Today I did some practice landings at Ridgely airport. I successfully piloted the plane to the airport using both the GPS and basic pilotage. There was a nice 7 knot crosswind which made my day of practice landing a bit difficult. The first step I needed to master was trimming the plane for a 60-65 knot airspeed. If you increase the engine power you must pitch the nose up and if you decrease the engine power you must pitch the nose of the plane down in order to maintain airspeed. It took me awhile to master this and my flight instructor suggested changing the title of my blog from "Trim for Level Flight" to "Trim for the APPROPRIATE AIRSPEED!!!" The next step was to master my geometry at 1,100 feet. The traffic pattern "should" be rectangular. Now, with the crosswind my rectangle began to look like a trapezoid, then a parallelogram/ellipse, and finally the traffic pattern became rectangular. Hint - crab into the crosswind and reference the runway so you know when to enter each leg of the traffic pattern. After that I needed to remind myself to maintain a 60 knot airspeed during the base and final approach legs of the traffic pattern. Airspeed is your lifeline! If you pull the nose up in an attempt to gain altitude (because the houses and power lines are looking awfully close) you will only go down faster. You must add power to gain altitude. This took me a few go arounds to get down before I finally had a sufficient final approach and landed.
After a few more landings I was physically and mentally tired so I suggested we head back to Bay Bridge airport. There were many snow geese out today. It is amazing to watch migratory birds flocking together. There were hundreds of these white snow geese flying below us above the Chesapeake Bay. It was an awesome site.
After much landing practice at Ridgely I was ready to put my knowledge to the test at Bay Bridge. Guess what? I forgot all that I learned about maintaining airspeed and decided to pull up on the nose to gain altitude but that only slowed me down more. I remembered to add power but forgot to pull up on the nose. Again....another lesson I had just learned. My flight instructor reminded me to roll the plane into the crosswind as we came into the landing and finally touchdown back at Bay Bridge. Practice, practice, practice and I soon will have mastered the landing of an airplane!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Lesson 9: Aircraft Systems
Today I received some ground school review. The rotax engine! I usually teach chapter 3 in the Rod Machado Textbook using a small gas engine. Usually a donated push mower engine. Today I got to look at the engines that are in the light sport aircraft I fly. It is important to know how the engine works so that a pilot can troubleshoot engine issues when on the ground or in the air. It is one thing to know what the instrument gauges are reading but it is even more important to know how they work and what they are showing. I am definitely going to bring my students to the hangar for a field trip to see how an airplane engine works and all of its components.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Lesson 8B: Traffic Pattern Operation, Class D Operation, Forward Slips
Today, I conquered class D airspace! I was able to communicate with air traffic control as well as ground control at Easton airport. I also made it to Easton airport without getting lost. I followed basic pilotage by looking out the window and referencing the ground landmarks and the sectional chart on my kneeboard. I had a lot of aid from the GPS as well : ) but nonetheless I made it. Once I had instructions from ATC I began working in the traffic pattern. I need to continue practicing the maneuvers for entering the traffic pattern and especially for landings. It is difficult to follow a traffic pattern at a foreign airport. I am used to the landmarks at Bay Bridge airport but I have only been to Easton airport twice. An important part of the traffic pattern is called the "Key Point" which is when the airplanes wing tip is abeam of the runway numbers in the downwind leg of the traffic pattern. At this point a pilot will know if they are going to be able to execute a normal landing, prepare for a steep approach, or add power to make it to the runway. I had fun practicing landing. It will take a lot of practice to perfect flaring the plane for landing. At one point as I was coming in for a landing and I heard ATC informing another pilot that I was landing on runway 33 and the pilot replied to ATC saying something like "wow it looks like that light sport is having a rough time landing I will give him some space" and I was laughing because the glide slope for my landing must have looked pretty bad for someone to say that. Oh well I will get better with practice. I got to try the forward slip again and enjoyed it. What an important maneuver to bring the plane down quickly from a high altitude without increasing the airspeed. I landed and tuned my radio to ground control and was given instructions to taxi on taxiway bravo to alpha to get to the terminal. I took a little walking break and then back into the plane to Bay Bridge. I conquered my fears of communicating with ATC and ground control and I did not get lost! A perfect day. I even practiced some crabbing on the base leg coming into Bay Bridge! What a fun afternoon and a relief to have conquered class D airspace.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Lesson 8a: Basic Pilotage, Intro to Class D Airspace, Basic Patterns and Landings, Crabbing
Today I learned some very important lessons to say the least:
1. Common courtesy will go a long way.
2. Common sense will keep a pilot alive.
3. Always be prepared for every flight.
4. ATC is your friend.
5. Know your FAR's!
1. Being a courteous pilot is important because it is the correct thing to do when at taxiing by taking turns when pulling up to the runway, doing your runup away from anyone, talking to fellow pilots when entering the traffic pattern, letting everyone know who you are, where you are, and what your intentions are, and saying please and thank you when talking to anyone on the radio.
2. Common sense will help you make the right decisions. If an emergency happens, use common sense. Don't over think the situation. Do what makes the most sense. Common sense works hand in hand with common courtesy. Keep track of where you are headed when flying to a specific destination. Something as simple as looking out the window at a landmark and finding it on a sectional chart and placing your finger on that landmark will help keep track of your route.
3. Be prepared for all situations. If you get lost on your way to Easton airport....make a u-turn and back track to find your planned route. I may have planned on flying to Easton airport to practice flying in Class D airspace as well as to practice landings. I ended up flying towards Ridgely airport to the east. My main landmark was where route 301 and route 50 split. Continue east on 301 towards Ridgely or bank to the right and head south along route 50 straight to Easton airport. I may have missed my target when posing for some pictures to place on this blog. This was a test to see how prepared I was and if I could apply basic pilotage. I failed and realized I missed my target, the Queenstown Outlet mall. Oops, a quick U-turn and back track....a good way to find your way when you are lost. Other things that you should always be prepared for are to always know the frequencies at the destination airport and understand how to communicate with air traffic control.
4. Class D airspace is the airspace over the smallest airport with a control tower. Class D is commonly used for "Goldfish" sized aircraft. Class C is commonly used for "shark or dolphin" sized aircraft and Class B airspace is for "Blue Whales or Shamoo" sized aircraft. Now some larger aircraft can be found in Class D airspace just as small light sport planes can be found in Class B airspace such as flying north to BWI. Class D, C, and B all have control towers. I was intimidated by the control tower at Easton airport. The first step to fixing this problem is to not fear the controller and be prepared to read back what the air traffic controller says. ATC is there to help you land safely without any midair collisions. If you don't remember what ATC tells you, ALWAYS ask them to repeat themselves. They are willing to help. I failed to remember these simple rules. Once I had calmed down and I was no longer tongue tied I felt comfortable again. The next issue was to find the correct runway ATC assigned me to land on. It is difficult to imagine the direction the runway is pointing, the heading of the airplane, and the heading the airplane should be on in different parts of the traffic pattern. Again, ALWAYS BE PREPARED. Bring a small detailed airport layout attached to your kneeboard to make orienting the plane easier when given instructions from ATC. I commenced to practice take-offs and landings and working in the traffic pattern. When I was on my way back to Bay Bridge I used common courtesy. As I left the Class D airspace I informed ATC who I was, where I was, and my intentions. I was leaving his airspace and I said a nice thank you for all his help while dealing with me and my first experience in Class D airspace.
5. Almost back to Bay Bridge and I tune into the Bay Bridge AWOS to find out the wind direction. It was blowing at 6 knots from 200 degrees which is an exact 90 degree crosswind favoring neither runway 11 nor 29. I then listened to the Bay Bridge CTAF to find out where other planes were landing. I heard runway 11 so I entered the traffic pattern for runway 11. I noticed it was getting dark out and my flight instructor decided to quiz me on my FAR's. You must use the strobe or anti-collision lighting at all times on an aircraft but you must use your navigation lighting at nighttime, it is not required during the day. I forgot this simple FAR as well as the the definition of nighttime which is "the time between the end of civil evening twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight". When does evening civil twilight end is the more important question and it can be found on the internet. Part of being prepared is knowing when you must be on the ground. Sport pilots cannot fly at night. Now back to landing this plane. My flight instructor noticed the plane was being blown away from the Bay Bridge (I am now in the downwind leg parallel to runway 11) due to the 6 knot crosswind. We went through a "demonstration" on how to crab a plane.
Lesson: point the nose of the plane about 5 degrees off course into the cross wind to prevent the plane from being pushed away from the runway. DO NOT roll the plane, bank the plane, point the nose 50 degrees off course, perform S-Turns, or add rudder. All of which I/my flight instructor tried and failed/scared bay bridge automobile traffic with our crazy maneuvering. Just point the nose of the plane about 5 degrees into the crosswind to crab into the wind. Lesson learned. I got to turn on the runway lights by clicking the push to talk button 5 times and the runway and taxiway light came on. Quite exciting and then I came in for an evening landing.
Overall it was a stressful and difficult lesson but we covered a lot. I learned a lot but I also learned that even though flying can be difficult, the fun and joy of flying drastically overrides the difficult times. The difficult times end up being a teachable moment or a lesson learned moment to help me become a better and more safe pilot.
P.S. there was a gorgeous sunset over the Chesapeake Bay. Every color you can imagine and we could even see some mountains far off to the west. What a day of flying!
1. Common courtesy will go a long way.
2. Common sense will keep a pilot alive.
3. Always be prepared for every flight.
4. ATC is your friend.
5. Know your FAR's!
1. Being a courteous pilot is important because it is the correct thing to do when at taxiing by taking turns when pulling up to the runway, doing your runup away from anyone, talking to fellow pilots when entering the traffic pattern, letting everyone know who you are, where you are, and what your intentions are, and saying please and thank you when talking to anyone on the radio.
2. Common sense will help you make the right decisions. If an emergency happens, use common sense. Don't over think the situation. Do what makes the most sense. Common sense works hand in hand with common courtesy. Keep track of where you are headed when flying to a specific destination. Something as simple as looking out the window at a landmark and finding it on a sectional chart and placing your finger on that landmark will help keep track of your route.
3. Be prepared for all situations. If you get lost on your way to Easton airport....make a u-turn and back track to find your planned route. I may have planned on flying to Easton airport to practice flying in Class D airspace as well as to practice landings. I ended up flying towards Ridgely airport to the east. My main landmark was where route 301 and route 50 split. Continue east on 301 towards Ridgely or bank to the right and head south along route 50 straight to Easton airport. I may have missed my target when posing for some pictures to place on this blog. This was a test to see how prepared I was and if I could apply basic pilotage. I failed and realized I missed my target, the Queenstown Outlet mall. Oops, a quick U-turn and back track....a good way to find your way when you are lost. Other things that you should always be prepared for are to always know the frequencies at the destination airport and understand how to communicate with air traffic control.
4. Class D airspace is the airspace over the smallest airport with a control tower. Class D is commonly used for "Goldfish" sized aircraft. Class C is commonly used for "shark or dolphin" sized aircraft and Class B airspace is for "Blue Whales or Shamoo" sized aircraft. Now some larger aircraft can be found in Class D airspace just as small light sport planes can be found in Class B airspace such as flying north to BWI. Class D, C, and B all have control towers. I was intimidated by the control tower at Easton airport. The first step to fixing this problem is to not fear the controller and be prepared to read back what the air traffic controller says. ATC is there to help you land safely without any midair collisions. If you don't remember what ATC tells you, ALWAYS ask them to repeat themselves. They are willing to help. I failed to remember these simple rules. Once I had calmed down and I was no longer tongue tied I felt comfortable again. The next issue was to find the correct runway ATC assigned me to land on. It is difficult to imagine the direction the runway is pointing, the heading of the airplane, and the heading the airplane should be on in different parts of the traffic pattern. Again, ALWAYS BE PREPARED. Bring a small detailed airport layout attached to your kneeboard to make orienting the plane easier when given instructions from ATC. I commenced to practice take-offs and landings and working in the traffic pattern. When I was on my way back to Bay Bridge I used common courtesy. As I left the Class D airspace I informed ATC who I was, where I was, and my intentions. I was leaving his airspace and I said a nice thank you for all his help while dealing with me and my first experience in Class D airspace.
5. Almost back to Bay Bridge and I tune into the Bay Bridge AWOS to find out the wind direction. It was blowing at 6 knots from 200 degrees which is an exact 90 degree crosswind favoring neither runway 11 nor 29. I then listened to the Bay Bridge CTAF to find out where other planes were landing. I heard runway 11 so I entered the traffic pattern for runway 11. I noticed it was getting dark out and my flight instructor decided to quiz me on my FAR's. You must use the strobe or anti-collision lighting at all times on an aircraft but you must use your navigation lighting at nighttime, it is not required during the day. I forgot this simple FAR as well as the the definition of nighttime which is "the time between the end of civil evening twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight". When does evening civil twilight end is the more important question and it can be found on the internet. Part of being prepared is knowing when you must be on the ground. Sport pilots cannot fly at night. Now back to landing this plane. My flight instructor noticed the plane was being blown away from the Bay Bridge (I am now in the downwind leg parallel to runway 11) due to the 6 knot crosswind. We went through a "demonstration" on how to crab a plane.
Lesson: point the nose of the plane about 5 degrees off course into the cross wind to prevent the plane from being pushed away from the runway. DO NOT roll the plane, bank the plane, point the nose 50 degrees off course, perform S-Turns, or add rudder. All of which I/my flight instructor tried and failed/scared bay bridge automobile traffic with our crazy maneuvering. Just point the nose of the plane about 5 degrees into the crosswind to crab into the wind. Lesson learned. I got to turn on the runway lights by clicking the push to talk button 5 times and the runway and taxiway light came on. Quite exciting and then I came in for an evening landing.
Overall it was a stressful and difficult lesson but we covered a lot. I learned a lot but I also learned that even though flying can be difficult, the fun and joy of flying drastically overrides the difficult times. The difficult times end up being a teachable moment or a lesson learned moment to help me become a better and more safe pilot.
P.S. there was a gorgeous sunset over the Chesapeake Bay. Every color you can imagine and we could even see some mountains far off to the west. What a day of flying!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Lesson 7: Forward Slips, S-Turns to Landings, Go Around, and Pattern Entry
This afternoon I got to do something different. I got to fly to Ridgely Airport. It is only roughly 15 nautical miles away from Bay Bridge Airport but it was a big deal to navigate to a different airport/find the airport/land at a different location. Prior to take-off I went over my route with my flight instructor. We found landmarks that were familiar to me from previous training that linked the two airports. Immediately following take-off I pointed the nose of the plane to the heading of the airport. I saw a water tower far far off in the distance. That was my target and I locked on for the flight. It happened to be a high of 35 degrees and a low of 17 degrees. I could see my breath the entire flight. On my way to the Ridgely I learned about landmarks that I could use on my return trip or if I happened to get lost. My flight instructor could see the runway once we were in the air. I did not know what to look for. As we continued to get closer he showed me landmarks so I could identify a route to Ridgely airport from the North, South, East, and West. Once we arrived we practiced entering the a foreign traffic pattern. I needed to be able to identify the downwind leg of the runway as well as a landmark for entering the downwind at a 45 degree angle. The first landing I did was called an S-Turn landing. This maneuver allows pilots to slow down if there is a plane on the runway or if they just need to slow down. The shortest distance between a plane and the runway is a straight line. The S-Turn landing is a side to side "zig zag" maneuver. As I got near the runway I centered up and then once I was over top of the runway I flared the nose and touched down. I then went full throttle and took off again. I entered the traffic pattern and went into the downwind leg. This time I turned very early on the base leg which meant I was incredibly high for the final approach leg of the traffic pattern. I was about 1,000ft and I learned a very important and fun maneuver. It is called the forward slip landing. You tip the nose of the plane down, roll the airplane into the headwind/crosswind and apply full opposite rudder. For my landing I rolled the plane to the right and yawed the plane to the left. This maneuver causes a lot of drag on the airplane which allows the plane to descend quickly to the runway but maintain airspeed. The immense amount of drag helps maintain the airspeed. We did a touch and go and practiced another forward slip and then I did a go around and began my return flight to Bay Bridge Airport. It was a lot of fun to learn these new maneuvers for landing as well as complete my first cross country flight to another airport!
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