One Zulu Delta: A Student Pilot Adventure

Anyway, whew. SHAKE IT OFF.

Because today, FINALLY, after getting skunked by weather a couple of times, I am doing my long solo cross-country. FRG-GON-BDR-FRG. SO. EXCITED.
 
I doubt your DPE is going to do anything but look that you passed and that you had the followup with your instructor.

The exams are very much a work in progress, and it shows. The instrument test no longer has a billion ADF questions, but it does have a couple with no right answers.

85% is a comfortable pass. On your practical exam, the DPE will be able to tell whether or not you know your stuff, regardless of the written results.
 
85% isn't bad and honestly, score means hardly anything in the long run. They really should just change those to pass/fail results. Is the guy who got a 90% REALLY that much more knowledgeable then the guy that got an 80%? Is the guy that scored higher going to be a better pilot? Not necessarily..

I scored worse on my PPL then I did my Instrument rating, but both were passing, so that's all I care about really.

My CFI told me he got a 70 something on his PPL, but you know what, he's an excellent pilot so, again, doesn't matter.

I wouldn't worry about the DPE drilling you on what you missed, he/she does have access to the results, but mine didn't drill me on the little items I missed, he was much more interested in determining if I was "master of the aircraft" during our flight.

You know what you missed and I'm sure you'll look it up just like I did, that takes all of a few minutes to correct, but all that time you are spending in the air actually APPLYING what you learned and adhering the the regulations is way more important (in my opinion).

Congrats on the pass, don't be bothered by it and enjoy the XC!
 
Man, I know your pain. My question draw was probably the least relevant group of head-scratchers you could imagine. Almost nothing on airspace, RoW, rights/privledges, etc. But I had SIX questions on magnetic variation (and I forgot the mnemonic, and thought it was ADD Easterly, so I got ALL SIX wrong -- argh!). Really, really wanted a better score, but finally got over it. And honestly, at my checkride yesterday the DPE didn't even mention my score. He was much more interested in my knowledge and, probably more importantly, my approach to flying safely. (I passed by the way! :D)

Enjoy your XC. That's when this flying stuff became a bunch more "real" for me. :up:
 
onezuludelta said:
Anyway, whew. SHAKE IT OFF.

Because today, FINALLY, after getting skunked by weather a couple of times, I am doing my long solo cross-country. FRG-GON-BDR-FRG. SO. EXCITED.
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The exam does have some issues.

At the end of the day you passed and 85% is just fine. You can laugh about it with your DPE after you nail the oral and checkride.

Asking about flying a balloon vs. an airplane going through mid-air refueling when you're taking the airplane test... yeah someone at the FAA is just screwing with you :rofl:
 
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I studied my ass off, was making consistent 95-100 on practice tests. I thought I had seen every question in the test bank and had it down cold..........I made a 77. I was so bummed and just knew the oral was gonna be brutal. It wasn't at all, you passed, good job, now go get ready for your check ride.
 
mikeinbama said:
I studied my ass off, was making consistent 95-100 on practice tests. I thought I had seen every question in the test bank and had it down cold..........I made a 77. I was so bummed and just knew the oral was gonna be brutal. It wasn't at all, you passed, good job, now go get ready for your check ride.
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This. :yes:
 
Thanks, everybody. I had to get over being bummed pretty quickly, to prepare for my XC. Which was quite the adventure, by the way. For instance, when I took off from my first destination, I noticed the turn coordinator wasn't working, and the oil temp was pegged all the way down on the cold end. Asked to make closed traffic instead of departing, parked it and called my instructor, and we figured out it was just a breaker that popped. Pushed it back in, and good to go!

ForPOA.jpg
 
UPDATE TIME:

As always, I am way behind on my blog posts. I am so far behind because I was busting butt trying to get my private checkride in before today. I finished all of the minimum requirements and did a progress check with a different CFI (at the request of my CFI). My CFI was asking for one more flight with him to practice some soft-field landings, as I was nailing my maneuvers and everything else, and then we would schedule the checkride.

And then Mother Nature decided to butt in. The weather last week was atrocious, so I didn't get to fly at all. Sunday was the last possible day for a checkride, and there was no way it was going to happen.

Why was Sunday the last possible day? Because I only had time for a checkride on the weekend, AND because Wednesday morning (two days from now) I leave for my wedding in New Orleans! And then immediately for my honeymoon! 5 weeks in the UK!

My ultimate goal when I began training was to get everything done before the wedding. Last week I just had to admit to myself it wasn't going to happen. I had a great talk with my CFI where he basically said, "Look, you don't want to rush it if you don't need to. There's no need to stress about this and the wedding at the same time. When you come back, you'll be fresh and relaxed and can concentrate on knocking it out of the park on the checkride."

So that's the plan. I'll be back mid-November, and I'll get to experience some winter flying for the first time ever. I may not get any more blog posts out before then, but I am usually yammering away on Twitter: @onezuludelta

See you all soon!

P.S. Anytips on must-see/must-eat in the UK would be appreciated. We're starting in London and basically making a big counterclockwise loop of England/Scotland/Wales, taking in as much as we can.
 
Ooh, planning a wedding is the 10th circle of Hell.

Your instructor is right…you don't need that AND the check ride at the same time.

It sucks that it seems to have come together just a tiny bit late. You'll need a refresher in a month, but it will happen then. And having the wedding behind you will be a big relief.

Have a nice honeymoon!

I expect my instrument check ride next week. I had to take time off work for it. My October weekends are FULL.
 
Oh, instrument checkride, nice! Good luck! I don't have the money for an instrument rating now, but I can't imagine not being in flight training once I finish my private. I'll miss it so much.

Just tooling around, taking passengers, and finally getting to share my passion with the almost-wife and friends will be great, but my brain won't hurt at the end of a flight like it does after a flight lesson.

My CFI was great about packing in as much info and practice as I could take during each lesson. We didn't waste any time. If I mastered something, boom, onto the next thing.
 
Just remember, "license to learn" is not just a catch-phrase. It really is that.

A private SEL license means you can be trusted not to kill or injure passengers or break the airplane, and not a whole lot more than that. There is a whole other world out there (actually, several), especially when you start hanging out with pro and quasi-pro pilots.

A common first thing for new pilots is to expand the personal minimums. Really learn crosswind landings, for instance. Maybe land and take off on a true short field. Or perhaps transition to a different airplane (maybe HP, probably not complex just yet).

I eventually got hooked up with CAP, and that involves a lot of precision low altitude flying. It actually dovetailed surprisingly nicely with the instrument training.
 
Hurry. She starts buying furniture soon. And things called "dust ruffles".
 
Ha! Well, she is the one who forced me to stop dithering and follow this dream (FORCED. "You have this money, move it into this account, buy a headset, go to the damn airport"), so I don't think she would derail it, now matter how ruffly the ruffles!
 
MAKG1 said:
You're gonna hate this website….

www.747sp.com
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When I lived in Vegas I saw VP-BLK a lot. Interesting to know a little more about it!

OP - love the blogs. Short enough to keep me from getting bored, yet detailed enough to make me relive my student pilot months:D
 
1ZD - just came across this post. I did my training and continue to fly out of KFRG as well. Congrats on the progress to date and keep it up!
 
Like the blog! Keep up the work.. and I look forward to your updates.
 
jimbilly said:
Nice, right aileron to raise a stalled left wing?
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Yup, it sure looks like that's where the yoke is.

Correct a dipped wing with rudder only. Ailerons must be straight ahead. Countering a dip with aileron is a pro-spin input that will dip the wing further by increasing the lower wing's angle of attack further when it is already stalled.

I strongly recommend a falling leaf stall to get this straight. Perhaps some practice correcting level attitude hands off in cruise as well.

Count your blessings that this happened during a lesson rather than any other time. This was almost the perfect time for such a lesson. You're definitely far enough along to understand what happened. Even if it may be a tad disappointing, this was very valuable.
 
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Heh. It happens. Quicker in a 150/152 than a 172, too. Being that it's not required training anymore I'm actually happy you had it happen in a controlled environment.

I think it's too much to expect young/inexperienced pilots to remember a spin recovery technique from "text" memory with no corresponding "muscle" memory the first time they do one. They're overwhelmed just like you were and fixated on what's going on outside the window.

No big deal on the checkride. It'll be rescheduled after y'all talk and do a few more stalls.

And a great learning experience. Especially the inadvertent second stall. It's a really common mistake.
 
I've had a slight secondary stall but not one that ended up in a spin. I have always found the 152 took a lot of exaggerated inputs to spin. You must have been really yanking and banking on that yoke.

I'd like to see the video.
 
fiveoboy01 said:
I've had a slight secondary stall but not one that ended up in a spin. I have always found the 152 took a lot of exaggerated inputs to spin. You must have been really yanking and banking on that yoke.

I'd like to see the video.
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Yes....video, Video, VIDEO....
 
fiveoboy01 said:
I've had a slight secondary stall but not one that ended up in a spin. I have always found the 152 took a lot of exaggerated inputs to spin. You must have been really yanking and banking on that yoke.

I'd like to see the video.
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You really have to mess something up to put a 152 in a spin. I did my spin training in a 152 and it was tough to spin it.
 
MAKG1 said:
I strongly recommend a falling leaf stall to get this straight.
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On my PPASEL check ride (which I passed) my DPE was not happy that my CFI had not demonstrated the falling leaf stall, so he switched into instructor mode to demonstrate one, then coached me through doing one. He was a great guy!

-Skip
 
jordane93 said:
You really have to mess something up to put a 152 in a spin. I did my spin training in a 152 and it was tough to spin it.
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That was what I was trying to say, though maybe I didn't get it across right.

I haven't actually spun one but sat in the left seat while the CFI did them and he slammed the rudder abruptly at the stall break to provoke the spin. Recovery was basically just letting go of the controls. Aggressive inputs weren't needed for recovery.
 
vkhosid said:
Yes....video, Video, VIDEO....
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Your wish is my command!
jordane93 said:
You really have to mess something up to put a 152 in a spin. I did my spin training in a 152 and it was tough to spin it.
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I really, really, really did mess something up! It was basically a Perfect Storm of screwups.

I detailed all the details (detailing detailed details) in Part TWO of Pride Comes Before A Spin, and it is now LIVE with VIDEO!
http://onezuludelta.com/pride-comes-spin-part-2
 
onezuludelta said:
Your wish is my command!

I really, really, really did mess something up! It was basically a Perfect Storm of screwups.

I detailed all the details (detailing detailed details) in Part TWO of Pride Comes Before A Spin, and it is now LIVE with VIDEO!
http://onezuludelta.com/pride-comes-spin-part-2
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Nice post. Everyone makes mistakes, especially when learning. The fact that you openly discuss them and learn from them is a great thing. Your CFI earned his fee for that session :).

Here's a case where the same thing happened in a power on stall, with a full blown spin resulting:
 
rocketflyer84 said:
Nice post. Everyone makes mistakes, especially when learning. The fact that you openly discuss them and learn from them is a great thing. Your CFI earned his fee for that session :).

Here's a case where the same thing happened in a power on stall, with a full blown spin resulting:
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Oh WOW, what a video! That was super helpful in seeing what would have happened had we not recovered sooner! Thanks for the compliments!
 
I think you've got a good attitude about it. (See what I did there? Attitude... Awe cmon it's not that bad of a joke...)

I can't tell what altitude AGL you were at when it started but if your CFI had the altitude and knew you were in something rated for spins in the Utility category and that you were in the Utility envelope, I think he could have let that progress to what was seen in the second video and had *you* recover it.

That would have been a little more "muscle memory" and experience for you if you ever did it to yourself alone ever again.

He recovered it crisply at the incipient spin, and that's fine. It also shows you how docile your trainer aircraft is. It can be stopped in most Cessnas well before it really develops into anything.

A one full turn spin in a C-150 done neatly, will lose about 400' of altitude. Obviously you want a significant buffer beyond that in case the recovery is ham-handed.

I noticed he also left some of the aileron in. They were mushy and ineffective at that point but they come back to life pretty quickly in a Cessna and he cheated a little bit.

He also knows you better than I and had to balance whether it would completely trash your confidence or scare you. No good reason to scare anybody on purpose. It's about teaching. And you appear to have gotten the lesson and the experience.

I think the current mentality in training that spins are abnormal lends to an unnecessary fear of them. They're actually the quite normal behavior of any airplane asked to do certain things by the pilot with the control inputs held a certain way. Obviously they're less than idea at low altitude and can kill there, but up high, they're just another beautiful thing airplanes can do... and of course we have some safety stuff wrapped around them in the form of whether the aircraft was certified to do them and how well they recover.

Cool video. You'll look back on it someday after you've spun the snot out of something and chuckle a little.

Definitely find time and money and do some spin training. It can only make you better as a pilot, not worse. You'll probably enjoy the heck out of it and it'll remove the fear and replace it with knowledge and a deep sense of caution and respect for them.
 
Seemed to me like the main problem was rushing the recovery. But, like you said the nose up trim probably rushed it for you. My CFI has me pause for maybe a second after reducing the angle and before adding power. With a little more time you might have noticed and countered the trim pressure before it was out of hand.
 
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