraft had been flown earlier in the day). It took a while for
me to preflight it - the procedure is new to me, but Lee assures me as we
go on, we'll need less ground time!
Today's flight was an interesting experience. I did my first takeoff! After the initially zigzagged taxi to the active runway and the runup check, I rolled out onto the runway, and took off. As the airspeed built up and I tried to remain on the centerline with the rudder pedals, Lee told me to give it a little back pressure, and off we went! The crosswind pushed me a little off the centerline, but I managed to keep the P-factor in check (well, I may have overcooked it slightly). As we climbed up through about 250ft AGL, Lee said words to the effect 'You know you should keep your hand on the throttle' and promptly pulled it out! I don't think I'll forget to keep my right hand there in future - it was quite disconcerting to lose power shortly after takeoff. I pushed the control back in, and we continued to climb. Lee explained that I should keep my hand on the throttle, covering the mixture too, since examiners and instructors alike like to pull either one of them when you least expect it. If you have the mixture covered too, then they have to at least touch you to get at the control! Vibration can also shake throttle controls out.
We spent the time with me learning how to fly the plane in turns, straight and level, the use of the trim control, and a little MCA (Minimum Controllable Airspeed) to demonstrate how the controls lose effectiveness at low airspeeds. Trimming for a glide was another thing (Lee asked if I was doing this because the engine quit, where would I pick as a landing spot? Looking at Galveston Bay below was a little disconcerting, but towards Texas City there was a niceish looking field with not too many of those scrublike trees that grow around here so well). The turns went well - I got them coordinated. The first 30 degree banks had me losing a little altitude, then applying a bit more back pressure to get back to the assigned altitude whilst in the turn, and slight extra G-forces felt quite strange at first! Lee also took the aircraft for a while to show me around the practice area - pointing out where we would fly around rectangles, the antenna we'd use for turns around a point etc. He also did a steep turn (60 deg. of bank whilst maintaining altitude) - I already knew from the loading charts that this meant 2G's of loading. It was quite interesting to lift my hands up and feel the extra weight as we turned!
Too soon we were heading back towards the traffic pattern for SPX Runway 13. Entering the pattern at a 45 degree angle from the blue water tower by TX Hwy 146, and then turning downwind over the pond where the twin ran out of gas and unfortunately crashed last month was the next step. Then base, and final. We saw a twin do a strafing low pass over the runway as we came in (he was no threat, he was way out of our way by the time we were coming in) was quite entertaining. Touch down, slow and taxi back in. Lee demonstrated why the flaps should be retracted after touchdown - we need to get rid of any excess lift.
Conclusions
Need some more taxiing work, and keep remembering to straddle the line
in the middle of the taxiway. You can control the airspeed with pitch angle.
The aircraft glides quite nicely with power set to idle, too - but keep an
eye out for suitable landing spots just in case you might need them. Still
a little overwhelmed at times by the things you have to keep track of, but
I could feel it coming together this lesson. Keep those throttle/mixture
knobs covered!
I think my decision to go three times a week was a wise one, since I can hardly wait between each flight, and I forget less between each time out as well. On Saturday, it looks like we might do a few stalls...my boss at work recently did her BFR in a C-152 (she'd never flown a 152 before this) and told me how they are more inclined to enter a spin than anything else she has flown, so don't mess with the ailerons in a stall! I'll try to bear this in mind...
What was learned.
Straight and level flight and trim: the airplane can fly itself once
you have the trim sorted out for a given airspeed. It's much easier to trim
a real aircraft than Flight Simulator because of the feedback you get from
the controls. Same with turns - they seem easier to coordinate and to
hold altitude in the real thing than on FS5/6 because you get feedback (and
feel the forces, too!)
30 degree banks need a little back pressure to hold altitude - if you let
the aircraft drop and have to correct, it feels quite odd! Fortunately, I
don't get motion sickness, but I could imagine if I had someone in the aircraft
who did, they'd have probably have done a technicolor yawn at my first 30
degree bank!
Keep that throttle guarded from (a) it sliding out under engine vibration,
and (b) probing instructor's hands...
Date & Time: Saturday 3rd May, 1997, 09:00 CDT
Where: From SPX, local flight
Instruction: 1.4 hours (ground) 1.1 hours (air) - - Total 2.5 hrs. Running
logbook total: 2.6 hrs
Aircraft: Cessna 152, number N48830
Dual Instruction with Lee Simmons.
Flying Slow.
The wind was up today, and blowing almost perpendicular to the runway
at a pretty stiff rate. People were still flying though, but the airport
was quiet, and most of the aircraft had left for the weekend. We spent quite
a bit of time on the ground talking about slow flight (MCA wasn't quite the
right term since we'd be going a little over the minimum controllable airspeed,
but not by much - talking of 55 knots or so for our manouevers.) We also
took a little time off whilst we waited for the wind direction to become
more favorable, and took a look at an older taildragger aircraft that someone
was restoring in one of the hangars. Eventually, the wind calmed somewhat,
and favored runway 31 (the previous 2 flights were off runway 13). I preflighted
the airplane - nobody had flown it since the last time I went out (someone
had been due to go out in it before me, but the wind probably put them off
so they never flew). The tanks still had plenty of fuel for our flight, so
off we went. Apart from the wind, the weather was perfect - clear blue skies,
and once we had taken off, the visibilty was over 20 miles. We climbed up
throughout the mildly turbulent air to an altitude of 2,500 ft. and levelled
out, flying out towards Galveston Bay. Our climb out took us more or less
directly over my apartments.
Now it was time to learn that phrase that I've seen some talk on the newsgroups, and read about in books - 'pitch for airspeed, power for altitude', and to find out what a clearing turn was. The clearing turn is something you do so that you can get a good look for traffic before doing slow flight manoevers and stalls. There was an airshow going on at Galveston during the weekend, so it was a good idea to keep away from there, and look for any traffic that might come out of there. Then we went onto slow flight. Turn the carb heat on, pull the power back to about 1600 RPM, and pitch for an airspeed of about 55 KIAS (Knots, Indicated Airspeed). As the speed bleeds off, add flaps one notch at a time to increase lift, and decrease pitch angle to maintain airspeed with the drag from the flaps. The intention is to hold the altitude, airspeed and heading constant. With the nose pointing up, and the power level increased to compensate for the drag and to stop us from descending, the torque effect and P-factor from the propellor need some right rudder to compensate. Getting this right is important for takeoffs - it prevents us from shooting off to the left on takeoff. To resume our normal cruise speed and configuration, I had to put in the carb heat, apply full power, raise the flaps and bring the nose off level to allow the airspeed to increase. At about 90 knots, the power is pulled back to about 2200 RPM, and we are back cruising again. A few more goes at slow flight, and I'm getting better at holding my heading and altitude. Control effectiveness is certainly down when you do this.
Now for something that had me approaching with much trepidation. The STALL! My boss's comments about 152's stalling and entering a spin crept into my mind. Lee told me just to keep the ball centered, and we would avoid the spin. I cut the power back and put the carb heat on, and kept pulling up the nose. I was waiting for a gut-wrenching zero-G plummet towards the Earth as the airspeed indicator kept winding back to the start of the green arc. On came the stall warning horn! On the 152, it comes on before the stall actually happens and gets more insistent as we approach the critical angle of attacks (stalls are determined by angle of attack, not airspeed - a stall can happen at any airspeed). I thought we'd stalled and stated to relieve back pressure - but we hadn't, and Lee told me to keep hauling it back. The needle was now at the bottom of the green arc, and then the aircraft stalled. It had taken quite a bit of work to get it to do this! The right wing dipped a little as we stalled. Recovery was to just release the back pressure to put the nose down, put the carb heat in and put on full power. The stall didn't feel too bad - none of the NASA-style vomit comet stuff (incidentally, the Vomit Comet lives at Ellington Field, just up the road from SPX), and recovery wasn't difficult - but we did lose some altitude, and I wouldn't want to do that on a turn from base leg to final approach (guess where most stall/spin accidents happen?)
A little later, we headed for home. Lee once again pointed out the importance of looking for traffic. I got to do a little radio work (I really need to practise that! I forgot what to say halfway through one of my transmissions, whilst we were on the crosswind leg). Then we went downwind, base and final. I got the closest I have to doing a landing myself...as we were sure the runway was made, I cut power...then Lee flared the airplane as we got to the right altitude. Into the ground effect, then touch down once more. This was only my third landing from the front seat, and it always looks like we are going to slam it down - the flare seems to be a long time coming - and the ground effect is quite surprising too.
Conclusion
Lee pointed out again about looking for traffic whilst we are on the
ground, and again had some hangar talk about people who hadn't been looking
out enough, and this time had bought the farm in the process. So I need to
get my scanning procedure in order (I've been making a point of looking outside
anyway - they say people who have done lots of flight sim work tend to get
preoccupied with the instrument panel). The most dangerous area when flying
is the downwind, base leg and final approach of the traffic pattern as you
get back to the airport as there's more aircraft concentrated around there
(on Thursday, SPX's traffic pattern looked more like O'Hare - we could see
quite a bit of traffic coming in).
I certainly need to read up about radio work! Sometime I'm sure it will come
more naturally - but eventually I'm going to end up going into all the Class
B airspace we've got around us, so I need to get comfortable with it soon.
I'm getting more confident with the controls, and getting the feel a bit
better. Each flight gets more enjoyable as I don't have to spend 100% of
the time worrying about how much control input I need. It feels good!
What was learned.
How MCA feels, and the consequent reduced control effectiveness. How a stall
feels, and the consequent drop in altitude (and the fact that they are not
a gut-wrencher either - Lee told me of some of his past students and stalls:
the young lady who was fairly small and would instinctively use her feet
to push herself back to get the yoke further back - Lee says he's never done
more spins with anybody else! (When she pushed back, she'd do it on the rudder
pedals inducing a spin as the aircraft stalled: I guess it taught her good
spin recovery technique!), and a couple of students he has had who would
suddenly slam the yoke forward out of fear, and push the nose into a steep
dive.
Once again, keep a lookout for traffic. Nothing inside the plane will hurt
you - it's all out there.
A little radio work. I kind of like the sound of my own voice on the radio...
but I need more practice!
Clearing turns and why we do them (look for traffic!)
Convection activity can make the air nice and bumpy at low levels...but it
smooths off as you get over a certain altitude (you have probably all felt
this on commercial aircraft)
Next time (Wednesday) it looks like we'll have a little introduction to the instrument hood! (Although the PPL doesn't have an instrument rating when you get it, you are required to do some hoodwork anyway). I also need to get my FAA medical done, so when I'm ready to solo there are no delays.