Becoming a Private Pilot | First Solo

[LongRoadBob]

Some 'thoughts' from someone who just recently completed my PPL, posted the journey on a blog with links here on these forums, as well as videos to receive the aforementioned advice/criticism. While you might not agree with all of the advice/criticism on this forum (I don't), much of it is excellent and should not just be dismissed out of hand.

Don't be in the habit of a specific number of turns on the trim. I also trained in 140's and a 180. The school has four of the 140's and the trim in each one is just a bit different. One turn of the trim does not move the trim the same amount from plane to plane. I was taught 'pitch, power, trim.' You pitch the plane, adjust the power, and then trim to remove pressure for whatever flight attitude you are looking for. That particular plane may be 3 turns on the pitch, but it is a lot easier to just remember to trim to relieve pressure than remember which plane you're in and how many times to turn the handle. (There are enough other numbers to remember when flying)

pburger has it right on taxiing. Keep your left hand on the yolk, even when taxiing. This is even more important when on a grass strip as it keeps less weight on the nose wheel. You will not ever ride a wheelie down the taxiway doing this (assuming you aren't taxiing at high speeds...) and you will be glad to have that extra inch or so clearance in the front when you hit some bumps in the field so you don't have a prop strike.

Congratulations on the solo, keep flying, keep learning, and keep having fun.

Great advice I think.

One quick question though, when you mention "pitch, power, trim" in your experience is that for all changes such as ascent, descent, level off from ascent or descent?

I get conflicting thoughts on this...that in some instances like leveling off from descent that some say power, pitch, trim. Trim is always last, and maybe it is that pitch and power are almost simultaneous but again I see some training manuals seem to alternate depending on which maneuver.

 

[Ravioli]

...that in some instances like leveling off from descent that some say power, pitch, trim. Trim is always last, and maybe it is that pitch and power are almost simultaneous but again I see some training manuals seem to alternate depending on which maneuver.

We'll need the CFI core to chime in on this. My OPINION is always Pitch, Power, Trim. My THEORY for that is when leveling off (Pitch) the plane will speed up or slow down, depending on whether I'm leveling from a climb or descent, so I should hold Pitch, adjust power as needed, then trim.

My GUESS is that the confusion comes from the way we're taught about pitch for speed and power for altitude when learning to land.

Also, I SUGGEST we review some of the threads about when to stop trimming. Many (and I) believe that you should be trimming until all wheel are on the ground. Not 'set it on downwind and forget about it'

One post with Opinions, Theories, Guesses and Suggestions. Woo-Hoo!

 

[LongRoadBob]

We'll need the CFI core to chime in on this. My OPINION is always Pitch, Power, Trim. My THEORY for that is when leveling off (Pitch) the plane will speed up or slow down, depending on whether I'm leveling from a climb or descent, so I should hold Pitch, adjust power as needed, then trim.

My GUESS is that the confusion comes from the way we're taught about pitch for speed and power for altitude when learning to land.

Also, I SUGGEST we review some of the threads about when to stop trimming. Many (and I) believe that you should be trimming until all wheel are on the ground. Not 'set it on downwind and forget about it'

One post with Opinions, Theories, Guesses and Suggestions. Woo-Hoo!

It sure would be nice to have a universal rule for all, for sure. My CFI stresses that when leveling off from a climb and into cruise speed, that I first do attitude, and wait...until speed peaks, and then power, then trim.

That is also allows for more precise altitude you are shooting for. It seems to me that leveling off from descent also as you point to, would want to let speed "settle" and then adjust power?

Maybe the issue is more when entering climb or descent. I just am not sure at this point. Thanks for heloing clarify.

 

[jordane93]

We'll need the CFI core to chime in on this. My OPINION is always Pitch, Power, Trim. My THEORY for that is when leveling off (Pitch) the plane will speed up or slow down, depending on whether I'm leveling from a climb or descent, so I should hold Pitch, adjust power as needed, then trim.

My GUESS is that the confusion comes from the way we're taught about pitch for speed and power for altitude when learning to land.

Also, I SUGGEST we review some of the threads about when to stop trimming. Many (and I) believe that you should be trimming until all wheel are on the ground. Not 'set it on downwind and forget about it'

One post with Opinions, Theories, Guesses and Suggestions. Woo-Hoo!

You are correct. Pitch, power, trim in that order

 

[denverpilot]

You are correct. Pitch, power, trim in that order

I'm gonna blow some minds with the advanced version...

You have two hands. You can eventually do both pitch and power at the same time, once you get the "wholistic" concept of "whatever it takes" working in your brain.

Then trim off the control pressures.

Fly the plane.

But it helps to teach it as separate steps at first to someone who's overwhelmed. And everyone is overwhelmed at first. Baby steps.

After a while and some hours in type, if you want to climb, you'll know you need more and/or full power and just add it as you start the climbs.

And if you want to descend and maintain an airspeed you'll pull off the power to a known point that gets you real close to what you need in that specific airplane to descend at the rate and airspeed that you desire.

I don't even really think about it in the Skylane anymore. If I want to come down about 500'/min at about 85 knots, the throttle comes back to about 12" (and the right hand automatically pulls the carb heat out) and the nose pitches down to roughly the right sight picture as I look to see how I'll need to adjust it, say setting up for a downwind to base turn, and I'm thinking more about the prevailing wind than the multiple hand movements.

Same thing for an instrument approach, it'll be about 15" for 90 knots in level flight with 10 degrees of flaps hanging out, and a reduction to just under 13" in my airplane will result in about 500'/min down and glideslope following, but I don't have to look over and stare at the MP gauge to get real close to 13"... the right hand just kinda knows where that is after a while and the eyeballs just add a glance over in the scan to make sure something "odd" isn't happening.

But anyway. Pitch, power, trim. But might as well start learning to combine pitch and power smoothly as soon as you feel comfortable. You'll probably just start doing in naturally anyway.

Trim becomes your best friend when you go for the Instrument ticket. It frees up the few remaining available brain cells you don't think you even have at first, to do stuff like try to read an approach plate in glances, and brief it, while forcing the eyeballs back up to scan at least the AI and altimeter every few seconds.

Eventually that weird way to read things gets pretty comfortable, too.

Then Mama Nature adds some turbulence. Haha.

Have fun!

 

[MAKG1]

Leveling off after a descent in a 172, pitch goes to 0 and power to 2500 more or less simultaneously. What's the argument?

 

[LongRoadBob]

I'm gonna blow some minds with the advanced version...

You have two hands. You can eventually do both pitch and power at the same time, once you get the "wholistic" concept of "whatever it takes" working in your brain.

Then trim off the control pressures.

Fly the plane.

But it helps to teach it as separate steps at first to someone who's overwhelmed. And everyone is overwhelmed at first. Baby steps.

After a while and some hours in type, if you want to climb, you'll know you need more and/or full power and just add it as you start the climbs.

And if you want to descend and maintain an airspeed you'll pull off the power to a known point that gets you real close to what you need in that specific airplane to descend at the rate and airspeed that you desire.

I don't even really think about it in the Skyline anymore. If I want to come down about 500'/min at about 85 knots, the throttle comes back to about 12" (and the right hand automatically pulls the carb heat out) and the nose pitches down to roughly the right sight picture as I look to see how I'll need to adjust it, say setting up for a downwind to base turn, and I'm thinking more about the prevailing wind than the multiple hand movements.

Same thing for an instrument approach, it'll be about 15" for 90 knots in level flight with 10 degrees of flaps hanging out, and a reduction to just under 13" in my airplane will result in about 500'/min down and glideslope following, but I don't have to look over and stare at the MP gauge to get real close to 13"... the right hand just kinda knows where that is after a while and the eyeballs just add a glance over in the scan to make sure something "odd" isn't happening.

But anyway. Pitch, power, trim. But might as well start learning to combine pitch and power smoothly as soon as you feel comfortable. You'll probably just start doing in naturally anyway.

Trim becomes your best friend when you go for the Instrument ticket. It frees up the few remaining available brain cells you don't think you even have at first, to do stuff like try to read an approach plate in glances, and brief it, while forcing the eyeballs back up to scan at least the AI and altimeter every few seconds.

Eventually that weird way to read things gets pretty comfortable, too.

Then Mama Nature adds some turbulence. Haha.

Have fun!

Thanks, that was also what I was hinting at in my question, though I wrote "almost" simultaneously.
It's still good for a student like me to have a list, just as fallback, or while working to integrate into simultanously.

I wrote somewhere else, I worked a good while on armchair flying, making sure I automatically check and turn off/on carb heat. When I next flew I was sure I had at least that, turns out it was the one thing I kept forgetting.. Oh well.

 

[exncsurfer]

It sure would be nice to have a universal rule for all, for sure. My CFI stresses that when leveling off from a climb and into cruise speed, that I first do attitude, and wait...until speed peaks, and then power, then trim.

That is also allows for more precise altitude you are shooting for. It seems to me that leveling off from descent also as you point to, would want to let speed "settle" and then adjust power?

Maybe the issue is more when entering climb or descent. I just am not sure at this point. Thanks for heloing clarify.

If you delay power after leveling off a descent you are just going to slow down, which might be counter to what you're looking for, unless you want to slow down. The FAA 'Flying Handbook' says to lead the level off and to apply power at that time, 3-19:
"The level-off from a glide must be started before
reaching the desired altitude because of the airplane’s
downward inertia. The amount of lead depends on the
rate of descent and the pilot’s control technique. With
too little lead, there will be a tendency to descend
below the selected altitude. For example, assuming a
500-foot per minute rate of descent, the altitude must
be led by 100 – 150 feet to level off at an airspeed
higher than the glide speed. At the lead point, power
should be increased to the appropriate level flight
cruise setting so the desired airspeed will be attained
at the desired altitude. The nose tends to rise as both
airspeed and downwash on the tail section increase.
The pilot must be prepared for this and smoothly con-
trol the pitch attitude to attain level flight attitude so
that the level-off is completed at the desired altitude."

 

[Scotty]

My CFI has taught me why I trim I am going into slow flight. I am looking for a speed essentially, however at my home airport in this particular plane the speed I wish to achieve is always at 3 spins on the trim.

I'd rather have the Ipad it's great that you like to do things with paper but my Ipad has GPS and Weather. It also has all of my checklists where I can easily access them.

No need to have your hands on the yolks for taxi. Your nose wheel is meant to be on the ground during taxi for steering purposes. If your personal preference is to ride a wheelie up and down the taxi way that's fine but I'd prefer not to.

Pilot Guy , first I would like to congratulate you on your first solo, you will always remember that day. second , have an open mind about your responses....I think you will find out that most have been correct.