Bill
Touchdown! Greaser!
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2005
- Messages
- 15,105
- Location
- Southeast Tennessee
- Display Name
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I did all my IR training in the 172, then recently got checked out in the 182, but hadn't flown any appoaches in the club Archer III. Futher, for some reason, I haven't flown that plane since the return flight from Gastons last June. So, I grabbed the club instructor and we went out to play last night.
First, off to the practice area, where he showed me some of the IFR features of the 430 and S-Tec 55x autopilot. Then we did GPS 33 fully coupled, followed by ILS 02, fully coupled. With each approach, the wind conditions were getting worse. I don't know if it was the wind, or the differences between the 55x and the KAP140 in the 182, but the 55x had a real difficult time finding and keeping a good wind correction angle in the gusty winds. Not a very smooth or stable approach.
Then for the last one, I wanted to hand fly the entire approach, and did a very nice job considering the wind: 32018G27. I worked my butt off, but actually flew a better approach than the 55x did, and stayed on LOC and GS the whole way down, while maintaining 15 to 30 degrees of crab depending on gusts. HSI's rock, I love being able to see the wind correction so well on one instrument.
Me not having flown that plane 7 months, combined with my instructor not having flown that plane in several months, along with a crosswind component of 16 to 23 kts and gusts, resulted in us making the wise choice of going missed at DH and circling to land on 33. Even so, I had to really work it on the approach and landing to 33.
A good night, got familiar with 4147T again, learned some of its avionics, and got some good approach/landing practice in difficult conditions.
That was good training value for the dollar!
First, off to the practice area, where he showed me some of the IFR features of the 430 and S-Tec 55x autopilot. Then we did GPS 33 fully coupled, followed by ILS 02, fully coupled. With each approach, the wind conditions were getting worse. I don't know if it was the wind, or the differences between the 55x and the KAP140 in the 182, but the 55x had a real difficult time finding and keeping a good wind correction angle in the gusty winds. Not a very smooth or stable approach.
Then for the last one, I wanted to hand fly the entire approach, and did a very nice job considering the wind: 32018G27. I worked my butt off, but actually flew a better approach than the 55x did, and stayed on LOC and GS the whole way down, while maintaining 15 to 30 degrees of crab depending on gusts. HSI's rock, I love being able to see the wind correction so well on one instrument.
Me not having flown that plane 7 months, combined with my instructor not having flown that plane in several months, along with a crosswind component of 16 to 23 kts and gusts, resulted in us making the wise choice of going missed at DH and circling to land on 33. Even so, I had to really work it on the approach and landing to 33.
A good night, got familiar with 4147T again, learned some of its avionics, and got some good approach/landing practice in difficult conditions.
That was good training value for the dollar!