Toby
Cleared for Takeoff
Today's lesson was so super. I feel the way I did when I first soloed! I think it's because I've done so many spins now that I've lost the anxiety I had about them, and they're really fun to do. We did two to the left, which went fine, and then many to the right. Well, an hour's worth, at least.
Right rudder spins are harder to do. Two or three times I could not get that baby to break to the right. She stalled okay, but I had the right rudder down to the floor and we just started diving straight down without a spin, so I had to recover and climb up to 5,000 again. This morning I read an article in Private Pilot that suggested adding a burst of power at the stall break to make the plane enter a good spin. When I mentioned that to my instructor, he said that it would work better to the left than to the right, because when you fly with power the airplane yaws to the left. So it would probably not help for a right rudder spin. It's also another step in the process that you have to remember to undo before the spin develops.
I was able to count my turns better today, btw. Not out loud, but at least I was aware of where the beach was.
What must it be like doing this stuff over land with roads and section lines, I wonder??? Not having the ocean below me would be disorienting. And I like to make my clearing turns over the shipwreck.
After all that, my instructor demonstrated a competition spin for me. He said it would be scarier, but it wasn't. After the first turn or so, he pushed the nose straight down and tightened up the turn so we were in a perfect vertical line. Then we recovered -- a little more G force than I usually get with my "survival" spin recoveries. I want to learn how to do that!
Okay, now I have three secrets to doing well and feeling well at my lessons:
1. A good night's sleep.
2. A toasted bagel, lightly buttered, immediately before flying.
3. Practice with the sponge mop all week (makes a good stick when practicing spins at the kitchen table).
Right rudder spins are harder to do. Two or three times I could not get that baby to break to the right. She stalled okay, but I had the right rudder down to the floor and we just started diving straight down without a spin, so I had to recover and climb up to 5,000 again. This morning I read an article in Private Pilot that suggested adding a burst of power at the stall break to make the plane enter a good spin. When I mentioned that to my instructor, he said that it would work better to the left than to the right, because when you fly with power the airplane yaws to the left. So it would probably not help for a right rudder spin. It's also another step in the process that you have to remember to undo before the spin develops.
I was able to count my turns better today, btw. Not out loud, but at least I was aware of where the beach was.
What must it be like doing this stuff over land with roads and section lines, I wonder??? Not having the ocean below me would be disorienting. And I like to make my clearing turns over the shipwreck.
After all that, my instructor demonstrated a competition spin for me. He said it would be scarier, but it wasn't. After the first turn or so, he pushed the nose straight down and tightened up the turn so we were in a perfect vertical line. Then we recovered -- a little more G force than I usually get with my "survival" spin recoveries. I want to learn how to do that!
Okay, now I have three secrets to doing well and feeling well at my lessons:
1. A good night's sleep.
2. A toasted bagel, lightly buttered, immediately before flying.
3. Practice with the sponge mop all week (makes a good stick when practicing spins at the kitchen table).