Bill
Touchdown! Greaser!
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2005
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- 15,106
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- Southeast Tennessee
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I know I'm doing this backwards, and I hope to write up the oral in the next day or so. For now, those interested can look at my writeup of the flight portion of the IR checkride. WARNING: LOOONNNNGGGG.
I'm going to post an exact copy on the 'red' board for those over there.
Flight test
He tells me we will depart Chattanooga, and head for the NDB RWY 3 approach into Cleveland (HDI). So I call CD, get my clearance. Before starting the plane, I set up all the radio and nav frequencies I could, and ID’d both the VOR I’d use to help locate the NDB as well as the NDB itself. The NDB was left on softly in the background.
Once off, DEP starts to give me vectors to Hardwick, but the DE is wise to this game and tells me to tell DEP to cancel vectors, we’d be doing this one on our own. You see, this NDB APP has a mandatory hold, and the DE didn’t want me to get out of the hold by having vectors to the station.
Fairly easy, I home on the NDB, and once having station passage, do a direct entry into the pattern, and then fly my one minute outbound while getting my altimeter from McMinn County AWOS. I turn back inbound, and when I roll out, the needle is 20 degrees left. So, I turn 40 degrees left, and fly until I see my 40 degrees. Back to inbound, and the needle is right on the nose. It again starts to fall off to the left as I near the station, but I verbalize that I will maintain published inbound until station passage and I’m far enough past to get reliable information.
About 0.8 DME past station, I’m showing the needle 25 degrees left, so I turn 50 degrees left and fly until I see my 50 degrees. Back to inbound, and the needle is right on the tail. As I’ve been descending towards MDA, I seem to get out of the wind as the needle stays on the tail with very minor corrections. All the while, I was calling in my position reports. The DE says don’t even bother raising the foggles, as we’re never going to come out of the clouds and will have to fly the published miss. So, I fly until the stopwatch hits the missed time, and I go missed and do my position announcement. Climb straight ahead to 2100, then climbing right turn to 3000 back to the NDB.
As I pass the station, I would have to make a left turn to stay in the protected area, so I do a parallel entry, and fly outbound for 1 minute, then begin my turn to the left into the protected area. I then home towards the station for 15 seconds or so, and he says “good enough, turn to a north heading.”
I do so, and he covers the AI and DG, and asks me to turn right to a south heading. (Partial panel was the only thing I was really worried about) I start my turn and the stopwatch, and watch the whisky compass. As it passes thru east, I look at the stopwatch, 28 seconds, pretty good standard rate turn. After east, the compass starts to lead the turn, so I’m looking for 210 or so, and when I do, the watch still has 6 seconds to go. I split the difference, turn for another 3 seconds, and roll out. Right on, this is the best timed turn I’ve done!!! He then says turn left back to north, so I do, and roll out at 030, and again I was right at north. Amazing what you can do when the chips are down.
He then pulls the cover from the DG, and says we’ll do some unusual attitudes, and we do two moderately aggressive unusual attitude recoveries. He then pulls the cover from the AI, and says we’ll do two more. This time, aggressive ones, one pitch up about 25 degrees 30 degree bank, one pitch down 25 degrees, 45 degree bank. We then do steep turns left and right.
That done, he says call APP and get vectors to OSILY (IAF) for the VOR RWY 33 ARC approach. On the way there, I set up NAV 1 on the VOR, with the OBS set to inbound course, and NAV 2 to the VOR, and use the OBS to keep track of what radial I am crossing. ID both, and then set up DAISY on the NDB, as that is the published miss fix. ID the NDB, and keep it softly beeping in the background.
I fly around the arc without much trouble, using the OBS of NAV 2 to keep track of the radials. The instant the needle on the inbound VOR head lifts from full scale deflection, he covers the AI and DG, and I begin my turn in to inbound partial panel. Wanting 332 inbound; I figure maybe 20 degrees of lag at that heading, and roll out at 310. Not bad, once the compass settles, we’re in the ballpark. From then on, I make small corrections inbound, but the wind is pretty strong. From the FAF in to the missed, I’m flying about due north to stay on the 332 radial. ATC had given me a missed to fly, and 33 being the crosswind runway and lots of traffic, ATC called our miss about one mile before the published missed. I take a peek, and I’m lined right up with 33.
I do a climbing turn to 065, then vectored to 090, then 150, then 200, so we’re on the right downwind for ILS RWY 02. All I have to do now is fly a clean ILS, and we’re home free. I spend the time on downwind setting up NAV 1 to the LOC, NAV 2 to the VOR, with OBS set to the radial that helps ID the OM, check DAISY (missed fix) on the NDB, then ID everything, and return the NDB to softly beeping in the background. Set the beacon receiver to phones, low, and hit the test switch to test the beacon lights.
I get vectored to 230, and then am expecting a vector to west or so to take me towards the ILS course. I receive a vector from APP, but screw it up, “Bugsmasher 12345 turn right 350, maintain 2500 until established, cleared ILS RWY 02 approach.” I hear turn right 250, and readback as such. The controller does not catch my mistake, and chimes back with readback correct. I quickly think about that vector, and remember most of the time they give a 30 degree intercept vector when saying cleared for the approach.
Oh no, what to do? Normally, if I didn’t fully catch a call, I’d ask my safety pilot or instructor, but knew I couldn’t ask the DE. Oh crap, I’m gonna bust!!!
I did the only think I could think of, and punched the button, “Approach, Bugsmasher 12345 verify heading.” And he came back with the 350, so I continued my turn and read back the proper vector. Whew!
For added excitement, right as I rolled out on the inbound, approach asked for best forward speed due to traffic behind me. So, I dial up 2600rpm, and fly down the GS at 125kts (normal approach for the Skyhawk is 90kts). Work like the devil to keep everything in the donut on this fast approach, receive the OM and begin my timer, get to DH, flip up the foggles, pull power and carb heat, nose up, airspeed into the white arc, dump full flaps, trim for 60kts, and float down power off to a decent landing.
Tower had us taxi to the ramp with them, and it was done. I got out of the airplane and did a little Snoopy dance around the plane. About 1.6 total chock to chock.
I'm going to post an exact copy on the 'red' board for those over there.
Flight test
He tells me we will depart Chattanooga, and head for the NDB RWY 3 approach into Cleveland (HDI). So I call CD, get my clearance. Before starting the plane, I set up all the radio and nav frequencies I could, and ID’d both the VOR I’d use to help locate the NDB as well as the NDB itself. The NDB was left on softly in the background.
Once off, DEP starts to give me vectors to Hardwick, but the DE is wise to this game and tells me to tell DEP to cancel vectors, we’d be doing this one on our own. You see, this NDB APP has a mandatory hold, and the DE didn’t want me to get out of the hold by having vectors to the station.
Fairly easy, I home on the NDB, and once having station passage, do a direct entry into the pattern, and then fly my one minute outbound while getting my altimeter from McMinn County AWOS. I turn back inbound, and when I roll out, the needle is 20 degrees left. So, I turn 40 degrees left, and fly until I see my 40 degrees. Back to inbound, and the needle is right on the nose. It again starts to fall off to the left as I near the station, but I verbalize that I will maintain published inbound until station passage and I’m far enough past to get reliable information.
About 0.8 DME past station, I’m showing the needle 25 degrees left, so I turn 50 degrees left and fly until I see my 50 degrees. Back to inbound, and the needle is right on the tail. As I’ve been descending towards MDA, I seem to get out of the wind as the needle stays on the tail with very minor corrections. All the while, I was calling in my position reports. The DE says don’t even bother raising the foggles, as we’re never going to come out of the clouds and will have to fly the published miss. So, I fly until the stopwatch hits the missed time, and I go missed and do my position announcement. Climb straight ahead to 2100, then climbing right turn to 3000 back to the NDB.
As I pass the station, I would have to make a left turn to stay in the protected area, so I do a parallel entry, and fly outbound for 1 minute, then begin my turn to the left into the protected area. I then home towards the station for 15 seconds or so, and he says “good enough, turn to a north heading.”
I do so, and he covers the AI and DG, and asks me to turn right to a south heading. (Partial panel was the only thing I was really worried about) I start my turn and the stopwatch, and watch the whisky compass. As it passes thru east, I look at the stopwatch, 28 seconds, pretty good standard rate turn. After east, the compass starts to lead the turn, so I’m looking for 210 or so, and when I do, the watch still has 6 seconds to go. I split the difference, turn for another 3 seconds, and roll out. Right on, this is the best timed turn I’ve done!!! He then says turn left back to north, so I do, and roll out at 030, and again I was right at north. Amazing what you can do when the chips are down.
He then pulls the cover from the DG, and says we’ll do some unusual attitudes, and we do two moderately aggressive unusual attitude recoveries. He then pulls the cover from the AI, and says we’ll do two more. This time, aggressive ones, one pitch up about 25 degrees 30 degree bank, one pitch down 25 degrees, 45 degree bank. We then do steep turns left and right.
That done, he says call APP and get vectors to OSILY (IAF) for the VOR RWY 33 ARC approach. On the way there, I set up NAV 1 on the VOR, with the OBS set to inbound course, and NAV 2 to the VOR, and use the OBS to keep track of what radial I am crossing. ID both, and then set up DAISY on the NDB, as that is the published miss fix. ID the NDB, and keep it softly beeping in the background.
I fly around the arc without much trouble, using the OBS of NAV 2 to keep track of the radials. The instant the needle on the inbound VOR head lifts from full scale deflection, he covers the AI and DG, and I begin my turn in to inbound partial panel. Wanting 332 inbound; I figure maybe 20 degrees of lag at that heading, and roll out at 310. Not bad, once the compass settles, we’re in the ballpark. From then on, I make small corrections inbound, but the wind is pretty strong. From the FAF in to the missed, I’m flying about due north to stay on the 332 radial. ATC had given me a missed to fly, and 33 being the crosswind runway and lots of traffic, ATC called our miss about one mile before the published missed. I take a peek, and I’m lined right up with 33.
I do a climbing turn to 065, then vectored to 090, then 150, then 200, so we’re on the right downwind for ILS RWY 02. All I have to do now is fly a clean ILS, and we’re home free. I spend the time on downwind setting up NAV 1 to the LOC, NAV 2 to the VOR, with OBS set to the radial that helps ID the OM, check DAISY (missed fix) on the NDB, then ID everything, and return the NDB to softly beeping in the background. Set the beacon receiver to phones, low, and hit the test switch to test the beacon lights.
I get vectored to 230, and then am expecting a vector to west or so to take me towards the ILS course. I receive a vector from APP, but screw it up, “Bugsmasher 12345 turn right 350, maintain 2500 until established, cleared ILS RWY 02 approach.” I hear turn right 250, and readback as such. The controller does not catch my mistake, and chimes back with readback correct. I quickly think about that vector, and remember most of the time they give a 30 degree intercept vector when saying cleared for the approach.
Oh no, what to do? Normally, if I didn’t fully catch a call, I’d ask my safety pilot or instructor, but knew I couldn’t ask the DE. Oh crap, I’m gonna bust!!!
I did the only think I could think of, and punched the button, “Approach, Bugsmasher 12345 verify heading.” And he came back with the 350, so I continued my turn and read back the proper vector. Whew!
For added excitement, right as I rolled out on the inbound, approach asked for best forward speed due to traffic behind me. So, I dial up 2600rpm, and fly down the GS at 125kts (normal approach for the Skyhawk is 90kts). Work like the devil to keep everything in the donut on this fast approach, receive the OM and begin my timer, get to DH, flip up the foggles, pull power and carb heat, nose up, airspeed into the white arc, dump full flaps, trim for 60kts, and float down power off to a decent landing.
Tower had us taxi to the ramp with them, and it was done. I got out of the airplane and did a little Snoopy dance around the plane. About 1.6 total chock to chock.
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