single engine pilot

Transition to Diamond DA-40

2012-01-14T18:40:00.000-08:00

After training almost exclusively with a Cessna 172 Model N, I am now transitioning to a model Diamond DA-40. I have had the opportunity to fly 172 SPs. The 172 SP has basically the same engine as a DA-40 (Fuel Injected Lycoming 180 HP). So, there is some overlap on the procedures. However, the SP, M and N models have every similar flight characteristics. The Diamond is a bit different. This blog entry describes those differences that stood out for me.

As one would expect with a low wing, the landing roll is longer, as the plane enters and stays in ground effect longer. The wing span of the Diamond is greater than the Cessna 172. With lower wing loading, the take-off, climb an turning performance of the DA-40 is superior to the 172 SP. On the flip side, the 172 SP feels more stable in wind gusts. In the DA-40, I did feel more like a feather than within the 172.

The DA-40 has T tail. Flying with a T tail had only on significance to me in standard flying conditions. In a 172, the air movement from the prop wraps around the plan and interacts directly with the horizontal stabilizer. A drop in power results in a fairly pronounced drop in the nose. In the DA-40, I found this effect less pronounced. Please note that T tails have a disadvantage in slow turns, as disruptions from a stalled wind reduce the flow over the tail, deepening the stall.

I have heard that cross wind landings are more difficult in the DA-40, in part due to the low wing, reducing the amount of aileron that can be used in the flare and, more importantly, a small rudder. I am not convinced on the last part. For a test pilot, this may be true. For myself, I did not notice any less effectiveness in cross wind landings than the 172. Those wind conditions that test the plane's performance (about 15 its cross wind component) are outside the conditions I willing to try in either machine.

To get a sense of the transition to a DA-40, I am going to start at the ramp and walk through key parts of the check-list that are different and significant. I am picking only parts of the check-list thats meet this criteria.

On the ramp during the pre-walk around, I switched on the battery. I noticed that, given a few seconds, the engine instruments give me a more accurate reading from the digital display. I can get oil temperature and CHT. This is great in the winter to get an idea if preheating is necessary. The fuel indicators seem fairly accurate. It is a bit harder to judge the fuel visually since the tank filling ports are higher on the wing. After flying for over an hour, the gas will not be visible on a flat ramp. When lowering the flaps, I noticed they are tiny. There only two notches of flaps. I could not tell what the degrees are from the panel. My guess would be something like 10% and 30%. On inspection of the flaps, I though that the effect of the flaps on a T tail may be a different, with less disruption of air flow over the horizontal stabilizer. The battery is on, I noticed may of the instruments were working such as the attitude indicator. Why? Because the attitude and compass (HSI) are electrically powered. The 172 uses a vacuum pump powered from the engine.

The start up procedures are similar to the SP. The ammeter is not turned on until after engine start and engine instruments are in the green. It is best to pull the mixture a bit after start to prevent fowling of the plugs during taxi.

Taxiing the DA-40 is a more of a challenge than a 172 due to the free-castering nose wheel. Gentle tapping of breaks to handle direction changes is necessary for control in many situations.

At run up, the prop needs to checked. Pull the prop gently all the way back and then push it forward quickly. You do not need to wait for an oil pressure change. The change will show during the push forward to 2700 RPM. If it does't, try it a couple of more times to get the oil moving through the prop governor.

Before take-off, the fuel pump is turned on, on notch flap is added. Mixture and prop are full forward (low altitude). Take-off is easy and quick. If there is a bit of shake during the latter stages of the take-off roll, the nose wheel is has gaining too pressure so pull back (slightly). The Da-40 accelerates quickly. Watch the airspeed and hold the plan in a climb at around 80 kts. The DA-40 climbs very quickly. Once in a positive climb, bring up flaps, then adjusts prop to 2400 and, once safely above the 'deadly turn; height, shut off the fuel pump.

Watch the Engine temperate. At low altitudes, the DA-40 moves. I am always in the yellow arc when leveling off at low altitudes. So, it makes sense, at low altitudes, to adjust the manifold pressure to 24 inches.

Once in level flight, adjust the mixture. Switch the to EGT and pull back the mixture slowing until one of the CHTs flashes. Then notch forward on the mixture until the hottest cylinder is about 1400. I noticed in level flight, trimmed for cruise, the DA-40 has a nose-down attitude in comparison to the 172. I loved the visibility. Speaking of nose down attitude. Check out the two passenger weight balance for a DA-40 with full fuel. This places the plane near the forward CG line. This means there is less 'room' to pitch up before approaching the 16 degree angle of attack.

I practiced stalls in the DA-40. It feels just as stable as a 172 to me. Recovery is quick and easy. The DA-40 throttle and controls are extremely sensitive. I need a light touch to make adjustments. Trimming is a piece of cache with the trim control on the stick. I still like the trim wheel!

In descents, a little more planning is required. Slowing down the DA-40 for the pattern takes a little more time. I keep the prop at 2400 RPM and ease back the manifold pressure to 18 inches. When in the pattern, I hold the plane at 100 kts until abeam of the numbers, then I apply one notch of flaps. Then, I pull back to about 15 inches and start my turning descent. On final, fuel pump is turned on, mixture full rich, prop full forward, and the landing light on. I adjust the manifold pressure to about 11 inches. Once landing is assured, I lower the flaps (second notch) and begin brining the power back. It is critical to keep the speed above 70 kts. The stall speed of the DA-40 is not as advertised. Once level with the runway in the flare, just pull back really slowly to slow down the plane. It settles nicely. Do NOT let the nose drop, as the nose wheel is not as forgiving as a 172. Aggressive pulling on the stick is not necessary. A slow steady pull keeping the nose slightly high is sufficient. Too much pull causes tail strike or, even worse, a premature stall above the runway, causing a bounce. If this happens, apply power, holding the stick steady. The plane will begin settle again.

Through out the process, I realized that the work load of the DA-40 is a bit more than the 172 models. That's fine by me. It moves me closer to the load of an RG and proficiency requirements for a commercial rating. In the end, the most important element is the ability to fly the plane. Of this, I have no doubts that I can handle the DA-40. Out of 5 landings so far, two were smooth and gentle. The other three were a little rough.

Preparing for tomorrow's lesson

2010-11-15T17:42:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow's forecast fro MRB and HEF is overcast at 700 with 2 SM rain. This above minimums. I just have to remember the following:

(1) When getting a clearance, fly the airplane first. Then communicate.

(2) When doing the hold for the approach into MRB ILS 26, I do not need to go around. Just use a tear drop to get established. Always use a tear drop for an ILS. Do not use the parallel entry as this may force you to fly around one more time to get a full minute.

(3) If using a VOR approach, the speed has to be set at station passage so the clock can start and be measured accurately. Waiting till station passage to get the speed correct will throw off the ETA estimates. After station passage, set up for a 800 FPM descent to the MDA.

(4) Always right down frequency, altitude and time changes! This is critical when flying VFR-on-top or flying on a cruising clearance.

(5) On a missed approach, declare to tower, get set up, then contact DEPARTURE with what you want to do next!

Thats it for now.

First IFR Flight: HEF to MRB and back again

2010-09-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

Synopsis

The training plan was to use the full ILS approach into MRB for ILS 26. This approach involves passing over the MRB VORTAC. From the north, a flight can follow R-126 off HGR to intercept the localizer. The MRB transition involves a fly-over of MRB, followed by an outbound heading on R-053 to intercept the localizer. At that point, a mandatory hold to get from 4000 down to 3400 for the glide slope interception. This requires a parallel entry into the hold. I chose a tear drop, applying a 110 degree magnetic heading away from the intersection point to loop back into the hold. Since that takes about a minute and half to do that, loosing the 600 ft is trivial. Still, a hold is a hold, not procedure turn. I completed one full hold to insure proper glide slope interception.

Given a clearance for the approach I was informed to contact tower at HEVEN. This requires configuring the second VOR MRB R-353. To intercept the glide slope, the second VOR was set to MRB R-053. Sometime during the hold, this needed to be adjusted.

We did not land, instead using the missing approached as a training tool. Once missed, the tower immediately asks for intentions. Always have the backup plan ready. Since MRB is still in the second VOR (and probably the standby of the primary), no additional frequencies changes were needed. I informed tower I wish to complete the missed approach and then activate the flight plan to return the Manassas.

Once on course for Manassas, I began to get overwhelmed: too much information. I began missing altitude and frequency changes. The concept is easy. I was to get vectored back to Manassas. Without vectors, I would need to intercept V4-92 West of MANNE on the ARML VOR, proceed on the airway till MANNE (11 DME) and then proceed for 1.2 miles and then turn left to heading 163 to pick up the localizer for 16L at Manassas. However, this will never happen I always get vectored into DORGE intersection.

Things I learned:

Always write down the frequency changes and altitude changes. Keep a list to know what the last frequency if needed.

Listen carefully.

If you do not have ATIS when requested (such as the activation of the flight plan back Manassas after the the Missed Approach), then say 'Will Call Back when I have information from ATIS'.

On call back for a clearance delivery, listen for key words like Transition. I never got the MRB transition requested on the HEF to MRB flight plan. I was told to 'expect vectors to Martinsburg after Casanova'.

Listen for the word 'heading' vs. 'radial'. They are not the same.

Phraseology.

Filing Plan: "Requesting 4000, ASRLN2.MRB TRansition

Reverse Plan: "Requesting 5000, Direct to CSN, Direct to HEF"

The Clearance: "Expect Radar Vectors to MRB after CSN, Expect 4000' ten minutes. Frequency 124.65, Squak 4640".

Zero/Zero Takeoff

2010-09-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

When I line up on the runway, I check the Time, Lights, Transponder, Gyro (lined up with runway). What I have never done before is put the foggles on. Wow. Taking off with view limiting device is freaky. Its like the flying the airplane on the ground (a familiar concept to tail draggers). I focus on the directional gyro and the airspeed. That's it. Hope the runway is perfectly lined with the gyro and GO!

It is good exercise, but not something I wish to put into practive. I would not want to take-off from an airport I could not find quickly or land on an approach in case of system malfunction.

Preparing for the next instruments lesson

2010-09-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

Things I will remember to do:

Airspeed 0

Attitude level

Altimeter at station

Rate of Turn indicator green and level

Gyro directional indicator lined up with taxi way and compass

VSI level 0

On the last flight, I got a bit flustered when first contacting tower once cleared for the frequency change from Potomac Approach. Here is what I should have said (hiding from reader what I did say): "Manassas Tower, N2229E on the ILS over DORGE for One Six Left". Tower's response, "Expect a clearnace to land at 3 miles". At one mile, no clearance, my inquiry: "Manassas Tower, N2229E over middle marker for 16 L"...as in, heads up!

Two flights and two challenges

2010-07-09T17:48:00.000-07:00

I flew with an instructor yesterday. The goal was to continue to improve control of the airplane, flying Pattern C under the hood. Pattern C is a pattern used in WWII instrument training. It is not found in the current FAA handbooks. My training did not go as planned. I got bounced around by the windy conditions, uneven heating and approaching thunder storms. With lightning coming down within 2000 feet of the airplane, we aborted the training. I still obtained 30 minutes of hood time and some great instruction.

Here are some tidbits.
First, checklists are critical to instrument flying. There are many procedures to follow. Using checklists insures the workload is managed properly. There are two approaches to checklists: do and then read OR read and then do. For example, the before take-off checklist is TLTGA (time, lights, transponder, gyro, attitude indicator). Before taking the runway, read this. On the runway, do it. A counter example, I do a pre-flight check of the airplane by memory, then I read the checklist, verifying that I did everything.
Second, remember Out, Off (takeoff), On (on the ground), In (shutdown). These are the times to record hobbs (or clock). This is to line up with the flight plan. In general, start getting a better snapshot of time, bracketing time as you would when moving from one checkpoint to the next.
Third, get in the habit of informing Ground the type of flight: VFR or IFR.
Fourth, use the attitude indicator to maintain control of the turns. In a level turn, the center of the miniature airplane center will be glued to a center of the attitude indicator (well... in slow flight with a different attitude, the 'center' is above the line).

The next flight had a great impact on me. I was helping a friend fly his plane to another airport early in the morning so the plane could be used for a Camp Fantastic (for kids with cancer) event. When I left, the conditions at Manassas were VFR. Luray had an Airmet Sierra and the trend was looking good in the next two hours. I was hopeful I could get to the destination. As I flew over Cassanova, ascending to 5500 to get over the mountains and fly direct to Linden (the FAF for VOR approach to KFRR), clouds rolled under me. I was moving in MVFR(3 to 5 SM visibility and 1000-3000 AGL cloud cover) conditions. If I stayed above the clouds, I would be in VFR conditions. My hope was that, once I got to the FAF, I could descend through an opening to get below the clouds, assuming the ceilings were high enough. I had put an extra hour of fuel in the tanks to allow for a retreat back to Manassas if needed.

As I climbed, some clouds billowed up. It is these clouds the allowed me to have my first experience of vertigo ever. I now understand why pilots who fly through clouds without proper training usually see less than two minutes of life. The vertigo came on fast. I immediately recognized it for what it was, just as the plane started to bank. I focused on the instruments, maintained a proper climb attitude, and cleared the cloud, climbing to a safe 1000 feet above the clouds. Recall that class E VFR conditions require me to stay 1000 above, 500 feet below and 2000 horizontal with 3 miles visibility.

So, I made it through that challenge. As you have guessed, since I am writing this now, I made through the next one as well. The next step was to get down to KFRR from Linden. I understand how to perform a circling approach. I am not authorized to do so, nor would I. I planned to follow the approach, but in visual conditions. KFRR is surrounded by mountains on both sides. I was going to be glued to the radial assigned from Linden.

The circling approach MDA is around 3000 MSL (well above the 740 MSL runway threshold). I figured the ceiling was about 1500 AGL. Once down that low, I would be in class G airspace , permitting me to fly in 1 SM visibility and remain clear of clouds. I just needed to get there. Well, my plan worked. As I began my turn and descent at Linden, the clouds left an opening for me to see the ground about 7 miles out in front of me. I could not see the airport. I could see that I would get the 1500 AGL ceiling I needed. I proceeded with the approach.

I also proceeded to fly over the airport without seeing it. Since I knew I flew over the airport (I was timing the approach), I had to circle back. I took a wider circle to get oriented with the area. I was in class G at this point and the clouds were safely above me. I had 5 miles visibility. In an IFR scenario, this would be a missed approach. I am still flying under VFR, using instrument procedures to get me to an unfamiliar airport in a mountainous region.

FYI, I would not fly in 1 SM visibility ever without an IFR flight plan. That does not provide a pilot enough time to scan for planes, towers and hills.

Pre-flight check

2010-05-23T18:28:00.000-07:00

It is easy to trust a plane is ready to fly if one thinks it is well maintained. We pilots build up practices to do a thorough inspection of the plane using a checklist as part of the pre-flight procedures. This includes things like checking the surface and controls, looking for water and contaminants in the gas, checking the oil, inspecting the propeller, tires, struts, brakes, lights, static port, and air-inlets, including the pitot tube and fuel air inlet.

Is this enough? NO. The PIC must validate that the plane is airworthy. This means the airplane is in a safe condition for flight and in compliance with approved data or approved altered state. Approved data includes the POH associate with the aircraft, any logged approved and logged alterations to the aircraft including equipment and any Airworthiness Directives (A/D). An A/D can be met either by complying with the A/D in one of the ways described in the A/D or through a specific approved request sent to the FAA administrator for an alternative (such as complete removal of the faulty equipment).

Prior to each flight, the PIC needs to verify that the plane is compliance. Included in this validation process is checking the engine log for 100 hour inspections, propeller log for 100 hour inspection and the airframe log for the annual. These are usual all done as part of the annual along with the ELT inspection (battery 50% of life or used more than an hour. Other things to check include the 24 month inspection of the transponder and pitot static system. These go together since Mode C transponder report altimeter readings.

Lastly, the oil changes are required to be compliant with manufacturer recommendations. This can be as often as every 20 hours.

Seems like alot to do. It is not if you familiar with the aircraft. For any aircraft new to you as a pilot, it is worth going through all this with the maintenance log books. It is good practice and, if something were to go wrong, you, as a PIC, can say that you completed a thorough inspection. Your passengers will thank you as well!

I'm back...and then I am not

2010-05-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

I wanted to write. I got busy. I have been a pilot for eight months now. I fly once every three weeks. Until now. Ear drum rupture.

My last planned excursion was going to be free. Thanks to a good friend who needed to fly a plane to a FBO for maintenance, I was going to fly the entire trip under the hood for the price of lunch at Sheetz and, I hope, some good company. The weather fouled our plans, so we opportunistically trained me on a FAA certified simulator for another great price. Not free...but easily affordable. The sim was modeled after Piper Arrow, so I was able to start my complex endorsement work as well. Two birds, one stone. Love it.

What did I learn?

FLOW is important. The carb heat, landing gear, throttle, prop, mixture and flaps, IN THAT ORDER, left to right, to be managed in a well defined flow. There are some basic rules. They are simple, so this is where pilots mess up. In the end, its not simple, without FLOW and a little knowledge of how the specific aircraft works.

Land Gear: landing gear down for landing, landing gear up after positive rate of climb on takeoff.
Prop and Throttle: avoid high manifold and low RPM (sometimes not...but more on that later).
Mixture: Adjust for altitude over 3000 AGL, Full rich on take-off and landing.
Flaps: 10 degrees on take off (for this aircraft...it is truck).

How did I take off? Carb Heat off. Mixture Full Rich. Prop Full RPM. THROTTLE to the Wall. After positive rate of climb, gear up. Confirm (visually) Now back over to the flaps. Flaps up.
Climb out? Technically, throttle should be brought back before RPM. Keep the flow, right to left. Throttle to 25" MP. RPM to 2500. Adjust Mixture.
Cruise? Throttle to 24", RPM to 2400. Adjust Mixture.
Slow Cruise? Carb heat. Throttle to 18", RPM to stay. As plane slows, Throttle to 20". RPM to stay. Check Mixture. Trim.
Descent? Throttle to desired descent rate, assuming no airspeed change. RPM to stay. Adjust mixture periodically.
Landing? Reverse direction with one slight alteration. Carb Heat. Do this now while the exhaust temperature is still hot. Flaps (10 degrees). Landing Gear. Confirm. Mixture full rich. RPM full. Throttle as necessary.

Now. Every senior pilot is going to have a different flow. Every plane may have variants in the POH. Here are some considerations:

(1) On a carbureted engine like the Lycoming in a Cessna 172N, any RPM setting is not going to stress the engine for any throttle setting. Go ahead, ask Lycoming. I know one pilot that keeps the throttle at the top of the green (around 25") after climb out and does not move the throttle till landing. Cruise is around 2100 RPM to 2200 RPM. This pilot knows his plane. He is extremely precise with the mixture and its effects on fuel flow. For best performance and best longevity, this is where the time and effort make the most sense. I would only follow this procedure on his plane. I am too new to this business to do anything different than what is in the POH. If you are curious if this fore-mentioned pilot runs ROP or LOP, I do not recall. I will find out.

(2) Why flaps and gear down at the same time? Simple, it cancels out the flare when 10 degrees of flaps is added. The aircraft just slows down and stays in near perfect trim. This is critical in instrument flying. Sure, gears could go down earlier. Many planes support gear down and higher speeds than 10 degrees of flaps. If a I remember correctly, the gear and speed should be adjusted at the FAF and held in a controlled descent until either the field is identified or a go around is initiated. In either case, a different configuration takes place at that point. Slow aircraft can adjust this model so they do not hang in the lane from the FAF to the field. One idea I am exploring is keeping the speed up, not going to gear down configuration until DA or reaching MDA. I shall see what my mentors have to say about this. It is still a controlled descent...just a tad faster.

(3) For the sake this discussion, I did not include gas tanks in the flow, just mixture. For example, Cessna 172 POH has the tanks set to Both for take off and landing. I believe the Arrow is Left take and landing, and right for second half of the flight. I need to confirm this. I also did not include other critical check list items such as fuel pumps. All important. However, for someone new to complex aircraft, the flow described above is critical to understand and deserves special attention.

So where am I going with this blog. Well. I am going to make an attempt to back fill lost lessons in both private and instrument training. I am also going to move forward with more exciting flights.

At the moment, I have some time to backfill. You see, I am grounded. Ruptured Ear Drum.

Will Obama's visit ground local operator during visit to Martha's Vineyard?

2009-07-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

Boy, that would be a bummer? This has been a cold year for the island as it is. With a short summer and troubled economy, 10 days of no-fly TFRs would hurt local operations. AN open mind would permit some choices here. For example, the government can say 'sorry' and do what they have to do. The government could implement some sort of security plan that would restrict flights in and around the island to approved operations using a security coding scheme similar to three airports within the DC area (costly for one 10-day trip). However, the procedures could be repeatable for other future occassions at other locations. The government could take the money it would use to pay for such a complex security operation and hand it over to local FBOs, compensating them for their loss. Yeh, right!

Flying expenses and student/instructor tension

2009-07-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

My instructor and I ran into some scheduling snags over the last month. With him going away for a large portion of the summer, we both decided it was in my best interest to pair up with another instructor. In addition, there were some personality issues that was inhibiting me from making some bigger steps towards being a certificated pilot. From what I hear, it is not uncommon. The aircraft is a terrible classroom. The instructor and student must 'gel' to get the most effective instruction. In the last couple of months, we were not communicating well. Add to that the stress of finances, lost opportunities and the general stress of flying, the efficiency of instruction was going south quickly. Time to move on.

The money issue is really starting to take its toll on me. My music earnings are half of what they should be. I can thank the economy for some of it. Some of it is due to my lack marketing efforts. Marketing takes time. For every five hours of marketing, I may get one gig, paying around $100. Consider each gig is minimum of four hours of work (regardless of how long I play) and there is always travel involved. It just does not seem worth it. I could justify the time in the past because I love to play. That being said, if I spend time marketing, then I do not spend time flying.

After dumping three grand into car repairs and tree removal, and forking out money for summer camp for my son, I am starting get anxious about flying. I cannot quit now, but the costs are prohibitive. I do not mind the instructor costs. I would pay instructor costs for any new endeavor, whether it be for golf lessons, drum lessons, whatever. The rental fee for a Cessna 172 runs around $115 to $135 per hour wet. Even at four dollars per gallon of gas, burning close to ten gallons an hour in training, that is still a jaw-dropping large fee. By the time I get my certificate, I will have flown close 65 hours. The notion that a private pilot license costs under $7000 is ludicrous. It is not possible unless a student enrolls in a three week 'all or nothing' immersion program.

I keep looking for a way to cut the costs of flying. In the end, if GA is to be 'saved', then the industry, as a whole, should change it's attitude towards student pilots, not trying to use them as a money bag to prop up the industry. In addition, I think, with all the controlled air space out there, the LSA market is never going to be very big. The money being dumped into does not seem justifiable. It may show some spots of success in states like Florida or in the western states with wide open spaces.

At this point, I would be better taking the family on a vacation in the west for two weeks and finishing up my flying out there where rental and instructor fees are lower in cost. Get'er done!

Ahh, the voice of reason

2009-06-19T10:51:00.000-07:00

In Government Executive, the DHS inspector general stated that GA terrorism threat is "mostly hypothetical". Richard Skinner also said "The current status of [general aviation] operations does not present a serious homeland security vulnerability requiring TSA to increase regulatory oversight of the industry".

The key thing to remember is that the backing analysis is attempting quantify risk, making it measurable against other areas of security risk. There is always risk. It is matter of determining the level of effort and cost associated with further mitigation of each risk. Richard Skinner uses the word 'serious' as a very lax reference to the weight associated with the risk. In the end, he provides a distilled conclusion not in opposition what many pilots call 'common sense'.

132 Ways to Restrict our Freedom

2009-06-17T11:46:00.000-07:00

In his New York Time article A Threat in Every Port, Dr. Lawrence Wein provides a summary of his path analysis on bomb delivery to a US city. In his final sentence, he writes:

But its bigger task is to turn that analysis into action, initially by stepping up the screening of air cargo, better monitoring domestic flights by small planes, and improving the ability to detect highly enriched uranium and fissile material at sea.

The second item, monitoring domestic flights by small planes, does not sit equally with the other suggested actions. Consider that land borders are the LEAST controlled elements of our nation. They are hard to secure. Immigrants and illegal substances make it into this country every DAY. Once in, a van can move substances just about every where. For example, it could be driven into a parking garage of a major building in a big city without much notice. A small plane entering class B airspace without a clearance is going to get noticed. Most cities reside under class B airspace. Perhaps he thinks this is an easier target. However, the author states the terrorists will find alternate paths, so easy does not always mean cost effective. Within the last few years, a small plane can not get close to the monuments in DC. A few years ago, a disgruntled citizen drove a farm tractor into the tidal basin, IN THE MIDDLE OF MORNING RUSH HOUR!

I would like to see some domain experts weight the 132 paths. I think it is necessary before recommendations are made. Before this is done, such analysis can only be deemed incomplete.

I can think of quite a few benefits to increasing land border security. It seems to me, this would be a better use of American dollars than going after GA.

This suggestion does not mean GA cannot be involved in the security of America. I have yet to see a comprehensive online training course offered to pilots on how to notice suspicious behavior and provide guidelines on how to help provide security of small air fields. There does not exist a 'hotline' concept or set of procedures for reporting suspicious behavior other than reporting unsafe, accident or incident activities that violate regulations. Let us use the best and most widely spread GA resources, namely FBOs and pilots. Many of resources are already in place to do this. The communication channels and procedure are not!

Ah hah

2009-06-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

After a scheduling mishap on Monday, I decided to return the airport on Friday to get some practice time in the pattern. Geoff, my other instructor, wanted me to do no-flap landings. I did not recall doing that, so I invited him up to come up with me after I went out for a 'warm up'. I picked up Geoff after performing 3 short field take-offs and with standard landings. Other than repeatedly forgetting carb heat, I was doing a fine job...until Geoff got into the plane.

I started a normal takeoff with Geoff. We went around and I executed a fine no-flaps landing. I had gone through all the check lists properly (except that carb heat). Geoff was thinking that one more time around would do it since I was flying so well. That is when things went south. On a no-flaps landing, the trim is considerably different. I did not retrim the plan for take-off. So when Geoff asked me to show him a soft field take-off, naturally I botched the procedure. The trim made it difficult to keep the nose down while building up airspeed in ground effect. I had to apply more forward pressure than I was expecting to.

After fixing the trim, I proceeded to do a soft field landing. In prior soft field attempts, I did not have a much of problem. I never bothered to practice them. With higher density altitude and 225 extra pounds in the airplane, I did not demonstrate anything but a THUD. Geoff flew the next round, demonstrating to me what he wanted to see. I watched closely to everything including the power settings. Geoff then had me go around again. In my second attempt, the soft field take-off was fine, with the plane now trimmed properly. The second landing...THUD. So much for soft! At this time, our empty stomachs and the heat were annoying us so we called it a day.

I tried to analyze the situation, asking questions about how much power (1700 RPM maybe) is required for a soft field landind. Geoff kept saying "provide as much power is necessary". I needed to fly the plane on to the runway. It is like flying with the wheels on the ground.

I went out again on Sunday night. This time, the density altitude was higher and the weight was lower. The power setting requirements for a soft field were completely different. It is at this point that the message Geoff attempted to convey to me sunk in. I did not need as much power and my landings were SOFT. I was having a blast, and remembering carb heat.

I was going to go for four landings until bambi decided that 34 Right was a place to park him self. I hear all sorts of deer strike stories. None of them sound good. I kindly notified the tower, waited until they had me and the deer in sight, and then proceeded back to the tie down spot, scaring the deer into grass towards the adjacent runway. I doubt the deer lived past that night. Once deer get into an airport area, they are often terminated.

So, once again, I had some 'ah hah' moments: checklists (keep on them) and do what ever it takes to fly the plane (power, trim, yoke pressures) on to the runway. Obviously, these are broad statements about concepts that I have encountered in prior flights. There comes a time where things start coming together, when the words become actionable, when and a student pilot just 'gets it'. I believe I am at the moment.

Oral Exam Preparation: Day One

2009-06-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

Today, I started preparations for the Oral Exam. We started preparations by going over some of questions concerning aircraft maintenance and pilot certification. I even read through a couple A/Ds.

I have been able to take advantage of knowing every maintenance issue with the plane I fly since I am almost exclusively the only pilot using the plane. Any maintenance and A/D compliance does not go unnoticed. However, if I ever rented another plane, I would definitely have to add in extra time to inspect the aircraft logbook. N2229E's log book is organized and without error. I wonder if other logbooks have the same organization and completeness. As with most regulations, compliance can mean many things. In general, compliance does not address intricacies of indexing and organizing records. Rather, it addresses methods of compliance and completeness.

After some ground school, we went flying. It was distracting having an instructor in the plane again. It increased my work load and made me appreciate the work load I will incur when taking on passengers. During the flight we covered the following items.

(1) Slow flight with standard 2 minute turns.
(2) Power-off Stalls
(3) Power-on Stalls
(4) Instrument Flying, with lost procedures, turns to headings, airspeed changes and altitude changes.
(5) Soft Field Take off
(6) Short Field Take off

I made some minor mistakes, listed below.

(1) In a short field take-off, flaps are not required in the 172. The round out (Vr) is 55 KIAS, hold the speed at 59 KIAS as soon as practical until clear of the obstacle. Weight and density altitude determine the length in distance to reach these INDICATED speeds. I used flaps and then needed to apply soft field techniques. This is not a bad thing, as short fields are often soft fields. However, I need to recognize the difference.
(2) When doing pattern calls, saying 'turning to base'. Use 'entering' only when entering the pattern like 'entering at 45 to downwind for runway 22'.
(3) I tend to use long base approaches to establish a nice stable approach. If an Engine fails and there is wind, I will not make it. My instructor wants me to pull it in a bit tighter.
(4) I tend mush around a bit while preparing to make altitude changes. If a altitude change notification is given by 'ATC' to descend or ascend, immediately establish a 500 FPM vertical velocity through power changes and trim. Do not exclusively dive and do not pull up. Both cases change the forward velocity of the plane, faster or slower respectively.
(5) I usually respond to unsighted traffic calls with 'looking for traffic'. The correct phraseology is 'negative traffic'.

If today's flight was my check ride, would I have passed? Yes. However, I am not going to settle for that. I want to be instrumented rated, which requires an increased level of accuracy. As my instructor says, he wants me to "kick some ass". I am on it.

Milk it for what it is worth

2009-05-24T05:10:00.001-07:00

A River snakes through the mountains in large S turns.

I went on my long cross country flight on Friday, May 22. My route began at Manassas, leaving through Fluky towards Cumberland, Maryland. From Cumberland, I flew down to Luray and then back to Manassas.

The cross country flight represents a balance between meeting the 14 CFR 61 requirement, learning new things and enjoying the benefits of flight. My plan was to make every penny spent on this excursion have significant value. I flew to airports that I had not visited, while not venturing too far from Manassas. I wanted to meet new people and have a complete experience. Looking back, my plan worked out perfectly. It was the people that I met on this trip, not educational elements, that made this trip memorable.

Starting with the perhaps the more boring elements of the trip, lets look at the flying challenges. These airports embody the challenge of a cross country flight, crossing over mountains and confusing terrain. These airports are much smaller than others that I had visited. Luray has a small runway (3125 x 75 ft) with trees on the south end and does not have any lighting such as a PAPI or VASI. Cumberland's runway is about two thousand feet longer than Luray, but the airport is nestled up against mountains in a small canyon and the runway is on a little hill. As I approach Cumberland, I recall the runway rising to meet me. Cumberland has a PAPI and I was on the glide slope during the approach.

I flew on a warm day, around 25 degrees Celsius. That made it a bit more fun, as I had to take off and land on a shorter runway with a higher density altitude. I did not worry about landing. The Cessna 172 that I fly has 40 degrees of flaps, if needed. I can put the plane on the numbers and stop within 150 feet. Takeoff is different story. I did not have any trouble. I just had a pause as I stared down Luray's runway 4 at the trees on the other end. I pushed in the throttle, held the brakes firm and prepared for the take-off. I was off within 1000 feet without issue.

Navigation was fun. My plan was to head to Airlie from Manassas and then up to Cumberland. This put me clear of the SFRA and the lower ceilings of class B. I missed Airlie and then started my trek about 10 miles to the west. This means that I will arrive south of Cumberland without correction. Guess what! The wind correction was off and I arrived about 5 miles south of Cumberland. I had much better success with Luray, except that the NDB I used as a guide was not giving accurate readings on the ADF. I had to ignore it. I could not even hear the station identifier clearly, so it was not usable. At one point, I used a VOR to verify my position. I had dialed the frequency incorrectly. If I had to not verified the station identifier, I would have been a bit confused. Coming back into Manassas is fairly easy. I get a bit agitated as I near the SFRA. I often just turn off my course and head to Warrenton. I know the route and distance from Warrenton well and I can provide Potomac Approach with an accurate identifiable position.

That sums up most of the educational elements of the trip. I found the cynical pilot sitting on the bench watching traffic at Cumberland amusing. He questioned my right pattern approach to runway 23. My answer: It is an uncontrolled airport, I wanted to stay clear of the power plant and the hospital, I wanted to assess the runways before landing, I announced my intentions during the approach and landing, and there were no planes in the area at the time. No problems that I can see.

In Cumberland, after chatting with the cynical pilot for a bit, I was ready to search for a snack. At the same moment, a couple from Cleveland were on a similar pursuit. Mark and Yvonne, a professional pilot and a professional photographer, graciously invited me to join them. I rarely ever turn down an opportunity to meet new people. This was perfect. Mark and Yvonne were finishing a days worth of aerial photographer, ready eat and then return to Cleveland. We had a wonderful time trading stories (not all pilot related). Though Mark's fish dinner was forgettable, I hope the occasion was memorable for them. I snapped a picture of them, decked out in their nice polo shirts with their company logo (as Mark is pointing out in the picture). Check out their website: Focal Plane . I am sure they would love visitors. Yvonne snapped a picture of me in front the Cumberland terminal. Thanks again Yvonne!

Yvonne and Mark

Ready to leave Cumberland

In Luray, I met an old friend of Geoff Petterson, the owner of the plane I fly, named Kenneth Painter. Ken recognized the plane immediately. We chatted for a bit and then were distracted as state trooper, enjoying his one holiday week-end off in the year, came in to show us the sophisticated control for his radio-controlled nitro-fueled helicopter. It is a nifty device. After a bit of stalling, I decided to get off and return to Manassas. Thanks to the Ken for his hospitality. I will return there again, with friends!

The Single Hanger at Luray

Departing Luray

Touch and Gos

2009-05-23T06:21:00.000-07:00

I see people do touch and gos all the time. My instructor always has me do full stop landings. I was not sure if that was policy, insurance or wisdom, but I listened. The other day, by myself, I decided to do one touch a go. This was not some sneaky attempt. I really felt that I should practice this maneuver. Why? Well, I had it in my head that perhaps it is maneuver that could be used to get off the runway quick while still having sufficient speed when, lets say, a deer or another plane meanders onto the runway. I discovered touch and gos just do not work well in that setting. In a small plane like the Cessna 172, it is easier and safer to just stop in a hurry. There is less danger smashing into a deer while slowing down on a runway then pulling out of ground effect too soon and stalling 50 feet above the runway. So, that will be my last touch go for a while.

At the same time, I heard a pilot announce that he is coming into airport area to land from the South. I was taking off to the South, but my intention was to North. I had already announced this earlier, but he must not have heard me. I kept heading south a little longer and got above pattern height before beginning my turn. I still did not see him. As a reached 90 degrees into my turn, I saw the other plane. It was a large turbo prop or small ject (probably a Citation but it had a Canard look to it) also turning parrellel to the runway. The pilot had announced he was entering downwind. I was not sure if the plane I saw was associated with the call, . It was downwind, but high and another mile out. The pilot must have noticed me or heard my call when I began my turn, so he inquired about my intentions. I told him I was on a downwind leg at two thousand and heading North. I made sure he new I was a Skyhawk. I also stated that I had him in sight. He sped way ahead of me, looped in front of me and did a long final (suitable for a much faster plane).

There was little danger in this situation. Thinking back, I wish I had waited 20 seconds more before turning to the North. Had he been a slow plane closer into the airport, this could have been a more dangerous situation. Proper communication in this situation was critical.

The Death of Commercial Airlines

2009-05-18T07:01:00.000-07:00

In Pilots’ Lives Defy Glamorous Stereotype author David M. Halbfinger writes

The National Transportation Safety Board’s inquiry into the Feb. 12 crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 outside Buffalo has highlighted the operations of the nation’s regional airlines, a sector of the aviation industry that has grown to account for half the country’s airline flights and a quarter of its passengers.

The details of that world have surprised many Americans — the strikingly low pay for new pilots; the rigors of flying multiple flights, at lower altitudes and thus often in worse weather than pilots on longer routes, while scrambling to get enough sleep; the relative inexperience of pilots at the smaller airlines, whose training standards are the same, but whose skills may not be.

Well, I can believe it. The commercial airline industry has been struggling to hold down costs for a long time now. Guess what? It is reaching a breaking point. Costs must go up to support the airport fees, maintenance fees, fuel, and the salaries and benefits of all those involved in the commerical workflow, including ground crews and air traffic control. The improvements in efficiency has reached a local maximum. It is going to require big changes in technology and processes to make the next leap into driving down costs. The industry does not have the resources to make such a leap. Costs must rise or something drastic must occur.

If I may make a prediction. The airline industry is on borrowed time. Rail is coming back and going to rescue the transportation industry. Flying will be reserved for the wealthy. Smaller FBOs with fleets of smaller turbo props and light jets will recover and thrive in the failing commercial market.

Suggestions? Yeh. Control fuel costs. Drop them in half and watch the industry bounce back in a big way. And, once that occurs, then make industry INVEST in more pilots, less hours, and better benefits. Make them do it through CULTURE and PRESSURE. Make the penalties for failure bigger. The bottom line, start with fuel but do not end there.

Ready for the Big ONE

2009-05-12T16:47:00.001-07:00

I went on my last 50 plus nautical mile cross-country today. I decided to return to Shenandoah. It is a short trip over the mountains. I just love passing Old Rag. I passsed it from both sides--south side on the trip out and north side on the trip back to Manassas.

As for learning, the trip was routine. The only hiccup, which I remedied before it became an issue, is the ADIZ flight plan. The FSS filer was 'new' to the procedure and had me taking off and landing at Fluky. Funny. For those who do not know, Flucky is a virtual gate into the Washington DC SFRA. I got a little confused with the VOR coming back. I just did not have the radial picture in my head. I followed a 250 radial FROM the station on the way out to Shenadoah. A little math, the radial back should be 70 TO the station.

My last landing at Manassas stunk. The wind picked me up so I had to add some power. I settled gently to the runway at about 10 feet from the center line. Woops.

So, with the second cross country complete, it is time to plan for the big 150 plus trip. I have not decided where to go. It depends on the the weather. I have alternate plans for EACH direction from Manassas. This includes to the east of Manassas, which I will avoid if any of the restricted areas become active. I would love to head out to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware.

Below are some pictures from today's excursion. The observer should notice that the clouds are really close. At one point, I was at the same elevation during my mountain passage. I had to pay close attention to avoid the clouds, per regulations. These clouds are small and harmless, but there is no need for me to pass through them. I managed to snap a picture of a friendly passer-by.

Clouds

Old Rag (south side)

North Ridge

It has not been that long

2009-05-09T05:30:00.000-07:00

I flew two times since my last post, doing pattern work. The first of the two session was just plain bad. I was hot, uncomfortable and impatient, as the airport was busy and the temperature was pushing 92 degrees Fahrenheit. Yesterday was much better. I controlled my speed, did not have ANY bounces. All landings were soft and short. The short-field take offs were smooth and controlled. There was no wind and the air was comfortable. I practically had runway 16R to myself.

My next flight should be to Shenandoah. After that, I need to tackle night flights and finish up the instrument training. Stay tuned.

My latest aggravations in the air industry:
* Piper Aircraft sold to Imprimus, stationed in Bangkok, Singapore. Just piss away another American company. At least there is promise in the American made Lopresti Fury as the king of Sportsters for planes.
* User Fees, User Fees, User Fees. Obama supports User Fees. If the cost flying is not enough. Sure, they are post-poned for possible introduction in 2011. But, a footnote...geezzzz, thats low. Uggh, politicians and their little foot notes! It is a method of creating a paper trail indicating that either the political pressures to make a firm decision now are not strong enough in any direction or politicians want a back door to their typical mistakes.

The Hunt

2009-04-25T06:07:00.001-07:00

While a directionally challenged pilot from Maine blundered into the SFRA without authorization with his small Cessna, bringing fear to Washington DC and forcing a military confrontation of grand proportions, I was hunting for grass runways. The poor guy at TRACON must have thought I was nuts, zig-zagging all over the place. I met the guy from TRACON assigned to my sector a week before. I aim to bring amusement.

So what's with the hunt? Well, it is a lesson in diversion if required, such as mechanical problems or other such matters such as closing down airports or airspace due to crisis. Grass strips are not easy to see from the air. Below is the sectional with the strips I needed to find. I found 4 out of 5. I am determined to go back and find the other one. I snapped a couple of pics also shown below. I included Airlie, even though it was not one of the five I needed to find.

Sectional

AVIACRES

Horse Feathers

Airlie

This adventure was great. I used may skills: pilotage, dead-reckoning, instruments, slow flight, and steep turns. I used the VOR quite a bit. I first dialed up 270 on the Casanova VOR to find Horse Feathers. When I passed and did not see it, I headed up to Airlie and then headed south (190 degrees magnetic) till I found Horse Feathers. Airlie was easy to find and acted as great starting point. Once I found Horse Feathers, the other two neighbors were easy to see. Warrenton has nice big checkered red and white roof on a nearby hanger.

To find the southern airports, I first centered the needle on the Casanova VOR (TO) and flew until the TO went to FROM (passing over the VOR). I then headed 215 degrees magnetic to find Pleasantdale (using the VOR 'FROM' on the 215 radial). I missed it and circled a few times before giving up. I then went after Berryvale. The way I found that was interesting. I found Culpeper and then flew 280 degrees until I saw the radio tower and then looked around the tower. The sectional shows the little Tee-Pee looking mark near the airport.

The sectional also has a circle on the NAILR NDB. The point of this exercise is to fly with the ADF needle pointing up (to 0 on a ADF without a compass card) until the needle flips to point behind the plane. Done!

My adventure was near the SFRA line! Did I blunder? No! Sorry Mr. Maine pilot. I know our government is over-zealous in their expensive response to your ingress into the SFRA (there is no easy way to call you up and inquire about your intent). However, most people in this country do not see it that way. Most people instead look at you, Mr. Maine pilot, as the problem. That means that your mistake puts a blight on the general aviation industry. At this time of economic crisis and a country on the verge of pushing legislation for GA user fees, such mistakes have huge ramifications.

PLEASE! Pilots flying in or near the SFRA, pay attention. If unsure, turn around and LAND!

Potomac TRACON Operation Raincheck & ADIZ/SFRA

2009-04-22T05:44:00.000-07:00

My son and I went to the seminar last Saturday. Any event with donuts and hotdogs is a great event in my son's eyes. When flying out of Manassas in the SFRA, sometimes I feel Potomac is a barrier to entry. My instructor keeps telling me that Potomac is a service like other Tracons around the country and should be treated as such. He is right. Ultimately, Potomac Tracon keeps the skys and the underlying greater Washington DC area safe. With respect to the FRZ, I have no desire to fly over monuments. Even if it was allowed, it seems like it would be an awfully congested airspace with Reagan National traffic and all the other potential sight-seeing pilots.

Part of the presentation included numerical facts about number of accidents and number of deviations over that last five years. As one would hope when such a service is put into place, the numbers went down drastically. Part of this is due to better pilot education. Part of this is due to improvement of the service. Part of this is due to fear of the SFRA.

When it comes to the SFRA, I think I am not alone when I question the amount of freedom within the zone that is granted after a flight plan is filed. My plans usually entail a direct ingress or egress through Fluky. What if I want to squeeze between class B and the FRZ to go north? What if I wanted to fly east, squeezed between class B, FRZ and some restricted areas? After the seminar, I feel that these routes are possible with a proper a plan and communication. Although, Tracon will not route GA traffic between class B (Dulles) and the FRZ during peak times.

Most of the time, VFR traffic is handled by two or three dedicated stations. This makes me feel that, if I needed the service, I should not hesitate for a flight following. From what I could tell, during a peak Saturday morning time, the controllers are well within their capabilities to handle it. The controllers were friendly, professional, relaxed and very efficient. Even the hand-offs were a work of art. I have experienced hiccups in the service, even with my low time in the plane. That never gave me warm fuzzies about how things are handled. Now, I feel a bit relieved, meeting the controllers and watching them work.

I noticed a few funny things that seemed odd to me. The ticket dispensers at each station are not used. There is still a set of professionals that handle the clearance calls (IFR and VFR), get the ticket and WALK it over to the controller who handles the sector that plane flies through. I also noticed that, for VFR traffic requesting ingress to the SFRA, the DEN mother needs to be consulted if a plane does not call to open a plan within 15 minutes of the SFRA flight plan start time. The DEN mother needs to look up the N number, as it is not directly available to the controller. This means walking away from the station. It is only a few steps away and the radio is never left behind. Still, odd. After letting these observations stew a bit, I realized that this is not all bad. Technology is not everything. These direct interactions may dispel some confusion and are less likely lead to issues of when pressing the wrong buttons.

Dual Cross Country Radio Mishaps

2009-04-21T06:17:00.000-07:00

My instructor and I flew from Manassas to Chesterfield County and back. It took me a while to figure how to summarize what I learned from this experience. Most of the 'problems' involved the radio and communication. The flight started with my instructor's headset jacks malfunctioning during the initial startup procedures. He spent the whole flight giving me hand gestures and listening to the speaker.

The next issue was a strange conversation with ground. I did everything right at the time, so I was confused why the conversation had so much confusion. I had radioed ground, detailing who I was, where I was, and what I wanted to do. The ground ignored the 'where' and the 'what' for a moment to inquire about my equipment code. I replied Uniform. This means I have a transponder with encoding altimeter. Ground then asked in a excited voice of disbelief: 'You do not have transponder'? Weird. I replied, 'Yes, I have a transponder with altimeter encoding'. The reply: 'You do not have altimeter encoding?'. Me: 'Yes, I do have a transponder with mode C' (same thing). Ground: 'You do or do not?'. Me: 'Do!'. Silence. Then ground replied with frequency and transponder code. I replied with the verification and then questioned ground if they cleared me to head to the runway. Once again, ground barks at me that they have not granted me clearance to taxi. I could not remember with all the confusion, so I asked. Ground apparently did not like that. What a mess!

Why did this happen? Well, it took sometime to put the pieces together. The mistake was partially mine. When filing the SFRA flight plan, I forgot to mention to FSS that I had a pre-stored plan. The stored plan had the information, including equipment code, for the plane. FSS created a new plan but DID not inquire about the equipment. Had they inquired, I would have caught on to the mistake. So the new plan was submitted without the equipment code. I later learned that there was an error in the prestored plan as well. It contained an equipment code Golf (for GPS). This is due to maintaining compliance with SFRA procedures when flying out of Leesburg.

The radio issues did not end here. Chesterfield County radio was out along with their ASOS. I used Richmond's ATIS for surface information and then picked the runway I liked the best, making the appropriate pattern calls. No one was responding.

Coming back into Manassas, we were an hourly early. It took me a few times, stating 'we are an hourly' to Approach, before Approach found the return SFRA flight plan and cleared me to enter. I explain why in a future blog. I always notify them around Warrenton. It is a good place to land if clearance is not granted. It is close to Manassas, so I could get a ride back.

Crosswind Landings

2009-04-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

I soloed today for the second time. After all the crosswind work in the past, my instructor raised my limitations for flying in wind to 15 KTs and 10 KTs crosswind maximums. During my flight, winds were at 13 KTs with variable direction changes resulting crosswind components between 8 and 11 KTs. Very close to my limits!

I went around the pattern once, landed and called it a day. One landing was enough. My landing was fine. With the higher airspeed, I had to hold the plane in ground effect longer, with the wing banked into the wind, as the plane slowed down.

This flight was sort of a test. My instructors were watching from the ground. The test was NOT to see if I could fly a pattern in this weather. The test was to see if I new when to call it quits. I did. I passed.

Some other tidbits:

There was a larger multi-turboprop engine plane in the runup area. I pulled into the runup behind but off to the side of the plane to accomplish three goals. (1) The pilot of the other plane could see me. (2) I was no where near the prop blast. (3) I did not get in the other planes path to the runway.
Airspeed must be maintained in winds. I kept the flaps at 10 degrees until just about crossing the threshold. I had plenty of runway and I was go to use whatever I needed. I never exceeded 20 degrees of flaps. My airspeed at the time of crossing the threshold was still 70 KIAS. Ground speed was a but slower due to the wind.
Good communication avoided any confusion about changes to my pattern today. Ground control directed me to 16L. When ready to takeoff, the tower asked if I was using right or left traffic. I stated left. The tower then cleared me to cross 16L to hold short of 16R. I verified this clearance. When cleared for takeoff on 16R, I reaffirmed with the tower that I was going to use 'right hand' traffic pattern, as I am now taking off from the other runway. Tower kindly explained that they would direct me to 16L for landing, using right hand traffic. Good to go!

Thoughts about the Stolen Canadian Cessna Lands In Missouri

2009-04-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

Lots of noise about this recent incident. It looks to me like the system worked. No one was hurt physically and the problem seems to be adequately assessed by our military. Sure it is expensive. What is the alternative? We have freedoms in this country we need to protect. Canada has similar freedoms to protect. In the USA, TSA is already requiring more documentation and more controls for smaller airports and the planes stationed there. The new procedures are a preventive strike against an incident which has yet to occur since 9/11--someone using a small plane as a destructive weapon. The line on how much security and infrastructure is needed is subjective at this point: cost vs. freedom vs. tangible threat is hard to balance here.

Can security from small aircraft threats be trusted on the vigilant GA pilots? In many cases, yes. A watchful eye is maintained by many pilots. Pilots are trained to be observant. They are protecting themselves, their planes, their passengers and their freedom. We do not hear about all the incidents adverted by GA pilots in the news. Boring stuff. Instead, news jumps on incidents such as the this latest one that required military involvement. I can tell you that FBO personnel at airports are watchful and observant. Many times it is out of pure curiosity. Either way, they see things. That's what we want. That is what TSA is asking FBOs and pilots to do. It is being done. It is working.

Now, let me address a few crazy comments found in the news with no factual basis.

Why are some people even suggesting this a government sponsored test? It serves no purpose to speculate in this direction without sufficient evidence. It's pure paranoia.

Based on scientific evidence, the FAA has established that oxygen is required by pilots at altitudes greater than 12000 feet for over 30 minutes. This guy was way above that for longer. Seems like oxygen deficiency is plausible. Why do some people doubt? This guy obviously had a deficiency of some kind, regardless of oxygen. In a stressful situation, the pilot practically shutdown mentally.

Why are some people complaining about the key left in the plane? If someone really wanted to take a plane of this size, a key is not required. The key is a simple deterrent. That's all. It is fairly simple to 'hot wire' a Cessna 172.

Could an explosive be placed on plane like this? Yes. Nothing of great size. Hopping a fence with a 100 pound bag is hardly easy; it's a bit risky if the intent is too complete an act of violence. Heavily loaded, chances are the plane of this size would not have made it to any critical destination with a heavy load. I would think that a terrorist organization would take an approach that has better chances of success than a guy hoping a fence to steal a little plane. Maybe I am wrong.

In the end, I can understand not leaving things to chance. I understand the show of concern. But we should look at the problem objectively. The best thing to improve is educate pilots and FBO personnel on what looks suspicious. I would not mind having a training like that. I do feel empowered to stop any threat to property or persons. As a pilot, safety in all aspects of aviaition is tantamount.

Why did I not fly today?!

2009-04-07T06:23:00.000-07:00

It is not that windy: KHEF 071255Z AUTO 29009G14KT 260V320 10SM BKN065 05/M05 A2955 RMK AO1

I have been having trouble sleeping so I have been staying in bed longer. This has cost me two opportunities to fly this week already. With these fast moving fronts, the opportunities requires me be ready to get the airport when on short notice. I just want to fly the pattern. Sunday was a beautiful day to fly. I designate most Sundays as family day and I have not flown on Sunday as of yet.

The weather man last night stated that the low pressure area in the north east was pushing wind down to the Mid-Atlantic region. Normally, low pressures tend to suck the wind into the center from the tracks parallel to the isobars, not pushing it out. However, the weatherman said something about rapid heating and cooling of the ground that results in a change to the direction of the wind. My guess is the lifting action of the heat from the ground is offsetting the wind. It is pretty dry here so the cloud cover is high and sparse, allowing more sun to penetrate the atmosphere and reach the ground. The thunderstorms have been quick and weak. I think the high winds has helped keep the tremendous updrafts of thunderstorms to a minimum. I remember hearing recently that thunderstorms do not occur if the rising moisture cannot reach to -10 degree Celsius point in the atmosphere.

Anyway, I plan on flying the next two days: solo pattern work and a cross country to Chesterfield County, VA. Stay tuned.

Did Eric B or Eric Bruce ace the PPA knowledge test?

2009-04-04T17:22:00.000-07:00

Depends on the perspective. My Medical Certificate, my Birth Certificate AND my US Passport claim that Eric Bruce passed. Since I only entered my middle initial when applying for my Virginia State Driver's Licence, my driver's license and my FAA knowledge test results claim that Eric B passed. What's the difference? The FAA clearly states ( in the last three weeks or so ) that exam proctors must only present the knowledge test to the person whose name EXACTLY matches the name on the presented form of picture ID. Today, that was my driver's license.

What happens next? Not sure. Probably nothing, but I am irritated. The posting page for the exam results CLEARLY request Middle Name, not Middle Initial. This is consistent with the FAA Medical Request Form. But, my proctor MUST match the name EXACTLY to my ID. So, we were FORCED to change Bruce to B. I now have a smaller middlename according to the FAA. Identify Theives!!! Leave it to another technocratic government body to further confuse the issue.

I am a software programmer by trade. I spent two years cleaning up data for a data warehouse. I understand the need for clean consistent data. But there comes a point where simple cleansing rules are required, such as matching the initial B to Bruce. Now, if I decide to become Eric Bruce again, the paper work would be enormous because the FAA cannot hire a descent engineer to write a routine that says IF the user provides ID with an INITIAL for the middle name and the initial matches the presented Middle Name, then consider this individual identification as consistent. Duhhh!!

Anyways, I passed, and I am relieved that this part my journey is over. I just want to apply my knowledge now. I found both ASA Prep Ware and Sporty's $10 online test and practice tools instrumental in my success. Those tool's rock!

My family was happy for me, making me a nice card.

Bird Smells

2009-03-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

After cleaning out the bird nest in the empennage, I was able to fly three times in the pattern. Even though I wore rubber gloves, I could smell bird on me the rest of day.

The flying felt great, so it was a fair price to pay. The wind was 8 to 12 knots and the direction was variable from 300 to 350. Fun stuff. My instructor pulled the mixture abeam the numbers for a simulated engine failure. I had no issue landing in this scenario. It was my best landing out of the three. I had to consult to POH upon completion for verification. I was under the impression that the 65 KIAS was applicable to 'best glide' at 10 degrees of flaps. It is not. 60 KIAS is used for up to 20 degrees of flaps.

When establishing 'best glide', it is best to avoid flaps until the landing point is picked and assured. Up to 15 degrees of flaps is mostly lift. After that, it is pretty much all drag.

I also worked on soft field take-off. It just feels so odd to push the nose down when flying so close to the ground. The idea is to stay in ground-effect waiting until the speed reaches 61 KIAS. It is more pressure on the yoke than I expect. I will get used to it.

My instructor and I postponed the night excursion. Bill needed to get current. We thought about having Bill make three full stop trips around in the pattern and then picking me up. With sunset at 7:30 PM EST, regulation mandates that he not take off until 8:30--one hour after sunset. The means we cannot start flying until 9:00. That is a bit late.

Another good day for crosswind landings

2009-03-21T17:12:00.000-07:00

My intention for flying yesterday was simple. I wanted to solo in the pattern again. This is confidence boosting exercise as much as it is practice. With winds at 10 to 12 knots and gusts up to 20 knots, this outside my comfort zone to fly solo. Luckily, Instructor Geoff sat with me. No earth shattering lessons to report on cross wind landings. Been there, done that. Just need to firm up the skills as expected. Just a few tidbits to remember, as follows:

(1) Announce to the tower the intention to land, even in the pattern, as soon as mid-field. I tend to wait till the plane is abeam the numbers.

(2) If I am in the glide slope, do make power changes until over the threshold.

(3) Do not be so quick to add 20 degrees of flaps until on final when a strong wind is present. Judge the ground speed (as it is slower) and the glide slope. Just make sure the the altimiter is in the green (65 knots) but do not assume it is correct (TAS) with a wind.

That is pretty much it. All my landings were safe. The last one was a bit odd, as I reduced power too soon and rapidly lost airspeed in the flare. Luckily, I recovered fairly well with a firm (no bounce) landing 5 feet off the center line.

A have minor correction for a previous post. I mentioned, on an ILS approach in IMC, the copilot takes control of the plane once the runway is in sight. I investigated this procedure further and it is not a strict procedure. It depends on the airline or organization. For example, military pilots do not do this. The reason, I am told, is that the copilot may trim the plane differently, and unless they have flown with the same PIC along time, they would need to adjust. This is not a good thing 600 feet above the ground in a jet at 150 KIAS. It was funny, because I noticed my instructor trimmed the plane different than I. I tend to add a little more elevator trim so I can fly in 20 or 30 degrees of flap, and gain airspeed quickly. With Bill's trim, I felt the need to use 40 degrees of flaps to get the plane to 60 KIAS. My reasoned approach to trimming the plane comes from two considerations: (1) most planes do not have 40 degrees of flaps and (2) one should never retract flaps once added in order to gain airspeed. The risk of losing lift at the same time can and often does have detrimental effects.

First ILS Approach

2009-03-19T09:04:00.001-07:00

I know what some pilots may be thinking. Why is a twenty-some hour student pilot flying an ILS Approach? Well, my enthusiasm and my instructor's optimism got the better of us today. FSS declared 'VFR not recommend'. The fog looked like it was burning off quickly, we had 5 plus SM visibility at the airport and a thin layer of fog above us. We could see the Sun poke through. We decided to go flying. Now, I could pin this on my instructor as his misjudgement. But, at twenty some hours, the student has to start learning to be firm with his decision making. I should have called off the flight.

So the 0.6 hour flight was short. After taking off from Manassas and turning to our Westerly heading towards Fluky, I climbed to FL020. What I saw for many miles was a blanket of white. Not even a spec of ground. Disorienting? Somewhat. I kept thinking that I was flying to far South and had this strong desire to turn right. Before we reached the edge of the SFRA, my instructor radioed approach control for an ILS approach back to Manassas, confirming that the plane is instrument certified.

The conversation between us and Potomac Approach was a series of exchanges, confirming altitude and heading changes. At the time we were west/south-west of Manassas, having taken off from 16L (heading 160 degrees for non-pilots). We were vectored northward (360 degrees) climbing and holding FL027. My instructor, Bill, maintained 105 knots, keeping the carb heat on. Speed is important since we were the slowest thing out there. To not hold up traffic, Approach brought us in tight to DORGE ( the middle marker ). I am not entirely certain of the distance but I believe we picked up the localizer for 16L at around 3 to 4 miles out, so we intercepted the glide slope pretty close to DORGE. That leaves plenty of time for a small slow plane to nail the glide slope at FL027. Since we were vectored into the proper altitude on glide slope, we did not need to dial up ARMEL on the 227 radial for positioning.

The fog was breaking at around 700 AGL. On a faster plane, the PIC is flying instruments while the copilot is looking for the runway. As soon as he sees it, the copilot takes over so the PIC does not have to readjust his vision ( a couple seconds at this point is too long ). Although not as smooth, Bill and I did roughly the same thing. Once I had the runway in sight, I took control. Bill had plenty of time as we are SLOW. It is more a matter of learning crew resource management.

In crew resource management, I did not sit idle while my instructor followed vectors to the glide path. I looked up the localizer frequency, kept checking the directional gyro, looked for traffic, and made sure the checklists were followed: carb heat on and landing lights on.

All in all, still a good lesson.

Honest Self Assessments

2009-03-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

I have been nagging my instructor a bit about flying in windy days rather than the perfect days. The point is simple really. There is always wind and, when I earn my private pilot certificate, I want to be able to fly in those conditions confidently. This week's flight was supposed to be another solo flight in the pattern, but as luck would have it, winds where up to 15 knots with gusts up to 20 knots. These conditions exceed the constraints placed by my instructor upon solo flights. I got my wish. My instructor and I flew the pattern for 6 landings. The lesson was gift!

My landings were not perfect. Two were on the center line. The rest were not. I overcompensated for the wind in most cases. The wind kept shifting. The average wind direction was about 10 degrees to the right of the runway center line. The aircraft never once was in an uncrontrolled dangerous state. Safety over beauty first. I flew the plane to the runway. I never gave up control. So, in the end, both my instructor and I were pleased with the entire lesson.

After ever lesson, my instructor and I discuss my performance, the good, the bad and the ugly (not much of those thankfully). These discussions sound a bit odd at times. My instructor is very cautious to provide an honest well-rounded assessment. The point is to not discourage a student, but to clearly point out areas of improvement. I generally find myself walking away from these discussions a bit frustrated. It is no different from the way my son feels when we talk about his performance in Tae Kwon Do. The lesson can be good but there is always areas that need improvement. These assessments are critical to understanding a pilots skills and limitations. There is no place for over-confidence or a boosted ego in the cockpit.

Some of discussion with my instructor, both before and after the flight lesson, focused around future flights. I wanted to jump into night flights since I have completed two cross country flights. I wanted the next two or three cross country flights to be night, with and without foggles. Following similar lines of thought with flying windy conditions, I wanted to make sure I had sufficient skill to fly at night so I can start going on longer trips after attaining the private pilot certificate. For example, I may want to leave after work and fly to Connecticut to see my parents for the week-end. See the trend here? I want to make sure I have sufficient skills to do any kind of VFR flying within the contiguous United States as a private pilot. My instructor kindly tried to point out the error in my thinking.

The key word in my goal statement is 'sufficient'. When a 16 year old American earns his driver's license for a car, the kid simply cannot have the skills to drive in every situation. It is this reason that good parents and guardians do not just hand over car keys without restrictions. For example, I did very little night driving in the first month of my license. When I wanted to take my friends to a concert in Hartford, my father and I drove the route first. I needed to buid up some experience and familiarity with the surroudings. At 16, I was good driver. My father gave me many opportunities to drive under supervision, like driving to New York to visit his brother, or up to Massachusetts to see my grand parents. I even drove in snowy conditions, rainy conditions, and congested conditions. Even with all that practice, as a newly license driver, I simply did not have all skills to manage the workload all the time.

My Kung Fu instructor states that any skill requires ten thousand hours to become a master. I probably have close to that in drums. I know I have that in driving a car on the street. I definitely have that in my profession. So, a 50 hour pilot is by no means a 'skilled' pilot and very far from a master.

So what does a private pilot license gain someone? Sure, from my perspective the regulations are pretty open. There is a lot of space below 18000 MSL. However, just like a licensed car driver, regulations have some general statements concerning placing people and property in harms way. The private pilot license gives one the freedom to expand their skills. When the ink is wet on my license, will I have sufficient skills to fly at night to an airport over 300 NM from my home base, around some very busy airspace? Not by my definition of sufficient. Sufficient to me means that, unless the conditions are unusual harsh and completely outside my control, there is no chance of me harming person or property as PIC. A clear weather flight to uncharted territory at night carries quite a bit of risk for a new pilot.

It is this point that honest self assessment of skill is critical to survival. Baby steps are required, allowing the pilot to expand skills incrementally to deal with increased work load encountered in new environments. Case in point, night flying is only three to four hours of training. That is not much training. Best to do a trip several times during the day prior to attempting at night.

In the end, my windy conditions flying felt great. I suprised myself on how well I did. I also was pleasantly humbled on how far I need to go. I look forward to the journey.

Oh Shenandoah!

2009-03-04T14:01:00.000-08:00

Not the song. The park!

Today I chose Shenandoah Regional Airport as the destination of my second cross country trip. FYI, I will address the altered syllabus in another blog.

It was a great day for mountain flying. The small mountains were covered with a white coat of snow. It was a beautiful clear day with minimal chop. The East Coast hills are not as grandiose as their West Coast cousins. However, they have their own beauty and can be appreciated at lower altitudes with less wind.

Going to Shenandoah from Manassas, my instructor and I maintained 6500 feet on a direct heading from the Casanova VOR. I even did some simulated instrument time. Not enough to take away from appreciating the view.

Resting at Shenandoah

On the return flight to Manassas, I took advantage of my instructor's presence by releasing control of the plane to snap some pictures of the valley and the airport.
The mountains

The airport

Coming out of the valley, I climbed to FL055 to get over the mountains and then came back down to FL045 to make a parallel track along the mountain range so I could get a picture of Old Rag. I then resumed course, on the 259 degree radial, TO Casanova while descending to FL030. We followed much the same track as the outbound flight with a slight detour to Warrenton as Potomac Approach waded through the barrage of traffic calls and verified my SFRA flight plan. Old Rag

As any student adventure, today's journey was loaded with simple lessons. The biggest and most humbling lesson is to continue to prioritize and manage the workload.

Other lessons include:

(1) As part of cockpit management and crew work load, I began to announce flight level changes and communicate my intentions. For example, coming into Manassas, there was a Bonanza over taking us and a chopper at 12 O'clock holding 1200 MSL. I informed by instructor that I was heading for FL020 to let the faster Bonanza fly over us as the chopper maintained altitude and flew to the East.

(2) I still get a bit excited prior to take off once I land for a 'break'. Today, I forgot to put the mixture to full rich when starting at Shenandoah. I nearly forget to switch the transponder to Mode C when leaving Shenandoah. With all the excitement, I forgot to pull the Carburetor Heat upon approach to Manassas. Where are my check lists?

(3) I witnessed my instructor communicate with a plane leaving Shenandoah as we arrived. The conversation included items like location, intentions, visual recognition etc.

(4) My landings were OK. It is easier to land when focused on pattern work. Today, I did not hold the center line with the little bit of crosswind. It comes down to the fact that I begin to doubt and over-think my ability rather than just 'fly the plane'. I should not be analytically be saying to myself 'apply right rudder and bank to the left'.

(5) I failed to refer to my careful flight plan at times, forgetting that I do not need to rethink things. I did my homework, so use it! This includes setting flight levels and following compass headings.

I did not have the same anxiety coming into the SFRA. I was on top of all the conversation. The only thing I missed was the change of personnel at Potomac. My instructor picked up the voice change and new it to be a sign of overload even before the operator announced that he had five calls waiting for clearance and patience was required.

For the next time: check lists, check lists, check lists. I am going to be MUCH MORE VIGILANT about check lists on take off, approach and landing. I will not allow my self to forget anything even in a high workload setting.

SOLO!

2009-03-02T16:11:00.000-08:00

It was great!

I had original planned a cross country to Shenandoah Regional. It was good for my second cross country. I had already filed two SFRZ flight plans, egress and ingress the SFRZ. My instructor did not mention soloing. He wanted to work on ground reference maneuvers, something I had not done yet.

We left Manassas and headed south to our practice area. We practiced a simulated go-around and then proceeded to find an object to circle around. I found an old silo. I had some trouble with this maneuver. I had been reading about the Eights on Pylon maneuver (a more advanced maneuver not required for a private pilot) and had it in my head. The techniques are different, so that created some issues. A constant radius is not necessarily maintained around a pylon. It is also more difficult to maintain altitude and airspeed in the pylons maneuver. “Turns around a point” does not require a constant bank angle. It does require a constant radius, altitude and airspeed. It is critical in turns around a point to adjust the bank angle to compensate for wind. In the pylons maneuver, the adjustment is to the radius to maintain a pivotal altitude.

Consider that Pivotal Altitude = (Ground Speed2 /11.3) + Field Elevation. Speed is Va. Ground speed changes require adjustments in pressure: Ahead of the pylon, back pressure to tighten the turn; Behind the pylon, forward pressure to widen the turn (decrease pitch resulting in decrease pivotal altitude). Bank angle can change per pivotal altitude based on how close a plane is to the pylon. The pivotal altitude is maintained, but the altitude for the entire maneuver changes.

The next maneuver I demonstrated was S-turns along a road. I did not make the same mistake, so that went fine. At this point, I wanted to go back and correct my mistake in the ‘Turns around a Point’ maneuver. It is the musician in me that will practice the same pattern forever until near perfect. My instructor had other plans.

He wanted me to take him to Culpepper. In the back of this mind, he was thinking if I could not land the plane without assistance I was not ready for solo. I had no issue. My instructor shook my hand, signed my log book and medical certificate, and off I went, three times in the pattern at Culpepper.

Here are my observations in this grand occasion. First and foremost, I was not nervous. Not a butterfly. My first time around was not very square but the landing was fine. I noticed immediately that plane felt different. It is amazing how one less adult in the cockpit can change the dynamic of a small plane. The plane felt more responsive and more unstable at slower speeds. My second time around, my landing was a little fast but I nailed it. Third time around, same issue and I ballooned. I was going to apply power and adjust. I decided that the balloon was too high and a go-around was in order. The fourth time, again, no problems. Had it been cold, I am sure my instructor would have given some sharper jibes about the go-around (in jest, I assure you). He just chuckled at me and said that he did not see any issue with the landing. He and I both knew that I could have put that plane on the ground. I just wanted to put it down gently and I was not in mood for a mishap on my solo flight. It was my first unassisted go-around in an actual landing…good practice.

At this point, it was time to journey back. I took breather, grabbed a candy bar at Culpepper and returned to the plane for the flight back. I said I was not going to stress about flying through that 8 NM wide 500 foot corridor back into Manassas, but I stressed anyways, slowing my response time. The result is my landing at Manassas was off center due to slow compensation to a cross wind. I got “behind the plane”. My instructor made comment on this to me. I have a love/hate attitude toward such comments. A student pilot sometimes gets behind the plane, and we know it. So is the comment necessary? You bet it is. The day when my instructor does not make comments is the day that I start feeling like I can fly safely. It is a gage and a damn good one. The musician in me responded as expected: I requested a dedicated flight lesson to cross wind landings where the crosswind component is close to but not over 10 knots. Practice, practice, practice.

There are probably and handful of traditions on first solo flights. The celebration was losing the back of my shirt to scissors and marker, and then a celebratory meal of McDonalds (first time in 6 years for me…and the last time, I hope). I was wired the rest of the day from all the excitement!

Get Your Glass Archer awarded

2009-02-28T18:29:00.000-08:00

Ahhh mannnn!

That was my plane. Well, a 25 year old woman from my cousins' hometown of Hopewell Junction, NY is not a bad winner. I would say she is more deserving winner than I. And that plane...that wonderful Piper is ment to be flown. It is a fantastic plane. I have a fascination with low wing planes and will get trained on a complex one (variable pitch propellers and raisable gear) as soon as get my private ticket.

Next year, AOPA gives away a Cirrus SR22. I have looked at one up close and can tell you that it looks amazing. However, regardless of all the 'safety' features it offers, a new private pilot has no business flying such a plane. It is a complex aircraft suited for a pilot with many many hours of flying. You can argue with me all you want, but I will not be convinced otherwise. I just hope that the winner is either a person with many years of experience or has enough sense to sell it.

Stayed tuned for a new post really soon. I have much to say and pictures to show. I am just patiently (not really) waiting for the pictures taken from another person's camera to make there way into my email box.

To Gerry Connolly concerning H.B.451

2009-02-19T07:18:00.000-08:00

A bill treating a set of aircraft as a luxury subject to luxury taxes. Please do not support this bill. It is completely arbitrary and makes little sense. Consider that a small four-seat Cessna, Sirius or Piper can cost upwards to $350,000. These planes typically cannot hold more than 1200 pounds include passengers, baggage, and fuel. They cannot exceed 18000 feet above mean sea level (most commercial traffic flies above this). Their cruising speed is generally under 200 knots and they do not have bathrooms.

Consider a typical scenario where an executive needs to get from DC to LA (and back) for a meeting without missing half a day of work. There is only one option: use a small business jet. Consider the number of flights companies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac performed in a short period of time to get in front of bankers to talk face to face during both restatement and this economic mud slide we are in now. These flights were absolutely critical to keeping people informed and moving bankers away from the panic button. Consider that economics has its own controls.

As costs rise, companies are naturally going to choose those options that best meet their needs, including virtual conference rooms, shared business class commuter flights, and trains that provide overnight services and meeting rooms so entire teams can travel without missing much work.

Consider that ALL major plane manufacturers are suffering. They may not be in the headlines like GM, Ford and Chrysler. However, there loses, relative to their size, are nearly as significant. They do not see themselves in the luxury business, nor should they anymore than someone buying a BMW over a Toyota or Honda.

Consider that this bill has two functions, to try curb corporate spending and to try to raise money. The former makes little sense, as the government's function is not govern corporate spending. Thus, this bill can only be attributed to a government's desire to obtain more money. The government must first look at it's own spending.

There seems to be a cultural shift to blame 'luxury items' (e.g. a plane) as a factor in the economic struggles we know face. A plane is a SMALL (tiny, minuscule) part. You look around the VA area and you can see other parts, like new buildings, large campuses, over-paid executives with large homes.

The best way to battle our crisis is through culture. Build a culture of saving. Build a culture of not supporting products or buying stock in companies with over-paid executes. Build a culture where companies are evaluated on sound business practices. Purchasing a plane, or leasing one, makes sense in many cases. Lets inform the people and let them decide. A new 'tax' bill is not the way to do this.

Thanks.

Radio Madness

2009-02-17T18:06:00.000-08:00

I completed my first cross country today from Manassas to Charlottesville and back. As can be expected, the challenge is not the navigation or any of the physical flying. Instead, the challenge is with all the radio communications that need to be performed along the way. It is not that any of it is hard. Rather, it just, for not doing it before, it was quite a bit.

Getting out of the ADIZ (sorry SFRZ...but more on that in just a bit), is easy. I have been filing SFRZ flight plans for a while. Once out and released, transponder on 1200 and monitoring 121.5, I need to open my first VFR flight plan. It is not hard, but I need to release the airplane to my instructor to get things together in my head:

"Leesburg Radio, Cessna Triple Two Niner Echo, on One Two Two point Six". I could have just called 122.2, but I knew the correct frequency and I clearly identified what I was up to. FSS may listen on different frequencies. If I called on 122.2, I would probably have identified my location instead (South West of Manassas for Charlottesville).

After that, those FSS people guide me through the process (really helpful!!!).

Now, this did not go without little hitch. I attempted to call Leesburg Radio twice. Why? Well, I had dialed the correct frequency in the radio but neglated to swith from radio 2 to 1. So Potomac Approach got to hear my first request. Dumb student.

Coming into Charlottesville, I dialed up a VOR and set the OBS to 2.5 degrees. When the line centered, I knew I was approximately ten miles out I could call the tower. I had information prior to the call, punching up the ASOS for Charlottesville. Information was Charlie.

"Charlottesville Tower, Cessna Triple Two Niner Echo, 10 miles North East with Charlie, To Land".

If I did not state 'Charlie', the tower would have said something like "29E, proceed to 3 left traffic and ident, you have information Charlie". What I got was "29E, proceed to 3 left traffic and ident". For students, ident is just pushing the 'ident' button on the transponder so your aircraft "stands-out" on their radar.

I usually get confused when the tower starts blasting traffic calls. I believe my instructor likes me to respond immediately. I really cannot stand this. I would rather take 5 seconds to look for traffic and then respond "traffic in sight" or "negative contact" (to differentiate the traffic NOT in sight, as the NOT can be missed).

Landing at Charlottesville, I decided to close the flight plane via phone. I could have just radioed 122.65.

Coming back from Charlottesville was fairly uneventful until I was 4 miles from the SFRZ. I contacted Potomac Approach:

"Potomac Approach, Cessna Triple Two Niner Echo, over Casanova for Manassas". PA could not find my flight plan, forcing me to divert towards Warrenton. Once the flight plan was found, it was the usual rush to punch the transponder code and start looking for traffic. There is always traffic. Again, the same issue I always have. I would say I see that traffic 50% of time within 10 seconds of the call!

Once landed, I was pretty beat and really pleased. I learned alot and did some great flying. What a fantastic day. Visibility was amazing. Coming back from Charlottesville, I maintained altitude at 045. So, is any one suprised that it took me 45 minutes to close the flight plan? Anyone? Just as I was calling FSS, the tower was on the radio with my instructor (he was taking another student), asking if the flight plan needed to be closed. I felt like an idiot...still do.

Radios were not the only element packed with lessons. At Charlottesville, I was directed by a airport personel using the red light and hand signals. I new my signals, so that worked out great.

In flight planning, always get winds aloft and never calulcate in a tail wind, unless to calculations are applied. Never assume a tail wind, especially when budgeting gas.

I came back from Charlottesville, dialed into the Casanova VOR. The purpose of the exercise was not to chase the needle. Rather, to see and adjust the planes flying with respect to wind.

So, back to the SFRZ. Every contact with FSS I was asked the same question, am I familiar with the SFRZ. Now, SFRZ and ADIZ rules are identical as far as I know. They are required to ask since SFRZ went into permanent effect today. It is forbidden to use the word ADIZ any more. It is formally a Special Flight Restriction Zone. Those poor FSS guys. The last thing they want to do is play cop trying to find a pilots who neglected to take a 30 to 40 minute on-line SFRZ training course. That is not me! Anyway, I try to look at the bright side. It get tons of traffic calls coming in and out of that narrow Flucky gate...my favorite thing. I feel real safe knowing all the pilots, to get out of Manassas quickly and easily, follow the same route, following the railroad tracks. I especially like the pilot I followed today who came up from underneath me, rose above and then dropped 800 feet. Nice.

BTW. I did fly last Saturday and I am officially ready to solo. I wanted to share the experience with my two instructors and wear the appropriate shirt, so I opted to wait, practicing 180 degree power-off landings instead. Yeh, I know it is not required, but what better way to work on emergency glides!

GA industy is fighting back.

2009-02-13T13:59:00.000-08:00

Seems like the GA industry, with its back being pushed against the wall, is starting to push back hard.

AOPA helps balloon operator hit with $8,000 tax bill

Cessna counters critics with new ad series

Proposed GA security regulation criticized in Congress

TSA actions in Nashville cause concern

On the flip side, the FAA is going forward with the SFRA around DC, despite request of re-evaluation from AOPA, local FBOs and local GA pilots. Still no sufficient proof of threat without the ADIZ of efficacy of the SFRA.

Now I am considering whether I should have permitted the TSA to inspect my birth certificate. It just does not add up. I cannot solo without a medical certificate. I cannot get a pilot's license without FAA certification. Why does TSA need to be involved in this process? I will go through regulations again and I will not be so compliant the next time TSA comes poking around without sufficient justification and cited regulations. If I was a commercial pilot, then maybe. But I am just going for my private ticket. Crazy.

So, I think I convinced my instructor that a cross country to Cambridge, MD from Manassas, VA would be a good experience (not the first cross country). I get to fly across a big body of water. I get to fly below class B air space. I get to navigate across the ADIZ. I get to call FSS and determine the activity of several MOA and Restricted areas south the route. Go ahead and look at the sectional to see what I am talking about. In the end, I want to know how to get to Ocean City, MD from Manassas VA for the day without having to go up and over OR far down and under the ADIZ. I just want to fly EAST. That's the freedom I talking about.

Other news: I have not flown in a long time. Weather, sickness, family vacation and a broken front wheel strut have wrenched my training. I am very discouraged student at the moment.

Too sick to fly

2009-01-23T17:48:00.000-08:00

The weather is frustrating enough. Having a fever for four days straight while the outside exhibits great flying weather is driving me insane. I will not have a chance to fly the next two weeks. This is close to a full month of no flying. Crap!

I try to be ambitious when I am at home sick. I try to read a good book, write some letters, whatever. This week, I made an effort to learn about weather, watching some training videos. I am not talking about the exciting stuff like reading METARs, TAFs, PIREPS, AIRMETs, etc. I am talking about the basic weather: fronts, adiabatic processes, lapse rate, fog, isobars, etc. With a fever, I think I got through 1/4 of the instructional video on every attempt before falling asleep. I just cannot get into it. I know that I need to understand weather to be a safe pilot. But, gosh, the subject can be soooo booorrring. It is more fun reading pilots arguments towards LOP/ROP. This is a fun heated debate. I personally have looked all the information, in there is a strong case for LOP in a small carburated engine. However, if you are renting, then just follow the POH recommendation unless the owner says otherwise!

Some good news came today. I have my medical certificate. Yahoo! It only took three months. I am sure CAMI is glad that it is done as well, because I called one a week for the last three months for a status check. The answer was usually the same, "it is being looked at now". Boy, the MD who looked at my medical information most have found it intoxicating to have spent three months looking at it "now".

Other good news, Obama's organization is halting the progress of last minute regulations. Perhaps this ADIZ will eventually go away. While they are at it, perhaps they should look at some restrictions on when TFRs are to be used. There seems to be an over zealous use of TFRs as of late. I am not saying we have reached a critical point yet, but the direction of TFR use is approaching ridiculous (weddings and such). I would even go so far as to say that some basic freedoms are being compromised.

Here are some thoughts running through my head tonight.
* Not keeping the tanks full in the winter can lead to a serious side effect. Consider condensation forming and then the water freezes in the line. It may be undetected if the fuel selector is on BOTH and one wing's line is frozen. Without proper consideration, the pilot could be running into a low fuel situation as one tank empties and an imbalance in the weight of each wing as the full wing tank just sits there, untapped.

* Low temperatures can result in an increase power output of the engine. Extended use of this new found power is not necessarily good for the engine.

* If the belt in the front of the plane breaks, will the engine still run? Heh, this is not a serpentine belt like on my GMC truck. If that breaks, the truck does not run. The belt on a plane breaks and the engine continues to run (magnetos!). So other than a hopefully detectable noise of a belt break, how does the pilot know the belt broke while in flight? The ammeter will show a loss of power. This can also occur if one of the two leads to the alternator break or come loose (like the ground). During flight, the belts primary function is to power the alternator. The pilot shutsdown the alternator switch and fly on batteries. Shutting down unnecessary lights and radios is good thing to do at this time. Also, consider not using flaps until landing is assurred, as flaps need those batteries as well.

* The engine of a single engine plane is not centered perfectly. It, and the prop, are at angle. This is difficult to see unless the cowling is pulled off. The reason is to deal with the P-factor (the downward rotation of the blade is at a higher angle of attack, this providing more thrust than the upward side).

COLD and quiet day before the inauguration

2009-01-16T19:28:00.000-08:00

Planes tied down at the airport were moved into hangers to make room for incoming fly-ins. The temperature was well below freezing. The wind picked up to 12 knots with peak gusts at 22 knots. I wanted to fly, but I wanted to stay warm and safe too.

So what does a student do? Well, we spent a little time preparing for my first country. The rest of the time we spent looking at some plane engines (a Piper Malibu and a Piper Warrior ). Why not get a little education on the systems that power the plane?

It was cool to contrast the two engines. In this case, the little Piper Warrior was a small four cylinder aspirated engine. The Malibu has a six cylinder fuel injected engine with a constant speed propeller. So here is a run down of things I learned in no particular order.

Magnetos:
* Both planes have two magnetos, as one would expect, and both have keys (unlike the dual engine cousins). This is important, because the key, in the 'off' position grounds out BOTH P-leads attached to the magnetos. If one of those P-leads breaks (it is thin wire...they break!), then simply turning the key to 'off' does not shutdown the engine. This is one good reason to cut the mixture when shutting down the engine. No gas, no run!
* Aptly name, the magnetos are left and right, on the left and right of the plane from the pilot's perspective and directly tied to the the 'left' and 'right' on the ignition switch. Turn the key to left, that grounds out the RIGHT magneto, and vice versa.
* When starting the engine (yes with the key) ONLY the left magneto is operating (assuming the ground is working). The reason is quite simple. Engine timing of a four cycle engine is such that the spark ignites when the piston is close to but not at the apex of its climb to the cylinder head. This is called ignition timing (remember hearing something to the effect of 20 degrees of top dead center in My Cousin Vinny? Sure you did). When the engine runs really slow (as in starting), ignition can happen to soon. So the left magneto has a impulse coupling (a spring loaded device) to alter the timing during ignition.
* Now here is where it gets interesting (well, if you are into this stuff). If you look at the wires to the spark plugs from the magnetos, you will notice the right wires go to the top (two, three) plugs on the right cylinders and the bottom plugs on the left cylinders. The left is in reverse. This is key (heh...foreshadowing;-). When priming the engine, the primer dumps gas into the cylinder head. The primer tube looks like a small fuel injection line. As you might guess, too much priming results in too much gas hanging out at the bottom part of the cylinder (cylinders are horizontal to the ground). This means the bottom spark plugs may get too much fuel and ground out. So, when starting, often times only the two LEFT cylinders will begin working because the LEFT magnetos provide the spark for the top left spark plugs. Now, Lycoming is not stupid. They often provide primers for only a subset of cylinders (skipping one or two on the right). This insures that some right cylinders are not flooded, pulling the gas from the carburateur. Once the ignition goes to BOTH, the top RIGHT spark plugs start igniting gas and then engine stops sputtering around.
* Fuel injection does not use primers. Fuel is injected into the cylinders. However, they do have an air pressure system that dumps air into the cylinders from the intake manifold. This serves the usual purpose as expected. In addition, these tubes maintain a fairly constant pressure in the cylinder so gas does not back up through the fuel lines.
* Turbochargers found on carburateur engines are driven by exhaust gases to turn a turbine. The turbine's primary function is to help maintain pressure within the carburateur, allowing the plane to fly at higher altitudes. The Warrior did not have one of these. It did however air conditioning. How convenient!

Ahh...so much more to tell. I will provide another post in a day or so. Spoilers: Not all planes have EGT thermometers on all the exhaust pipes. There are some easy ways to tell if there is a leak in the exhaust pipes. It is just plane stupid the use the throttle to dump fuel into the carburateur unless the purpose is to burn out the air intake.

Where is my thick skin when I need it

2009-01-09T18:19:00.000-08:00

I am an aggressive person when it comes taking on new challenges. However, my expectations of myself and the people involved in such endeavors is very high. When others do not meet those expectations, I get frustrated. When I do not meet those expectations, I go a bit beyond frustration, which removes some of capacity to take on new information. This behavior must change. It has no place in the cockpit.

My instructor and I had a miscommunication in the cockpit today. It derailed me a little bit because my instructor seemed stuck on one concept. I understood the concept and moved on to another concept. The reason is that my instructor thought I said one word (dive) instead of another word (diamond). For a few seconds there, it was almost a 'who's on first' mishap. I do not need to go into details. The truth is, part of me was annoyed that my instructor did not show awareness of the miscommunication because he lacked confidence in my ability to access and quickly correct. It seemed a bit insulting. Hence, I need thicker skin.

There is no way I am going convince an experienced teacher and professional pilot to perhaps give me the benefit of the doubt in situations such as this. I tried and failed. There are few reaons for this. One, it matters little in the big picture. Either way, I made a mistake followed by a correction. So what if are perception on how quickly the correction occurred varies. Two, instructors cannot play guessing games or make assumptions. Three, experienced pilots are a stubborn lot, as their compromises can cost lives.

I figure I am well on the way of becoming a good pilot. My skin is getting thicker and, due to urgency demanded by my instructor, I am reprioritizing things to meet those demands.

My instructor says it best, the cockpit is a horrible classroom.

Not all people are cut out to be pilots. It is simply one of toughest things to do. I was trying to think of what personality types work well as pilots. I know this one person who is a building architect. He is great thinking on his feet, maintains knowledge of a ton of regulations, is commanding in his decisions, has broad technical knowledge including physics, and he has a firm grasp of procedures and priorities. He would make an outstounding pilot. If I could just harness some of those qualities.

Anyway, todays flight was full of events, as usual. Never a dull moment re-entering the ADIZ. Traffic coming and going, radio alive with chatter. After a hour of flying, my brain is fried. Coming into the ADIZ is an overload. I am thankful my instructor had us land and take a break in Culpepper.

Today, per my request, we worked on slow flight, forward slips, emergency procedures, steep turns, traffic patterns, and ADIZ communications. Everyday is a day of working on situational awareness. I was really happy that I did not lose ANY altitude transitioning to and from slow flight. I stayed within 20 feet of 3000. With steep turns, I stayed within 100. I can do better. ADIZ communications I can handle. It is when the traffic gets a bit busy trying to determine what Potomac Approach is saying that I struggle a bit.

Uhhh tower, Cessna two niner echo on final for three four right!?

2009-01-03T17:15:00.000-08:00

Students can never get sick of pattern work. I am I right? At a business class D airport, listening to traffic is an experience in itself. Today was no exception. My instructor wanted to go over soft field landings and take-offs today. The fun began on preparation for my second trip around the pattern. After identifying kinks in my first attempts, I was ready to demonstrate a check-ride passing performance. At this time, the airport was buzzing with activity. I was waiting for Cirrus followed by a Citation short of the 34R. After the Citation cleared the runway, I was given clearance to take-off. No problems. My second soft field take-off went well. Things were quieting down. Somewhere around my turn onto downwind, the quiet was broken. The radio became active with conversation. Mid-field, still active. Abeam the numbers, still active. Turning to base, still active. At this point, the argument between the tower and a taxiing pilot was starting to get concerning. I could not interject and the idea of a go-around was crossing my mind. Turning to final, still active. Runway is clear. No traffic on approach and no other traffic in the pattern for 34R. I am still descending. Finally, a pause. The conversation is over! Quick, "Cessna two niner echo ON FINAL for three four right". Tower: "Cleared to land, three four right". Phewww!

Now, I am not making any judgements on the tower or the pilot involved in the argument. I will leave that to my instructor. It could have easily been just normal activity. Either way, it is a good exercise in patience and clarity for a student pilot. No matter what the situation, the wheels do not touch the runway without clearance.

So what of those soft field take-offs and landings? Forward pressure is required to hold the nose down during a soft field take-off after the mains leave the ground and before airspeed reaches at least 55 KIAS (Vr) or, better yet, 59 KIAS (Vx). This is an odd feeling. It feels like trying to push the nose back into the runway. But, it was easier than I thought and much more fun than a normal take-off. Short field take-offs are a bit different, requiring more back-pressure after reaching Vr.

Soft field landings made me look like I could land a plane smoothly. I am curious why I did not get this technique introduced earlier in the training. In my mind, it is much easier! With a soft field landing, a little power is used to keep pressure off the mains and hold the nose wheel till the plane is adequately slow to not cause damage or get stuck when the nose wheel contacts the ground. This little power maintains some of the four forces generated from the prop (gyroscopic, torque, p-factor and slip stream) meaning that the compensation for 'no power' is not so sudden. It is easier to hold the plane off and land softly with a little power. In addition, the student gets a better feel of the 'nose up' attitude, including the change in visual cues.

My instructor also provided some of these hints:
(1) When slowing the plane on downwind, use back pressure as the throttle is pulled back and then forward pressure AS the flaps come down. These combined and well timed movements will insure a level flight.
(2) Keep the plane slow on landing (65 knots) and, once over the numbers, start dropping the speed. To much speed raises the possibility of ballooning during the flare.

Next time: Short field landings and take-offs, review of emergency take-off procedures and, appropriately, forward slips.

Prioritize please!

2008-12-29T12:22:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, I made a very unusual mistake while playing drums for worship service. It was not that I forgot to turn on my in-ears monitor prior to clicking off the first song. That is not unusual for me. I have done it three times in the last year. Rather, it was that when I realized that I could not hear, I immediately tried to turn the monitors on. I did this instead of concentrating on the higher priority activity of playing the music. The band follows me. I know the song. I could play without hearing a thing for most of the song. But I did not do this. Instead, I reached over to turn on the monitor, missing the entry into the chorus, getting off on the time and nearly derailing the entire band. The bass player chuckled as he rarely hears me screw up. Laugh it up!

Today. I flew with a different instructor. I was a bit nervous as this instructor was evaluating my progress. I new checklists were critical in this evaluation, so I tried to be thorough in all cases. Every thing up to the threshold of the runway was near flawless. Tower clears me to take-off; I enter the runway and line up on the center line. I then proceeded to do a nice take-off. I am about 150 feet above the thresh hold when my instructor kindly states that the transponder is still on stand-by. It is set to the correct code, as I confirmed that with the tower. I neglected to do the last TLT (time, lights and transponder) check on the runway.

Now, here is the priority problem. I really wanted to release the throttle and switch the transponder on. For a second, my hand did leave the throttle, even with my instructor's advice to not worry about it 'now'. I was not in any critical danger. I had a competent co-pilot, I had a positive climb attitude, airspeed was well within the green and the airspace was clear. Had I been alone and a bird decided to end its life through the air-intake or the engine failed or a plane taking off from the parallel runway decided to slide over into my line of flight (that occurred later), then the transponder would not seem so important at 150 AGL. What seems as a small issue is super critical in these cases.

It seemed appropriate that, after this little lesson, my instructor wanted to practice aborted take-off procedures. The first time was too easy. I had the throttle back well before Vr. The second time, I was already 3 to 5 feet of the ground. As expected, I made a common mistake. As the power was cut, I did not compensate fast enough with left rudder as the gyroscopic forces, corkscrew and torque from the propeller were dampened.

All in all, this was a great day to fly. I got good feedback and my landings continue to improve.

Do not let the plane fly you!

2008-12-15T12:13:00.000-08:00

Planes are fairly responsive to input from the controls. For example, adding flaps without quickly compensating for a nose-up attitude change results in some undesirable increase in altitude. In general, I think I am a few seconds to slow on dealing with such conditions. A few seconds adds up to altitude changes over the 50 foot margin or error. In the check ride, this type of change is not indicative a pilot in complete control of the plane. It is nice to be at the stage of flying that my instructor is now focusing on these adjustments. This shows advancement in itself.

I am just starting to feel good about my increased flying capability and the bar is raised a notched. Thats what we, as student pilots, want. The bar must continously be raised until we can control the plane safely in different configurations such as sudden wind changes, turbulence, etc. However, it is nice to take a moment to look back and see how are a student has come. Becoming a pilot is a big challenge. I find I have to fight myself on getting discouraged.

The big take-away today concerns the stable approach method of landing. In this approach, the pilot focuses 10 to 15 degrees from the the nose of the plane at flare height. Looking TOO close results in a high roundout. Bingo. My problem in one sentence. Today, I focused farther down the runway. Just changing my focus had an immense effect on performance. I gladly say goodbye to the high round, bottom falling out, big bounce of landing. The plane is grateful too ;-)

too cold to fly, so why not a mock oral exam?

2008-12-14T13:57:00.000-08:00

Really, I wanted to fly. It would have been easier than dealing with my apparent lack of preparation. Yeh, I could tell my instructor the definition Vx, Vy, Va, Vfe, Vno, etc. Could I actually recite the values for the Cessna 172N? Nope. I remembered 85 KIAS for Vfe and 65 KIAS for best glide (roughly, given the weight) and the maximum of 160 KIAS for Vne. That's it. Why? Well, geee, when your flying, it is all pretty much right in front the pilot, with the exception of the weight to Va ratios. I could not explain why carb icing occurs other than it has something to do with the Venturi. Well, duuhhh! Also, I was really keen on designating everything below 14500 MSL and not class B, C or D airspace as G airspace. Why so simple mistakes? Because I skimmed EVERYTHING and did not really absorb details. There is a reason that a syllabus for private pilot is critical to a successful training program. There is just too much material to skim or absorb all at once (unless you have a photographic memory). For this cancer survivor (it is a bit lame, but I will use that as an excuse), I just do not have the retention I did five years ago. Besides, as a computer scientist, it is really easy for me to pick up new concepts after working with computers since I was 10. I have been only working pilot related activities since October. So I am going back and starting on a more methodical approach to studying the material. I am starting on chapter 1 through 3 of the my POH!

Tomorrow, whether I fly or not, I will have these details ready for recall and I will stick to the syllabus.

Fly Safe!

picking a school

2008-12-03T08:20:00.001-08:00

I am getting asked quite a bit on why I picked Rising Pheonix Aviation at Manassas for my school. Picking a school is not always easy. The cost of flying is high AND a student wants to get the best education for the price. With the rich set of material out there (DVDs, On-line testing and knowledge programs, books, audio tapes and CDs, etc.) the knowledge portion of flying is generally going to be the same regardless of the school. It really comes down to the student/instructor relationship and the scheduling options. My choice is based on the fact the Rising Pheonix Aviation instructors have become my friends through shared interests. I enjoy hanging out with them. Their knowledge and instruction skills are exceptional, backed by MANY years of experience. I get quality education and I enjoy the process of learning.

There are schools that specialize in pilot training (e.g. Aviation Adventures). These schools often have more flexible scheduling options and more CFIs to work with. These schools are optimized for quality and fast training. For most people, this is the best option. There are caveats though. Fast is determined by preparedness of the student and consistent scheduling. With consistent scheduling, it may not always be possible to work with the same instructor. For some students, this can be an issue. Dedicated schools provide the option for faster and more flexible training. The burden of learning still falls on the student to be prepared, consistent and on time for each lesson. Very few, if any, school is going to hurt their reputation by letting a student do a solo or check ride without being competent in the required skills.

In the end, the only advice I can give is to visit several different schools before choosing. The time spent up front investigating the best school for each individual is valuable, considering the cost of training. Meet the instructors, see the planes, look over the knowledge materials, look at payment options and look at scheduling options.

thank you WX BRIEF

2008-12-02T13:28:00.000-08:00

It is nice to have a briefer that provides feed-back for more efficient and clear processing of a flight plan rather than presenting a frustrated atttitude. At 7:30 in the morning, my brain is not necessarily fully engaged. It maybe understandable for student to forget to state that a pre-stored plan is on file and forget to to use UTC when discussing time (or specify the timezone used). However, this places a burden on the briefer to ask for clarification or make the determination. As a studious and humble pilot, I took the briefer's suggestions/requests seriously and, upon termination of the call, repeated back his suggestions followed by a gratuitous 'thank you'.

Today's flight rocked! We covered slow flight, standard rate turns (3 degrees per second) in slow flight, accelerated stalls, power-off stalls, slips, power-off best glide speed, engine failure on take-off, emergency landings, and go-arounds. The skills are coming together, making flying more enjoyable and less stressful.

Key "take aways":
* On a go-around, after applying power, close the carb heat to get every inch of power possible and then slowly lift the flaps once speed exceeds take-off speed. Do not let the nose balloon. If using 40 degrees of flaps, knock that down to 30 degrees immediately to reduce drag.
* It is embedded in my head, but always good to write down: when finding an ideal place to land in an a power-off emergency, do not pick a point moving away from you. It is simply not reachable. A reachable point is one that is moving towards you or one that is not moving at all.
* If landing on tree tops with passengers in the back seat, limit flaps to 20 degrees. When the wings crumple, the flaps could crush into the cabin, severely injuring the passengers.
* Accelerated stalls are most likely to occur when the nose is pointing down (relative wind is not perpendicular to the ground) as if landing or a quick drop in altitude. Pulling back to far on the yoke creates a stall condition. Almost all stall conditions result from too much back pressure.
* The most likely place for a stall is in pattern turning from base to final. Speed is slow (1.3 Vso) and the upper wing exceeds the angle of attack. I am speculating here, as I need to reread this, but the upper wing should drop. However, a slip can occur as the certifugal force is no longer balanced with the horizontal force (greater). The actions are to reduce the angle of the turn, increase the rate of the turn and ease up on the back pressure.

As I get closer to solo, I become less anxious or in rush to do so. I am sure it is different for other students. I am able to obtain more experience and go through more simulated emergencies at this point, since the basic skills are beginning to solidify. Every flight has increased value. In the beginning, I was more concerned about the time expenditure to solo because of the hourly cost and the general expectation to achieve that goal as early as possible. The first few lessons felt like big money wasters, as the skills seem to form VERY SLOWLY and the benefit seem so SMALL. Once skills coalesce, students accomplish more in each lesson and the perceived value increases dramatically.

trust but verify

2008-11-24T10:29:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-11-18T05:27:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-17T10:07:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

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?

2008-11-13T08:40:00.000-08:00

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.