Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
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By MichaelP
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1854262
The C140 was stick all the way back for a short field take off technique, then slowly to neutral.


All the way back, brakes on, full power, confirm power, release the brakes and then move the control wheel to the mid point (elevator in line with tailplane). Never put the stick forward at full power with the brakes on.
Cessna 120/140 aircraft are easy to put on the nose! It’s why some put extenders on the gear legs to move the mainwheels forward.

But we need to be very careful if there’s a crosswind.
Perhaps never attempt a short field takeoff with a cross wind, rather keep the mainwheels pegged to the ground a little longer to enable a clean break with the ground giving you room to manoeuvre the aeroplane into a ‘crab’ to track the ‘centreline’.
Being in a crab does not mean with the ball out!
Room means being able to do a coordinated roll into a small turn into the wind, to climb out on track.

When there’s a significant cross wind, tail low short field takeoffs may mean you do not have the control authority and performance to avoid drifting off the runway perhaps towards trees or other obstacles on the downwind side of the strip.

My view from the back of another Chipmunk:
Image
Flyin'Dutch' liked this
#1854289
Thanks for that Michael P. As an aside, I was just shortening the take off piece for the C140, yup, I always released the brakes before stick to neutral! But I dont fly the C140 anymore, i've gone onto the Chipmunk. The C140 was only ever to get my tailwheel rating (plus Fowlmere is 2hrs drive for me).

As for x wind take offs....I know it can be done in a taildragger, but with only a slight x wind. At the moment, I am FI bound. Even so, when released to fly the Chippy solo, certainly wouldnt be attempting x wind take offs/landings by myself just yet!! :wink:
#1855359
Shocker of a Chippy session this afternoon It was as though I had forgotten all I had learnt about taildragging! Consistently too high and hot on approach, and speeds all over the place.... so frustrated, gave up and very down. :cry:

My FI realised how I was feeling though, and so that I didnt brood over the failure all week, suggested if I was up to it, to have another bash of the circuit after a break, taking it back to basics with the speed etc. I am so glad I did. It put those demons I had made in my head to bed and I started to make progress once more, and proved that last week wasnt a fluke and I am really starting to...well, at least take off a Chippy ok...... landings are still interesting...
By The Kissimmee Bum
FLYER Club Member (reader)  FLYER Club Member (reader)
#1856553
Stick with it!

Long time back but I remember my errors and what I must do to eliminate and correct them used to sink in on the drive home. Next session was always the better for that.

I now live five minutes from the airfield and no longer have the advantage of a one hour personal debrief whilst driving home.

My cock ups now tend now to be analysed in the pub which I go past my house to divert via on the way home from the airfield :|
T6Harvard, Hazel C liked this
#1856735
Its that time of the week again...Chippy update! Much better this week...I was a different pilot!! Actually managed a couple of decent landings! Need to get start up checks in my head and patter for priming/hand swinging but its coming.

Take offs were much better but I am still swinging a bit even with left rudder...learning more about wind too! nailing speeds better in the circuit and downwind checks are much more fluid ...I can even use the carb air lever smoothly now!

Landings starting to get there, but I still need to fine tune the speed on finals turn and approach. A couple of times I had to go around - too hot and high again. One one of the landings I ballooned as I flared too early....but all part of the learning curve....

Need to get some other technical stuff into my head as well - like flap limiting speeds....more evening with head in pilots notes methinks....

ps...my personal debrief is also driving 30 minutes back home and then writing down learning points when home too.
kanga, Mike Tango, Highland Park and 1 others liked this
#1856779
T6Harvard wrote:Good stuff @Hazel C !

My personal debrief is the 90 min drive home and lesson write-ups, too.
Private journal gets the full horror show / glee; Flyer forum gets the edited version with fewer lowlights :lol:


Thankyou @T6Harvard 90 minutes to the airfield! WoW that is a long drive - mind you it used to take me that to Little Gransden to fly the C140.

Glad you're writing a journal. I hope that it helps. I always found writing myself notes was very useful during my ab initio training; which is why I have carried onto doing it into my tailwheel training/Chippy conversion training. My wall of flying post its now has Chippy checks and flap limiting speeds on as opposed to the old flight planning and Nav post its etc from my PPL training days! :lol:
T6Harvard liked this
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By Iceman
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1856783
I maintained a training record when I learned to fly, noting in particular all of those things that the instructor said that I hadn’t read elsewhere (at least, at that point), experiences, weather, techniques, RT, etc. I still have all of those notes and useful tips 26 years on.

Iceman 8)
Hazel C liked this
By The Kissimmee Bum
FLYER Club Member (reader)  FLYER Club Member (reader)
#1856789
Hazel C wrote:Glad you're writing a journal. I hope that it helps. I always found writing myself notes was very useful during my ab initio training; which is why I have carried onto doing it into my tailwheel training/Chippy conversion training. My wall of flying post its now has Chippy checks and flap limiting speeds on as opposed to the old flight planning and Nav post its etc from my PPL training days! :lol:


Not flown a Chippy for years but the flap speeds of 71 & 93kts are ingrained into my mind. Probs tattooed behind my ear somewhere!
Hazel C liked this
By The Kissimmee Bum
FLYER Club Member (reader)  FLYER Club Member (reader)
#1856795
PaulSS wrote:SO much of the Chippy is lodged in my brain from repetition. "Fuel on, brakes on, throttle closed, switches off" still just rolls off the tongue and who can ever forget My Friend Fred :D


And what distinguished your friend Fred then? :wink:
PaulSS, Hazel C liked this
#1856952
Not flown a Chippy for years but the flap speeds of 71 & 93kts are ingrained into my mind. Probs tattooed behind my ear somewhere!


I think it will be tattooed on my forehead before long! :lol:

SO much of the Chippy is lodged in my brain from repetition. "Fuel on, brakes on, throttle closed, switches off" still just rolls off the tongue and who can ever forget My Friend Fred :D


I hope that will get lodged in my brain too.

I dont use My friend Fred...rather, I sing the checks to myself to the Dambusters and vocalise them too, and add in carb air..... :D
By The Kissimmee Bum
FLYER Club Member (reader)  FLYER Club Member (reader)
#1856957
PaulSS wrote:SO much of the Chippy is lodged in my brain from repetition. "Fuel on, brakes on, throttle closed, switches off" still just rolls off the tongue and who can ever forget My Friend Fred :D


The other rather ribald nemonic began. Tommy Tickled Mary’s F….,, Oh never mind. :oops:
PaulSS liked this
#1858175
Progress! :D

Had a really good session in the Chippy today. Take offs pretty much there... im getting the tail up and looking towards the horizon now. I still need to use more left rudder on take off and also am too left wing down as I am climbing away....

Much better on approach, nailing the speeds and the glide slope better. First two landings were great! Couple of go arounds, one very firm one, one slightly iffy one off a sideslip and the last one was reasonable...

Need to work on the use of brake on the landing roll and taxiing....so still work to do, but feeling much better as my FI can see progress as can I .... :D
PA28, kanga, Rob P and 7 others liked this
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