Lesson: 12, 13 & 19
Flight Hours: 6.0 Dual
Finally on leave! The weather looking great this morning with a steady 8-10 knots on the deck. Heading into the flying school I met an Air Force pilot working on the Hawk programme - yup, even jet jocks fly trikes! Signed out the plane, did my pre-flight routine, and we headed out. We flew over to the neighbouring Bapsfontein airfield for circuits work and low-level flying.
It was fun flying approaches on a different field, and although my eyes were still widely stretched low over the ground, I managed ok and performed a few good low level runs. On my final low-level run over the Bapsfontein runway, Henk advised me go even lower on this run, and follow his instructions quickly when over the runway. I flew a good approach, and managed to fly a nice low run, when Henk advised me to take all the power off and hold the sink off with the bar. More bar, hold off, more, more, and we settled nicely on the ground. My first landing!! Full throttle and left out back to Microland.
By this time the wind was getting a bit nasty at stages, but the trike still remained very much comfortable. Lesson of the day: Relax! It is much easier to control the aircraft and to keep the bar neutral when relaxing the shoulders. Joining overhead, I descended to 5600ft into the downwind leg, and flew the circuit and overhead on this altitude. Hmm, more or less of course. My pattern work is good, I just have to work a bit on staying at the right altitude. On the next circuit, Henk demonstrated the approach and landing, and upon climbing out after the touch and go, I was my turn. Flew a relatively good pattern, and settled on the approach. Microland's runway is a but more narrow and shorter than the one at Bapsfontein, but using what I learned at that field I lined up for finals and settled into the approach. At 40 degrees numbers below the nose, power off, and bar in to keep the speed at 50MPh+.
Small quick adjustments to stay lined up on the runway, and at about 6ft I rounded off to break the descent. Bar slightly forward to hold off, hold off, and presto! Touchdown. On the power, bar forward on rotate, catch the pitch up with a bit of back pressure on the bar, until a neutral bar climbout. Now this felt good! Another two circuits and final full stop landing. Taxiing back to the hangars it felt really wonderful. Now the pieces of the puzzle came together at last, and the part that I envisaged to be the most difficult is really not.
I need to go for my flight medical soon and sort out my Student licence with CAA so I can be ready for my solo, hopefully sometime soon. Did I mention that I am on holiday at the moment?
Everybody have a good one!
Wednesday, 06 December 2006
The funky chicken.
4 December 2006
Flight Hours: 5.0 Dual
It was Monday morning, and I had a few days to relax in anticipation of my impending leave from work, and my next flying session. This morning the weather looked great, although some heavy storms passed through last night, knocking out the electricity. Arriving at he airfield at 7:15, at was already getting hot and very light wind. Today we headed out the the Bronkhorstspruit dam, and had to do a bit of map work along the way. Upon taking off, I could feel that it is taking us a while longer to rotate, and the climbout was nothing to get excited about either. Lesson of the day: Short runway, little to no head wind and high temperature: bad.
Climbing to cruising altitude we turned towards Bapsfontein, and settled on course for the dam. The air was surprisingly smooth, and we managed have have a very comfortable cruise, allowing me to easily identify landmarks and checking with the map. At the halfway mark we hit a thermal bump, and smooth air again. This allowed me to enjoy the scenery, and it was fun relaxing for a change and soaking up the beautiful surrounding landscape!
Arriving at the dam, the air decided it had enough and flicked on the "bumpy" switch. The flight back was a bit uncomfortable, and I had to fight the wing all the way back to Microland. I had the opportunity to do the radio work on the returning leg, change the frequency while holding on the bar with my left hand, and all in all just doing the funky chicken. Flying overhead a brown ploughed land, the thermal effect was very pronounced, and bumped a lot more than it would flying just through rough air. Joined overhead Microland, and Henk suggested I spend another 5 minutes in the general flying area. I descended to 6000ft looking smoother air which never came, and we opted to return to base.
Henk took me through the circuit procedure, and demonstrated a low approach and full stop landing. On this landing I kept my hands on the bar, and got a good feeling on how the round-out and holding-off is supposed to work.
A very enjoyable flight for the most part, and I am looking forward to circuit work and low-level flying. If all goes well, I will finish up the year's work end Tuesday!
Flight Hours: 5.0 Dual
It was Monday morning, and I had a few days to relax in anticipation of my impending leave from work, and my next flying session. This morning the weather looked great, although some heavy storms passed through last night, knocking out the electricity. Arriving at he airfield at 7:15, at was already getting hot and very light wind. Today we headed out the the Bronkhorstspruit dam, and had to do a bit of map work along the way. Upon taking off, I could feel that it is taking us a while longer to rotate, and the climbout was nothing to get excited about either. Lesson of the day: Short runway, little to no head wind and high temperature: bad.
Climbing to cruising altitude we turned towards Bapsfontein, and settled on course for the dam. The air was surprisingly smooth, and we managed have have a very comfortable cruise, allowing me to easily identify landmarks and checking with the map. At the halfway mark we hit a thermal bump, and smooth air again. This allowed me to enjoy the scenery, and it was fun relaxing for a change and soaking up the beautiful surrounding landscape!
Arriving at the dam, the air decided it had enough and flicked on the "bumpy" switch. The flight back was a bit uncomfortable, and I had to fight the wing all the way back to Microland. I had the opportunity to do the radio work on the returning leg, change the frequency while holding on the bar with my left hand, and all in all just doing the funky chicken. Flying overhead a brown ploughed land, the thermal effect was very pronounced, and bumped a lot more than it would flying just through rough air. Joined overhead Microland, and Henk suggested I spend another 5 minutes in the general flying area. I descended to 6000ft looking smoother air which never came, and we opted to return to base.
Henk took me through the circuit procedure, and demonstrated a low approach and full stop landing. On this landing I kept my hands on the bar, and got a good feeling on how the round-out and holding-off is supposed to work.
A very enjoyable flight for the most part, and I am looking forward to circuit work and low-level flying. If all goes well, I will finish up the year's work end Tuesday!
Henk's trike, my training ride
Maybe this is a good time to post some pictures, as not all the readers are familiar with trikes, so here are a few. This is Henk's Solo-Wings Aquilla 582. He is selling it, and is picking up his new Aquilla soon. I like the red colours on his trike, and it is a delightful aircraft to fly.
Aquilla from the front:
A close up from the front:
Another close up from the rear:
Henk riding out:
Aquilla from the front:
A close up from the front:
Another close up from the rear:
Henk riding out:
Thursday, 30 November 2006
Accuracy and Precision Flying
Well, there was unfortunately none of that this morning! I got up early, looked out the window and spotted a lovely open sky, and hit the shower. This therapeutic activity was interrupted by my phone ringing which I chased down with towel in hand. On my way over to the phone I started wondering if the weather turned sour in Bapsfontein? Not at all, it was Mervyn, on of the instructors, querying me with: "Fred, so, where are you? You are late!". I was under the impression that I booked at 7:30 slot this morning, so I asked him to hold on while I checked the calender on my PDA and voilla! I messed up! A 6:00 slot indeed. With a very apologetic and sheepish tone I had a quick chat with Henk, apologised again, and tried to fish for an open slot at 7:30 that simply did not exist.
Well, I suppose these things happen, and they happen for a reason, and I'll make up for it somehow (guess I am already, as I am paying for this missed session!). The good news is that I can start work early and make sure that I finish up all the loose ends before end of day tomorrow when my leave for December starts.
I would put today down as a lesson in situational awareness. Always make sure what and when things are supposed to happen, and don't get caught out in the open, wet, with only a towel to keep you company >;-)
Well, I suppose these things happen, and they happen for a reason, and I'll make up for it somehow (guess I am already, as I am paying for this missed session!). The good news is that I can start work early and make sure that I finish up all the loose ends before end of day tomorrow when my leave for December starts.
I would put today down as a lesson in situational awareness. Always make sure what and when things are supposed to happen, and don't get caught out in the open, wet, with only a towel to keep you company >;-)
Wednesday, 29 November 2006
Settling into the routine
Lesson: 9, 19
Flight Hours: 4.0 Dual
Isn't it amazing how fast the human body can settle into a routine? I am by nature not an early riser, but as of late I don't have a problem with getting up before 5 in the mornings! I also found at last night while reciting the procedures for downwind and finals checks that my rate of breathing goes up. Probably because I am not particularly crazy about the rate at witch Mother Nature rushes closer at short finals, but today I got a first taste of what it was all about.
I did not wake up this morning, I launched into my routine, and got to the airfield at 05:50. Everyone at the club seemed to be in a good mood today, yet concerned with the weather messing with out universe. Henk wanted to head out to Bronkhorstspruit dam today, but with the impending low clouds and fog towards the north east, we decided to stick to doing stall recoveries in the general flying area, and some low level flying. Having done one or two power off stall recoveries during the previous session, I managed to get the hang of it quickly with good coaching from Henk. There is still a lot of "feel" that I need to develop flying these magnificent little craft, but everyday it becomes a little easier.
Heading downwind in the GF to attempt a few more stalls, I spotted another student and instructor bombing over the ploughed field below at about 2 metres above the ground. I anxiously asked Henk what this was all about, and he replied that I will be doing the same in a few minutes! All psyched up I almost climbed into orbit with my last power-on stall recovery for the day, now feeling the nerves doing it's job. Henk took control, and demonstrated the low level run over a small road between two ploughed fields, then, in the same direction line up with what seems like an abandoned runway, and the climb out. The ground rushed by at an alarming pace and one needs to be very quick on the bar to keep flying level over solid soil. He entered a left hand circuit, and it was my turn. I descended and turned into my attack run, kept the speed up, and went for gold! I had to settle for bronze when I let my RPM slip, and at one point Henk had to jerk the bar forward a tad to make sure this did not turn into a high-speed landing exercise!
This first run was absolutely terrifying for me, but I could not wait to try it again. The second time round it went much better. I lined up quite well with the runway, and for the first time I could see the whole approach thing coming together. I climbed out a bit early, but there are some majestic Eskom high-voltage pylons ahead that I would like to avoid at all costs. Overall Henk was happy with my performance at this stage, and it really feels better every time I do something new.
We joined overhead the field, and Henk initiated another simulated deadstick approach that I have come to enjoy considerably over the past few sessions. He encourages me to keep my hands on the bar during this approach, and the landing is becoming very understandable of what movements are required on the bar, and how to hold off until touchdown. The hours are slowly but surely building up, and I am really looking forward to my next session tomorrow morning!
Flight Hours: 4.0 Dual
Isn't it amazing how fast the human body can settle into a routine? I am by nature not an early riser, but as of late I don't have a problem with getting up before 5 in the mornings! I also found at last night while reciting the procedures for downwind and finals checks that my rate of breathing goes up. Probably because I am not particularly crazy about the rate at witch Mother Nature rushes closer at short finals, but today I got a first taste of what it was all about.
I did not wake up this morning, I launched into my routine, and got to the airfield at 05:50. Everyone at the club seemed to be in a good mood today, yet concerned with the weather messing with out universe. Henk wanted to head out to Bronkhorstspruit dam today, but with the impending low clouds and fog towards the north east, we decided to stick to doing stall recoveries in the general flying area, and some low level flying. Having done one or two power off stall recoveries during the previous session, I managed to get the hang of it quickly with good coaching from Henk. There is still a lot of "feel" that I need to develop flying these magnificent little craft, but everyday it becomes a little easier.
Heading downwind in the GF to attempt a few more stalls, I spotted another student and instructor bombing over the ploughed field below at about 2 metres above the ground. I anxiously asked Henk what this was all about, and he replied that I will be doing the same in a few minutes! All psyched up I almost climbed into orbit with my last power-on stall recovery for the day, now feeling the nerves doing it's job. Henk took control, and demonstrated the low level run over a small road between two ploughed fields, then, in the same direction line up with what seems like an abandoned runway, and the climb out. The ground rushed by at an alarming pace and one needs to be very quick on the bar to keep flying level over solid soil. He entered a left hand circuit, and it was my turn. I descended and turned into my attack run, kept the speed up, and went for gold! I had to settle for bronze when I let my RPM slip, and at one point Henk had to jerk the bar forward a tad to make sure this did not turn into a high-speed landing exercise!
This first run was absolutely terrifying for me, but I could not wait to try it again. The second time round it went much better. I lined up quite well with the runway, and for the first time I could see the whole approach thing coming together. I climbed out a bit early, but there are some majestic Eskom high-voltage pylons ahead that I would like to avoid at all costs. Overall Henk was happy with my performance at this stage, and it really feels better every time I do something new.
We joined overhead the field, and Henk initiated another simulated deadstick approach that I have come to enjoy considerably over the past few sessions. He encourages me to keep my hands on the bar during this approach, and the landing is becoming very understandable of what movements are required on the bar, and how to hold off until touchdown. The hours are slowly but surely building up, and I am really looking forward to my next session tomorrow morning!
Monday, 27 November 2006
The early bird catches the worm
Lesson: 7, 8, 10, 11 & 17
Flight Hours: 3.0 Dual
A new week, and many new challenges. I booked the 06:00 slot today, and on waking up this morning, to my dismay, my stomach was acting up. Headed on out to the field, arrived at 06:00 exactly, and had to rush along to get suited up, and to pre-flight the plane. Today the wind was much more forgiving, but I had to climb over it first to get to the good air. Now looking at my previous lesson I at first was not very excited about the turns, but everyday I learn something new.
Went out with Henk, taxied to the holding, did my run-up checks, and taxied to the active. Today I executed the take-off with Henk's assistance, and there is nothing greater than rushing down that runway (seems like I have sorted out my rudder pedal issues), bar forward and she unsticks. Bar slightly in to build up speed, and neutral for the climb out with a right turn.
We headed out to the general flying area, and Henk started briefing me on what he expected from me today. At 6500ft, the air was relatively calm, and I had much better control of the trike than I had one session ago! Climbing turns, descending turns, level turns and steep turns. All went well, and I am making a conscious effort of not pulling the bar back in when going straight. My throttle work is improving, and I hope to get there soon.
After he was happy with my turns, he showed me how to recover from a powered & unpowered stalls, and I had two tries recovering from an unpowered stall. The first one was a bit daunting as I could for a brief moment feel my stomach not being sucked down by gravity, and it turned out ok. As today went really well, I don't remember specific events, but we did listen over the radio and watch a lady doing touch & goes, probably shortly after going solo as her instructor coached her in from the ground.
I can't wait for all these exercises to become second nature, and for the day I will have to land this machine by myself. As soon as we touched down via a simulated deadstick approach, I handled the trike on the ground, and taxied back to the hangars. As I got out of the plane, I did not experience the stiffness from last time, but my stomach was not very happy! Fortunately he held fine during the flight which is all that really matters.
Congrats to the lady that went solo recently, and thanks for all the kind comments from folks read my blog. Good luck with the week; it will be holidays soon!
Flight Hours: 3.0 Dual
A new week, and many new challenges. I booked the 06:00 slot today, and on waking up this morning, to my dismay, my stomach was acting up. Headed on out to the field, arrived at 06:00 exactly, and had to rush along to get suited up, and to pre-flight the plane. Today the wind was much more forgiving, but I had to climb over it first to get to the good air. Now looking at my previous lesson I at first was not very excited about the turns, but everyday I learn something new.
Went out with Henk, taxied to the holding, did my run-up checks, and taxied to the active. Today I executed the take-off with Henk's assistance, and there is nothing greater than rushing down that runway (seems like I have sorted out my rudder pedal issues), bar forward and she unsticks. Bar slightly in to build up speed, and neutral for the climb out with a right turn.
We headed out to the general flying area, and Henk started briefing me on what he expected from me today. At 6500ft, the air was relatively calm, and I had much better control of the trike than I had one session ago! Climbing turns, descending turns, level turns and steep turns. All went well, and I am making a conscious effort of not pulling the bar back in when going straight. My throttle work is improving, and I hope to get there soon.
After he was happy with my turns, he showed me how to recover from a powered & unpowered stalls, and I had two tries recovering from an unpowered stall. The first one was a bit daunting as I could for a brief moment feel my stomach not being sucked down by gravity, and it turned out ok. As today went really well, I don't remember specific events, but we did listen over the radio and watch a lady doing touch & goes, probably shortly after going solo as her instructor coached her in from the ground.
I can't wait for all these exercises to become second nature, and for the day I will have to land this machine by myself. As soon as we touched down via a simulated deadstick approach, I handled the trike on the ground, and taxied back to the hangars. As I got out of the plane, I did not experience the stiffness from last time, but my stomach was not very happy! Fortunately he held fine during the flight which is all that really matters.
Congrats to the lady that went solo recently, and thanks for all the kind comments from folks read my blog. Good luck with the week; it will be holidays soon!
Friday, 24 November 2006
Shaken, not stirred
Lesson: 5-6
Flight Hours: 2.0 Dual
Whoah! I managed to get hold of a cancelled slot, and proudly arrived 20 minutes early with my shiny new fuel tank and 15 litres of unleaded fuel. Now something was different this morning - wind! Lots and lots of it, in the region of 10 knots. "This should be exciting" I thought to myself, and headed in to greet the guys and start to set up. I was flying with Hans today, so settled into my flight suit, signed the trike out, and pushed the plane out of the hangar, careful as not to ding or break anything. I enjoyed pre-flighting the plane on my own, and had a few tolerance question for Hans when he joined me.
I settled into the front seat today, and felt somewhat exposed. No-one to hide behind or grab onto - this was me in the firing line with the bar in my hand. Headset on, turn key one click - we have comms. Helmet on, and it was my turn to start the motor. Really nothing to it with an electric starter, and soon we were taxiing to run-up area. I started my checks, clips....caps...wait a minute. Where are those darn clips again? With my best Houdini moves I could spot them all as Hans pointed them out to me. Three lower clips, five at the top. Performed my run-up, and it was time to taxi around. Taxied around for a while, trying to handle the wing in the wind, and finally lined up on the active runway for a high-speed roll. I opened up the taps, picked up speed, and to my utter dismay, I had a little runway excursion, and asked Hans to please bring back order in my sudden universe of chaos. Yes. After years of flying with friends in "blik" aeries and more than a thousand PC simulator hours, my brain could not let go of the idea of rudder pedals. The trike started drifting to the right, I put foot on the non-existing right rudder, and off she goes!
Sanity check, some talking to myself and heavy breathing after a heckuva fright, we tried it again, and this time it went much better. Standing still, before opening the throttle, I have a quick pep talk with the grey matter: "Ok guys, no rudder on this baby, wing level, foot off the brake, give juice, lots of it and stay on the centreline!". Then came the time for straight and level flying. I lined up on the active, opened up the throttle and we were screaming down the centreline and Hans took us up quickly with the generous headwind, and it was soon time for me to try and follow the adjacent road at constant altitude.
I have heard that many folks don't like flying in the wind, and I can understand why. I had a very tough time trying to align the stars to maintain straight and level flight. My first mistake was on the throttle. As soon as I would hit a bump and start going up, I would decrease the throttle, and increase going down. Soon I find myself in a pilot-induced oscillation, and had to work hard to keep constant RPM, trying to absorb the knocks with slight forward and backward movements on the bar. Another mistake was that when moving the wing left and right, I would pull it in a bit, off my speed would go and back into the carnival ride with the throttle setting and the wind giving me carrots.
On the third leg of the flight I started getting it right, and managed to stay on the road, crabbing in the right direction with the nose pointing elsewhere, and roughly keeping altitude and throttle setting at bay. Turning back to the airfield the wind was blowing head on but constant, although every once in a while a bump would break my concentration, and I ended up 250ft higher than I needed to be. Today for the first time I understand how overwhelming sensory overload can be, but I am sure it will only get better. Meanwhile, throughout the flight, I was still kicking rudder with the wheels, so at least if I do my fixed-wing licence some day, I will be sharp like a razor!
Hans put us down gently, and I taxied back to the hangar. Went through the shut down, and as I dismounted the trike, I felt extremely stiff. Unfit, straining and working the bar showed me that this is not a living room sport, and I am sure that will also get better with time. Replaced the fuel, did the paper work. Hans wrote up that he was happy overall, and commented that I need to work on my throttle control, and not to pull the bar in. Neutral is the bomb. And off to work I went.
I worked hard today, and feel somewhat drained, but I do feel a sense of accomplishment in the sense that I did manage to fly in strong winds without getting airsick, and the more I do it, hopefully the better it gets. I am looking forward to my next session on Monday morning!
Flight Hours: 2.0 Dual
Whoah! I managed to get hold of a cancelled slot, and proudly arrived 20 minutes early with my shiny new fuel tank and 15 litres of unleaded fuel. Now something was different this morning - wind! Lots and lots of it, in the region of 10 knots. "This should be exciting" I thought to myself, and headed in to greet the guys and start to set up. I was flying with Hans today, so settled into my flight suit, signed the trike out, and pushed the plane out of the hangar, careful as not to ding or break anything. I enjoyed pre-flighting the plane on my own, and had a few tolerance question for Hans when he joined me.
I settled into the front seat today, and felt somewhat exposed. No-one to hide behind or grab onto - this was me in the firing line with the bar in my hand. Headset on, turn key one click - we have comms. Helmet on, and it was my turn to start the motor. Really nothing to it with an electric starter, and soon we were taxiing to run-up area. I started my checks, clips....caps...wait a minute. Where are those darn clips again? With my best Houdini moves I could spot them all as Hans pointed them out to me. Three lower clips, five at the top. Performed my run-up, and it was time to taxi around. Taxied around for a while, trying to handle the wing in the wind, and finally lined up on the active runway for a high-speed roll. I opened up the taps, picked up speed, and to my utter dismay, I had a little runway excursion, and asked Hans to please bring back order in my sudden universe of chaos. Yes. After years of flying with friends in "blik" aeries and more than a thousand PC simulator hours, my brain could not let go of the idea of rudder pedals. The trike started drifting to the right, I put foot on the non-existing right rudder, and off she goes!
Sanity check, some talking to myself and heavy breathing after a heckuva fright, we tried it again, and this time it went much better. Standing still, before opening the throttle, I have a quick pep talk with the grey matter: "Ok guys, no rudder on this baby, wing level, foot off the brake, give juice, lots of it and stay on the centreline!". Then came the time for straight and level flying. I lined up on the active, opened up the throttle and we were screaming down the centreline and Hans took us up quickly with the generous headwind, and it was soon time for me to try and follow the adjacent road at constant altitude.
I have heard that many folks don't like flying in the wind, and I can understand why. I had a very tough time trying to align the stars to maintain straight and level flight. My first mistake was on the throttle. As soon as I would hit a bump and start going up, I would decrease the throttle, and increase going down. Soon I find myself in a pilot-induced oscillation, and had to work hard to keep constant RPM, trying to absorb the knocks with slight forward and backward movements on the bar. Another mistake was that when moving the wing left and right, I would pull it in a bit, off my speed would go and back into the carnival ride with the throttle setting and the wind giving me carrots.
On the third leg of the flight I started getting it right, and managed to stay on the road, crabbing in the right direction with the nose pointing elsewhere, and roughly keeping altitude and throttle setting at bay. Turning back to the airfield the wind was blowing head on but constant, although every once in a while a bump would break my concentration, and I ended up 250ft higher than I needed to be. Today for the first time I understand how overwhelming sensory overload can be, but I am sure it will only get better. Meanwhile, throughout the flight, I was still kicking rudder with the wheels, so at least if I do my fixed-wing licence some day, I will be sharp like a razor!
Hans put us down gently, and I taxied back to the hangar. Went through the shut down, and as I dismounted the trike, I felt extremely stiff. Unfit, straining and working the bar showed me that this is not a living room sport, and I am sure that will also get better with time. Replaced the fuel, did the paper work. Hans wrote up that he was happy overall, and commented that I need to work on my throttle control, and not to pull the bar in. Neutral is the bomb. And off to work I went.
I worked hard today, and feel somewhat drained, but I do feel a sense of accomplishment in the sense that I did manage to fly in strong winds without getting airsick, and the more I do it, hopefully the better it gets. I am looking forward to my next session on Monday morning!
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