Toby
Cleared for Takeoff
Today's lesson was only .7, but what a session. First, the weather report: very windy and bumpy, with those smooth, stretched-out clouds high up that mean turbulence. So we were rockin' and rollin'. But it was still springlike, and I had the vents open and the air smelled and felt good.
I had done a couple of loops before, or, rather, assisted at loops. Today I did a couple with my instructor and then maybe 5 or 6 on my own. They're not hard at all, not nearly as hard as those pesky slow rolls! I lined up with the shoreline and put the nose down until I was going 150 mph. We try to be at 140 mph, at least, and anywhere up to 160. Below 140, our loop is going to look like a lowercase "l" in script.
So I got to 150, leveled the wings, pulled back hard, and looked up (out the front window) until the horizon disappeared. Then looked out to the left and as we got near the top, moved the stick forward just so, to float over the top. Then looked out the front again as we headed down, making sure the wings were level, and pulled back hard to come out of the loop. That's all there was to it. In all my loops we pulled 4 or 4.5 Gs. The wind was quite strong from the north, so we kept drifting out to sea. To do a loop in competition, you can't crab or do anything to correct for wind drift, you just have to drift. So we did round loops and came out on heading, but ended up to the right of where we began, like a corkscrew. I was just cheering like crazy at the end of each one.
After a bunch of loops, we did the best thing.....my first attempts at sequencing. I did a loop, followed by a 180 degree competition turn, followed by a slow roll, followed by a 90 degree turn. The turns give you a chance to correct for wind drift. If you've been drifting out to sea, you turn toward shore. I understand that in Basic, I won't be penalized for going out of the box, but I want to try and stay in it, anyway. In any case, if I go out, I want to get back in.
My turns were okay to the left, but, as usual, when I turned to the right I wasn't able to stop at the 60-degree bank mark. I am so sloppy with movement to the right with the stick. Ugh. And when I move it to the right spot, I tend to let the bank increase as I turn. Not good -- there we are, getting lower, and it messes me up and I come out of the turn sloppy and scoopy. I need a lot of work on these.
The slow roll I couldn't do well at first. I couldn't remember how to do it. I was thinking too much. My instructor kept saying to me, stop thinking and do it. It really is something you have to just do. Just keep the cowling going around that point in the sky, do whatever it takes to do that. The rudder work is getting more instinctive. I still remind myself "top rudder" now and then, but sometimes I'm already doing it when I get around to reminding myself.
One problem with the slow roll is that I end up on a different heading than when I began. I think it's a rudder problem. I'll ask him about that, and try to fix it.
I did a couple of sequences and then I was ready to head back. It takes a lot out of me, doing one maneuver right after another. But what a trip.....
Next week is competition spins. I've "assisted" on two of them with my instructor already. They involve a regular one-turn spin followed by stick forward to attain a true vertical, a count to three, then recovery. Something like that. I will let you know. In any case, what we did today was the last four-fifths of the Basic sequence. The spin is actually the first maneuver. You spin down into the box, then do a loop with all the airspeed you've got, then the turn, the roll, and the other turn.
I had done a couple of loops before, or, rather, assisted at loops. Today I did a couple with my instructor and then maybe 5 or 6 on my own. They're not hard at all, not nearly as hard as those pesky slow rolls! I lined up with the shoreline and put the nose down until I was going 150 mph. We try to be at 140 mph, at least, and anywhere up to 160. Below 140, our loop is going to look like a lowercase "l" in script.
So I got to 150, leveled the wings, pulled back hard, and looked up (out the front window) until the horizon disappeared. Then looked out to the left and as we got near the top, moved the stick forward just so, to float over the top. Then looked out the front again as we headed down, making sure the wings were level, and pulled back hard to come out of the loop. That's all there was to it. In all my loops we pulled 4 or 4.5 Gs. The wind was quite strong from the north, so we kept drifting out to sea. To do a loop in competition, you can't crab or do anything to correct for wind drift, you just have to drift. So we did round loops and came out on heading, but ended up to the right of where we began, like a corkscrew. I was just cheering like crazy at the end of each one.
After a bunch of loops, we did the best thing.....my first attempts at sequencing. I did a loop, followed by a 180 degree competition turn, followed by a slow roll, followed by a 90 degree turn. The turns give you a chance to correct for wind drift. If you've been drifting out to sea, you turn toward shore. I understand that in Basic, I won't be penalized for going out of the box, but I want to try and stay in it, anyway. In any case, if I go out, I want to get back in.
My turns were okay to the left, but, as usual, when I turned to the right I wasn't able to stop at the 60-degree bank mark. I am so sloppy with movement to the right with the stick. Ugh. And when I move it to the right spot, I tend to let the bank increase as I turn. Not good -- there we are, getting lower, and it messes me up and I come out of the turn sloppy and scoopy. I need a lot of work on these.
The slow roll I couldn't do well at first. I couldn't remember how to do it. I was thinking too much. My instructor kept saying to me, stop thinking and do it. It really is something you have to just do. Just keep the cowling going around that point in the sky, do whatever it takes to do that. The rudder work is getting more instinctive. I still remind myself "top rudder" now and then, but sometimes I'm already doing it when I get around to reminding myself.
One problem with the slow roll is that I end up on a different heading than when I began. I think it's a rudder problem. I'll ask him about that, and try to fix it.
I did a couple of sequences and then I was ready to head back. It takes a lot out of me, doing one maneuver right after another. But what a trip.....
Next week is competition spins. I've "assisted" on two of them with my instructor already. They involve a regular one-turn spin followed by stick forward to attain a true vertical, a count to three, then recovery. Something like that. I will let you know. In any case, what we did today was the last four-fifths of the Basic sequence. The spin is actually the first maneuver. You spin down into the box, then do a loop with all the airspeed you've got, then the turn, the roll, and the other turn.