Saturday 01/24/2009
Chasing down the solo. The plan is Tuesday if possible. The "if possible" part means 2 things:
(1) Am I ready
(2) Can I get my physical done in time.
Regarding (2), I was supposed to have gotten a flight physical but it slipped through the cracks and I forgot about it. The physical is a requirement for the solo, so hopefully I can get it done Monday or Tuesday morning.
Today was the same drill: touch and goes. We did a few at Winder and then flew over to Jackson county for a change of scenery. Jackson county's airstrip is smaller than Winder's. I did ok today. The winds were higher and gustier, so I would get blown off my headings and then overcorrect for them .. leading to being even more off. The good news is that I managed to convert all of the less-than-perfectly-setup approaches into smooth landings.
Chris said he was happy with results today, so I'm still on track. I also talked more on the radio. Speaking of .. Monday I am going to be doing all of the radio communication.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Lesson 12: Touch & Goes and Slips
Friday, 01/23/2009.
Tonight's lesson ran from 4 to 6 PM and the weather was perfect. Crisp and cool, flirting with being cold. Clear. Low winds.
We flew out to Winder and did 10 touch and goes. We're down to brass tacks and its all about getting ready for the solo. The solo, as previously mentioned, consists of 3 touch and goes and then a full stop. The weather on Friday was so perfect and my landings are getting consistently good.
So here's 1 "touch and go" in the pattern.
Take off at 55 kts. Climb out at 70 kts.
500 AGL, flaps up.
700 AGL, left turn crosswind.
Level off at 2000 ft MSL.
1/2 mile from strip, left downwind. Power down to 2,000 rpms.
At the numbers, first notch of flaps (T/O). Pitch for 90 kts.
1 mile out, left turn base. Power down to 1,700 rpms. Pitch for 80 kts.
Left turn for final. Power down to 1,500 rpms. Pitch for 70 kts. Last notch flaps (LNG).
When the runway is made, pull power. Keep center line. Pitch for 70 kts.
Look down runway. Just before touchdown, flare (pull up slightly).
On the descent, pull back a little more and contact back wheel first to runway.
Once on the runway, full power ... rinse and repeat.
I also learned a new trick: the slip. It's a way to loose altitude quickly without affecting airspeed or power. To perform a left slip, stand on the right rudder and bank ailerons to the left (opposite rudder). This causes the plane to essential turn sideways and angle downward .. "slipping" out of the altitude. To exit the slip, just let off the rudder and level ailerons, and your back at your original heading. It's a handy trick for fixing an overshot final - especially in an emergency where going around is not an option.
Tonight's lesson ran from 4 to 6 PM and the weather was perfect. Crisp and cool, flirting with being cold. Clear. Low winds.
We flew out to Winder and did 10 touch and goes. We're down to brass tacks and its all about getting ready for the solo. The solo, as previously mentioned, consists of 3 touch and goes and then a full stop. The weather on Friday was so perfect and my landings are getting consistently good.
So here's 1 "touch and go" in the pattern.
Take off at 55 kts. Climb out at 70 kts.
500 AGL, flaps up.
700 AGL, left turn crosswind.
Level off at 2000 ft MSL.
1/2 mile from strip, left downwind. Power down to 2,000 rpms.
At the numbers, first notch of flaps (T/O). Pitch for 90 kts.
1 mile out, left turn base. Power down to 1,700 rpms. Pitch for 80 kts.
Left turn for final. Power down to 1,500 rpms. Pitch for 70 kts. Last notch flaps (LNG).
When the runway is made, pull power. Keep center line. Pitch for 70 kts.
Look down runway. Just before touchdown, flare (pull up slightly).
On the descent, pull back a little more and contact back wheel first to runway.
Once on the runway, full power ... rinse and repeat.
I also learned a new trick: the slip. It's a way to loose altitude quickly without affecting airspeed or power. To perform a left slip, stand on the right rudder and bank ailerons to the left (opposite rudder). This causes the plane to essential turn sideways and angle downward .. "slipping" out of the altitude. To exit the slip, just let off the rudder and level ailerons, and your back at your original heading. It's a handy trick for fixing an overshot final - especially in an emergency where going around is not an option.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Lesson 11: Emergency Procedures
Thursday 01/22/2009.
This lesson was about what to do if the engine fails. We got airborne and for almost 2 hours simulated engine failures by pulling power randomly and seeing how I would respond.
This lesson was about what to do if the engine fails. We got airborne and for almost 2 hours simulated engine failures by pulling power randomly and seeing how I would respond.
There are 4 categories of engine failure:
1 : Before rotation (rotation means liftoff .. transitioning from ground to flight)
1 : Before rotation (rotation means liftoff .. transitioning from ground to flight)
Response: Pull power, full stop.
2 : Immediately after rotation with enough runway left to set back down
Response: Pull power, touch back down, full stop.
3 : Immediately after rotation without enough runway left to set back down
Response: Pull power, pick an open area ahead and land. This type of failure was recently in the news: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/01/15/usairways.landing/
4 : During higher altitude regular flight
Response: Pull power. Try to restart the engine. If engine won't start, secure the engine, meaning cut off all gas from the engine. In the DA-20 that means 6 things:
-Throttle idle.
-Lean mixture.
-Pull fuel cutoff valve.
-Fuel pump off.
-Mags turned to off.
-Fuel prime to off
-Fuel prime to off
Pitch for optimal glide ratio speed, which in the DA-20 is 73 kts. Find a suitable open area, or nearby airport, and land.
So basically Chris would pull power randomly, I would run through and then I would tell him where I would land. Then I would steer the unpowered (not off, just idle) plane toward that area just like if I intended to land. Obviously, we would not actually land on somebody's property, but we got close enough to tell if I would make it.
We returned to LZU at dusk. It was a crisp, cool beautiful evening for flying. Solo time is coming soon.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Lesson 10: Steep Turns
Saturday, January 10th. We did "steep turn drills" followed by slow flying and stall recovery, and then a couple of touch and goes. Steep turn drills are as follows:
- Note your current speed, altitude, and heading .. for example 80 kts, 4000 feet, NW.
- Visually pick a landmark in the distance dead ahead .. for example a tower.
- Bank left at 45 degrees, and stay in that turn for 360 degrees until you see the tower.
- Then immediately bank right at 45 degrees, do another 360 until you see the tower.
- Level out. You should be at the same speed, altitude, and heading that you started.
Essentially, its a 360 to the left followed by a 360 to the right. The trick is that more power is needed during the turn to maintain altitude. You also have to pull back on the stick to help keep the turn coordinated. Because of the high power, steep angle configuration, you experience a couple of "G"s during the drill. It was fun.
Here's what was not fun. My pattern work (touch and goes) are not improving at the rate I need them to. Good landings are about a good setup: being at the right altitude and airspeed in the right places in the pattern. Add to that the constant radio communication which I've barely started to do. The problem is that I'm just not flying often enough. Plain and simple. I go in once a week, dust the rust off, and then my hour is up. I have another week to get rusty again.
So I am going to make a concerted effort to fly more often.
- Note your current speed, altitude, and heading .. for example 80 kts, 4000 feet, NW.
- Visually pick a landmark in the distance dead ahead .. for example a tower.
- Bank left at 45 degrees, and stay in that turn for 360 degrees until you see the tower.
- Then immediately bank right at 45 degrees, do another 360 until you see the tower.
- Level out. You should be at the same speed, altitude, and heading that you started.
Essentially, its a 360 to the left followed by a 360 to the right. The trick is that more power is needed during the turn to maintain altitude. You also have to pull back on the stick to help keep the turn coordinated. Because of the high power, steep angle configuration, you experience a couple of "G"s during the drill. It was fun.
Here's what was not fun. My pattern work (touch and goes) are not improving at the rate I need them to. Good landings are about a good setup: being at the right altitude and airspeed in the right places in the pattern. Add to that the constant radio communication which I've barely started to do. The problem is that I'm just not flying often enough. Plain and simple. I go in once a week, dust the rust off, and then my hour is up. I have another week to get rusty again.
So I am going to make a concerted effort to fly more often.
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