Learning to fly, or thinking of learning? Post your questions, comments and experiences here

Moderator: AndyR

  • 1
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 144
User avatar
By T6Harvard
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1841852
Lima Bravo :)

It's very windy at home. Just looked at airfield and it is slightly less windy but still forecast very gusty at noon :pukel:

Be back later.
User avatar
By T6Harvard
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1841940
Thank goodness this lesson was better than last! Just relaxing in the sun before drive home, looking at an Avro Anson 8) . Can't be many of those still flying?
Report will follow.
(Edit to correct typo due to sunlight on auto correct...)
Charles Hunt liked this
User avatar
By T6Harvard
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1842034
Two lessons this week. Compare and contrast.

Monday's lesson was a dog's dinner! Only a couple of decent items. And asking me to fly a glide descent at a steady speed, watch the instruments, keep a good lookout, AND recite and perform the rejoin checklist, was frankly taking the micky!! It felt like an Olympic-standard contest of tummy rubbing and head patting, while dancing.

Instructor said I was not holding the datum attitude and we were going up and down like a nodding dog (could have been a worse simile, I suppose!).

I know it's not that hard but just adding one more thing to what I was supposed to do overfilled my capacity bucket and it all spilled out as a very messy lesson.

So I flew the chair at home yesterday to get my head round the various different speeds for different climbs (best angle, best rate and cruise), level flight and gliding or cruise descent. I imagined the pressure on the yoke, trimmed etc.

Today's lesson was much better.

I was a little hesitant putting the actions into a flow, only due to needing more thinking time to sort them into the right order but I did them all in time for desired altitudes and headings. There was a lot less 'nodding up and down' and more hitting the datum attitude :lol: I know my lookout was much better.

Of course yet more things were thrown in, flaps at all stages, both adding and cleaning up. I found this fairly straight forward and correctly anticipated the potential balloon / sink by adjusting attitude as I moved the flaps.
So descending while adding flaps as we went worked OK, adding power to extend glide path also worked OK.
I get the principle that attitude = speed / power = rate of descent.

Turns are decent now, keeping level and rolling out on the given heading. Although I hate the clearing turns on climbs! Feels wrong to change direction like that while still doing a fairly steep climb.

I even performed the rejoin checklist from memory, levelling off so I could adjust the DI, then descending deadside without losing the plot. I suppose that was a big improvement compared to Monday!

Oh, and we had a good look at the M6 standing traffic from 1,500', maybe due to a wagon shedding its load? Miles of tailbacks. Should have gone by air...

I remembered the after-landing checks without referring to the checklist.

After taxying back to parking I summarised the lesson as 'better' but that I could be quicker changing from climb to level, level to descent, etc.

My instructor said he knew I was using the time to think, that I was doing the right things but needed to be more positive (ie, quicker!) and that I needed to improve take-off. He said he'd go through it next lesson.

He also said that I was 'coming along fine', which is as good as it gets!

Tbh, I think I am making slow progress - SLOW being the key word (sigh)
Rob P, FlightDek, Highland Park and 1 others liked this
User avatar
By editmonkey
#1842098
Well done for putting the sh*tty Monday lesson behind you. :lol:

Aye it always seems slower when you're up on the learning curve doesn't it? The new things aren't new anymore and the old things haven't quite made it into muscle memory yet. I'd be more worried if it was all going swimmingly every week - means the challenge isn't high enough (although please feel free to remind me of this when my honeymoon period comes to an end :))

I love the chair flying technique - I'm going to try that today. But sounds like you're doing fab - the speed will come.

And a nice feeling to see all of those cars down there below. I was out for a run last night and looked like a Piper passed overhead, across the moon in a perfect blue sky. I was INSANELY jealous.
T6Harvard liked this
User avatar
By tr7v8
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1842194
Glad your lessons went well. Wednesday when I was booked for 12:00. Woke up to fog, not peasoup but pretty murky. It burnt off by around 9:30 & was bright sunshine. However by 10:30 it was solid cloud.
Went to Rochester & it was very cold, 7 Deg C according to the car & around 10 Kts.
There was no flying taking place, although 2 autogyros flew in whilst I was there. After 20 minutes of chatting with my FI & another guy it was obvious that it wouldn't clear anytime soon. Especially as I am doing stall recovery, so a minimum of 3000ft & the cloud was around 800-1000ft,
Next lesson was next Wednesday but Skytrek have just started an online booking system so you can see availability which makes life easier. So managed to find a slot late on Saturday.

Made a decision this week to book two lessons a week for at least May to try & get some hours in. I'll see how sustainable this is financially before booking June as well.
T6Harvard liked this
User avatar
By T6Harvard
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1842200
Booking 2 lessons a week sounds like a good plan, @tr7v8 . I've done that, assuming I'll lose some to wx / ac / FI availability.
Unfortunately (!) I shall be away for 2 weeks in early summer so I'll miss a few then but feel very lucky to be able to give it a concerted effort in the meantime.

Keep us updated after Saturday. The wx is looking good for most of the UK, may be a bit windy darn souff though?
User avatar
By tr7v8
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1842206
Will do, the 172 has slightly higher crosswind limits than a 152 which is good, especially as Rochester only has one runway 02/20 these days. My holidays are booked for September will be good to get away. I normally pre Covid travel a lot for work covering Europe, Middle East & Africa. So no travel since March 2020 has been a big change, But opportunity to do flying lessons.
T6Harvard liked this
User avatar
By cotterpot
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1842266
the 172 has slightly higher crosswind limits than a 152 which is good


Just for information, at this stage. It is not, in most aircraft, a crosswind limit.

Your club/training organisation may have their own limits for new/training pilots which is fine.
User avatar
By tr7v8
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1842349
Well that's Comms exam passed today. So that is 6 done, FP&P, Nav & Met to do now. EasyPPL was good revision for the Comms exam, the exam was easier than the sample questions on EasyPPL.
Booked a replacement flight for Saturday to replace the canx'd Wed flight. We'll see what the weather does tomorrow @ 16:00!
T6Harvard liked this
User avatar
By tr7v8
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1842520
Found out today that I am the first student at Skytrek to get 100% in an E Exam! Oh well.
Great lesson today, more stalling and got to grips with it. Was shown a couple of circuits & touch & goes, then did one myself, my FI had the throttle so I could concentrate on flying. It went pretty well, very bumpy today so lots of corrections needed but felt good.
Got back & completed my logbook & that is the first page finished with 11:15 which is another milestone.
Next lesson is Wednesday so looking forward to it.
T6Harvard, editmonkey, t1m80 liked this
User avatar
By T6Harvard
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1842544
Ooh, doubly well done!

I like the idea that your FI took some of the pressure off. There's enough to be going on with first couple of landings (well most of the time for me really :lol: )

The theory is not difficult at all, I just struggle with the application so I did lots of chair flying this afto.

Next lesson Monday, then what looks like a windy Wednesday for us both :-? :-?
tr7v8 liked this
By t1m80
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1842977
@tr7v8 Excellent, well done. Got my club reval done at Rochester on Saturday so they'll let me rent the planes now :-). Booked two slots for next Saturday there too - if you're around then drop me a note, I'll come say hello.

With that said, it'll probably be battering down with rain - I have form......
User avatar
By tr7v8
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1842987
Hi what time are you booked for? I'm flying weather permitting at 16:00, I'm booked in IO the 172SP
  • 1
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 144