trust but verify

It is not a coincidence that ATC provides clearance for runway 16R while I hold short of 16L once out of every 6 flights in the pattern. A minor slip of the tongue does happen and can easily go unnoticed. It takes a short 'verify clearance for 16 R, 2 9 Echo' prior to take-off to avoid incident.

If requested by ATC to make a short downwind leg to get in front of approaching traffic, do not be afraid to: (1) request a long downwind if safety is a concern OR (2) move the aiming point farther down the runway (on a suitably sized runway) as long as the pilot can still get the plane off the runway in short time after landing for arriving traffic. The ATC is managing space, trying to be respectful to each aircrafts constraints (fuel, speed, training or commercial, etc.). Pilots ultimately are responsible for the safety of the passengers and aircraft.

ATC is usually cognizant of flight training. In the case of a short downwind request, I often wonder if the ATC has a secondary purpose--placing new trainees in different scenarios. Either way, ATC is in integral part of training and often very helpful.

Today's training, another day in the pattern, was very beneficial. Not only can I land the plane with some confidence, many little things were sured up including the following.

• Remember to turn the transponder to Mode C prior to take off.
• Remember to check the directional gyro one more time prior to take off while on the lined up on the runway (since the direction is well known). It takes a second.
• Be aware of the the foot on the brake when taking off while using right-rudder.
• Use of the side slip in a cross wind landing as well as more rapid loss of altitude while maintaining airspeed around 75 knots. This proved helpful in a shortened downwind.

Now the repeated pattern lessons are complete.

Patience, young jedi.

I am a drummer. I have been for 28 years. I try not to own up to it as I am not as good as I should be by my standards. After that long, I should be playing like Dave Weckl did 10 years ago, even for a part timer like myself. Some reasons are obvious. Cats like Weckl play ALL THE TIME. I play, both practice and perform, on average about seven hours a week. The other reason is how I practice. For the longest time I would push very hard to get the most complicated patterns down without building on the fundamentals. The idea, bad as it was, is the the fundamentals will come and the end is the same. This is FLAT OUT WRONG. In the last five years I have stepped back and worked incrementally. Now, I am a solid drummer who can play in just about ANY setting. I recall those frustrating days where I was slamming my sticks down on items like the tape player (for youngs guys, this is device that amplifies sound stored on a magnetic tape), lamps and anything else close by that is designed as a percussion instrument.

Anything requiring motor coordination requires the same disciplines. I have seen 'natural' talent. What I see is a quick grasp of fundamentals. 'Naturals' do not SKIP fundamentals. This is evident in any activity requiring motor skills (e.g. Kung Fu, my son's Tae Kwon Do, other musicians, other sportsment, seamstress, etc.). FLYING IS NO DIFFERENT.

So when one of my instructors says 'CHILL OUT', it is instantly understood. Learning to fly is a well-established set of steps. They cannot be skipped. Moving on to the next step is not an option if the first set of steps is not performed with competency. For example, landing is difficult if a student cannot hold a plane steady in slow flight. Getting frustrated is counter productive and is a sign that the student (yeh, me) is trying to move to fast.

It is hard to maintain patience. With the monetary price of flying, it is preferred that each step comes quickly. So now I look back at yesterday with a different perspective. I had trouble landing. In the process of trying improve landing, I accomplished the following:

(1) Solid take-offs in a cross wind.
(2) Accuracy in holding a pattern including 20 degree turns, maintain altitude and heading.
(3) Incremental improvement in airport communications at a busy class D airport with a tower.
(4) Maintain focus while still having 'light' intermittent conversation.
(5) Solid approach on the glide slope.

So if I attempt to measure the whole 1.3 hours of flying on about on about 90 seconds of that time, I am doomed to be an unhappy and unsafe pilot. [ 90 seconds = 15 seconds during the flare and rollout multiplied by 6 landings. And yes, 1.3 hours for 6 pattern runs is a bit much, but, like I said, busy airport.].

The problem with 'home' simulators

When trying to land in a simulator like Microsoft 2004, the visual cues are limiting. For me, when landing a real plane, learning to take advantage additional visual inputs is a challenge. I botched five out six landings today. Nothing that would have probably injured me and my passengers (not saying much for the plane). Its either pulling back too fast or not pulling back enough during the flar. I am starting to realize that part of my problem is that I am 'ignoring' some visual information that would helpful. It almost as if I do not want to acknowledge that there is information to be used.

My take-offs are pretty good. There was a variable 8 knot crosswind today. This allows me to use some aileron during the take-off and feel the plane weathervane naturally into a crab position upon leaving the ground. Very smooth. I also had a better sense of rudder and aileron configurations for landing. In my 'good' landing, I came down on one wheel first--perfect for a crosswind landing, but unnecessary for the little wind today. Never the less, it felt good to land in that configuration.

My instructor did a quick recovery when I began to stall during the landing flare several feet above the ground (one of my more abrupt applications of the yoke). It is easy to say "apply power and ease the nose down a bit". In the simulator, I have no problem doing it quickly. I need to translate that into real flying. Once the stall horn goes off, it does not take much time before the plane drops.

Another day of flying thwarted by weather

My instructor makes an interesting and quite obvious point. With one mile visibility while on a one mile final, the pilot can see the VASI, PAPI and start of the runway. The far end is not visible. One of the techniques used to land is to hold a picture of the runway. The picture does not change (other than the size) during landing until the flare. The runway does not get longer and more narrow (too high) or shorter and wider (too low). This does not work well in conditions with less than one mile. The stabilized approach involves picking a point on the runway and holding that point steady with respect to a unmovable reference point (a spot on the windshield). This is still possible in 1 mile visibility, provided the point is the runway numbers. However, 1 mile is a short distance to pick a point when descending from 500 AGL at 65 knots and a descent rate of roughly 500 FPM. I look forward to more wisdom in this area.

Good to fly?

See if you agree.

KHEF 131446Z AUTO 33014G18KT 3SM OVC013 07/06 A3015 RMK AO1

Class B,D and E airspace restrictions for VFR conditions (HEF, IAD, and beyond)
3 statute miles? YES
500 feet below? Lowest clould cover is 1300 AGL, so maintain below 800 and 500 ft about sparesly populated areas/structures/persons. It is not comfortable but legal. Just note that a 1000 AGL and 2000 Ft avoidance it required in congested areas.
1,000 feet above? Not getting there without flying through clouds.
2,000 feet horizontal? Not getting there without flying through clouds.

So, heading west, avoiding the town of Manassas, seems doable but provides a narrow range of safety since mountains are nearby as well as pockets of congested areas. Exceeds my level of comfort.

What about that wind? Well, I believe my POH (Cessna 172 N (I believe....I should know!!)) states not flying winds that exceed a 13KT crosswind. With gusts of up to 18KT, I would not fly.

Now what about that ADIZ? I have not currently found anything concerning altitude minimums that differ within the ADIZ. When flying out, the selected altitude has been about 025 and 022 on the return, neither of which can be met in this weather condition.