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Posted: 12/15/2019 12:45:42 AM EDT
[#1]
Not too many stories, but here are some pictures. Northwest WI are the over land pics and then Green Bay. I love flying around the bay and Lake Michigan. There are a lot of cool airports there and things to do. It's a lot more interesting than droning over fields.
I wish you the best of luck with your ankle. If you read the first student pilot thread you will see I dealt with a broken ankle and surgery too. I hope things heal quickly. |
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Posted: 12/15/2019 4:36:31 AM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Not too many stories, but here are some pictures. Northwest WI are the over land pics and then Green Bay. I love flying around the bay and Lake Michigan. There are a lot of cool airports there and things to do. It's a lot more interesting than droning over fields. I wish you the best of luck with your ankle. If you read the first student pilot thread you will see I dealt with a broken ankle and surgery too. I hope things heal quickly. Since this is a student pilot thread: I knew I would solo if I nailed 3 in a row. What I didnt take into consideration was the $75 shirt I was wearing. After a minute or two of complaining, I realized the hundreds of dollars an hour I was trowing at this plane! |
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Posted: 12/15/2019 9:21:14 AM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Thanks. Had surgery #6 Wednesday. Hopefully the last. All from a damn volleyball game in Kuwait. Since this is a student pilot thread: I knew I would solo if I nailed 3 in a row. What I didnt take into consideration was the $75 shirt I was wearing. After a minute or two of complaining, I realized the hundreds of dollars an hour I was trowing at this plane! 
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Posted: 12/16/2019 7:57:25 PM EDT
[#4]
Canceled my long cross country due to weather this past weekend. Of course it all burned off by lunch but we couldn’t make the schedules work then...
Oh well. Still trying like hell for an early January check ride. Also shopping more intently for a bonanza or similar. |
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Posted: 12/16/2019 11:03:36 PM EDT
[#5]
So, to update where I’m at. I took the summer mostly off - both work and flying. After months of looking for work and considering a career change I finally found a great job with a start up that is making PPL lessons that work on top of flight sims. A dream job for sure. Getting back into thy flying game has been slow but this week looks to be where I pick up again. My CFI is soon to be leaving for his real career so has been checked out and lessons just have not been fun with him - no discredit to him.
My office is actually in the flight school I’ve been taking lessons at. Basically a free room that we’ve been using for now. I’ve been talking a lot with the instructors and mechanics over the past few months and finally met a CFI that seemed like a great fit. So this week I start lessons with him. I’m basically at the point where I need a solid stint of solo time to build confidence and get my maneuvers clean again. That’s where we will be picking up this week. I walk through the maintenance area of the school every day so have been learning more and more about what makes a plane tick. Pretty damn cool. I’ll be bummed next year when we get a real office space due to growing but a worthy trade. I’ll post more as lessons resume. . |
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Posted: 12/17/2019 12:12:01 AM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Canceled my long cross country due to weather this past weekend. Of course it all burned off by lunch but we couldn’t make the schedules work then... Oh well. Still trying like hell for an early January check ride. Also shopping more intently for a bonanza or similar. What are you flying right now? |
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Posted: 12/17/2019 12:15:28 AM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
So, to update where I’m at. I took the summer mostly off - both work and flying. After months of looking for work and considering a career change I finally found a great job with a start up that is making PPL lessons that work on top of flight sims. A dream job for sure. Getting back into thy flying game has been slow but this week looks to be where I pick up again. My CFI is soon to be leaving for his real career so has been checked out and lessons just have not been fun with him - no discredit to him. My office is actually in the flight school I’ve been taking lessons at. Basically a free room that we’ve been using for now. I’ve been talking a lot with the instructors and mechanics over the past few months and finally met a CFI that seemed like a great fit. So this week I start lessons with him. I’m basically at the point where I need a solid stint of solo time to build confidence and get my maneuvers clean again. That’s where we will be picking up this week. I walk through the maintenance area of the school every day so have been learning more and more about what makes a plane tick. Pretty damn cool. I’ll be bummed next year when we get a real office space due to growing but a worthy trade. I’ll post more as lessons resume. .
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Posted: 12/17/2019 10:46:09 AM EDT
[#8]
@PLammer- you back in the Skycatcher (162) or in a 172?
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Posted: 12/17/2019 5:41:38 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
@PLammer- you back in the Skycatcher (162) or in a 172? The sim work I'm doing is using a 172 and what I've been picking up from that has been causing me a bit of grief when sitting in the 162. Not sure how to describe it. In the long run I'll most likely be renting 172's, so that too makes me lean to doing the switch to a 172. We will see how things go as I get back ramped up. |
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Posted: 12/17/2019 6:27:53 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted: So far it's been all 162 other than a couple of lessons. I enjoy the 162 for lessons as the 172 seems to be more of a brick in comparison. As I had mentioned in the past thread, turbulence in the light plane had caused me grief, but I've managed to get passed that. Now I'm kind of enjoying it. The sim work I'm doing is using a 172 and what I've been picking up from that has been causing me a bit of grief when sitting in the 162. Not sure how to describe it. In the long run I'll most likely be renting 172's, so that too makes me lean to doing the switch to a 172. We will see how things go as I get back ramped up. |
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Posted: 12/17/2019 8:34:59 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: So far it's been all 162 other than a couple of lessons. I enjoy the 162 for lessons as the 172 seems to be more of a brick in comparison. As I had mentioned in the past thread, turbulence in the light plane had caused me grief, but I've managed to get passed that. Now I'm kind of enjoying it. The sim work I'm doing is using a 172 and what I've been picking up from that has been causing me a bit of grief when sitting in the 162. Not sure how to describe it. In the long run I'll most likely be renting 172's, so that too makes me lean to doing the switch to a 172. We will see how things go as I get back ramped up. Switching steeds now will set you back more than you'd like in terms of landings and maneuvers and definitely would be more than a few hours. Unless you can simulate the 162's layout, leave the simulator stuff for when you start your instrument rating or for gaming. |
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Posted: 12/19/2019 11:27:12 AM EDT
[#12]
First lesson yesterday with the new instructor. Man, what a difference. He ran me through the basics and all went great other than steep turns. I typically lose altitude in them and I was sure not to do that yesterday so initially gained 100' or so in the first two. He quickly saw my error and had me try again but told me to focus more on the bank angle, my gain in altitude was due to not paying attention to the angle and reducing it mid turn while I was focusing on everything else. Second two were spot on.
Throughout my lessons I think I have been too passive about them, letting the instructor determine everything we do in the lessons. Recently I had wondered what would happen if I stalled during slow flight (think practicing slow flight and not paying attention to airspeed), so we did just that. Man, the 162 is such a tame aircraft. I held it right at stall speed and it just kept plugging along, though losing altitude in the process. I really expected something more drastic. That experiment really helped me gain confidence in the plane, something that has been an issue for me over time. I plan on more experiments like that to help find the boundaries that I have in the past assumed. |
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Posted: 12/19/2019 7:27:57 PM EDT
[#13]
@PLammer- Sounds like you had a great lesson and got back in the groove. Keep it going!
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Posted: 12/22/2019 9:51:55 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That's what I love about these threads, always great info! I wonder if I could have been more clear on my post thought. To be clear, I am very good about trimming the aircraft for hands off flying (zero pressure, finger on the yoke) starting at climb out. I continue that through the flight. Once I enter pattern altitude and speeds, I trim for a speed appropriate to conditions. I have been comfortable maintaining that trim setting for the final minute or two of the flight, which covers a speed change of 70/80 KIAS down to the target 60-65 KIAS. So not a huge difference. At that point the trim is a turn or two down, but does not affect my final. I have just found that it is easier to use yoke than trim in the base to landing sequence. On base to landing I keep my left hand on the yoke and right hand on the throttle. So I am in good trim on base, but fly the rest of the way in with the yoke. The Archer is light enough that the yoke feels great all the way to the ground. I do realize that when I move to a heavier airplane (like a 182) I am not going to be able to get away with that. I am at a point where I am trying to identify bad habits and clean them up. Thanks for your reminders and help.  Truth be told, an Archer just doesn't need a lot of trim correction from base to asphalt. Still it was good to think about it and try new things! It was a good day flying. |
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Posted: 12/22/2019 9:53:54 PM EDT
[#15]
Double tap.
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Posted: 12/22/2019 10:40:22 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: So today I got to put the "trim it all the way to the runway" to the test. I kept adjusting the trim until over the numbers. It turns out I was only about an inch of rotation more nose up trim than my normal landing. Truth be told, an Archer just doesn't need a lot of trim correction from base to asphalt. Still it was good to think about it and try new things! It was a good day flying. |
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Posted: 12/22/2019 11:01:12 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Glad you tried that out. Here’s a little more to the benefits of being properly trimmed for your desired speed/config. Say you are on final, landing flaps set and on your speed, maybe 70kts. If you are trimmed for 70, then the feel of the yoke will tell you if you get fast or slow without even looking at the airspeed indicator, as long as you didn’t change your trim setting. If you get faster than your trim speed you will start pushing forward yoke pressure to keep on your glide path. Get slow and you’ll start pulling back pressure, but as a good pilot you would never get below your desired speed ;) So have a desired speed for each part of your pattern, fly it and trim for it. Then fight the temptation to retrim if you get too fast, just remember that once you let the airspeed slow back to your selected/trimmed speed, the extra forward yoke pressure will bleed off back to nothing once you are back to the trimmed speed. The airplane can talk to you about how well you are controlling your airspeed, we just need to listen. But proper trimming procedure is crucial, and the discipline to always be on you chosen speed and trimmed is a core piloting skill. Whether a PA28 needs drastic trim changes or not, you still need to always know the speed you should be at, be able to get to that speed and trim off all yoke force. All the time. I just can’t say enough how critical of a skill that is for any pilot. Keep working on it! Thank you for taking the time to type that. I know how to feel the airplane by the controls, but that just told me WHY and how to use it more productively. I love these threads. |
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Posted: 12/23/2019 2:38:25 AM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Wow, that is fantastic advice. It is putting into words what I am have felt, and in doing so making me internalize and understand it. I'm going to read that a couple of more times before my next flight. Thank you for taking the time to type that. I know how to feel the airplane by the controls, but that just told me WHY and how to use it more productively. I love these threads. |
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Posted: 12/23/2019 10:47:20 AM EDT
[#19]
Thanks for posting the suggestion and your experience with it Corey. Getting back into the routine of lessons, we've been working hard on landings to get them as clean as possible. Yesterday was short/soft field TOs and landings plus a variety of maneuvers. To a degree I trim for each phase of pattern, but this is making it clear I need to focus on this as well. We did 5 landings at 4 air fields, 8 attempted. The 3 go arounds were due to a fog layer that prevented a clean landing as we skirted the fog. By the last landing my brain was a little mushy and I botched my speed in final (too slow). If I had properly trimmed for final (I was close, but on spot on) I would have probably noticed my speed issue. I'm also going to work on incorporating this into my routine.
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Posted: 12/23/2019 10:56:47 AM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: One way to demonstrate that away from the traffic pattern is just level off somewhere, and trim for level hands off at 90kts. Now, cover up the airspeed indicator and do NOT change the trim setting. Add power to accelerate, but maintain your altitude. You'll feel the increased forward pressure it takes. Once you're pushing hard to maintain altitude, reduce power and slow until the plane is at a stable speed maintaining altitude hands off again. Uncover the airspeed indicator and you'll be at the same speed you started at. I always did a trim for airspeed demo with students, to make sure they understood the concept, and that pays off huge on final. And have fun up there, the Archer is a great plane. When it is bumpy and I have to stay in the green arc on a descent, I pull back the power until I get -500 fpm and without touching anything else I descend at 120 KIAS (which is cruise speed and safely inside the green arc with a 5 knot margin). Yesterday I had a great tailwind and smooth air, so I took advantage of that and hit 135 KIAS on the descent. That worked out to 167 knots GS.
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Posted: 12/23/2019 11:05:37 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Thanks for posting the suggestion and your experience with it Corey. Getting back into the routine of lessons, we've been working hard on landings to get them as clean as possible. Yesterday was short/soft field TOs and landings plus a variety of maneuvers. To a degree I trim for each phase of pattern, but this is making it clear I need to focus on this as well. We did 5 landings at 4 air fields, 8 attempted. The 3 go arounds were due to a fog layer that prevented a clean landing as we skirted the fog. By the last landing my brain was a little mushy and I botched my speed in final (too slow). If I had properly trimmed for final (I was close, but on spot on) I would have probably noticed my speed issue. I'm also going to work on incorporating this into my routine. A good friend just got his CFI and is going for his CFII in a couple of weeks. I also know another couple of CFI’s that I want to fly with. In the next month or so I want to get up with a CFI to shake the rust off the the basic maneuvers, performance TO’s/landings, etc. No reason to wait another year for my BFR. I will report back on how much rust falls to the floor. 
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Posted: 12/23/2019 1:17:49 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Thanks for posting the suggestion and your experience with it Corey. Getting back into the routine of lessons, we've been working hard on landings to get them as clean as possible. Yesterday was short/soft field TOs and landings plus a variety of maneuvers. To a degree I trim for each phase of pattern, but this is making it clear I need to focus on this as well. We did 5 landings at 4 air fields, 8 attempted. The 3 go arounds were due to a fog layer that prevented a clean landing as we skirted the fog. By the last landing my brain was a little mushy and I botched my speed in final (too slow). If I had properly trimmed for final (I was close, but on spot on) I would have probably noticed my speed issue. I'm also going to work on incorporating this into my routine. |
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Posted: 12/23/2019 1:26:36 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I am glad that your CFI is taking you up in less than clear weather. Around here newly minted pilots don’t have experience in anything other than 5,000’+ ceilings and P10SM. And limiting flying to those days means they miss a lot of good flying days. A good friend just got his CFI and is going for his CFII in a couple of weeks. I also know another couple of CFI’s that I want to fly with. In the next month or so I want to get up with a CFI to shake the rust off the the basic maneuvers, performance TO’s/landings, etc. No reason to wait another year for my BFR. I will report back on how much rust falls to the floor. Every flight I make incorporates a short field t/o and soft field landing; I use slow flight techniques when there's no one else in the pattern to speed me up. If I'm just out bug-smashing, I do chandelles and lazy-8's (way more fun to do than steep turns or turns on a point- have your CFI friends teach them to you) and throw in a few stalls. Practice the trim skills rbass wrote about- that technique carries over to EVERY airplane you'll ever fly- and trust me, most of them are not as forgiving as a fat wing Piper (a 182 or Cherokee-6 with negative trim will leave you worn out after a few landings, for example). As I said earlier, learning to use trim was the single-most important thing I learned that helped me with landing and to be truthful, all aspects of flight. Do this every third flight you make and the skills stay sharp and BFR becomes a non-event. Use the CFI's as a safety net to practice emergencies- outside of pro pilots, most of us don't practice them enough, me included. Example- I'm absolutely OCD about practicing single-engine ops in twins, but the last time I practiced a single-engine engine failure was 6 months ago (which, having typed that, I'm gonna correct when my son and I go flying this afternoon). |
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Posted: 12/23/2019 3:54:37 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Why not incorporate the basic maneuvers into every flight and keep the edge honed? Every flight I make incorporates a short field t/o and soft field landing; I use slow flight techniques when there's no one else in the pattern to speed me up. If I'm just out bug-smashing, I do chandelles and lazy-8's (way more fun to do than steep turns or turns on a point- have your CFI friends teach them to you) and throw in a few stalls. Practice the trim skills rbass wrote about- that technique carries over to EVERY airplane you'll ever fly- and trust me, most of them are not as forgiving as a fat wing Piper (a 182 or Cherokee-6 with negative trim will leave you worn out after a few landings, for example). As I said earlier, learning to use trim was the single-most important thing I learned that helped me with landing and to be truthful, all aspects of flight. Do this every third flight you make and the skills stay sharp and BFR becomes a non-event. Use the CFI's as a safety net to practice emergencies- outside of pro pilots, most of us don't practice them enough, me included. Example- I'm absolutely OCD about practicing single-engine ops in twins, but the last time I practiced a single-engine engine failure was 6 months ago (which, having typed that, I'm gonna correct when my son and I go flying this afternoon). But there are a lot of farm fields and country roads en route and no reason that I can’t take 10 minutes on every flight to do this. You make a great point. I am already up in the airplane, might as well take a couple of extra minutes to freshen up the basics. |
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Posted: 12/23/2019 6:07:20 PM EDT
[#25]
Got about a half dozen flights until checkride time but just have not been able to knock them out due to scheduling and/or weather.
Looks like January 7th/8th may not happen. 
But, we should hopefully have it knocked out by the end of January and I may have a deal on an S35 Bonanza in the hopper pending additional information (not a show or collector plane, but got a new engine, prop and paint since a gear up in 2013 along with decent avionics with the exception of a C3 AP needs overhaul or replacement). |
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Posted: 12/23/2019 6:29:52 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Got about a half dozen flights until checkride time but just have not been able to knock them out due to scheduling and/or weather. Looks like January 7th/8th may not happen.
But, we should hopefully have it knocked out by the end of January and I may have a deal on an S35 Bonanza in the hopper pending additional information (not a show or collector plane, but got a new engine, prop and paint since a gear up in 2013 along with decent avionics with the exception of a C3 AP needs overhaul or replacement). What are you flying for training and what does the checkout look like for a Bonanza as a new pilot? Once you get your complex endorsement I presume the rest is driven by the insurance company?? |
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Posted: 12/23/2019 9:16:05 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You certainly have something to look forward to! What are you flying for training and what does the checkout look like for a Bonanza as a new pilot? Once you get your complex endorsement I presume the rest is driven by the insurance company?? I'll likely be buying the bo cash and going liability only for the insurance. 5hrs dual is all they want (liability or full coverage). I'll need the high performance and complex endorsements if it happens, but we can knock that out quick. |
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Posted: 12/23/2019 10:17:34 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Archer. I'll likely be buying the bo cash and going liability only for the insurance. 5hrs dual is all they want (liability or full coverage). I'll need the high performance and complex endorsements if it happens, but we can knock that out quick. Yesterday I was 10 miles out straight in to 21 behind two other Pipers (Arrow and a Warrior I think). A jet called and ATC told them to head to the field but they were “behind three Archers that are crawling down final to 21.” 
In our defense we were up against a 40 knot headwind. ATC asked for my best forward speed and I said I was giving it to them even though it was only 85 knots over the ground. I am considering moving to a faster airplane but am balancing IFR in that equation. I would love a Bonanza! Please post pics when you can! |
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Posted: 12/23/2019 11:00:01 PM EDT
[#29]
I want to get my ifr in my own plane, which is a driving factor for me as our club planes lack 2 axis auto pilots.
Just do a Google image search for n925t. There is a flightaware pic of it in the current color scheme (that says it's an aerostar 500) |
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Posted: 12/23/2019 11:29:51 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I want to get my ifr in my own plane, which is a driving factor for me as our club planes lack 2 axis auto pilots. Just do a Google image search for n925t. There is a flightaware pic of it in the current color scheme (that says it's an aerostar 500) I fly a nice clean Archer II with alt hold, AP, Garmin 430W, Garmin 345GTX that I have an ownership interest in. I have two faster airplanes available to me as well. I want to get IFR in the steam gauge Archer but have been toying with moving up to a G1000 Diamond. But the Bonanza is a couple of steps beyond what I can reach. That is a nice airplane you are looking at! Wow! Got a pic of the panel? |
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Posted: 12/24/2019 12:13:59 AM EDT
[#31]
Its white base with blue and red. The old scheme was before it was gear-upped. I was wrong too, it was aero commander not aerostar 500 listed in the correct flight aware pic on Google image.
It's a fair panel. 430w,335,c3, (that needs a servo rebuilt and maybe a bit more) and steam gauges. Its fairly equivalent to what I've trained in although the c3 is a better ap (when working). Exterior is relatively new and sharp. Interior is fair and I'd probably get the seats recovered as cracked leather up front is the main blemish. I think the rest could be detailed and reconditioned to a good level. It would be a candidate for a Dynon skyview scrapping everything but the 430 for an ifr certified waas enabled GPS source, but I'm really not thrilled with the cost of hull insurance (4% of insured value on top of liability) so I really want to just pay cash and self insure my in motion coverage which limits my budget quite a bit. I'd rather put that money towards additional training. If I do more than gear-up land it, it wont likely matter anyways. This one is also not a great investment plane due to the damage history and some missing older log books (which is why I could afford it cash even though its 110 tsmoh and 300 tspoh). If I do keep it simple, I will probably add something like Levil BOM to bring some glass options and redundancy in immediately on the cheap. Combine that with a fresh overhaul on a coupled century 3, and it will get me going pretty well. |
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Posted: 12/24/2019 12:19:36 AM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Its white base with blue and red. The old scheme was before it was gear-upped. I was wrong too, it was aero commander not aerostar 500 listed in the correct flight aware pic on Google image. It's a fair panel. 430w,335,c3, (that needs a servo rebuilt and maybe a bit more) and steam gauges. Its fairly equivalent to what I've trained in although the c3 is a better ap (when working). Exterior is relatively new and sharp. Interior is fair and I'd probably get the seats recovered as cracked leather up front is the main blemish. I think the rest could be detailed and reconditioned to a good level. It would be a candidate for a Dynon skyview scrapping everything but the 430 for an ifr certified waas enabled GPS source, but I'm really not thrilled with the cost of hull insurance (4% of insured value on top of liability) so I really want to just pay cash and self insure my in motion coverage which limits my budget quite a bit. I'd rather put that money towards additional training. If I do more than gear-up land it, it wont likely matter anyways. This one is also not a great investment plane due to the damage history and some missing older log books (which is why I could afford it cash even though its 110 tsmoh and 300 tspoh). If I do keep it simple, I will probably add something like Levil BOM to bring some glass options and redundancy in immediately on the cheap. Combine that with a fresh overhaul on a coupled century 3, and it will get me going pretty well. Steam gauges are good. |
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Posted: 12/24/2019 12:25:18 AM EDT
[#33]
Congrats! Hopefully you let them cut the shirt instead of just signing it!
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Posted: 12/24/2019 3:15:37 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Archer. I'll likely be buying the bo cash and going liability only for the insurance. 5hrs dual is all they want (liability or full coverage). I'll need the high performance and complex endorsements if it happens, but we can knock that out quick. Don't rush the dual- take 10 or so hours to get really comfortable with the plane and the complex/hi-performance sign-off. Pay particular attention to emergency gear extension in that bird as it ain't intuitive. The best thing you could do is contact the American Bonanza Society and find a CFI that knows Bonanzas and not some fresh-faced kid at the local flight school. |
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Posted: 12/25/2019 5:27:51 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Those old V-tails are nice airplanes. They have a few quirks, but overall are pretty stable birds. One quirk that annoys me when I fly them is if the ruddervators aren't balanced perfectly, the tail wags like a happy dog. Don't rush the dual- take 10 or so hours to get really comfortable with the plane and the complex/hi-performance sign-off. Pay particular attention to emergency gear extension in that bird as it ain't intuitive. The best thing you could do is contact the American Bonanza Society and find a CFI that knows Bonanzas and not some fresh-faced kid at the local flight school. |
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Posted: 12/27/2019 5:30:49 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Definitely. My instructor has over 5k hours of instruction given, and I'll take the bppt course regardless (plus the plane will be going to an abs service clinic asap as well). Most if not all of my initial flying will also be doubled up as instrument training as well. |
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Posted: 12/27/2019 7:18:57 PM EDT
[#37]
Went to the Dr yesterday. She removed the cast but the stitches stay in until Thursday. I should be able to get back in the plane in 2 weeks. Of course this is Alabama, so it will probably be tornado's turning into ice storms when Im able.
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Posted: 12/27/2019 8:28:39 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Those old V-tails are nice airplanes. They have a few quirks, but overall are pretty stable birds. One quirk that annoys me when I fly them is if the ruddervators aren't balanced perfectly, the tail wags like a happy dog. Don't rush the dual- take 10 or so hours to get really comfortable with the plane and the complex/hi-performance sign-off. Pay particular attention to emergency gear extension in that bird as it ain't intuitive. The best thing you could do is contact the American Bonanza Society and find a CFI that knows Bonanzas and not some fresh-faced kid at the local flight school. |
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Posted: 12/30/2019 11:42:28 AM EDT
[#39]
When in doubt, double check...
Another lesson Saturday, an impromptu XC. Leaving RNT airspace was interesting, great weather and everyone that had access to a plane seemed to be in the air. I've never heard ATC here that busy - and quite a few bone heads in the air, turns out I and my CFI were destined to be included in that list. Overall flight was pretty plain, but I had no preparation for where we were going. Not a real XC, more us getting out for a fun flight. Part way along CFI had me use the Garmin in the 162 to figure out what frequency for a field we would do a touch and go on. Found it, dialed it in to find it was really quiet at that field. Not something I would normally expect as it's usually very busy. I kept making announcements that we were inbound. Oddly, still silence on the radio. On long final I see a plane on short final, and a plane on base. WTF? Why aren't the making calls on the radio. CFI was a little pissed. I wanted nothing to do with what I was seeing so called a go around. He then broke out the ipad and double checked the frequency, it was off by a digit. So, we were the dumb asses in that deal. So, to state the obvious that we ignored, if something doesn't seem right, double (or triple) check... All in all, it was a good day. The CFI says I'm all good to get back to solo work, but my issue at this point is on each landing (only 3 lessons with this guy so far) he feels the need to cover the controls as I land. I'm not content to solo until I can break him of that. This Friday will hopefully be the day to achieve it. |
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Posted: 12/30/2019 12:42:47 PM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
When in doubt, double check... Another lesson Saturday, an impromptu XC. Leaving RNT airspace was interesting, great weather and everyone that had access to a plane seemed to be in the air. I've never heard ATC here that busy - and quite a few bone heads in the air, turns out I and my CFI were destined to be included in that list. Overall flight was pretty plain, but I had no preparation for where we were going. Not a real XC, more us getting out for a fun flight. Part way along CFI had me use the Garmin in the 162 to figure out what frequency for a field we would do a touch and go on. Found it, dialed it in to find it was really quiet at that field. Not something I would normally expect as it's usually very busy. I kept making announcements that we were inbound. Oddly, still silence on the radio. On long final I see a plane on short final, and a plane on base. WTF? Why aren't the making calls on the radio. CFI was a little pissed. I wanted nothing to do with what I was seeing so called a go around. He then broke out the ipad and double checked the frequency, it was off by a digit. So, we were the dumb asses in that deal. So, to state the obvious that we ignored, if something doesn't seem right, double (or triple) check... All in all, it was a good day. The CFI says I'm all good to get back to solo work, but my issue at this point is on each landing (only 3 lessons with this guy so far) he feels the need to cover the controls as I land. I'm not content to solo until I can break him of that. This Friday will hopefully be the day to achieve it.
I doubt you're gonna "break him" of his habit of covering controls- it's a defensive mechanism he's developed to prevent students from doing stupid things like trying to kill him. If he isn't taking control from you, don't sweat it and if he says you're "all good to get back to solo work", get back to it.
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Posted: 1/4/2020 2:21:32 PM EDT
[#41]
Yesterday’s lesson was interesting... predicted winds were to be 45kts at 3000’ though pretty calm at the air field. Some wind shear to the south of us reported. Only one of the 162s was out, that should have been a sign to me. I figured the lesson wasn’t going to happen but after some discussion we decided to go see what we could do.
Pretty casual getting out of the airport’s airspace, then we started getting bounced around when we got out of the valley the field is in. Not horrible at that point but enough to make me a little anxious. We headed north to a small field to practice short field landings. First round there I was too high on final because being bounced around was distracting me. We went around for another try. It was pretty calm at the surface but bad at 1000’. Second try went great as did the third. Then we headed home as I was feeling spent from the turbulence. On our way back, out of nowhere we were at a 30-40 degree bank but quickly recovered. We were at 2500’ initially and bd ended up at 2100’. The CFI took the controls. We proceeded to get our butts kicked on the way back, 45kt headwind too so it was a slow slog. I really wanted out of that plane for the duration. The turbulence was pretty severe - the up/down motion is tolerable but suddenly being in a bank really messes with my head. When we got back near the field he handed the controls back to me and the landing went well. I was happy to have that one over. Good lesson to see what the plane can handle and also to learn what conditions I won’t go out in. |
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Posted: 1/4/2020 10:51:53 PM EDT
[#42]
@PLammer: Awesome! You stretched your boundaries and found the "Here be monsters" area of them.
Sounds to me like a great flight. |
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Posted: 1/4/2020 11:22:37 PM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
@PLammer: Awesome! You stretched your boundaries and found the "Here be monsters" area of them. Sounds to me like a great flight. I have found that gusts on the ground tend to equate to bumps in the air. Am I right about that? My last flight I was expecting it to be a sporty ride -- it was 10-ish on the ground (no gusts), but 40 knots at 3,000', and more higher. I enjoyed a smooth outbound leg with 167 GS in my Archer (120 KIAS). On the way back I climbed to 6,500' and managed 110 knots over the ground, figuring somehow I found a hole or transition in the wind?? But then descending back to the field around 3,000' I was flying into 40 knots with an 85 knot GS. It was still very smooth. I got a few moderate bumps that kept me in the green arc, but otherwise it was a comfortable flight. Now, compare that to days where it was gusting 10-20 knots on the ground, those days can be a rough ride. Or nothing at all in the air. Can some of the more experienced pilots share some information on what to look for while on the ground to predict the quality of ride? And keep in mind that the pireps on the charts don't mean much to use because we aren't going anywhere close to the flight levels where those reports are made!
EDITED to add that these experiences also go to show us that even if we end up in conditions we don't like and did not expect, that the airplane and pilot can handle them to ensure a safe landing. |
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Posted: 1/5/2020 10:20:30 AM EDT
[#44]
A cliff notes answer is to look for shearing winds. Shear is a sudden or strong change in wind direction, wind speed, or both. Use whatever efb you have and turn the wind barbs on. Look at all the surface wind reports along your route, but also the wind barbs from 3000’ and up. If you see large changes in speed or direction expect turbulence. Read the airmets and look at the areas they define for turbulence. And above all, know your airplanes turbulence penetration speed or maneuvering speed. If you encounter bad turbulence slow to that speed, as the possibility exists to damage the airplane. Take heavy winds very seriously in small airplanes, the PA28 especially. In strong crosswinds that short airframe and rudder arm will require higher landing speeds to maintain enough rudder control, and that affects every other aspect of your landing, especially landing distance.
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Posted: 1/5/2020 10:31:00 AM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
A cliff notes answer is to look for shearing winds. Shear is a sudden or strong change in wind direction, wind speed, or both. Use whatever efb you have and turn the wind barbs on. Look at all the surface wind reports along your route, but also the wind barbs from 3000’ and up. If you see large changes in speed or direction expect turbulence. Read the airmets and look at the areas they define for turbulence. And above all, know your airplanes turbulence penetration speed or maneuvering speed. If you encounter bad turbulence slow to that speed, as the possibility exists to damage the airplane. Take heavy winds very seriously in small airplanes, the PA28 especially. In strong crosswinds that short airframe and rudder arm will require higher landing speeds to maintain enough rudder control, and that affects every other aspect of your landing, especially landing distance. |
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Posted: 1/5/2020 12:28:11 PM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Thanks for your response! It is going to be windy today so I will start looking at those resources and learning from the ground. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
A cliff notes answer is to look for shearing winds. Shear is a sudden or strong change in wind direction, wind speed, or both. Use whatever efb you have and turn the wind barbs on. Look at all the surface wind reports along your route, but also the wind barbs from 3000’ and up. If you see large changes in speed or direction expect turbulence. Read the airmets and look at the areas they define for turbulence. And above all, know your airplanes turbulence penetration speed or maneuvering speed. If you encounter bad turbulence slow to that speed, as the possibility exists to damage the airplane. Take heavy winds very seriously in small airplanes, the PA28 especially. In strong crosswinds that short airframe and rudder arm will require higher landing speeds to maintain enough rudder control, and that affects every other aspect of your landing, especially landing distance. We are a descent size school, so also easy to get word of mouth info as well. We were warned and went anyway but it clearly deteriorated while we were out. |
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Posted: 1/5/2020 9:48:21 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted: What Rbass suggested is what we did plus we looked at the pressure charts. We had a couple of highs to the NW and lows to the SE and we were in the trough. The isobars were pretty close throughout the region, so supported that it would be windy, I’m not sure if that should have implied chop or not. We are a descent size school, so also easy to get word of mouth info as well. We were warned and went anyway but it clearly deteriorated while we were out. |
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Posted: 1/6/2020 12:01:41 AM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
One of the things that I look forward to in IFR training is learning more about the weather, forecasts, and tools. |
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Posted: 1/6/2020 8:30:32 AM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Why wait? Wx education is just as important- if not more so- for a VFR pilot. |
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Posted: 1/23/2020 7:05:48 PM EDT
[#50]
[Bump to keep this from going to the archive]
The weather here in the NW has been crappy, so yesterday was my first flight in a few weeks. The WX was not looking good, but we went out anyway and did some pattern work. Flew to an airport about 15 miles south of us and did a few loops in the pattern until the clouds chased us home. Finished at home with 4 more laps in the pattern. The instructor is all good for me to go solo, just need to build my confidence to venture away from the airfield on my own. I think my lack of it is more tied to the crappy weather than anything at this point. Next calm-ish day that comes around, I'll head on out on my own. His parting words yesterday was that I landing well every time. The student he was out with prior to me has been doing solo work and it took him a few tries to get the plane on the ground in yesterday's weather. So, that does a lot for my confidence. I'd appreciate stories of your first solo away from home base. |
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