Excited but frustrated...

studiomusic

studiomusic

Pre-Flight
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Jul 28, 2011
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Salt Lake City, sometimes France.
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StudioMusic
Just went up again in my Cherokee (2nd time since buying it).
I have 21 hours that I logged a few years ago - got pretty good back then, almost ready to solo.
Now I have 2 hours in the last week.
Man, I love it!
But, it's taking me a while to get back in the game. My mind is still quick and ready for anything, but the hands and feet wander.
My first landing was almost a disaster. I cut the power after the strip was made and dropped like a rock. Luckily my CFI (my brother) was there to grab the controls and flare for me.
I guess I was planning on starting back up where I left off. :D
So, ya, super excited but frustrated.
The good thing? Now that I own a plane I can go whenever, and it costs about 1/3 the price of renting!
 
Took me a while to get landings from OMG Horrible to OK/good. Keep practicing.
 
studiomusic said:
Just went up again in my Cherokee (2nd time since buying it).
I have 21 hours that I logged a few years ago - got pretty good back then, almost ready to solo.
Now I have 2 hours in the last week.
Man, I love it!
But, it's taking me a while to get back in the game. My mind is still quick and ready for anything, but the hands and feet wander.
My first landing was almost a disaster. I cut the power after the strip was made and dropped like a rock. Luckily my CFI (my brother) was there to grab the controls and flare for me.
I guess I was planning on starting back up where I left off. :D
So, ya, super excited but frustrated.
The good thing? Now that I own a plane I can go whenever, and it costs about 1/3 the price of renting!
Click to expand...

I was doing teaching landings to a student the other day in a PA-28 and it *really* helped him when I reminded him to look at the END of the runway. As soon as I said those words things clicked.
 
studiomusic said:
Just went up again in my Cherokee (2nd time since buying it).
I have 21 hours that I logged a few years ago - got pretty good back then, almost ready to solo.
Click to expand...
It's rare to meet this kind of committment these days. Usually people rent through the training, because they don't know how it is going to turn out.
 
zaitcev said:
It's rare to meet this kind of committment these days. Usually people rent through the training, because they don't know how it is going to turn out.
Click to expand...

I started looking for a plane after my first flight:idea: after buying one it makes it really hard to give up. Luckily I seem to be learning very quickly.:)

Have fun, it's not a race just enjoy flying your own plane.
 
studiomusic said:
Just went up again in my Cherokee (2nd time since buying it).
I have 21 hours that I logged a few years ago - got pretty good back then, almost ready to solo.
Now I have 2 hours in the last week.
Man, I love it!
But, it's taking me a while to get back in the game. My mind is still quick and ready for anything, but the hands and feet wander.
My first landing was almost a disaster. I cut the power after the strip was made and dropped like a rock. Luckily my CFI (my brother) was there to grab the controls and flare for me.
I guess I was planning on starting back up where I left off. :D
So, ya, super excited but frustrated.
The good thing? Now that I own a plane I can go whenever, and it costs about 1/3 the price of renting!
Click to expand...


Studio,

I did something similar. I came close to my private 20 years ago before life changed. I went back at it this past Spring and solo'd after five hours, but that was in a 150. Landing is so much by feel and practice that the skill goes away fast. That's why they require three landings in the last 90 days before carrying passengers.

My first few landings after 20 years, I ALSO flared way too high and the instructor took over. One suggestion I would make is that you should watch your aiming point, like the end of the runway, all the way to very short final, THEN raise your eyes and look way down the runway. This is emphasized greatly in tailwheel training but it's great advice for nosedragger flying as well.

I almost bought a Cherokee, but ended up buying a much smaller taildragger. I made that decision based on the fact that the smaller plane uses MUCH less fuel AND the fact that I want a taildragger to land on my own proposed grass strip. The cool factor and challenge of a taildragger is also really great although there was a point where I was really wishing I had bought the Cherokee. Once I got over that training plateau, however, I really love my taildragger.

The Cherokee is a GREAT flying plane and I really like them. I had a few flights in one 20 years ago and really loved it. It is a very predictable platform and I'm quite sure that you'll be handling it very well, very soon. Just keep practicing.

After you solo and the instructor cuts you loose, go shoot touch & go's one after the other daily for a few weeks and you'll always have total landing confidence. Owning your own plane makes such practice much more practical.

Keep us posted.
Doc
 
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Now that you own an airplane you'll fly more often. You have to, or stuff starts breaking. Don't rush any aspect of flying, stuff will happen when it happens. The nice thing is since you own, once you solo you pretty much have your pilot's license. You can go where you want, you just have to get a CFI to sign off on it. Only difference when you get your ticket is you can take someone with. Good luck.
 
To me, what helped my landings, was looking directly at the ground right in front of the airplane. I tried whole "look at the end of a runway" thing, and that never did anything for me.

Another problem was that my previous CFI, never actually explained how to land. And my current CFI assumed that I can land, but badly. As soon as he showed me how to do it, then it clicked for me. But still, looking at the end of a runway, I will do horrible things. Looking directly in front of the plane, I am good.
 
studiomusic said:
Just went up again in my Cherokee (2nd time since buying it).
I have 21 hours that I logged a few years ago - got pretty good back then, almost ready to solo.
Now I have 2 hours in the last week.
Man, I love it!
But, it's taking me a while to get back in the game. My mind is still quick and ready for anything, but the hands and feet wander.
My first landing was almost a disaster. I cut the power after the strip was made and dropped like a rock. Luckily my CFI (my brother) was there to grab the controls and flare for me.
I guess I was planning on starting back up where I left off. :D
So, ya, super excited but frustrated.
The good thing? Now that I own a plane I can go whenever, and it costs about 1/3 the price of renting!
Click to expand...

You were just expecting way too much from yourself. The CFIs around here say to expect about 1 hour of training for each year you've been off (and that's if you actually had the certificate). Since, you didn't complete training and its been some time, I'd expect you to pretty much be starting over.

But...it all might click on the next flight and you'll be ready for solo. Who knows? Enjoy the training. It really is fun and don't get down if you're not progressing as fast as you thought you would. I assume your looking at flying for fun, not employment, so there isn't any real rush. Rushing is not good for us amateurs.
 
I hated landing the Cherokee at first. But then I learned to love it and could get squeaker landings most of the time.

If you chop the throttle too high, it will drop like a brick. But if you chop it over the numbers and then start your flare...she'll bleed off speed fast but under control, and you'll get yourself and nice full stall landing.
 
There was quite the crosswind too (not that I'm looking for excuses!).
Practice makes perfecter I guess!

I am VERY glad to have purchased the plane. Now I have no excuse to not finish training! I can't wait to solo, but I have to...
 
When I flew 20 years ago, I was able to absolutely NAIL cross wind landings from the get go. When I came back to it, it took awhile before I was proficient at using aileron to prevent drift and rudder to stay parallel with the runway. It will come with practice. You'll be knocking out cross wind landings in no time, especially if you get LOTS of touch and go's after you solo.

Meanee,

You know, now that I think of it, I'm not sure I looked down the runway when flying a nose dragger. This was something that was emphasized heavily in taildragger training due to the fact that in many tailwheel airplanes you can't see over the nose when flaring. By looking down the runway, as the nose obscures the center stripe, you are already focused on the runway edges. I think it would work out well for a nose dragger too, but everyone is different.

Doc
 
Meanee said:
Took me a while to get landings from OMG Horrible to OK/good. Keep practicing.
Click to expand...

I have between 200 - 300 landings in the same plane and I agree with this statement. I flew a few nights ago and I was 2 for 3 - meaning, 2 "good" landings and the third one not so good.
 
MBDiagMan said:
I almost bought a Cherokee, but ended up buying a much smaller taildragger. I made that decision based on the fact that the smaller plane uses MUCH less fuel AND the fact that I want a taildragger to land on my own proposed grass strip. The cool factor and challenge of a taildragger is also really great although there was a point where I was really wishing I had bought the Cherokee. Once I got over that training plateau, however, I really love my taildragger.
Click to expand...

You'll never regret doing the taildragger. Stick and rudder skills are embedded much more deeply by starting there. I wish that had been an option when I started. It took awhile to gain thosevskills later on.
 
I go through landing ups and downs.

My last few landings have been ok - before that they were awful, and about 10 landings prior to that for 20 or so they were quite good.


Everyone goes through landing "cycles" I guess would be the word
 
LDJones said:
You'll never regret doing the taildragger. Stick and rudder skills are embedded much more deeply by starting there. I wish that had been an option when I started. It took awhile to gain thosevskills later on.
Click to expand...


I didn't start in this plane. 20 years ago I flew my first 7 hours in a Champ. It was the instructors plane and he didn't have insurance for me to solo in it so we moved to a 150 and I solo'd in 13 hours total. I then went on, but didn't finish my PPL.

Then back in March I started flying again with the same instructor in a different 150. I solo'd again after 5 hours. THEN I bought the 140 and it took 20 hours to solo.

There was a time when I wondered why in the world I bought a taildragger, what was I THINKING? Now that I've climbed over that plateau, I'm committed to her. Still every once in a while I think that had I bought the Cherokee I would already be a certificated Private Pilot.

Doc
 
My CFI told me on our first flight "any landing you walk away from is a good one", "any landing that the plane is still flyable is a great one".

Works for me.
 
steingar said:
Now that you own an airplane you'll fly more often. You have to, or stuff starts breaking. Don't rush any aspect of flying, stuff will happen when it happens. The nice thing is since you own, once you solo you pretty much have your pilot's license. You can go where you want, you just have to get a CFI to sign off on it. Only difference when you get your ticket is you can take someone with. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Well, IIRC, you're not allowed to fly in furtherance of a business on a solo ticket, so if, for example, you have a farm and want to go check the fields, you shouldn't go with that as the purpose. And if you're employed, you shouldn't fly yourself to a meeting in another city.

But, other than that sort of a nit, I agree! Just wish we had a Freebird of our own!
 
Well It's been a long time, but I got my private in a Cherokee 140, and it's about the easiest plane I've ever landed. A kind CFI once showed me a neat little trick.

Assuming you have the roof trim crank.

Once you are abeam the numbers reduce power (IIRC 1500-1700RPM)
Add two turns of up elevator trim
add first notch before turning base (90)
second notch during base (80)
Third on final (70)

Pretty much don't mess with the power until you are on short final at about 60-65

Damn near lands itself.
 
Learn to land well now. Because after you get your private and start working on your instrument rating you'll forget how to land. :D All that instrument training is flying, typically one takeoff and landing per flight. I know my landings deteriorated during the IR training. Once in a while I'd go up and do nothing but touch and goes to remind myself how to land without bending anything. And it was relaxing to actually see where I was going. :D :D
 
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