Tue May 11, 2021 6:55 pm
#1846330
Those of you who followed my student struggles may recall the dream which carried me through, was that of one day flying the Chipmunk. Well, now I have achieved my tailwheel rating on the C140 (chosen as it was cheaper than a chipmunk) I am converting to the Chipmunk which also has the bonus of being much closer!
First time in the front seat last weekend and after some time spent on the ground with my FI talking me through the walk round, cockpit and practising the controls whilst we let the wind calm down a bit. I Strapped in and had first go at a cartridge start. I pulled the pull chord but couldnt get her to fire... turns out I was being too gentle. She is wonderful to control in the air, better than the C140, and keeps in balance well. Started getting to grips with the brakes as well. I think this is going to be the hardest thing to learn; along with the use of the flap lever.
Taxiing of course requires the classic side to side weave which takes a lot of getting used to with a mixture of throttle and brake. I did of course do it that way in teh C140 too, but it was easier in the 140. Take off seemed easier on the Chippy than the C140 though - smoother and more stable. Climb outs needed to check the speed a bit but got much better as I did more circuits. Flew into the local area to do some general handling and stalls. She turns beautifully.
Final turn, approach and landings are the trickest bit. The final turn and landing is where I now understand that the Chippy pilot requires three hands...this is going to take some learning! But one thing that I can do that I have not been able to do in any other aircraft is get her straight away on the centre line. I am usually landing left of centre! Odd, but must be the view looking stright over the nose I guess is easier than being slightly offset to the left in the Grob or C140.
Thats my first front seat trip in a nutshell, heres to many more!
First time in the front seat last weekend and after some time spent on the ground with my FI talking me through the walk round, cockpit and practising the controls whilst we let the wind calm down a bit. I Strapped in and had first go at a cartridge start. I pulled the pull chord but couldnt get her to fire... turns out I was being too gentle. She is wonderful to control in the air, better than the C140, and keeps in balance well. Started getting to grips with the brakes as well. I think this is going to be the hardest thing to learn; along with the use of the flap lever.
Taxiing of course requires the classic side to side weave which takes a lot of getting used to with a mixture of throttle and brake. I did of course do it that way in teh C140 too, but it was easier in the 140. Take off seemed easier on the Chippy than the C140 though - smoother and more stable. Climb outs needed to check the speed a bit but got much better as I did more circuits. Flew into the local area to do some general handling and stalls. She turns beautifully.
Final turn, approach and landings are the trickest bit. The final turn and landing is where I now understand that the Chippy pilot requires three hands...this is going to take some learning! But one thing that I can do that I have not been able to do in any other aircraft is get her straight away on the centre line. I am usually landing left of centre! Odd, but must be the view looking stright over the nose I guess is easier than being slightly offset to the left in the Grob or C140.
Thats my first front seat trip in a nutshell, heres to many more!