eetrojan
Pattern Altitude
A couple of weeks ago, I completed two series of solo takeoffs and landings while staying in the pattern, but I just did MY first ever solo to the practice area and back - my first "real" solo.
My CFI asked me to do steep turns, slow flight, power-on stalls, and power-off stalls. It was exciting to pre-flight the plane and then depart completely on my own; almost surreal. Our practice area is about 8 miles east of the airport and, there I went, flying back and forth, left and right, all by my lonesome. My steep turns and slow flight practice went well, but my “stalls” didn’t quite stall. In particular, my power-on stall just didn’t want to happen and, after being in an uncomfortable nose high position for what seemed forever, I just pushed it over and pretended to stall. I guess I need to work on that.
The most interesting part of my first practice area solo was when I returned to land. Things got a bit confusing because the controller lost track of who was where and, well, I'm kind of green.
I'm flying Sportstar ABC on a left pattern for runway 19L at John Wayne Airport, an airport that has two parallel runways, 19L and 19R. As I’m flying my 45 degree entry leg, Tower points out Cessna 123 on the downwind and then has me follow him. An instructor from my school and his student are in Diamond Star 789, following me on the entry leg. Thus, I end up sandwiched between two planes on the downwind, behind Cessna 123 and in front of Diamond Star 789.
While I'm on the downwind, still behind Cessna 123, Tower clears me for the option. He has not extended anybody yet, but I didn't think much of it then. With the Cessna still in position #1, in front of me, I respond by confirming the clearance and re-stating my position, i.e. "clear for the option, #2 behind the Cessna, 19L." Tower then calls to the plane flying behind me and says, "789, extend downwind." They acknowledge the instruction, and then Tower comes right back to me and says, "ABC, start your base now."
I query tower because it seems sort of odd given that the Cessna in front of me is already turning to base, "Verify. I'm still behind the Cessna." Tower responds, "I'm going to turn you in front of him. Start your base." I respond, "Roger, starting my base," and then I turn to base, close to but with the Cessna still visually in front of me and always in my sight. I assumed that Tower may slide the Cessna over to 19R, or some such thing. In other words, Tower must have some plan I just don't understand. I had the Cessna in sight at all times, but with me stacked behind him while on final for 19L, I was too close for the Cessna to have enough time to taxi clear of the runway.
So, with the Cessna still in front of me, while the Cessna and I are on final, Tower grouses at the Diamond Star behind me (still extending downwind), the plane he evidently thinks is in front of me. "November 789, I told you to extend downwind". They quickly respond, "We ARE on the downwind."
At this point, Tower realized the issue, "I'm sorry, that's 123, I had the wrong guy there. 123 continue for runway 19L."
Tower asks me to go around and, while I'm powered up for a climb and starting a parallel offset to the left in case the Cessna does a go around of his own (which he eventually does), Tower has me turn to crosswind early, even before I reach the threshold.
In hindsight, it appears obvious that Tower wanted the Cessna to extend and have me make a short approach in front of him, but he mixed up the Diamond Star behind me with the Cessna in front of me. Regardless, I'm still unclear why Tower cleared me for the option before he asked the plane he *thought* was in front of me to extend its downwind. The order he chose seems backward to me.
I knew enough not to turn in front of the Cessna, but I wish I had enough experience to more assuredly override Tower's insistence that I turn base.
Still, it was a good learning experience for a student pilot.
My CFI asked me to do steep turns, slow flight, power-on stalls, and power-off stalls. It was exciting to pre-flight the plane and then depart completely on my own; almost surreal. Our practice area is about 8 miles east of the airport and, there I went, flying back and forth, left and right, all by my lonesome. My steep turns and slow flight practice went well, but my “stalls” didn’t quite stall. In particular, my power-on stall just didn’t want to happen and, after being in an uncomfortable nose high position for what seemed forever, I just pushed it over and pretended to stall. I guess I need to work on that.
The most interesting part of my first practice area solo was when I returned to land. Things got a bit confusing because the controller lost track of who was where and, well, I'm kind of green.
I'm flying Sportstar ABC on a left pattern for runway 19L at John Wayne Airport, an airport that has two parallel runways, 19L and 19R. As I’m flying my 45 degree entry leg, Tower points out Cessna 123 on the downwind and then has me follow him. An instructor from my school and his student are in Diamond Star 789, following me on the entry leg. Thus, I end up sandwiched between two planes on the downwind, behind Cessna 123 and in front of Diamond Star 789.
While I'm on the downwind, still behind Cessna 123, Tower clears me for the option. He has not extended anybody yet, but I didn't think much of it then. With the Cessna still in position #1, in front of me, I respond by confirming the clearance and re-stating my position, i.e. "clear for the option, #2 behind the Cessna, 19L." Tower then calls to the plane flying behind me and says, "789, extend downwind." They acknowledge the instruction, and then Tower comes right back to me and says, "ABC, start your base now."
I query tower because it seems sort of odd given that the Cessna in front of me is already turning to base, "Verify. I'm still behind the Cessna." Tower responds, "I'm going to turn you in front of him. Start your base." I respond, "Roger, starting my base," and then I turn to base, close to but with the Cessna still visually in front of me and always in my sight. I assumed that Tower may slide the Cessna over to 19R, or some such thing. In other words, Tower must have some plan I just don't understand. I had the Cessna in sight at all times, but with me stacked behind him while on final for 19L, I was too close for the Cessna to have enough time to taxi clear of the runway.
So, with the Cessna still in front of me, while the Cessna and I are on final, Tower grouses at the Diamond Star behind me (still extending downwind), the plane he evidently thinks is in front of me. "November 789, I told you to extend downwind". They quickly respond, "We ARE on the downwind."
At this point, Tower realized the issue, "I'm sorry, that's 123, I had the wrong guy there. 123 continue for runway 19L."
Tower asks me to go around and, while I'm powered up for a climb and starting a parallel offset to the left in case the Cessna does a go around of his own (which he eventually does), Tower has me turn to crosswind early, even before I reach the threshold.
In hindsight, it appears obvious that Tower wanted the Cessna to extend and have me make a short approach in front of him, but he mixed up the Diamond Star behind me with the Cessna in front of me. Regardless, I'm still unclear why Tower cleared me for the option before he asked the plane he *thought* was in front of me to extend its downwind. The order he chose seems backward to me.
I knew enough not to turn in front of the Cessna, but I wish I had enough experience to more assuredly override Tower's insistence that I turn base.
Still, it was a good learning experience for a student pilot.
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. By the way, I'm getting better at using "unable" 
