Since the weather has been pretty decent in Virginia, you would expect me to have dedicated significant time to the Cardinal and working on my flying. You would be wrong. This month I have added a measly 2 hours to my logbook. One bumpy and windy flight from Lynchburg to Richmond.
I had a meeting and the weather seemed to suggest a good excuse to mix business with pleasure. The take-off and climb out from LYH was great and with a tailwind going west, the flight to Richmond was quick. Upon arrival things got interesting. First, I botched my descent from cruise altitude to pattern altitude. This necessitated a spiral just north of the airport. Thankfully it wasn't busy in the pattern so I was able to join at 1200 ft as required. I immediately noted a stiff direct crosswind (approx 15-18 kts)and I started to sweat. My pattern was brutal and the approach on short final was just as bad. The winds were gusty and I was having real trouble tracking the center-line. I decided to carry some extra speed (despite knowing that the Cardinal hates this) and found myself over the numbers at about 95 mph. I was trying for about 80 mph so I was far too fast, in gusty crosswind conditions and trying to force the Cardinal to land. Well...let's just say that I decided it was time to abort and go around. Full throttle brought a quick response and the Cardinal began to climb out of ground effect. The stiff wind made the second attempt challenging, but a safe (and ugly) landing was the result.
With the Cardinal in one piece, but my confidence shaken, I rolled up to the terminal ashamed of such shoddy pilotage. This is one of the great things about flying. It keeps one really humble. I attended my meeting and then departed for Lynchburg. The climb to cruise was busy with lots of traffic. Having flight following by ATC, I was thankful that they were watching out for me. A Mooney flew directly in front of me about 1000 feet above and even though we were both looking for each other, it wasn't until the last few seconds that we saw each other.
It was bumpy at 8500 ft but with all the traffic I decided just to stay put and ride it out. The airplane was flawless and despite the bumps, it was an enjoyable but longer flight home. A stiff headwind kept my groundspeed down around 85 kts. Upon arrival in Lynchburg the wind was gusty but almost straight down the runway. With 150 feet of width to work with, even I couldn't botch that landing.
As I shut down, fueled and covered the Cardinal, I was kicking myself for all the mistakes and my poor piloting skills. The crosswind landing in Richmond was outside of my comfort zone and would have challenged a really experienced and skilled pilot. I promised myself that I would not push the envelope that way again unless I am able to get in some dedicated crosswind landing practice in the meantime. That's exactly what I need...more time in the air to practice.
For the rest of this month I have been swamped with work and running low on funds. The boys school year is almost over so once that bill is finished I will hopefully be able to afford to get back in the air and ideally, start my Instrument Training.
Lord-willing I hope to complete my Instrument Training this summer and also make several trips to Southern Ontario to visit my parents. With work, seminary classes, and a busy family, it looks like it will be an interesting summer. Thankfully, my health is good and my wife is supportive. Great blessings abound.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Airplane Ownership: N29350
After passing my checkride and becoming the proud owner of a new Private Pilot's License, I promptly stopped flying. The stress and study and weather wore me down to the point that passing my checkride was like finishing a very exhausting marathon. Don't get me wrong, it was stimulating, challenging, fun, exciting, frightening and nerve-racking...and I still can't believe I am a pilot.
Perhaps the reason that I stopped flying for almost 3 months after my checkride has more to do with finances than burnout. I started to research the possibility of buying my own airplane early last summer. Endless hours surfing the web and I became a man possessed with trying to debunk the theory that it is extremely expensive to fly. I hatched all sorts of schemes but in the end there was simply no way around it. Owning an airplane is very expensive.
The costs to fly are only a small piece of the total costs. You can't park an airplane in your driveway so you are forced to pay to park your airplane in a hanger or on the ramp at the airport. You must pay insurance, annual inspection fees, property tax (in Virginia), maintenance, etc., etc. Everything for an airplane costs about double or triple what you would expect to pay. Sadly, there appeared to be no way I could ever buy an airplane.
But...I am stubborn and hate to give up. In my research on hundreds of potential airplanes, I was intrigued by the Cessna C177 Cardinal. This beautiful creature was manufactured by Cessna for a decade in the late 60's and 70s. She was created to replace the workhorse of all airplanes, the C172. She is faster, with sporty lines and a huge interior. The doors on the Cardinal make it easy for even the most clumsy pilot to enter and exit with ease. There just happened to be a Cardinal that was owned by a partnership in Lynchburg, and one partner wanted to sell his share. In September I took my first flight in N29350...I fell in love. Love does strange things to a middle-aged man. He walks about in a daze, consumed with thoughts of payload, cruising speeds, fuel consumption and cost per hour calculations. By the end of my first flight I knew that I was smitten. I would visit her on the ramp and just admire her beauty. I would imagine firing up her 180 hp engine and climbing away from all the earthbound stress and landing at some distant airport....a little secret getaway. Well...I guess you can tell where this is headed.
In February of 2010, my madness reached new heights as I purchased a 25% share in N29350. She is a 1968 (beware of the lure of a younger woman) C177 with a 180hp Lycoming engine. She is a dream to fly and after completing the mandatory insurance checkout, I'm now free to fly...anytime the weather dictates that VFR guys can play.
How does fractional airplane ownership work? Imagine the expense of owning your own airplane and divide it by 4. The Cardinal's insured value is $60,000. So a 25% share costs $15,000.00. I agree that $15K is not cheap but realistically, you can't even buy a decent car for $15K anymore, and a classy bird like the N29350 will not lose her value at the same rate as a car, truck, or boat. All expenses are split into quarters which makes our fixed costs $80/month/owner. This covers insurance, tiedown on the ramp, taxes, and other minor costs. When I fly I pay $25/ tach hour. For non-pilots, you pay for airplanes by either tachometer time or what is known as Hobbs time. A Hobbs meter basically runs at a standard rate constantly whenever the airplane is running. The tachometer also keeps time but depends largely on how fast the engine is running. For my recent flight from Lynchburg to Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport and back, the Hobbs time would have been 1.4 hrs. However, the tach time was only 1.0 hrs. What a deal! Can you see why I fell in love with this airplane? She's beautiful, cheap, and fun to be with. OK....that might be taking the analogy a little too far.
My purpose in writing today is to say that I have found an economical way to fly...and an airplane that I'm thrilled to fly. My cost to fly is now $60/hr (25/hr for time in the air plus fuel @ 10gph), compared to rental charges that averaged $125/hr for the Piper Warrior...and the Warrior is no Cardinal.
So, life is exciting and I keep finding excuses to get up really early in the predawn darkness, slip away to the airport and steal away for those special moments when the rest of the city sleeps, and I can steal away in the Cardinal...high above the cares and concerns of life.
Perhaps the reason that I stopped flying for almost 3 months after my checkride has more to do with finances than burnout. I started to research the possibility of buying my own airplane early last summer. Endless hours surfing the web and I became a man possessed with trying to debunk the theory that it is extremely expensive to fly. I hatched all sorts of schemes but in the end there was simply no way around it. Owning an airplane is very expensive.
The costs to fly are only a small piece of the total costs. You can't park an airplane in your driveway so you are forced to pay to park your airplane in a hanger or on the ramp at the airport. You must pay insurance, annual inspection fees, property tax (in Virginia), maintenance, etc., etc. Everything for an airplane costs about double or triple what you would expect to pay. Sadly, there appeared to be no way I could ever buy an airplane.
But...I am stubborn and hate to give up. In my research on hundreds of potential airplanes, I was intrigued by the Cessna C177 Cardinal. This beautiful creature was manufactured by Cessna for a decade in the late 60's and 70s. She was created to replace the workhorse of all airplanes, the C172. She is faster, with sporty lines and a huge interior. The doors on the Cardinal make it easy for even the most clumsy pilot to enter and exit with ease. There just happened to be a Cardinal that was owned by a partnership in Lynchburg, and one partner wanted to sell his share. In September I took my first flight in N29350...I fell in love. Love does strange things to a middle-aged man. He walks about in a daze, consumed with thoughts of payload, cruising speeds, fuel consumption and cost per hour calculations. By the end of my first flight I knew that I was smitten. I would visit her on the ramp and just admire her beauty. I would imagine firing up her 180 hp engine and climbing away from all the earthbound stress and landing at some distant airport....a little secret getaway. Well...I guess you can tell where this is headed.
In February of 2010, my madness reached new heights as I purchased a 25% share in N29350. She is a 1968 (beware of the lure of a younger woman) C177 with a 180hp Lycoming engine. She is a dream to fly and after completing the mandatory insurance checkout, I'm now free to fly...anytime the weather dictates that VFR guys can play.
How does fractional airplane ownership work? Imagine the expense of owning your own airplane and divide it by 4. The Cardinal's insured value is $60,000. So a 25% share costs $15,000.00. I agree that $15K is not cheap but realistically, you can't even buy a decent car for $15K anymore, and a classy bird like the N29350 will not lose her value at the same rate as a car, truck, or boat. All expenses are split into quarters which makes our fixed costs $80/month/owner. This covers insurance, tiedown on the ramp, taxes, and other minor costs. When I fly I pay $25/ tach hour. For non-pilots, you pay for airplanes by either tachometer time or what is known as Hobbs time. A Hobbs meter basically runs at a standard rate constantly whenever the airplane is running. The tachometer also keeps time but depends largely on how fast the engine is running. For my recent flight from Lynchburg to Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport and back, the Hobbs time would have been 1.4 hrs. However, the tach time was only 1.0 hrs. What a deal! Can you see why I fell in love with this airplane? She's beautiful, cheap, and fun to be with. OK....that might be taking the analogy a little too far.
My purpose in writing today is to say that I have found an economical way to fly...and an airplane that I'm thrilled to fly. My cost to fly is now $60/hr (25/hr for time in the air plus fuel @ 10gph), compared to rental charges that averaged $125/hr for the Piper Warrior...and the Warrior is no Cardinal.
So, life is exciting and I keep finding excuses to get up really early in the predawn darkness, slip away to the airport and steal away for those special moments when the rest of the city sleeps, and I can steal away in the Cardinal...high above the cares and concerns of life.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Update Dec. 2009
On Dec. 6, 2009 I passed my checkride and became a newly minted private pilot. I will summarize my thoughts and impressions of the process by which I was converted from a guy always gazing up at airplanes, to the guy actually up in the airplane gazing down at the ground.
Re-reading my initial posts brought back so many memories. To recap, I began taking my ground school lessons at Liberty University as a way to finish up my degree with some elective credits....kind of a reward to spending six years getting my BS in Religion. Anyone remotely familiar with aviation could probably predict what would happen. Since I was a little kid, I have always been facinated with airplanes and 44 years have done nothing to change the kid inside. After completeing my ground school classes in May of 2008, I had been bitten by the aviation bug hard! I decided to start my flight training and my first official flight lesson took place on Dec. 2, 2008. My first seven training flights are detailed in the previous posts. Why did I stop recording my flights?
After reading countless student pilot blogs I noticed something interesting. While the lessons change in their format, and the flights and maneuvers become more complicated, the stressors and frustrations simply stay the same. The things that frustrated me on my first seven flights (hard landings, wind and other bad weather issues, etc.) are very much the same throughout the training and beyond. Talk to any pilot with 100 or 10,000 hours and you will hear them bemoan the same things. Botched approaches, poor weather, hard landings etc. Rather than have a record of endless rambling about weather, botched landings and assorted other frustrations, I decided that until my BIG day (checkride) I would stop blogging about individual flights.
There were notable occurances along the way. On one X-country I got lost and wandered into a cloud (perhaps I should document that event for the benefit of others), on my long X-country I took off without the door properly closed and it remained adjar for about 45 minutes until my next landing. And then there was the day near the end of my training when a stiff crosswind almost blew me off the runway when I botched the crosswind landing procedure. For the first time in my training, my instructor had to grab the controls and rescue the airplane. This happened only four or five flights prior to my checkride and I had a serious crisis of confidence that I would ever be able to complete this stage of training. I almost wrote the phrase "that I would ever be able to master flying". As I started to type the words I laughed to myself. If there is one thing I have learned, it is the impossiblity of a man being able to "master flying".
If there was ever a guy that had mastered flying, it would be Steve Fawcett. He flew solo around the world in many kinds of airships, set numerous world records in aviation and had tens of thousands of hours. He could truly have called himself a "Master Aviator". What was his fate? (for findings from the accident investigation see link at bottom)
Steve Fawcett attempted to cross 12,000 ft mountain ridge in a low-powered single engine airplane and was simply unable to outclimb the ridge. Downdrafts decending the ridge smashed him against the face of a mountain in broad daylight. One cannot "master flying" because the elements in aviation change day-by-day, minute-by-minute according to so many variables. What is safe one day, at one temperature and at one airport is disastrous as variables change. The solution. Fight complacency and seek to eliminate or mitigate as many risks as possible, as early as possible.
One category of information that I can now complete is the total costs incurred. I have completed my listing of expenses based on all flight hours, all equipment and training materials purchased etc. I hope this will be helpful for those considering the possibilities of learning to fly.
A man recently asked me about the cost of learning to fly. To be honest, you cannot justify learning to fly for a hobby unless you have a money tree growing in the back yard. However, everyone spends their money on something. For the guy who smokes one pack of cigarettes a day and drinks a case of beer each week, flying will seem relatively cheap. Let's do a quick comparision
Beer, Smokes, vs Learning to Fly
Let's assume the 2 year plan (not ideal) that I went through to get my license.
Smokes and beer (1 pack of smokes/day @ $5/pack and 1 case of beer/week @ $20/case)
Cost cigarettes = 365 days x 2 x $5 = $1825.00
Cost beer = 104 weeks x $20 = $2080
Total $3905.00
Learning to Fly (40hrs x $89/hr for Cessna 152, 25 hrs instructor x $30/hr)
Total Cost = airplane rental 3560, instructor $750= $4310 total
To be fair, most pilots will take an average of 55-60 hrs to complete their training and there are additional costs such as materials and some minimal equipment to buy. But, the fact that it is even close suggests that if most guys would give up a bad habit or two, they could learn an exciting skill that only 1/3 of 1% of the population is capable of doing. And have the time of their life doing it.
All of this to say, yes, flying is expensive, but so is everything in life. If you can figure out a way to pay for flight training, I guarantee it will stimulate your mind and thrill your heart like nothing else.
Next time I will share my X-country adventure getting lost and stumbling into a cloud. I will also share my checkride experience.
Re-reading my initial posts brought back so many memories. To recap, I began taking my ground school lessons at Liberty University as a way to finish up my degree with some elective credits....kind of a reward to spending six years getting my BS in Religion. Anyone remotely familiar with aviation could probably predict what would happen. Since I was a little kid, I have always been facinated with airplanes and 44 years have done nothing to change the kid inside. After completeing my ground school classes in May of 2008, I had been bitten by the aviation bug hard! I decided to start my flight training and my first official flight lesson took place on Dec. 2, 2008. My first seven training flights are detailed in the previous posts. Why did I stop recording my flights?
After reading countless student pilot blogs I noticed something interesting. While the lessons change in their format, and the flights and maneuvers become more complicated, the stressors and frustrations simply stay the same. The things that frustrated me on my first seven flights (hard landings, wind and other bad weather issues, etc.) are very much the same throughout the training and beyond. Talk to any pilot with 100 or 10,000 hours and you will hear them bemoan the same things. Botched approaches, poor weather, hard landings etc. Rather than have a record of endless rambling about weather, botched landings and assorted other frustrations, I decided that until my BIG day (checkride) I would stop blogging about individual flights.
There were notable occurances along the way. On one X-country I got lost and wandered into a cloud (perhaps I should document that event for the benefit of others), on my long X-country I took off without the door properly closed and it remained adjar for about 45 minutes until my next landing. And then there was the day near the end of my training when a stiff crosswind almost blew me off the runway when I botched the crosswind landing procedure. For the first time in my training, my instructor had to grab the controls and rescue the airplane. This happened only four or five flights prior to my checkride and I had a serious crisis of confidence that I would ever be able to complete this stage of training. I almost wrote the phrase "that I would ever be able to master flying". As I started to type the words I laughed to myself. If there is one thing I have learned, it is the impossiblity of a man being able to "master flying".
If there was ever a guy that had mastered flying, it would be Steve Fawcett. He flew solo around the world in many kinds of airships, set numerous world records in aviation and had tens of thousands of hours. He could truly have called himself a "Master Aviator". What was his fate? (for findings from the accident investigation see link at bottom)
Steve Fawcett attempted to cross 12,000 ft mountain ridge in a low-powered single engine airplane and was simply unable to outclimb the ridge. Downdrafts decending the ridge smashed him against the face of a mountain in broad daylight. One cannot "master flying" because the elements in aviation change day-by-day, minute-by-minute according to so many variables. What is safe one day, at one temperature and at one airport is disastrous as variables change. The solution. Fight complacency and seek to eliminate or mitigate as many risks as possible, as early as possible.
One category of information that I can now complete is the total costs incurred. I have completed my listing of expenses based on all flight hours, all equipment and training materials purchased etc. I hope this will be helpful for those considering the possibilities of learning to fly.
A man recently asked me about the cost of learning to fly. To be honest, you cannot justify learning to fly for a hobby unless you have a money tree growing in the back yard. However, everyone spends their money on something. For the guy who smokes one pack of cigarettes a day and drinks a case of beer each week, flying will seem relatively cheap. Let's do a quick comparision
Beer, Smokes, vs Learning to Fly
Let's assume the 2 year plan (not ideal) that I went through to get my license.
Smokes and beer (1 pack of smokes/day @ $5/pack and 1 case of beer/week @ $20/case)
Cost cigarettes = 365 days x 2 x $5 = $1825.00
Cost beer = 104 weeks x $20 = $2080
Total $3905.00
Learning to Fly (40hrs x $89/hr for Cessna 152, 25 hrs instructor x $30/hr)
Total Cost = airplane rental 3560, instructor $750= $4310 total
To be fair, most pilots will take an average of 55-60 hrs to complete their training and there are additional costs such as materials and some minimal equipment to buy. But, the fact that it is even close suggests that if most guys would give up a bad habit or two, they could learn an exciting skill that only 1/3 of 1% of the population is capable of doing. And have the time of their life doing it.
All of this to say, yes, flying is expensive, but so is everything in life. If you can figure out a way to pay for flight training, I guarantee it will stimulate your mind and thrill your heart like nothing else.
Next time I will share my X-country adventure getting lost and stumbling into a cloud. I will also share my checkride experience.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Three Weeks Later....Time to Catch Up
I notice my last post was on Dec. 30 (flight#4) and much has happened since then. This week I completed flight #7 so I have some catching up to do. I'll try to briefly summarize the past three weeks.
Flight #5 (Jan.12)
After almost two weeks out of the airplane I noticed how quickly one loses the meager skills already learned. Today's flight introduced ground reference maneuvers such as S-turns and turns around a point. These are done at about 1,000ft AGL (above ground level) and since altitude is safety, these require careful concentration. We also went to Brookneal and completed 4 take-offs and landings. One one of the landings, Carl suddenly told me to go to full power and take off again without stopping. At the time he told me this, I was struggling to keep the airplane centered on the runway. The distraction of trying to raise flaps, steer the plane and monitor airspeed introduced me to the feeling of being "behind the airplane." This term is used to describe a pilot who is not in complete control. This dangerous condition can escalate and ultimately lead to an accident if not recognized and corrected. I explained later that in the future, I would make sure to disregard an action that I was uncomfortable with, unless it was an emergency. I guess it is good experience to know how this feels in order to recognize it again. Overall, it was a good 1.5hrs of flying with good lessons learned. The S-turns and turns around a point are tough and will require much more practice.
Flight #6 (Jan.13, 2009)
After a two-week layoff I was fortunate to have back-to-back days to fly. Today was a beautiful day with smooth air and a great chance to review things that have been introduced over the first 5 lessons. The introduction of new skills and the time required to master them takes time and in flying, time=money. To make the most of each leasson, Carl introduces each new concept and then gives me a chance to practice a couple of times before moving on to the next maneuver. This means that before you are ready to take your check ride, you will have lots of practice sessions. For now, trying to maintain altitude, manage power, bank, and heading, all while being manipulated by the wind is almost impossible. I see lots of practice in my future. We completed 4 landings and take-offs at Brookneal and they weren't too terrible.
Flight#7 (Jan.19)The weather today was iffy with lots of low clouds obscuring the mountains all around Lynchburg. Surprisingly, we seemed to be in a bowl of decent weather. We decided to fly a few miles south to LYH to practice radio transmissions and landings at a towered airport. The pattern was busy as well as the ground. There were 3 Blackhawk helicopters taking off, a Dash-8, and a business jet, all mixing in with the three planes practicing in the pattern. It was good to see how everything worked smoothly to keep us out of each other's way. After 6 landings and take-offs I was feeling pretty good. The landings weren't necessarily good or smooth, but we were no longer dropping hard out of the sky. Carl's encouragement had my confidence soaring. He asked if I wanted to do one more before heading home and I stupidly said yes. Airplanes have this knack of knowing just when to destroy any scrap of confidence you have managed to muster. The seventh landing was actually several landing in one. It seemed like we bounced several times and in the midst of this messy arrival, Carl said to increase power and "fly it back onto the ground." We finally managed to keep it settled and I could almost hear the Piper mocking my previously confident comments. Our arrival back at W24 went well and I was thankful to end lesson#7 on a reasonably decent note. Lots to learn.
Flight #5 (Jan.12)
After almost two weeks out of the airplane I noticed how quickly one loses the meager skills already learned. Today's flight introduced ground reference maneuvers such as S-turns and turns around a point. These are done at about 1,000ft AGL (above ground level) and since altitude is safety, these require careful concentration. We also went to Brookneal and completed 4 take-offs and landings. One one of the landings, Carl suddenly told me to go to full power and take off again without stopping. At the time he told me this, I was struggling to keep the airplane centered on the runway. The distraction of trying to raise flaps, steer the plane and monitor airspeed introduced me to the feeling of being "behind the airplane." This term is used to describe a pilot who is not in complete control. This dangerous condition can escalate and ultimately lead to an accident if not recognized and corrected. I explained later that in the future, I would make sure to disregard an action that I was uncomfortable with, unless it was an emergency. I guess it is good experience to know how this feels in order to recognize it again. Overall, it was a good 1.5hrs of flying with good lessons learned. The S-turns and turns around a point are tough and will require much more practice.
Flight #6 (Jan.13, 2009)
After a two-week layoff I was fortunate to have back-to-back days to fly. Today was a beautiful day with smooth air and a great chance to review things that have been introduced over the first 5 lessons. The introduction of new skills and the time required to master them takes time and in flying, time=money. To make the most of each leasson, Carl introduces each new concept and then gives me a chance to practice a couple of times before moving on to the next maneuver. This means that before you are ready to take your check ride, you will have lots of practice sessions. For now, trying to maintain altitude, manage power, bank, and heading, all while being manipulated by the wind is almost impossible. I see lots of practice in my future. We completed 4 landings and take-offs at Brookneal and they weren't too terrible.
Flight#7 (Jan.19)The weather today was iffy with lots of low clouds obscuring the mountains all around Lynchburg. Surprisingly, we seemed to be in a bowl of decent weather. We decided to fly a few miles south to LYH to practice radio transmissions and landings at a towered airport. The pattern was busy as well as the ground. There were 3 Blackhawk helicopters taking off, a Dash-8, and a business jet, all mixing in with the three planes practicing in the pattern. It was good to see how everything worked smoothly to keep us out of each other's way. After 6 landings and take-offs I was feeling pretty good. The landings weren't necessarily good or smooth, but we were no longer dropping hard out of the sky. Carl's encouragement had my confidence soaring. He asked if I wanted to do one more before heading home and I stupidly said yes. Airplanes have this knack of knowing just when to destroy any scrap of confidence you have managed to muster. The seventh landing was actually several landing in one. It seemed like we bounced several times and in the midst of this messy arrival, Carl said to increase power and "fly it back onto the ground." We finally managed to keep it settled and I could almost hear the Piper mocking my previously confident comments. Our arrival back at W24 went well and I was thankful to end lesson#7 on a reasonably decent note. Lots to learn.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
A Better Day...Flight Lesson #4
There is hope! I ran into Mr. Rogers at the airport today. He runs Liberty's aviation program and when he asked how the flight training was going I was honest and told him that I was enjoying the challenge but was currently in a frustrated funk.(see previous post)
He told me that this is very common and that around flight 7-8, things would start to click, especially the landings. That was very good news as I keep trying to convince myself that this should be much easier than it appears to be.
Today's flight was in sunny but breezy conditions. Today we practiced some more power-on and power-off stalls, slow flight, steep turns, and then an emergency decent. This new maneuver caught me slightly off-guard. We climbed to about 5K feet and then Carl suddenly cut the power to idle and shoved the yoke almost into the panel. This results in a very steep dive. Seeing the ground rushing towards you at about 180 mph is a little bit worrisome. While we were screaming towards the ground, I was to pick a place for an emergency landing. Apparently closing your eyes, screaming and hugging your instructor is not an appropriate response. We descended like a stone to about 1000 feet at which point I leveled off and worked towards my selected field. It certainly gets the ticker going and I noticed I actually broke a sweat. Not from any exertion, but rather from fear or being planted into the soil at high speed.
My landing at the end of today's lesson was almost smooth. The Piper had mercy on me, or, perhaps slamming yourself into the ground repeatedly to humiliate the student gets old after awhile. The old girl is giving me hope.
Overall a fun and exciting day.
Let's go flying.
He told me that this is very common and that around flight 7-8, things would start to click, especially the landings. That was very good news as I keep trying to convince myself that this should be much easier than it appears to be.
Today's flight was in sunny but breezy conditions. Today we practiced some more power-on and power-off stalls, slow flight, steep turns, and then an emergency decent. This new maneuver caught me slightly off-guard. We climbed to about 5K feet and then Carl suddenly cut the power to idle and shoved the yoke almost into the panel. This results in a very steep dive. Seeing the ground rushing towards you at about 180 mph is a little bit worrisome. While we were screaming towards the ground, I was to pick a place for an emergency landing. Apparently closing your eyes, screaming and hugging your instructor is not an appropriate response. We descended like a stone to about 1000 feet at which point I leveled off and worked towards my selected field. It certainly gets the ticker going and I noticed I actually broke a sweat. Not from any exertion, but rather from fear or being planted into the soil at high speed.
My landing at the end of today's lesson was almost smooth. The Piper had mercy on me, or, perhaps slamming yourself into the ground repeatedly to humiliate the student gets old after awhile. The old girl is giving me hope.
Overall a fun and exciting day.
Let's go flying.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Some Things Don't Come Easy...
Finally, after what seems like endless days of rain and fog, today we had sunshine and unseasonably warm weather. Today's flight was a mixed bag of frustration, minor victories and more frustration.
I'm used to things that come easy and I guess as I have gotten older I have consciously or unconsciously avoided those things that would be difficult to master. Although this was only my third training flight, I find myself frustrated that this new skill cannot be simply and quickly mastered. An author described smooth precision flying as a love affair with the airplane...making love. YIKES! Today's flight was more like a messy domestic dispute. The airplane and I went to war and the wind was on her side.
Today's flight was awkward and I struggled to get back in flying mode after almost a month. What is flying mode? I think of flying mode as that frame of mind where one can anticipate, react and direct the machine (airplane) to do what you (and your instructor) expect it to do. Flying mode puts every distraction out of mind for the purpose of concentrating only on precision flying. Today's flying was sloppy and anything but smooth.
The landing approaches were complicated by some random gusts that seemed intent on making my flying look confused, or possibly drunk. Just when the aircraft would be lined up properly, a gust would throw us to one side or the other. At low approach speeds, corrections must be smooth and gentle. For anyone who has met me...I'm anything but smooth and gentle. I find myself struggling and trying to manhandle the airplane into the proper configuration. This just makes everything worse. Think bull in a china shop.
I'm used to doing things that come easy. It has been so long since I felt this kind of frustration at my own ineptitude. Perhaps this is what it feels like to grow. I hope Carl can cash in some of his credits with the chiropractor.
On a positive note, low fuel prices have reduced the rental fee of the Piper Warrior to $105/hr. of frustration. (I mean flying)
Tomorrow we will go again. Must get back on this horse!
Let's go flying....smooth.
I'm used to things that come easy and I guess as I have gotten older I have consciously or unconsciously avoided those things that would be difficult to master. Although this was only my third training flight, I find myself frustrated that this new skill cannot be simply and quickly mastered. An author described smooth precision flying as a love affair with the airplane...making love. YIKES! Today's flight was more like a messy domestic dispute. The airplane and I went to war and the wind was on her side.
Today's flight was awkward and I struggled to get back in flying mode after almost a month. What is flying mode? I think of flying mode as that frame of mind where one can anticipate, react and direct the machine (airplane) to do what you (and your instructor) expect it to do. Flying mode puts every distraction out of mind for the purpose of concentrating only on precision flying. Today's flying was sloppy and anything but smooth.
The landing approaches were complicated by some random gusts that seemed intent on making my flying look confused, or possibly drunk. Just when the aircraft would be lined up properly, a gust would throw us to one side or the other. At low approach speeds, corrections must be smooth and gentle. For anyone who has met me...I'm anything but smooth and gentle. I find myself struggling and trying to manhandle the airplane into the proper configuration. This just makes everything worse. Think bull in a china shop.
I'm used to doing things that come easy. It has been so long since I felt this kind of frustration at my own ineptitude. Perhaps this is what it feels like to grow. I hope Carl can cash in some of his credits with the chiropractor.
On a positive note, low fuel prices have reduced the rental fee of the Piper Warrior to $105/hr. of frustration. (I mean flying)
Tomorrow we will go again. Must get back on this horse!
Let's go flying....smooth.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Sunshine...finally....and lots of wind.
What do we have to do around here to get some decent weather? Monday dawned clear, sunny and very cold. I happily booked a couple of hours off work and practically skipped to the airport. As soon as I stepped out of the van I realized that something had changed during the 10 minute drive from home to the airport. It was suddenly very windy. Windy as in 15-20 mph with gusts almost 30.
I went into the classroom area and immediately noticed that Carl was sitting behind a huge pile of books. Guess what? No flying today...too windy. Let's do some groundwork instead. I wanted to stamp my feet and whine like a 2-year-old. I have spend countless hours in the books over that past semester and now I WANT TO FLY!!!
Carl said that nothing worthwhile could be accomplished today with the wind so, after two hours of bookwork, I headed back to work. To protest, I refused to answer my phone or any emails for the rest of the day. I read flying blogs and planned my revenge. Not sure what that revenge will be...but it's gonna be good! I'm not even sure how you get revenge on the weather but somebody is going to pay. My first full month of flight training and I have an amazing 2.2 hrs in my logbook. At this rate it will take me over two YEARS to get my licence. Actually, at this rate I will never get my licence because my dying brain cells require me to pretty much re-learn anything after I've been away from it for a week.
I guess one positive is my flying account hasn't been hurt much. Small consolation. We will try again on Monday. Until then...
Let's go flying! (Or I'm going to hold my breath until I pass out!)
We are scheduled to meet
I went into the classroom area and immediately noticed that Carl was sitting behind a huge pile of books. Guess what? No flying today...too windy. Let's do some groundwork instead. I wanted to stamp my feet and whine like a 2-year-old. I have spend countless hours in the books over that past semester and now I WANT TO FLY!!!
Carl said that nothing worthwhile could be accomplished today with the wind so, after two hours of bookwork, I headed back to work. To protest, I refused to answer my phone or any emails for the rest of the day. I read flying blogs and planned my revenge. Not sure what that revenge will be...but it's gonna be good! I'm not even sure how you get revenge on the weather but somebody is going to pay. My first full month of flight training and I have an amazing 2.2 hrs in my logbook. At this rate it will take me over two YEARS to get my licence. Actually, at this rate I will never get my licence because my dying brain cells require me to pretty much re-learn anything after I've been away from it for a week.
I guess one positive is my flying account hasn't been hurt much. Small consolation. We will try again on Monday. Until then...
Let's go flying! (Or I'm going to hold my breath until I pass out!)
We are scheduled to meet
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