ScottK
Pre-takeoff checklist
I hadn't flown since the end of June, but I couldn't pass up a perfect wx day.
The guy I fly with all the time is a CFI, so I had a safety net in case I forgot how to land. As I said, the wx was perfect. Wind 060@5 for Rw5. Perfect day for getting back in the saddle.
I managed three pretty good landings right out of the chute. Doesn't hurt that I have an 8200' r/w at my home field. So we decided to go to a shorter nearby field to look for some crosswind practice. Unfortunately, the winds were only 4kts or so and it didn't really add much. As it turns out, I made it difficult enough for myself without the crosswind. My first two landings there were a go-around (way too high on approach) and a bounce and go (tried the helicopter landing). As we're climbing out, my buddy suggests we not use a 10 deg glide slope to land.
At his suggestion, I extended my downwind just a bit, got a nice even descent rate and wound up with a pretty good landing.
After nailing one more landing, we decided to head back home. I offered my buddy the plane for a few right seat landings and as usual with him, I learned something on each one. We were told to slow down as we were #2 (straight in) to land following a plane already in the pattern. They were flying 737 patterns, so we flew the last 2.5 miles at 65kts to give them room. He managed the speed perfectly and made a beautiful landing. The other two landings were a short approach in front of a Citation on a 6 mile final and following a Spirit A320 in. Each one was a little different and watching a good pilot handle it all equally well motivates me to keep getting better each time out.
One of my favorite things about flying is seeing how many different ways there are to handle things. Keeps it exciting.
The guy I fly with all the time is a CFI, so I had a safety net in case I forgot how to land. As I said, the wx was perfect. Wind 060@5 for Rw5. Perfect day for getting back in the saddle.
I managed three pretty good landings right out of the chute. Doesn't hurt that I have an 8200' r/w at my home field. So we decided to go to a shorter nearby field to look for some crosswind practice. Unfortunately, the winds were only 4kts or so and it didn't really add much. As it turns out, I made it difficult enough for myself without the crosswind. My first two landings there were a go-around (way too high on approach) and a bounce and go (tried the helicopter landing). As we're climbing out, my buddy suggests we not use a 10 deg glide slope to land.
At his suggestion, I extended my downwind just a bit, got a nice even descent rate and wound up with a pretty good landing. After nailing one more landing, we decided to head back home. I offered my buddy the plane for a few right seat landings and as usual with him, I learned something on each one. We were told to slow down as we were #2 (straight in) to land following a plane already in the pattern. They were flying 737 patterns, so we flew the last 2.5 miles at 65kts to give them room. He managed the speed perfectly and made a beautiful landing. The other two landings were a short approach in front of a Citation on a 6 mile final and following a Spirit A320 in. Each one was a little different and watching a good pilot handle it all equally well motivates me to keep getting better each time out.
One of my favorite things about flying is seeing how many different ways there are to handle things. Keeps it exciting.
