My flight today - and an awkward ending

[onwards]

So I took my daughter up today for a short flight. I needed the practice, and she changed her mind since our last time and decided she did want to go up with me again (she got queasy the first time around).

Since it was a beautiful day - windy, but pretty and clear - I figured what the heck, time for another visit to Oakland. I've been wanting to go out there since the one time my instructor took me there, many hours and moons ago.

We took off with the typical gusty variable crosswinds that KCCR seems to supply in abundance on clear afternoon days, climbed over the hills, and got on KOAK tower frequency. I did some of my best radio work ever today, with several other planes going around in all directions, but me being the most responsive of all of them, to the point where she was basically sort of using me as an anchor. The best I can explain it is that after a couple of exchanges, she started defaulting to talking to me first before working her way off with the others, like she trusted me more. I'm not sure if it makes sense but it was obvious once it started.

Did a couple quick touch-n-go's - I do really enjoy OAK, the way it is right by the water - and headed back.

I also noticed that at this point, one habit I had to fight hard before my checkride is back and, it seems, never going away - I pretty much always come in just a little high on final. Not much, maybe 50 extra feet or so (the VASI is whitered on white - you know that place where it's just about to change from white to red), but I just feel so much more comfortable (safe) that way. I do always get back to the glide slope about midway through final with no problem, but by that time if the engine quits, I know with certainty that I've made it. Does anyone else do this, or should I work hard to get rid of it?

On the way back I let the little one make a couple turns, but she quickly asked me to take control of the plane again - sensory overload, I'm sure. Got into Concord, did a touch-n-go, and then asked for a full stop.

So the tower asks me if I could switch from 19R - the long strip - to 19L, the short one. Sure, I say, no problem. He thanks me then makes the call to the other incoming plane, switching him over to 19R based on his previous request. Then he asks him to take a wide base (since our approaches basically crisscross each other switching to opposite runways). Three exchanges later, it becomes obvious the other guy is a little more nervous about this instruction than one might expect. I could see him; he was sort of widening his base a bit, but not by much, sort of like turning out and almost immediately coming back in to the normal pattern.

I am in the perfect position to do it, so I cut the throttle off - I like practicing simulated engine failures when I can safely do so anyway - and casually remark on the radio "Concord tower, Cessna XXXX, I'll make mine short to make it easy". Tower, in a surprised voice, asks me to repeat. As I turn in to short final with full flaps and no engine, aiming for the numbers, I repeat. A short pause and he comes back with "oh, thank you for that". You could hear the relief in his voice.

So I'm slowing on the ground after touching down and waiting for my taxi instructions, and tower gets back to me, and thanks me again. And then again once I get off the runway. Even kept me on his frequency instead of handing me off to ground (like he did every other plane) until I got back to the FBO. Sure felt good to be in the cockpit right then!

And then for the awkward moment: I park the plane, and run into no other than the FAA examiner who did my checkride three weeks ago. He remembers me, and we exchange handshakes and a couple quick stories... he seems surprised that I flew out to Oakland. Unexpected encounter. But hey, I might fly with him again if and when I do IFR, you know?

 

[Richard]

What was the awkward ending? TWR asked you too sidestep, you complied. Then you complied a bit more by clearing quickly.

I guess the only thing I would say is you use standard phraseology. But that could just be from your retelling of the flight.

I have met all kinds of authority figures on the ramp. After all, their job is AT the aprt.

EDIT: getting your IR should not be an IF.

 

[onwards]

What was the awkward ending? TWR asked you too sidestep, you complied. Then you complied a bit more by clearing quickly.

I guess the only thing I would say is you use standard phraseology. But that could just be from your retelling of the flight.

I have met all kinds of authority figures on the ramp. After all, their job is AT the aprt.

EDIT: getting your IR should not be an IF.

I dunno... meeting the DPE just felt a bit awkward. Not sure why.

And I'm a very new pilot, I never ran into a situation with ATC where I sort of "over helped", you know? it just felt kinda cool.

 

[Richard]

I dunno... meeting the DPE just felt a bit awkward. Not sure why.

And I'm a very new pilot, I never ran into a situation with ATC where I sort of "over helped", you know? it just felt kinda cool.

You know, it is cool. Very cool. I bet you feel like a 'real pilot', able and willing to help. On my very first solo flight I had the opportunity not once, not twice, but 3 times. At Class C no less.

Good for you and I mean that. Keeping your head in the game...priceless.

 

[Richard]

If I may, meeting your DPE was awkward because formerly he was the authority figure. He held your 'aviation life' in his hands, one stroke of his pen would make or break you.

This time you were on more equal footing. Nothing had changed except you were now a full fledged bird man. Co-conspiritors in committing aviating, as it were. Still, you recognized his omnipotence. Weird.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

Ha, the last dpe I met I didn't feel 'uncomfortable', I felt 'untouchable"
As in, you signed me off pal - ain't no going back now!

 

[onwards]

You know, it is cool. Very cool. I bet you feel like a 'real pilot', able and willing to help.

Yeah, that's right... you hit it spot on. It felt different - instead of being just at the edge of my capabilities, needing to focus on what I'm doing at every moment, and just making sure I don't screw anything up, I suddenly found myself being relaxed enough to modify the instructions I was given because I was in the better position to make a better decision than the all-mighty controller, had the bandwidth to recognize the challenge the other folks were having, perform this analysis and the confidence to act upon it, and it turned out very well. It felt really good, afterwards.

 

[onwards]

If I may, meeting your DPE was awkward because formerly he was the authority figure. He held your 'aviation life' in his hands, one stroke of his pen would make or break you.

This time you were on more equal footing. Nothing had changed except you were now a full fledged bird man. Co-conspiritors in committing aviating, as it were. Still, you recognized his omnipotence. Weird.

As i read this I realize you are spot on, again. Thank you Richard, your observations based on my post are amazingly astute. This is doubly astounding because what you don't know is the full story of my two-week long checkride... but that's for another thread.

 

[Fearless Tower]

EDIT: getting your IR should not be an IF.

ESPECIALLY if you live in CA!

 

[VTC_WS6]

After a while of flying out of the same place, you kinda get to "know" the controllers so to speak. Out of Naples, I can usually tell when one of the guys in the tower is having his hands full, and yes you can sense the 'thanks' in the tone when you go out of your way to simplify things for them.

 

[John Baker]

I also noticed that at this point, one habit I had to fight hard before my checkride is back and, it seems, never going away - I pretty much always come in just a little high on final. Not much, maybe 50 extra feet or so (the VASI is whitered on white - you know that place where it's just about to change from white to red), but I just feel so much more comfortable (safe) that way. I do always get back to the glide slope about midway through final with no problem, but by that time if the engine quits, I know with certainty that I've made it. Does anyone else do this, or should I work hard to get rid of it?

I think you might be paying a little too much attention to the VASI. Your flying VFR, you should not need such things. Learn to set up your landings going back to the basics. When you turn on to and establish final, keep your touch down point at some point around the lower third of your windscreen.

Keep holding that point, but also looking at the far end of the runway, the line the end of the runway makes is your other landing "instrument"

When the end of the runway line appears to be above your cowling, start your flair by bringing the top middle of your cowling to just slightly below the end of the runway line. Keep holding it at that point by slowly pulling back on your yoke.

I am of course assuming you are flying a small type airplane. This will take a bit of practice but once you have it down, you will be doing "greasers" just about every time.

You do not need any electronic landing instruments. Actually you don't need any instruments other than your tachometer, oil temperature/pressure for landing and taking off and most VFR flying. Your main instruments are outside your windscreen.

Other than that, it sounds to me like you had pretty much a perfect flight.

John

 

[Jack Spectre]

I ran into my checkride examiner (the chief CFI of my part 141 school) a few months after my ride. She trotted out to the airplane just before I started the engine and asked if my weight and balance was ok. I had four people in the Warrior and full fuel but I had checked and rechecked the W&B obsessively. It was near gross but not over and it was a cooler summer day with low humidity.

I just told her that I did all my planning just like I was taught and if there wasn't anything else, I was going to start the engine now.

 

[zaitcev]

ESPECIALLY if you live in CA!

Why is that?

 

[gprellwitz]

Why is that?

Coastal CA frequently has a thin marine layer that's easy to get through IFR, but can keep you on the ground if you're VFR only. Don't know if that is what the comment referred to, though.

 

[onwards]

Coastal CA frequently has a thin marine layer that's easy to get through IFR, but can keep you on the ground if you're VFR only. Don't know if that is what the comment referred to, though.

Gotta be the fog.

Last week a friend and I went to dinner at Santa Rosa (KSTS). On the way back, we literally flew away from the incoming fog into the valley - looking forward we had perfectly clear sky with >10m visibility, behind us the fog was closing in so you could see nothing just a few miles behind our tail. By the time we got over the hills, looking back, it was a sheet of white over the surface. And it came in so fast it was staggering - if we waited another 20 minutes, we'd have been grounded. It was a good learning experience, I can tell you that! funny thing is, when we did take off, it was because I told him "dude, we should get back out, the sky is starting to worry me"... it was still clear, but the clouds were shifting and sort of starting to melt together at the edges of the valley, and just made me uneasy. I just had no clue how right I was when I said it.

So yeah, when fog comes in so quick, it's certainly better to know what to do if you get caught. I WILL be working on my IFR, no question.

 

[Richard]

I've ranched, sailed, and flown along the CA coast for over 30 yrs. (flown 11 yrs). Each of these activities is weather dependant so I do think I know what I am talking of when I say:

Keep in mind the fog doesn't necessarily "come in", ie, as the leading edge of a marine layer. While that comment is correct, it is but a part of the 'fog problem'. And it occurs often enough that the prudent pilot should keep in mind that how fog forms is also due to terrain features and attendant OAT changes. IOW, if you were to watch only the front edge of the marine layer, you may be quite surprised to see fog has developed in front of that approaching layer. Such a phenomena may induce one to express surprise of how fast the layer moved inland.

The understanding at the basis of that surprise may be in error.