Yeah.  Couple hours a week probably.  Then I have a 2 hour cross country to the examiner to cram.  

I was at Corvallis. I have heard great things about the program at COCC. They have good helicopters, good maintenance and good instructors. Also the area is great for flying!
@Patriot43

Spurs ? Are you flying an F104?

Congrats! It's extremely rare to pass with that few hours!

@Corey
What are they doing for crosswind training for you? How high of a component are they willing to go with you?

We started crosswind training pretty early, but stopped during solo prep, which meant a lot of cancelled flights.  During solo prep, it was basically "no crosswinds" because they wanted everything to simulate the solo conditions (which were perfect, 4 knots straight down the runway).

Now we are starting to learn in different wind conditions and every landing from here until check ride prep will be a performance landing (short or soft field).

A short field landing at a small airport without a displaced threshold is something to see the first couple of times.  Round out happens above a farm field.

I learned over at Moreys, back before they enlarged it, all my training was that way!  

But if you fly the speed numbers, all works out well.

KIAS is the single most important factor in a good landing.  Am I right?

Was set for a really nice XC from KMSN to KOSH to see the revered painted runways this morning.

While we were waiting for an ATIS update, I started doing the instrument checks.  Parked on the ramp facing west the attitude indicator was banked 30 degrees right.  My CFI suggested taxiing in a circle to see if that corrected it, but it just flopped around ending right back at 30 degrees when we got back around to 270.  Yes, we did have suction.

Flight scrubbed.

XC to KOSH today.

Made my first landing on the legendary runways up there (09).  It was a lot of fun.

Another short XC tomorrow morning.  Then long XC later this week.  Then ... solo XC.

I think I am getting close....

I flew my first lesson 9/15. What a rush, one of the coolest things I've done. I went into it not knowing what to expect - though I was expecting it to be a ride along with a narrative on what all was going on.

Highlights were when we taxied to the runway and got centered, my instructor told me full throttle and pull up at 55 Knots. I didn't expect I'd be the one doing that on the first flight. All went well and off we went. He progressively had me do different maneuvers that I guess I did in an acceptable manner, each one was a little more complicated. He continued to do this until I reached my mental fatigue point. I think that one was maintain a steady speed of 70 Knots while doing an ascending turn to a specific heading. (I was drinking from a fire hose, so it might be a variation of that, I can't remember precisely) There was just a little too much going on and I reached my breaking point. He said some of what he had me do was more appropriate for around the 4th lesson, but he wanted to see what I could do.

Then he backed off and had me do some more mundane maneuvers, then it was time to head back. He set me up perfectly to enter the pattern and had me line up with the runway. I was waiting for him to take the stick, but he didn't. As we were approaching I was thinking WTF, when is he going to take the controls. Nope, we dropped down on the runway smooth as silk. He did get us slowed down and off the runway.

He really is an excellent instructor, set me up for success and pushed me just enough. I feel I'm really lucky to have been paired up with him.

Self critiques from the lesson: I need to hone my control inputs. Leveling off on a turn at a specific heading I would miss the heading by a few degrees. Leveling off after an ascent/decent I'd under/overshoot the altitude a bit. I know that will all come to me as I gain experience. Also managing the power when leveling off isn't yet my main focus, that too I need to hone.

So much was going on for me, I can't remember all of the details. I'm getting a GoPro to record my lessons so I can go over them as much as I need.

What a freaking awesome hobby. Next flight this Thursday.

That is AWESOME!  Yeah, the first time someone tells you to pull back when you're rolling down the runway is an "oh shit" moment.  But I love the moment when the aircraft rotates -- it comes alive and starts to fly!

A great relationship with your CFI is very important.  I have complete trust in what my CFI tells me.  He is very reassuring and calm, which helps me focus.  Glad you found a good fit.

I don't know if I am the worst person to make these observations (student pilot, don't know squawk), or best person (student pilot, know what you're going through).  But here you go.

Here is what I think you will find.

1.  Those maneuvers that you do out in the practice area are important.  I remember flying into the pattern after a session or two of ground ref maneuvers and suddenly realized why those maneuvers were important.  I felt how the wind was affecting me and how to manage it.  Learning those maneuvers will allow you to be precise in the pattern, and generally in your flying.  They are the rudiments of flying.

2.  No landing is the same.  I'm glad you got a good one.  Don't beat yourself up over a bad one.  (I still do though.)  I hear that I will be working on perfecting landings the rest of my flying career.  I believe that to be the truth.

3.  You will gradually start to expand your focus.  What is demanding 100% of your focus right now, will demand less as you repeat the maneuvers.  If you told me as a new student pilot to talk to the tower on climb out, change radio frequencies to call departure, and fly the airplane on a set headings and steady climb, I would have not been able to do it.  Now it is no big deal and part of every departure.  I like how you recognize that your CFI is pushing you to saturation and then backing off a bit.  Be prepared for that cycle to repeat!

4.  You will start flying pattern work to landing, and there will be a system that you follow.  Most landings in the real world are not going to start from that perfect pattern.  Sure, you can enter them at uncontrolled airports, but at any controlled airport you not be coming in from that perfect pattern.  You will be shooting extended bases or finals, perhaps short finals, or even holds ("62S, turn 360 degree circles to the right" -- yes that was plural) on a downwind.  The system that you learn in the pattern will still work, you just have to adapt it to the free flowing workings of real world airports.  Your CFI will show you how to adapt that.  But learning the perfect pattern system is important, you will be expected to be proficient at it before your solo, and it will help you figure out all of those real life approaches and landings.

5.  Go-arounds are free.  Know when things feel good, and when they don't.  Follow your CFI's instructions for your type of aircraft and go around.  Sometimes a bump on short final can be saved.  Sometimes a perfect approach falls apart with a gust over the runway.  Talk to your CFI about them.

6.  Do not get ahead of yourself and worry about things beyond your lesson plan.  The lessons build on each other and will make sense once you get to next step.  Trust the process, it has made sense and built well for me.

7.  Do not get frustrated with weather delays.  They are part of the process.  Schedule 2-3 months worth of lessons but don't be surprised if half are cancelled due to weather.  I had a bad stretch of cancellations.

8.  I was worried about the memory flows, but once you get use to your aircraft it will become like second nature.  It will all come together in time!  Don't rush it.  You don't have to think about the controls in your car, you will get to the same point with the airplane.

Today I did my second cross country with my CFI to Rockford.  We chatted and had fun during the flight, but he didn't say a single thing about the flight.  I did everything from unlocking to locking the aircraft.  I would tell him what I was doing ("I don't want to get any lower on this unexpected long vector to final") and he would confirm, but no instruction.  Of course he gave me feedback after.

It felt good knowing I could take an aircraft on a cross country.  We have a long XC scheduled, then I do my solo cross country.  We also have to knock out night flying and a night cross country.  Then on to check ride prep.  But I am trusting the process and am just trying to learn as much as I can at every step of the way.

This is a lot of work and a lot of commitment.  But is one of the most satisfying and rewarding things that I have done in life behind family.

Update us as you progress in training!

Corey

Thanks for the tips.

Like you stated, I expect everything covered is important. Also that what is overwhelming now will become trivial in time. I've had a lot of instruction over time for things like racing cars and motorcycles. I've had my share of good instructors and bad, that helps me see when someone can teach well or not. I wasn't aware my CFI was pushing me until the moment he pushed too far. As soon as he backed off was when I realized.

I'm anxious to get passed the newbie intimidation to where I can take in more of what is going on around me. That first flight I was so focused on doing what he asked that I only once really looked out to appreciate where I was and what I was doing. I was looking out, just not appreciating my situation. I know that will come in time. Actually as I was flying, I remember thinking 'Should I be looking around more to watch for other aircraft?' but I knew he was doing that for me. All in time.

I'm taking all of this one step at a time. Thinking about getting my license in the big picture seems overwhelming at this point. I'm working on the perspective of the experience, not so much the end goal. "Focus on the journey not the destination."

Until last Saturday, I hadn't been in a small aircraft since I was 8 and I'm in my late 40's now. My dad managed a flight instrument repair shop where Boeing was their main customer, so I've been around the avionics world all my life, but he wasn't a pilot so no experience there. I had always thought it would be cool to fly, but was always intimidated. It wasn't until a party a month or so ago where I met a pilot of 6 years and he urged me to go for it. That didn't do too much for me but then his wife said she's taking lessons and voiced that she had the same fears I have but that they fade as you get more experience. That is what tipped the scales for me. Anyone else reading this thinking about learning to fly, go for it!

Thanks again for the info. I'll post more about my flights as I can.

Student pilot, ~15 hours in the book. Am I allowed in the thread ;)

The lever on the left is spoilers

https://youtu.be/uddAQ9uO7Yo

Heck yeah, you are allowed here!  That was an awesome video!  The more student pilots here the better.  The veteran pilots probably chuckle hearing us ramble on about our super exciting 52NM VFR flights.

.

Definitely keep us up to speed.

What kind of aircraft are you flying and when is your next lesson?

2011 C162, nice plane but I don’t have anything to reference to. Next flight is Thursday. Pretty much twice a week from here on out. Might shoot for 3 to cover for Seattle weather. Need to get busy on ground school too. I’m reading through the PHAK and taking notes, then going through the Gleim training book, finally Sporty’s online prep. Probably overkill, but it’s been a while that this much technical reading interests me this much. (I’m a software engineer, so reading tech stuff all the time and board as hell with my usual fodder)

More to come.

My first solo XC is tomorrow.  Any tips?

And I spent some time going over flight planning with me CFi and think i have a handle on that.  I am going to start the flight planning tonight based on the forecast and then see how much i have to update it tomorrow.

And this will be much different than my solo where I dropped my CFI off at the Dells ramp and he waited while I did my three laps, then he hopped back in.  Once I get signed off and the endorsement my CFI is going to shake my hand and say "have fun, text me when you get back, see you next week."

Yes sir! Although I have over 3000 hours, an instrument ticket and time in many different types I have NEVER had a "perfect" flight. I thought I did until after I shut the plane down in front of the hangar and glanced at the altimeter and noticed that I had not set it to 29.92 on the flight as I hit the flight levels. Oh well.

No flying tips, but good luck and have fun!  Give pireps, the FSS folks get lonely.  

Is "there's no one to talk to up here now that my CFI is gone" a legitimate pirep?



Seriously though, I was really relaxed during my solo.  So I am expecting that once I get up to cruise I can just monitor the airplane and flight progress.  I am expecting that it will be very relaxing.

That's what you think.

When you get outta sight of your home airport and the terrain starts to look a lot differernt, you're gonna sit up straight in the seat and think, "Holy Shit! I hope I don't get lost!"

You're gonna be nervous and hyper-vigilant until you start the return trip... THEN you'll relax!

Yeah, coming back to my home airport will be nice.  I flew down to my destination airport (KRFD) Monday morning morning and it worked out.  It is pretty easy to follow the lakes and cities down to it.

I won't get lost.  This one is an easy flight to make.

I am expecting the wind to swing around from where it was Monday, so I will be approaching the airport from a different direction at KRFD.

I have no idea about what to expect coming back to KMSN, and it has been wide vectors depending on commercial traffic recently with 14/32 out of service.  A couple of weeks ago 03/21 was down too and Madison was left with only 18/36 -- one runway for a Class C airport.

The XC solo today was amazing!

But it was so different than my solo.  My solo was just pattern work -- flying the numbers on a beautiful evening with the Dells airport to ourselves.  Then a relaxing flight back to Madison at sunset.  My solo was relaxing.

The XC solo today was great, but there were definitely a lot more pilot decisions going on.  It wasn't all flying the numbers like pattern work.  It was figuring stuff out as it was happening, and while figuring that out still flying the airplane.  Adapting to changing circumstances and flying Class C and Class D airspace, and figuring out extended bases (altitudes, airspeeds, etc.).

But I had a very good landing at Rockford and a great landing back at Madison.  I am very happy with how the flight went.

Nice, congrats.  

I now have my second and third lessons under my belt.

Second lesson went well, but I walked away a little frustrated. It seems I'm expecting too much precision already and I probably just need to loosen up. We worked toward slow fight, maintaining 70 knots with AOA and using throttle for elevation. Not hard, but wrapping my brain around focusing on the speed, elevation and working the throttle was a challenge but came to me. My CFI then had me do the same but change heading. That was fine enough, but I tended to let one of the parameters slip in the process - miss the course heading a bit, or nail that but lose elevation in the process. After a few tries, I was doing that ok. Finally he had me do the same but ascending/descending turns and I consistently missed my elevation or heading until the very end. My lack of precision on that left me annoyed.

I stewed on that for a few days before my third lesson and let him know that I was frustrated. He laughed in a kind way and said that I was doing great and not to worry about it. The first thing we did this lesson was to revisit those. They weren't so hard this time, I guess fatigue had set in the previous lesson. We then proceeded to slow flight and redid all of the second lesson maintaining speed between 48 and 58 knots. That all went well and we moved on, last he had me work on steep-ish turns but using the rudder to start the turn (which I had not been doing yet).

In all of this, I'm liking his teaching style, but I do have a concern that I'm hoping someone here can give advice on: So far, just 3 lessons, he has been progressing me through a variety of new things. I like that and I feel it is giving more and more perspective, my doubt is that we aren't practicing those maneuvers to the point where I feel I really have them down to where I'm conscious of exactly what I'm doing, I'm more flying reflexively at this point based on what he tells me to do. Do I need to move slower and get more proficient at each maneuver, or will the process fill in those gaps as we go?

I do tend to overanalyze, so that is likely a factor in all of this.

LOL, reminds me of myself. On one of my first flights my instructor told me that I performed a manuever to the commercial check ride standards. Mistake, bc that moved the bar in my mind and I was never satisfied until I met those very high standards.

Go back and read the post where I told you what to expect in training. You are beating yourself up.  You have only had three lessons.  My friend has 500 hours and had a bad landing recently.

Before my solo XC last Saturday I told my CFI that I was really focusing on getting proficient with my landings and he said "you haven't had any [really] bad landings."  And I knocked out two very good landings during that solo.

Have fun, and the comfort will come the more you fly!  Right now the thought of a solo or solo XC looks like an impossibilty.  But you will get there.  And leading up to those events you will be anxious.  But when you complete them and shut down the airplane you will gain confidence in yourself and trust in the flight school process.  Remember how I commented that the way the school progresses and builds students is starting to make sense?  Remember how I said your available attention will start to expand?

Bottom line -- you are beating yourself up too much, but striving for perfection is a good goal as long as it doesn't eat you up.  Been there, dealt with that.  Trust your CFI when he tells you that you are doing well.  In another 2-3 lessons you will see that the gaps do fill in and you know how to set up for and perform each manuever.

Slow down and enjoy yourself!  (Now I have to take that advice too I suppose?)



Edit:  I had a "bad" landing several weeks ago and was incredibly upset with myself for a couple of days until I flew again and redeemed myself (to myself and not my CFI).  What I probably just needed was to shore up my confidence.  Keep in mind we do not have that much experience to fall back on.  If I make a bonehead mistake driving I brush it off bc I have been driving for decades.  Flying, not so much.  A perceived bad performance can shake a student pilot who only has 30 (me) or 5 (you) hours in the left seat.  I too am interested in the perspective of experienced pilots, bc while I was trying to reassure PLammer I realized (and conceded) that I struggled with the same issue.  And while I can rationalize it on the ground, my next botched radio call will no doubt have me kicking myself!  

plammer:

First. “Elevation” refers to the height on ground or the top of an object or structure. “Altitude” is what aircraft fly at

The manuvers you are learning will all come together as you progress into other things. There is nothing gained by practicing these things to perfection when we know that it will all fall into place when you move on to the TO & Landing phase.

If you instructor didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, he knows it will all come together down the road.

If you look ahead to what pattern work and TO & Landings consist of, you will see all these seperate steps in there. They call it the building block principle.

Parrot32 and Corey, thank you. I suspected as much, but being an engineer, I tend to over rate the fundamentals over the process. Though life has taught me that the process often serves one well. I trust my CFI though he’s going commercial in a couple of months, so my doubts partially stemmed from thoughts of short-timers syndrome. He’s taught many pilots, so best I roll with his flow.

I really appreciate the support.

Corey, one of your comments really hit home for me, solo let alone XC solo seems unattainable, but like you said I’m only 5hrs in. Patients isn’t always strong in me.

ETA: Roger on elevation vs altitude

Not true.  Maybe his, but that's not normal.

We are a lot alike, but I think that will hopefully make us pilots driven to a high level and absolutely conscious of safety -- and always learning.

I had a night flight cancelled tonight bc of weather.

Tomorrow I go on a long XC (three airports, 50NM between each).  Then on Saturday I repeat that flight as a solo.

I was admittedly anxious about my solo XC, but once I sat in the airplane everything felt right.  What I didn't say is that on climb out a wasp was dislodged from behind the center window support by the influx of vent air, and was hovering in front of my face.  I established climb, got on heading, double checked airspeed, and grabbed the first piece of paper I could find to take care of the wasp -- my handwritten flight plan.  I squashed the wasp with my right hand (left on the yoke), threw it to the floor, and continued flying.  I later recovered my flight plan at cruise and made sure the wasp was dead.

I did have some issues that I had to deal with on my solo XC.  Some were unexpected and unlikely to repeat, others I am preparing to make sure don't happen again.  But I dealt with them in the air and worked it out.  I will have a lot more confidence going into this next longer XC, where I expect I will have to deal with other issues that I cannot anticipate (but am hoping my training has prepared me for).

Whenever I get anxious about a new stage of my flight training, I think about this -- fly the darn airplane.  Okay, cool, I know how to do that.  The Aviate, Navigate, Communicate, rule is a good way to free up your thinking for the most critical tasks.

If you have any advice for me, I am all ears!  Glad to have this conversation.

Here's an example of one issue I had to deal with in XC flying.  Coming into Rockford from the north I could see the field but not runway 7 (obscured by trees on the approach side).  I made a really wide 4 mile base to the field to make sure I could get the runway in sight and establish a solid straight in approach.  I wanted eyes on the numbers before I turned final.  A more experienced pilot may have been able to cut that tighter.

It's a lot easier to establish a pattern at an uncontrolled airport than come into a C or D.

Maybe when I get more experienced my personal limitations would have allows me to cut that base a little tighter.  But not now.

I am trying to be very aware of my comfort level, establish that as my base, and not exceed that at this point.  I want to be ahead of the airplane at every step, and that starts with decision making descending into the airport at 10 mile out.

I would be interested in veteran pilots weighing in on this, and how simple limits like this expand with experience.  I am still so green and have a lot to learn.

If you have a GNS430 or 530 in your plane, which I'm guessing you likely have, do this:

On your 430/530, press the OBS button and make sure you have one of the screens with the moving map displayed. On your HSI or CDI, turn it so the number matches the runway that you're planning to land on. Your GPS will give you an extended magenta centerline for where you're landing. This is exceptionally useful when flying in the rolling hills of the southeast where airports can be obscured by a hill. The technique doesn't work so well if you're landing at KMIA or KMDW where you've got a bunch of parallel runways, but is excellent to make sure you're lined up on the right runway. It also helps if you're in a high wing airplane and lose sight of the field in your pattern turns and at night if you're landing in a city.

LOL. Guess I should add something to kill bugs with to my flight bag :) I'm off for a week due to vacation and the schools planes all being booked around it in the time I have available to fly. Looking forward to get back in the seat. The CFI has been dealing with tower coms so far, That's going to be my next hurdle the next flight. I'm intimidated but well aware that whatever I do, the previous newbies have already made the same mistakes. It will be my first night flight, should be fun.

I hope both your XCs go well. Please post up how it goes.

Download the LiveATC app and listen to it whenever you are driving (bonus point if you can see air traffic that you are listening to).  I have been listening for years and it has helped tremendously with my radio work.  You will also see that lots of experienced pilots flub read backs and calls.

Great tip, will try it in the 430 tonight.  Thanks!

Tonight was my last XC with my CFI.  It was the long one (KMSN, KDBQ, KPDC, KSMN).

Next I fly that long XC solo.

Then a couple of quick night flights.

And then check ride prep.

Wow, the end is coming at me pretty quick!  I am at 32 hours.

Tonight's flight was awesome. Enroute to KDBQ we were at 4,500' and a Cirrus overtook us at 6,000' just off our left side, which was cool to see.  And I got to talk to Chicago Center for the first time.

Landing at KDBQ stress free.  Got a nice landing there.

KPDC was fun.  It is just beyond the intersection of the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers, so it is scenic.  And there are bluffs all around the airport.  After a nice touch and go I was really happy that my Archer climbs at 1,000 fpm at 90 KIAS being surrounded by the bluffs.  Heck we were getting that cruise climb (maybe dipping to 700 fpm at altitude) most of the way to 7,500' on the way back to Madison.  The airplane likes to fly!

I am comfortable using the Garmin 430 GPS, autopilot, and altitude hold.  And I have been using it, but prefer to hand fly everything other than the monotonous cruise flight.

We did an ILS approach to 36 at Madison, and touched down shortly after sunset.

I was really anxious about my solo XC last weekend.  But I will not be at all anxious about my longer solo XC this next weekend repeating tonight's trip.  Of course I will be very focused, but there should not be the anxiety.  I have been to enough different airports, picked them out at miles from the field and had to figure out where the runways were hidden, have talked with Class C, D, and CTAF, and planned descents to a nice final (even cleaning a couple of approaches up on short final and deciding whether that is going to work or not).

My CFI says that he is confident in my flying the aircraft to any airport I want, but I have to do the long solo XC to match today per school rules.  It was a really nice flight, so I will be happy to do it.

Something has recently clicked with my landings, and I was able to confirm it tonight.  Things have slowed down enough so that on short final and round out I am able to sense what is going on and react to it, whereas before I was just flying the numbers and hoping it all worked out alright, but with the occasional bad round out.  My round outs have gotten very consistent and left me right in ground effect.  So where before I was always a little anxious on landing, I don't have that anxiety any more.  I am confident that I can get it down into ground effect (even on some pretty gusty days) and not balloon high, which was something I was dealing with.

One of the keys was getting my mind caught up with what was going on so that in the round out I could look forward, down the runway, and use that to help me round out.  It's almost like the same sight picture just before you rotate, but a little higher off the runway.  Everyone is right that once that runway sight picture widens, that is the point of round out.

Yeah, so things are coming together!  I am really getting confident up there, all the procedures are right there, and I am not missing anything.  Cruise transition to landing transition, it is all part of the hardwired procedure.

I can't believe where I am right now after I started pounding out ground ref and stalls for 2-3 hour stretches in the practice area.  That was in the end of June and July.  I look at my logbook after a 1.7 or 2.3 hour XC and wonder how in the world I managed to do constant maneuvering for 2-3 hours.  LOL  After those three hour sessions my shirt was always dripping with sweat.  I am much more relaxed after a long XC.

I told my CFI today that the only thing missing, is getting out of the aircraft at the destination and seeing family or doing something fun.  He understood.  That should be coming soon.

I may be changing my mind about getting licensed.  My former pilot step-dad said he'd pay, need to see just how much he's willing to pay.  It's a hell of a lot more expensive than when he started in the early '60s.

What are the wet hourly rates for aircraft in your areas?

In my area
$95-120 for a C162
$135-180 for a C172
$200 for a C182
$140 for an Archer

Around $120 rental wet for an Archer, $140 rental wet well equipped.

Just flew my long XC solo today.  2.3 hours Hobbs.  KMSN -> KDBQ -> KPDC -> KMSN.

I spent the morning planning the 3 legs the old fashioned way.  And I grudgingly admit that I was glad to be forced to do it. Once you get into the rhythm of what info you need and when in the process, you can kind crank it out relatively quickly (although it still took me 2-3 hours).  I started by doing my weather, both aloft and at the airports, converting to pressure altitude.  Then it was a matter of working through the sheets.  Halfway through I realized that to get the ground speed for the fuel calculation I needed to do the E6B which would also give me my wind corrections.  So I am using a hybrid of mechanical E6B and electronic E6B (for the calculations where I input known values and don't have to remember the equation).  I also did ground roll for take off and landing based on the weight at each leg accounting for fuel burn.  And I did W&B for beginning and end.

That stressed me out more than the flight.  

Once in the airplane all was good.  I now have my system for what I need, and what goes where.  When it's just me in the airplane the co-pilot seat becomes my desk.  Flying solo has its downsides (no one to talk with), but I keep myself busy checking on the aircraft, anticipating what is going to be happening and when, programming upcoming comm freq's, looking ahead to see what the expected runway will be based on weather, looking at the airport plate, and figuring out the approach.

Today was a huge confidence boost.  I am ahead of the airplane at all phases of flight, and am comfortable coming into your average Midwestern airport.

I am also comfortable asking ATC questions when I have them.  Today, I had flight following on the first leg with Chicago Center (a big deal for a student pilot).  I was getting really close to the Dubuque Class D airspace and Chicago had not yet handed me off.  I made a call -- "Chicago Center, Archer 1234A has Dubuque in sight, we can cancel flight following and switch to the tower."  Chicago Center responded that I should be talking to the tower at that point, and approved the hand-off (they were very busy with commercial traffic and I think appreciated the reminder).

Coming into Dubuque, I was set up on an extended downwind base to 13.  I was coming in at 4,500'.  There was a bit of traffic around, including one airplane buzzing the Mississippi.  I stayed above the traffic until I cleared it on my TCAS and visually, then went down for the airport.  A number of student pilots were in the pattern, and I was just coming in for a touch and go.  I got cleared for the option and did a great touch and go.  On the way out, I was climbing runway heading waiting for tower to tell me which way to depart.  I heard tower say to other traffic "Do you have the departing Archer in sight?  I don't know if they are going to go left or right."  I responded "Archer 1234A, which way do you want me to go?"  He said left, so that was it.  Class D's are a lot less controlled than Class C.  I still trying to figure out what they want me to do on my own, versus ask them, so my default is to ask them.  I have flown into Class D's but don't have a ton of experience with them compared to Class C (which I do every flight).

So I headed north to KPDC.  En route I saw rain building to the west and flew through some light rain (the airplane got a bath!).  I was monitoring the weather on the 430, ForeFlight, and visually.  It was pushing east and I was clear to divert east if I needed to.  When I got to KPDC, I was preparing to swing to the east and do a standard left hand traffic pattern entry.  Then I saw the rain pushing in, noticed a lack of traffic, and decided to just enter a right base to runway 11.  It would get me out of there a lot quicker.  (As a side note, in the rain I added carb heat because of the moisture and humidity in the air.  Don't know if that was necessary, but but it seemed reasonable to me at the time.  The carb temp was low.)

Flying into runway 11 at KPDC was very neat.  There is a decent bit of elevation around the airport (for this Midwestern student pilot), and I was flying base and turning final over the Mississippi, which has a bunch of wooded islands in that section.  As I'm adding flaps over the river, my ForeFlight warns me "500' AGL."  No shit, I'm turning final, I know I'm low.  There is a row of trees west of the runway which means that it can't be a shallow approach.  So I cleared them, and then pitched down.  I suspect that is similar to the "50' obstacle" we see in the performance charts?  It was a nice touch and go and I departed straight out.  Once I got clear of the moisture, I turned the carb heat off and it was like a boost of power.

Flying back to KMSN I watched the rain system and I was clearly staying ahead of it.  There were a number of airports I could have diverted to if needed, but I climbed to 5,500' where I got out of the headwind and was making 125 knots across the ground, so I stayed ahead of the rain.  I considered going up to 7,500' to take advantage of some good tailwinds, but the METAR's were putting that into the clouds.

I called Madison from about 30 miles out, simply because I had been monitoring them and had the ATIS.  It is nice to fly back to your home field.  It's like driving into your neighborhood after a road trip.  I got some vectors to the north but was cleared to land runway 18.  I am becoming familiar enough with the "non-pattern approach" that I was doing 100-110 KIAS until about 2 miles out.  I know Madison is busy and they like to keep traffic moving.  I got on the PAPI's, brought back the power, got into flap speed, hit one and then two, and then when the field was made hit the third notch.  I had a very nice landing.

So there you go, the long XC is in the log book.  I will not do another XC with my CFI (too bad, I learned a lot talking with him on those flights).  From here I think have to nail some night flights, then check ride.

But at this point I feel very comfortable.  Still focused, but confident in what I am doing and staying ahead of the airplane.

Nice job Corey! Sounds like a fun flight.

Couple of minor things to think about...

Carb Heat and Lycomings - generaly they don't need it unless you are reducing power or running at reduced power. You have an OAT gauge and it appears you also have a Carb Temp gauge. If these two are above freezing, especially the carb gauge, you don't need carb heat. (OAT gauge allow 5 to 7°C over Freezing) Go over this with your instructor and keep in mind that winter is coming and in the winter you can actually MAKE carb ice by using carb heat

Touch and Gos? Better to make full stop, clear the runway so you can reset your mind as well as your airplane for the next leg. Note that it appears your take off and climb was with carb heat on??? If true, some conditions the power loss could have caused you some real issues.

Cloud base altitudes in METARS are always AGL. But you fly based on MSL. Looking at your flight path that means those clouds were going to be 600 to 1,000 feet above your indicated altitude. So that climb and cruise at 7,500 MSL would have been fine.

Controlled airspace. Pilot in Command never ask for permission! Now I don't mean be a pr-ck about it At your Delta airport, I would have told told the tower before I touched down that I would like to make a left downwind departure. (note the not being a pr-ck tone) Or if I landed and cleared the runway, I would put that in my readback to ground control after they issue my taxi clearance. Could even wait and stick it in your call to tower when you are reporting ready for takeoff.

Good flight though.

Thanks for your feedback, it is appreciated. Yes I plan on revisiting the carb heat issue with my CFI.

It was thanks!  Now that I am back to a computer I wanted to respond to specific points.

My instructor said if the carb was below freezing (it was), and there was visible moisture, then definitely it was a good idea to use the carb heat.  And I was reducing power as I was coming in for the touch and go.

The airplane does have a carb temp gauge, but no OAT (it is in the engine electric engine monitor which is inop, we are looking for a new one).  At any rate I knew the OAT temp was above freezing because the drizzle and light rain was liquid.

I will look at the POH and explore this issue more.

I was fine with the touch and goes.  I knew all of the heading, etc., and was trying to get out of there in case the field went IFR.

Great reminder.  ForeFlight predicted that a climb to 7,500' would save me a single minute.  I was in smooth air at 5,500', and everything was all set up, so it was such a short flight I didn't give it much thought.  If I was coming back from a 250NM trip, then it might have been a different story.

I told Dubuque coming in that I was going to be a touch and go departing to the north.

I am glad that I am training from a Class C, because all of my flights require me to interact with approach, departure, and the tower and they do give radar services.  Coming back into Madison I was told to expect a right base to runway 18.  I was still flying direct.  I called and asked them if they wanted me to remain flying direct or set up for the right base.  They told me I could set up for a right base, which was better for me.  Of course, shortly thereafter I get the vectors for sequence, but it wasn't that bad.

Like I said, still trying to get a command of this and am still very much at the student pilot level.  Although I am very comfortable using the radio.

Thanks!  It was fun.  I post the AAR because it gives me a chance to think things through, analyze them, and hopefully get some feedback from more experienced pilots.

Corey

On the issue of carb heat in Pipers, I have learned the following.

Online (what a great source of aviation knowledge...) it is a beans/no bean and 9mm/.45 debate.

But the Lycoming in the Archer has the air intake routed through the back of the engine, which warms the air and reduces likelihood of carb icing.  A Lycoming in a 172 has a direct air intake from the front, which presents greater icing issues.  Therefore Cessna POH's require liberal use of carb heat.

The Archer POH says to use carb heat "as needed" when engine runs rough or rpm's decrease, and then turn it off.

So, I ran the carb heat contrary to the POH.  It was only for a couple of minutes.  But there is an increased risk of detonation (due to an excessively rich mixture) and the obvious loss of power, neither of which effected my flight.

My CFI said I made the right call by putting in carb heat with obvious moisture in the air and a carb temp below freezing.

But now that I understand the Archer air intake and carb system more, I will fly it per the POH.  Carb heat only when needed.

Corey

Let's have some straight talk about Carb Heat.

Ice is RARE in fuel injected engines but common to Carbureted engines. It has caused a pretty high number of engine failures through the years.

The temperature of the inlet air can drop as much as 70°F (36°C) as it goes through the carburetor. If moisture is present in that air and the temperature goes below freezing, you have an ice maker! Now the stated 70°F is an extreme otherwise we would all be running carb heat almost all the time.

Why don't we run carb heat all the time and eliminate the problem? Hotter the air, the less oxygen is present hence less power. A disadvantage of using carb heat on takeoff or climb is the raised the inlet temperature. Besides causing a power loss it can lead to detonation which can destroy an engine in under a minute.

Lycoming engines are less prone to carb ice than Continental engines. Has to do with the carburetor mounting and intake manifolds.

Hot air is provided by the heat exchanger. Big can under the cowl that most people think is a muffler. Also when carb heat is applied the intake air is bypassing the air filter which is not good for the life of the engine.

Carb Heat can MAKE ice! In cold weather, below freezing, the air containing ice crystals can be heated by carb heat which melt these crystals allowing them to refreeze in the carburetor. Pretty rare condition as air that is freezing can't contain much water.

So when do we use it? As directed/taught by our instructor Corey quoted the Lycoming manual which is really a get out of liability clause! More and more aircraft have a carburetor air temperature gauge. These are the best answer ~ above freezing? Don't need it. At or below freezing? Use it! If you don't use it, monitor the temperature while descending to make sure it doesn't fall below freezing as the engine cools. If the carb temperature is on the edge, use it and be safe.

No gauge? Unless it is well below freezing, use it anytime you reduce power. Keep in mind the concern of takeoff and climbs with carb heat on especially if you are doing touch and goes.

What about tuning the carb heat to keep it above freezing in cruise? The majority of time you won't have to since there isn't that much temperature drop at cruise power settings. I have done this only one time in 50 years.

Thank you for the detailed explaination!

I do have a carb temp gauge and the needle was below zero.  So hopefully I used carb heat correctly, though i should have shut it off for the climb out when I raised the flaps during the touch and go roll.

I never realized discussions about carb heat use could get so "heated" until just a year or so ago.  I learned to fly in C-152's and C-172's, that had a manufacturer provided POH and check list, that provided guidance on it's use.  We pretty much used it for every landing, but I don't ever remember using it while climbing.  And always turned it off while setting up for the "go" part of a touch and go.

Then I ended up with my Lycoming 0-290-G (ground power unit engine) powered experimental.  The airplane isn't equipped with a crab temp gauge, and there isn't any flight manual guidance, so I defaulted to the conservative course of action, and used it at low power settings.  Problem with that is that when I'd close the throttle, the engine would quit.  Happened more than once when I was rolling out at idle power.

The mechanic that does my condition inspections and I have been round and round about this.  He says it's "not a problem", "Lycoming's don't need carb heat", etc..I still maintain that the engine shouldn't ritchen up to the point that it quits with the heat on.

I'll have the carb overhauled this year, but thats a whole other discussion.  Very few places will even do carb work anymore, the one shop locally refuses to yellow tag the carb, since it's going on an experimental.  I maintain the card won't know or care whats its mounted on, and either his work is worthy of tagging it, or it isn't.

Some days I wish the airplane would just spontaneously fall apart, so I could have it hauled away.

What kind of airplane do you have?

My CFI taught me during the run up, when I go to idle to wait a moment, then apply carb heat to make sure the engine keeps running at that low rpm.  Then turn carb heat off and go back to 1,000 rpm.

Hopefully after you get your PPL you take advantage of the crazy low interest available right now and buy yourself something that's fuel injected and not a Piper piston single. I am a huge advocate of the vintage Mooneys with manual gear as a first airplane. Maintenance costs are on par with a 172, but costs per mile are way less because of the fuel efficiency.

Also, when you fly, even if it's a local flight, get in the habit of pulling the mixture maybe 1/4 inch so you have a checklist to brief before you land. The reason for this is it creates a "checklist" stage in your mind that you can get in the habit of briefing and repeating that will help to keep you from landing with your gear up when you start flying retracts. It's like checking for your wallet, keys, and cellphone when getting out of an Uber or a taxi, or clearing a weapon when you pick it up.