Skyhawk

Well, I got to go flying this morning again.  Today we were basically going on the basic procedures for climbs, turns, slow flight, etc.  Overall it was a rough day for me.  My procedures were rusty and I was having trouble holding altitude.  As you can see from the map of the flight it was a lot of left turns and right turns in both a climbing configuration as well as descending.  We also did slow flights and practice some pattern tracks while at altitude.  Finally we went over to Warrington and did a full stop landing.  It was kind of bad.  My first cross wind landing in a long while and the instructor was helping a lot on that one.  Took off from Warrington (Takeoff here was much better than the original takeoff from Manassas.  We headed back into Manassas and landed.  This landing was a much better but it needs work.  Anyway, need to work on basic procedures, and pattern work and then we’ll be moving on to some basic ground reference maneuvers.  Here’s the map for todays flight

Got back in the air today.  Since I hadn’t been flying since November, we just sort-a did a review lesson.  My instructor suggested we fly out to Orange County Airport and back.  Since I hadn’t flown to this particular airport, this would be new for me.  My instructor said we could check out a few things along the way to see how much I remembered from the last time.  So we did the pre-flight, got in trusty N65637, a Cessna Skyhawk, and away we went.  Took off, contacted Air Traffic Control while still in the restricted airspace.  ATC cleared us for VFR flight after we got outside of the restricted airpace, and I climbed to 3000 ft.  It probably took about 15-20 minutes to make our way to Orange county Airport.  As we approached we tuned the radio to the correct freq. and heard that they were doing skydiving at this airport and for everyone to watch out for the parachutes.  My instructor spotted them much faster than I did, but I eventually saw them.  Turned into the pattern and proceeded to land at Orange County airport.  Not too bad of a landing, just a little heavy.  I was flaring a little to high above the runway, but it was still a good landing. As we turned off the runway, the skydivers were landing right in front of us.  (The map shows the route as I was turning onto the taxiway off the the runway, the skydivers were landing like less than 100 feet away…right in front of that building )

As we were taxing out to the active runway, the plane that had dropped the skydivers landed.  I took the active as soon as he cleared the runway and we took-off again.   After take-off, I turn around and headed back towards Manassas.  My instructor asked if I wanted to stop in Warrington to see the latest addition to the flight school. I said sure.  So we flew to Warrington Regional Airport and landed and taxied in and parked.  (The following map shows the track to where we parked.  The little “Trackstick” that my lovely wife got me for my birthday, got a little off track in Warrington.  It was sitting on the backseat so it didn’t have a direct upward view of the GPS Satelites, it could only see out the side windows of the airplane.  Maybe that’s why it got off a little. I’ll have to try maybe a different position next time)

As we stopped in Warrington, we noticed that the George Mason University Aeroclub was having an open house.  So we walked over and chatted with the folks there.  My instructor got a hamburger while I was watching the various airplanes that was giving rides to the folks at the open house.  There were 3 Piper cub like planes similar to this one.

Just before we left there, a Van’s RV-8 landed.

So we taxied out and took-off to headed back to Manassas.   Because Manassas is inside of the restricted airspace, you have to be under Air Traffic Control to enter and then directed to the airport.  At Manassas, planes returning to land are at 2000 ft.  Outbound traffice is at 2300 ft.  Here is the landing pattern I used today to land on 16L at Manassas.

Overall it was s good fun flight.  Things were a little rusty but I was able to get back into swing of things.  A final map view shows the entire route I flew today.

Well after a pretty long break, I went flying last Saturday.  It was an early morning flight, 0830 am to be exact.  Since I hadn’t been flying in a while this was going to be a refresher lesson.  We took off and headed out to the practice area.  We went into slow flight and then did some stalls.  After the stalls we tried a stall I hadn’t tried before.. A power off stall in a turn.  It didn’t work out real well but I tried it…that needs more work.  We then did steep turns, basically a 360 turn with a 45 degree bank.  After that we went over to the Culpepper airport, and practice some touch and go’s…we did 4.  the first two weren’t too good but the last 2 were right on.  then it was time to head back into Manassas.  The landing there was decent.  Now I’m ready to move on to some ground reference maneuvers.

Well that’s all for this time…

Went flying a couple of Saturdays ago.  This was sort of a review flight.  Took off around 8:30 in the morning and the sky was clear.  It was a beautiful day to go flying.  My instructor gave me a task that would challenge me to fly a certain way.  He created a scenario where we had to go drop some supplies to some campers who were stranded on a river.  My job was to fly slow and straigt and tell him when to drop the supplies.  So we flew out to the practice area and I set up for slow flight about 1000 ft above ground….I then flew straight and slow…it took me three attempts to get in the right position and the right altitude but eventually I did.  We then climbed back to about 2500 ft and I set up to do some power off stalls.  After 3 of those we did a couple of Power on stalls.  We then started heading for the Warrington airport to do a couple of Touch and go’s.  However, there was an aerobatic practice area established near the airport and no touch and gos were allowed.  So we turned around and headed for the Culpeper airport…there we did a couple of Touch and go’s and then headed back in.  All in all it was a fun day flying.  I’ll have to lay off flying for a little while due to some dental and medical treatments…but hopefully we’ll be back in the air shortly…

Went out and did another lesson today.  For some reason I was more nervous this time, not sure why.  However after I got in the plane I calmed down and was comfortable in the airplane.  Todays lesson included more slow flight, some power on stalls, and two types of power-off stalls.  Then we did something new…Steep turns.  Basically we did a 360 with aircraft banked at 45 degrees.  After that we headed over to Culpeper to do some practice landings/touch and go’s.  Then back to Manassas for a cross wind landing…  So that’s the plan….

After startup an taxing out to the runway, we had to wait while a couple of planes landed, then it was my turn.  For some reason I was all over the runway, I just couldn’t keep it tracking down the centerline of the runway, eventually I got up flying and away we went.  I did most of the communications till we got out into the practice area.  I’m getting better at talking on the radio, but it needs more work.  Seems simple but for some reason there’s a barrier to communicating over the radio…oh well, I’ll have to work at that some more.  Once we got out to the practice area, I set up for slow flight and did some slight turns to the left and right in that configuration.  Then it was time for a power-on stall.  Once that was done, we did a power off stall.  This power off stall immulates the landing configuration, then pulling the nose back until you feel the stall then push the nose over and recover.  We next did a power-off stall, basically pull the power all the way back and then point the nose up…The aircraft stall, go with full power and recover.  This one scared me a little, cause when the stall occurred, the nose dropper sharply and we were looking at the ground, I recovered but it was a little scary there for a moment.  We then headed over to the Culpepper airport and practice landings.  the first one, kinda sucked.  I was all over the place.  After landing we taxied back to the end of the runway and tookoff again.  I flew around the patter and then landed again.  This time it was a touch and go…after landing, raise the flaps, go full power and take off.  I did a third one then the instructor did one to demonstrate a few little things, the final one was too bad.  Then it was time to head back in to Manassas.  I handled most of the communication but then it got a little confusing, so the instructor took over the communications.  He was explaining to me what I needed to do because there was a little cross wind on the runway.  So I was listening to him, the ATC guy was talking to us and things got a little confused.  The instructor picked up the communications while I flew the plane.  The wind was a gusting a little on landing which made things kind-of interesting, but I landed and taxied in.

I would rate this lesson a C…there were some good points, the landings and the approaches need a lot of work.  So till next time..

Well, after a little lull,  (Had a trip to Texas and San Diego), I got back up in the air again today.  Today’s lesson, more slow flight, basic coordinated flight maneuvers, introduction of the landing pattern, setting up a decent configuration and we did a couple of stalls.  (The stalls are required maneuvers that must be accomplished in order to get your pilot certificate.)

After pre-flighting the aircraft (N65637), started up, and called the tower for taxi clearance.  (This was my first time on the radio).  After we did the run-up at the end of the runway.  (a runup is when you advance the throttle and check the various engine gauges for anything wrong).  Call the tower for take-off clearance and we were given clearance to takeoff.

Advanced the throttle and away we went.  For some reason I did not go to full power and after climb out we (the instructor and I) discussed that.  There was no reason, I just didn’t do it.  Next time I’ll remember.  After flying out to the practice area, we set up for slow flight and then reviewed some of the actions from last lesson.  Basically left turns and right turns coordinating the use of the rudder and the ailerons together.  I’m still not very good at the that.  I have to keep working at that.  After that we climbed up to 3500 feet and set up the airplane as if we were landing.  I basically flew the rectangular landing pattern.  Adding flaps and setting a decent attitude for the airplane, holding airspeed as we basically flew a big rectangle in the sky.  We did this several times and then the instructor demonstrated power on stalls and power off stalls.

Power on stalls are most likely to occur on takeoff  while power off stalls are more likely to occur during landing.  We weren’t stalling the airplane completely but anticipating when the stall was going to occur and then recovering from it.  Then it was my turn, first the power on stall.  At first I had trouble holding the aircraft in the stall configuration with the wings  level.  Eventually, the left wing stalled and the aircraft sort-of fell off to the left.  Put the nose down and I recovered from the stall.  Next we did power off stalls.  Put the airplane in landing configuration, flaps down, 65 knots, pull the nose up and the aircraft shudders a little bit as the stall approaches.  Push the nose down and increase power, and you recover from the stall.  I’m sure I’ll become more familiar with these maneuvers as things go on.

We then headed back in toward the airport.  As we were approaching Manassas airport, another plane called in and he was going faster than I so I extended my base leg and he passed and landed in front of me.  I turned final and then set the airplane up for landing and aimed at the numbers.   Flaired the plane and touched down…another landing..taxied back in and that was it for today.

A couple of things I need to work on.  Standard climb rates, standard decent rates, go over the pattern in my head. Read ahead more on the ground school subjects.  Anyway that’s it for this lesson.  No pictures or maps this time….

later

Barry

Well, got out to fly again this morning.  An early flight.  I had hoped that the air would be smoother, but an overcast sky kept us below 1500 ft.  I wasn’t as nervous this time, so I thought it was a better flight.  I was using the same plane I went up in the first time.  This is a newer 172 and I kinda like this one.  We took off and after turning toward the west, we were climbing up to 1200 ft and the clouds were just above me.  Because I’m a student I can’t fly in clouds, I fly what is called Visual Flight Rules (VFR).  So I couldn’t go up into the clouds and I had to stay at least 500 ft below them.  As we proceeded to the west, cloud layer went up but we never got above 1500 ft the whole time.  The lesson for today was ATTITUDE…that is the angle of the wings to the flow of the air.  Point the nose up, the airplane goes up. Point the nose down the airplane goes down.  Once I got the airplane trimmed up (Trimming the airplane is the setting of a tab on the back end of the elevators that hold the airplane in a set attitude and it releaves the pressures on the control yoke, aka steering wheel).  Once trimmed up correctly the airplane will fly hands off.  If gives you some releaf and lets you enjoy the ride.  That’s was something else I was working on, was enjoying the ride, looking at the scenary going below me and around.   I have a tendency to keep my head in the cockpit looking at the gauges, need to look more outside.  I’m getting better at it.

On the flight out to the west, we’re at about 1200 ft and there’s this big-ole bird.  Looked like a big crow.  He was just floating along right in front of us.  The instructor said…”don’t hit the bird” .  He flew off to the left then came back again in front of us.  It’s kind of wierd seeing a single bird that high right in front of you doing 110 knots.

Anyway we went out to the “practice area” and starting practicing cordinated turns.  Using the rudders and the wings to cordinate the turns.  This isn’t as easy as it sounds.  Your feet controls the rudders and your hands controls the wings.  So we did a few of these to the left and right along a straight line.  (There’s a pipeline out in the  practice area where the trees have been cleared out and forms a nice straight path).  We then did some slow flight.  Basically slow the airplane down to 70 knots without loosing altitude.  We then did some turns in that configuration.  Turns at this speed are a lot more sluggish then the ones I was doing earlier.  We then went back to cruise speed, or 110 knots without loosing altitude.  I was kinda all over the place.  Up and down a couple of hundred feet.  Eventually I got the basic handle on this. The slow flight is the speed and the attitude you use to set up for landings, so I guess they are kind of important.

We then did a couple of “power on” stalls.  A stall basically causes the airplane to quit flying and starts falling.  We got back into slow flight configuration, 70 mph with the nose high holding altitude.  Then pull back the yoke increasing the nose up attitude until the airplane stalls.  The stall is preceeded with a “stall warning” horn that tells you are approaching a stall.  The airplane then shudders, the nose drops and the airplane starts flying again.  we did a two or three of those and then we headed back to the airport.

On the way back to the airport, I was paying more attention to the scenary and picking out landmarks, like water tower, the pipeline again, other airports, other airplanes landing and taking off at other airports.  I was also listening as the instructor talked to Air Traffic Control and the airport tower.  Eventually I’ll have to be doing that also.  So once cleared to land I put the airplane in slow flight configuration and then turned toward the runway.  The instructor talked me down and we landed.  We taxied off the runway and back to parking.  All in all 1.8 hours of flight this morning.

I’ve included a map below that shows where we flew this morning.  The blue line is obviously my flight path.  The red line indicates where the restricted flight area in Washington DC starts.  To the east (upper right)  of that line you must be in contact with ATC.  To the West your VFR and can basically go where ever you want.

So that was flight number 2, not bad.  I was more comfortable in the airplane this time

later

Barry