spiderweb
Final Approach
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2005
- Messages
- 9,488
- Display Name
Display name:
Ben
Everything was fine except the last approach where things came undone very quickly. It was a PP VOR approach, and I just got nervous. I got turned on the FAC after the FAF. I had the timer set for the approach, so I made the mistake of not using it for the turn! Idiot! I rolled out 20 degrees off course. I got nervous from that, so I just said to myself, "why not follow the needle and not worry about the heading?" Might have worked if I was basically aligned, but I was not. I'm managing to keep the needle within three dots (barely) which is suck-job bad for me when I notice that I'm 50 feet below the current MDA. I say "correcting," and CFII notes that I've been here for about one minute. Only now, one minute from the FAF do I realize that I haven't done the prelanding checklist! Why? We have SOPs! Well, the SOP is to do the prelanding checklist when aligned on the FAC after passing the IAF, but since I was turned inside the IAF, and since I was so overloaded, I hadn't yet done it! So, now I rushed through that, started my descent, wavered around the FAC two or three dots and levelled off at my MDA. I still drifted down below that MDA by about 20 feet, though. Definitely busted that approach.
Meanwhile, after a few months of nice landings, my two landings today were not so hot.
The post-flight and walk back to Signature was pretty quiet. My CFII was very nice because he knew I was kicking myself. We briefed very carefully and came up with these points:
1) Think ahead. If I knew I would be turned on the FAC late (as I did indeed know) I should have done the prelanding checklist earlier, to get that out of the way.
2) Always use the timer for turns under PP. There will be plenty of time to reset the timer for the approach later. (We also agreed that I knew this rule very well, and that I had only broken it today because of nerves or whatever.)
3) Once on the FAC and before the FAF, really keep an eye on that TC, compass, and needle. Check the VSI to make sure the descent rate is even.
I know what I have to do, but I still feel down. Nerves are my enemy. Blah. I don't know what else to do!
Meanwhile, after a few months of nice landings, my two landings today were not so hot.
The post-flight and walk back to Signature was pretty quiet. My CFII was very nice because he knew I was kicking myself. We briefed very carefully and came up with these points:
1) Think ahead. If I knew I would be turned on the FAC late (as I did indeed know) I should have done the prelanding checklist earlier, to get that out of the way.
2) Always use the timer for turns under PP. There will be plenty of time to reset the timer for the approach later. (We also agreed that I knew this rule very well, and that I had only broken it today because of nerves or whatever.)
3) Once on the FAC and before the FAF, really keep an eye on that TC, compass, and needle. Check the VSI to make sure the descent rate is even.
I know what I have to do, but I still feel down. Nerves are my enemy. Blah. I don't know what else to do!