Aerobatics lesson #7

[Bill]

Saturday morning I awoke to the pitter patter of rain, and a low gray ceiling. Weather forecast didn't look great, but I held out for a while. I'd need to head to the airport at 10, take off at 11, land around noon, and my aerobatics instructor would pick me up for the lesson. Ten rolls around, and still gloomy. I call John, and same story there, low ceilings and mist.

By 11am, the sun bursts through, and blue skies with almost no clouds. Forecast is still not good, but the front is well through, and it just "feels" like its going to be a good day. I call John, and he says it went clear just after I cancelled, but he was still up for some lessons today. I jump in the truck, and get a brief on the phone on the way to the airport. FA says generally clear, outlook VFR. TAF's are good for both locations, winds aloft benign, no TFR's. So I departed CHA at noon in the club Archer III.

I taxi in after a nice touchdown at TYS, and John is waiting at the FBO. We chit chat on the way to SkyRanch (TN98), and as we pull in, John asks if I want some lunch before the flight. Some folks are having a hangar party, and I have a bratwurst with onions and mustard, and some cherry cobbler.

We brief, and off we go. As an aside, TN98 is under the Tyson class C shelf, so on every lesson we fly to and from the practice area at 1000agl. I normally don't ever fly that low outside the pattern, but it just seems right in the Citabria, window open, smelling the fields and taking in the views.

Out from the shelf, we climb to practice altitude, and do our warm ups. 720 60 degree left followed by 720 60 degree right. Then, we do the loop, left aileron roll, zoom climb, turnaround, loop, aileron roll right zoom climb. Whew, warmed up now!.

Then John tells me the next combination he wants me to fly, and we set off. Loop, barrel roll left, barrel roll right, cuban 8. Nice! now, for today's new maneuvers: first we do several split-S's, until I get a feel for them. Then we move down the road a bit to a perfect 4 way stop, and we do a cloverleaf. After the cloverleaf, we climb up again and do a 3 turn spin left. Unlike the times before, instead of a snap spin entry into the spin, we simulate the classic skidded base to final turn, with departure stall into the spin. After the recovery, we turn perpendicular to the field, and do an oblique split-S towards the field and then dive back down to 1000agl to get under the shelf.

Back at the ranch, I do several wheel touches, and then a wheel fullstop.

The weather stayed great for the return flight in the Archer, and a good flying day was in the books. Lesson #8 to follow.

 

[Diana]

so on every lesson we fly to and from the practice area at 1000agl. I normally don't ever fly that low outside the pattern, but it just seems right in the Citabria, window open, smelling the fields and taking in the views.

Bill, that's a way of life here. Nice, isn't it? Turns about a cow.

zoom climb, turnaround

What do these two maneuvers entail? I may know them as a different name.

oblique split-S towards the field

Here another one I don't know. Does it involve a turn as you come down?

Thanks for the write-up Bill, sounds like you had a great lesson and are really getting the feel of what the Citabria can do.

 

[Bill]

Turns about a cow.

Turns about a cow sounds so nice. I remember the cows I used to visit doing my emergency landing practices for my private. Good fun.

What do these two maneuvers entail? I may know them as a different name.

Nothing fancy, after the aileron roll, he had me stand the plane on its tale (90 degrees to the horizion), and then do a 0G pushover back to near level flight. Then, keeping the nose up and the airspeed just above stall, I'd do a 45 degree bank turn 180 to turn around keeping the plane just above stall. This would result in a quick climb of about 5-700ft, and put us back on our road for the next maneuver.

Here another one I don't know. Does it involve a turn as you come down?

Kind of like a barrel roll, but instead of coming around back to your original heading, you stop the roll and zoom down 90 orthogonal to your original heading.

getting the feel of what the Citabria can do.

I certainly am, you are lucky to have such a fine little airplane.