Sat Jan 26, 2019 9:36 am
#1668739
So here it is - that first solo moment. The instructor is out and the power checks are done. This is a middling international airport and so a small delay after checks for one of the local airline flights to arrive. Running through the important things to remember - switch the transponder on on the runway....remember the aircraft is lighter so will get to circuit height faster.... lovely sunny day....
Cleared to enter and line up. Ok I can do this.... cleared for take off so here we go. I’ve done it so many times before it’s almist second nature. Rolling Ts and Ps in the green... excellent. Then.......strange.... the view is different......I’m usually up by now.... speed is rising .....not there yet....I’ve never seen the actual runway end on take off before ...... what’s happening ? There’s the speed and I’m off... great. All going fine then onto the downwind checks. And there it is -
a slight movement forward on the brake handle - it hadn’t fully been released...so the brakes had been binding slightly causing a slightly longer take off run. The clues were there and I should have realised as soon as the picture wasn’t right.
Learning from this - if it looks wrong it is wrong. Do something about it as this could have ended very differently!
Cleared to enter and line up. Ok I can do this.... cleared for take off so here we go. I’ve done it so many times before it’s almist second nature. Rolling Ts and Ps in the green... excellent. Then.......strange.... the view is different......I’m usually up by now.... speed is rising .....not there yet....I’ve never seen the actual runway end on take off before ...... what’s happening ? There’s the speed and I’m off... great. All going fine then onto the downwind checks. And there it is -
a slight movement forward on the brake handle - it hadn’t fully been released...so the brakes had been binding slightly causing a slightly longer take off run. The clues were there and I should have realised as soon as the picture wasn’t right.
Learning from this - if it looks wrong it is wrong. Do something about it as this could have ended very differently!
Rob P liked this