Starting the commercial.

[kath]

Hi, folks,

I've started training for the commercial. I've already got enough hours, and gobs and gobs of PIC and day and night XC time (including the long solo XC), so all I need really are the complex and the maneuvers and the written. And some skill, haha.

So I've taken two lessons in a Cardinal 177RG. I'm sure many of you have had the experience of seeing a Cessna taking off which looks like its landing gear has been horribly mangled, and being two steps away from getting on the radio and warning the pilot about it... Well, at least I've done that... anyway that's the 177RG. It's kind of funny looking. But roomy.

I'm not sure if pattern work is a good way to start out in the complex, but the clouds forced it to be for me. It is quite the braindraining experience, if you're new to the gear and the constant-speed prop. It's a pretty rapid-fire sequence of events... Take off, gear up, flaps up, throttle back, prop back, re-trim, throttle back more, prop back more, gear down, throttle back more, oh hell is it time for the base turn already? GUMPS, flaps, throttle, more flaps, GUMPS again, more trim, slow it, prop full in, throttle out. Gear down? Gear down? Gear down? OK, the gear's down. *thump* and so are we. Definately the kind of thing I need to practice at home in my chair for a while. Tomorrow the weather will be clear and I hope we can go out to the practice area and just fly it for a while.

It's currently 21 degrees in Anchorage, and getting down to single-digits at night. Brrrrrr! The RG doesn't have much of a cabin heating system, especially for the feet...

--Kath

 

[Dave Krall CFII]

Hi, folks,

I've started training for the commercial. I've already got enough hours, and gobs and gobs of PIC and day and night XC time (including the long solo XC), so all I need really are the complex and the maneuvers and the written. And some skill, haha.

So I've taken two lessons in a Cardinal 177RG. I'm sure many of you have had the experience of seeing a Cessna taking off which looks like its landing gear has been horribly mangled, and being two steps away from getting on the radio and warning the pilot about it... Well, at least I've done that... anyway that's the 177RG. It's kind of funny looking. But roomy.

I'm not sure if pattern work is a good way to start out in the complex, but the clouds forced it to be for me. It is quite the braindraining experience, if you're new to the gear and the constant-speed prop. It's a pretty rapid-fire sequence of events... Take off, gear up, flaps up, throttle back, prop back, re-trim, throttle back more, prop back more, gear down, throttle back more, oh hell is it time for the base turn already? GUMPS, flaps, throttle, more flaps, GUMPS again, more trim, slow it, prop full in, throttle out. Gear down? Gear down? Gear down? OK, the gear's down. *thump* and so are we. Definately the kind of thing I need to practice at home in my chair for a while. Tomorrow the weather will be clear and I hope we can go out to the practice area and just fly it for a while.

It's currently 21 degrees in Anchorage, and getting down to single-digits at night. Brrrrrr! The RG doesn't have much of a cabin heating system, especially for the feet...

--Kath

If you're thinking of your CFI afterwards, consider getting into the right seat right now for your commercial and it'll save you some time/dual. The Cardinal 177RG is one fine bird to do both in.

 

[spiderweb]

That's great, Kath! I am probably gong to do the multi before the comm. Don't worry about the extra knobs and handles--you'll get used to them quickly. LOL--and then when you get back into a C172, you'll start reaching for them! (Why am I so slow? Did I forget to retract the gear?)

 

[poadeleted20]

I'm not sure if pattern work is a good way to start out in the complex,

I'm quite sure it's not, but if...

the clouds forced it to be for me.

...there's not much else you can do but fly what you can and catch up later.

It is quite the braindraining experience, if you're new to the gear and the constant-speed prop. It's a pretty rapid-fire sequence of events... Take off, gear up, flaps up, throttle back, prop back, re-trim, throttle back more, prop back more, gear down, throttle back more, oh hell is it time for the base turn already? GUMPS, flaps, throttle, more flaps, GUMPS again, more trim, slow it, prop full in, throttle out. Gear down? Gear down? Gear down? OK, the gear's down. *thump* and so are we.

It's pretty important to do some preflight training on the complex procedures. You need to mentally go through all the things to be done. I find that having the trainee walk around a pattern laid out on the ground (or sitting in the plane while moving your hand to each control) while talking through each procedure (e.g., "Midfield downwind, gear down, power 15 inches, prop 2500, mixture set, flaps 10, cowl flaps closed, call tower") works very well. After you've got that rote stuff down cold, it's a lot easier on your first flight in the pattern.

Definately the kind of thing I need to practice at home in my chair for a while.

That's what your instructor should have had you do before those first two flights.