yet another first solo

Kimberley - Your instructor is right!

Depending on your abilities and situational awareness, I can see a student (or heck, even an experienced pilot) getting too caught up in "fixing" the landing and running out of runway or making some other mistake that could have been prevented by a go around. So, its safest just to go around!

Instructors teach that you should be ready at all times to go around if things aren't coming together. This is true and all good pilots know this!

However circumstances dictate that a go around is not always necessary for safety. My home base is a 6500 foot long runway and even on the nastiest of days, there is plenty of runway available to use the technique I mentioned if you balloon, or get blown off center line or whatever.

However, on a short runway with lots of trees around, you can bet your ass I'm going around if things aren't looking good.
 
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GeorgeC said:
My balloon salvage attempts usually include a blip of power to arrest the descent, but not enough to do as you suggest; that may be something to try.

Yup. I've had a few of those, and a few more that, in hindsight, should have been go arounds.

Thanks!
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Sometimes a blip is all thats necessary. Depends on the situation. Sometimes you can just add enough power to keep the plane flying for another couple of seconds or whatever you think you need to get straight and ready for a nice touchdown. Sometimes you need more than that. And sometimes you just need to go around.
 
Yeah. As I gain more hours, I am finding that I am growing more conservative and more likely to go around, especially without someone in the right seat.
 
7 more night landings down tonight, and some hood time.
 
Night landing and hood time requirements done, KGAI-EMI-KILG.
 
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I was supposed to finish up my solo time requirements today and move squarely into the pre-checkride endgame, but the plane was down with an avionics problem. I'm also getting a new CFI due to circumstances beyond my control. Too bad, it's a CAVU day.

Additionally, my dog ran away after eating my homework and my truck broke down.
 
Written exam done. 1.5 hours of solo remain, then checkride.
 
My CFI wanted to hear nothing about solo until I had my written done. Did my 2nd solo yesterday myself. Got permission from CFI to solo without him being present. So, next weekend, more pattern work and time to prepare for cross country.
 
Had a mock checkride today, flying another tomorrow. Lots of lessons learned today.

Overall, things were good. Practiced forward slips, shorts/softs, Dutch rolls.

We were practicing slow flight, and my CFI said to slow down until the horn sounded. I never heard the horn, but the plane stalled. I tried to recover, but the plane wasn't coordinated, so off we went. "Your flight controls", and the CFI recovered in moments. It turned out the stall horn was inop.

Lesson learned: Checking the stall warning slot for obstructions is not good enough; use the kleenex every time.
 
I think I read somewhere that to do that, you use a cloth and "apply suction" to test the stall warning ... does that mean you literally put your mouth on it and inhale?? Possibly dumb question but, hey, I'm learning...:dunno:
 
GeorgeC said:
Had a mock checkride today, flying another tomorrow. Lots of lessons learned today.

Overall, things were good. Practiced forward slips, shorts/softs, Dutch rolls.

We were practicing slow flight, and my CFI said to slow down until the horn sounded. I never heard the horn, but the plane stalled. I tried to recover, but the plane wasn't coordinated, so off we went. "Your flight controls", and the CFI recovered in moments. It turned out the stall horn was inop.

Lesson learned: Checking the stall warning slot for obstructions is not good enough; use the kleenex every time.
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The stall horn is just a warning, when I practice stalls I don't like trusting everything to the stall horn. I recommend you pay attention to stuff like AoA & control buffeting, those things will never be inoperative (unless you fly a fly-by-wire airplane).

So did you enter a spin or just could not recover from the stall?
 
Irish_Armada said:
I think I read somewhere that to do that, you use a cloth and "apply suction" to test the stall warning ... does that mean you literally put your mouth on it and inhale?? Possibly dumb question but, hey, I'm learning...:dunno:
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Yep. Thankfully, no golf balls or garden hoses are involved.

MachFly said:
So did you enter a spin or just could not recover from the stall?
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Rotation hadn't yet started, so I guess it was spin entry / incipient spin; my CFI caught it before it developed.
 
GeorgeC said:
Lesson learned: Checking the stall warning slot for obstructions is not good enough; use the kleenex every time.
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Irish_Armada said:
I think I read somewhere that to do that, you use a cloth and "apply suction" to test the stall warning ... does that mean you literally put your mouth on it and inhale?? Possibly dumb question but, hey, I'm learning...:dunno:
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Sporty's sells a great little device for checking those stall warnings. Put it over the slot, hold it in place, push and release. It sucks the stall horn for you without having to put a handkerchief on the wing and you having to get your lips up to the wing (I'd need a stool or ladder). I've been using mine for 11 years and it's showing no signs of wear. Over priced in all probability, but it works.
 
GeorgeC said:
Rotation hadn't yet started, so I guess it was spin entry / incipient spin; my CFI caught it before it developed.
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I see.

Before I got my PPL I took a course in spins. Everyone told me I did not need it until I'll be getting my CFI and it'll be a wait of time & money. A year later that course proved pretty damn useful.
So I recommend you take a lesson or two. Just think about it this way, what would have happened if you were doing that stuff alone? Not trying to scare you or anything, just explaining that sometimes it's better to do things not in order.
 
Ghery said:
Sporty's sells a great little device for checking those stall warnings. Put it over the slot, hold it in place, push and release. It sucks the stall horn for you without having to put a handkerchief on the wing and you having to get your lips up to the wing (I'd need a stool or ladder). I've been using mine for 11 years and it's showing no signs of wear. Over priced in all probability, but it works.
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Have you ever tested it on an aircraft that had an inoperative stall horn?
 
MachFly said:
Before I got my PPL I took a course in spins. Everyone told me I did not need it until I'll be getting my CFI and it'll be a wait of time & money. A year later that course proved pretty damn useful.
So I recommend you take a lesson or two. Just think about it this way, what would have happened if you were doing that stuff alone? Not trying to scare you or anything, just explaining that sometimes it's better to do things not in order.
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Yep, I'm planning on getting checked out in a 152 and doing some spin training after I get my ticket. I'd like to pick up tailwheel, high performance, and complex endorsements, too.

In other news, did my first entire flight sans gps yesterday. I was expecting it to be nervewracking with the SFRA/P40/bravo airspace around here, but it was actually relaxing. Weather permitting, I'll be finishing up my solo requirements tomorrow.
 
Departure delayed due to waiting for fuel this morning, only got another 0.9 PIC today. I'll have to wrap up the remaining 0.6 this weekend.

I only recently started practicing forward slips with full rudder deflection. In retrospect, I wish I'd learned these right after learning normal landings with no crosswind, as a setup for crosswind landings.

Related theoretical question: Assuming that the rudder throws are mechanically equal in both directions, I assume you get more left rudder authority than right rudder authority due to torque effects, etc. If this is true, is there any benefit to right roll/left rudder forward slips, since there's "more" left rudder? Or are things equal due to the rigging or other factors I'm overlooking? Or is there no difference?
 
If doing a slip to landing your power should be low enough that you don't notice the difference. I never have. And try flying a Cherokee sometime. No horn, just a light that you may or may not see. Have to figure out what's going on from the behavior of the airplane. Of course, Cherokee's don't drop a wing in a stall like those pesky Cessnas.
 
steingar said:
If doing a slip to landing your power should be low enough that you don't notice the difference. I never have. And try flying a Cherokee sometime. No horn, just a light that you may or may not see. Have to figure out what's going on from the behavior of the airplane. Of course, Cherokee's don't drop a wing in a stall like those pesky Cessnas.
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Oh..you'd be surprised. I've seen it done more then once.
 
jesse said:
Oh..you'd be surprised. I've seen it done more then once.
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We have couple Traumahawks in our lineup.. When they stall the whole tail shakes an then it almost immediately turns upsidedown even with the ballcentered.

<---<^>--->
 
p1l0t said:
We have couple Traumahawks in our lineup.. When they stall the whole tail shakes an then it almost immediately turns upsidedown even with the ballcentered.

<---<^>--->
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Upsidedown? Your exaggeration it a bit, right? I have only .5 hours in a cherokee so my personal experience in it does not mean much but I have hard time believing that in can possibly be that bad.
 
MachFly said:
Upsidedown? Your exaggeration it a bit, right? I have only .5 hours in a cherokee so my personal experience in it does not mean much but I have hard time believing that in can possibly be that bad.
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Well yes, upsidedown is an exaggeration, but it is exactly what the airplane wants to do. Cherokees stall pretty nicely, Cessnas tend to drop a wing slighty, Tomahawks will have you in a spin in short order if you don't get the nose down fast. I can do the 'falling leaf' easily in a Cherokee and even [not as easily] in most Cessnas but not at all in a PA38 yet.. Maybe I just need more practice or a better understanding though. Only about 30 or 40 of my 1,000 hrs are in Tomahawks.

<---<^>--->
 
p1l0t said:
Well yes, upsidedown is an exaggeration, but it is exactly what the airplane wants to do. Cherokees stall pretty nicely, Cessnas tend to drop a wing slighty, Tomahawks will have you in a spin in short order if you don't get the nose down fast. I can do the 'falling leaf' easily in a Cherokee and even [not as easily] in most Cessnas but not at all in a PA38 yet.. Maybe I just need more practice or a better understanding though. Only about 30 or 40 of my 1,000 hrs are in Tomahawks.

<---<^>--->
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Roger
 
That reminds me, I should do some falling leaf stalls with my instructor, too.

p1l0t said:
Well yes, upsidedown is an exaggeration, but it is exactly what the airplane wants to do. Cherokees stall pretty nicely, Cessnas tend to drop a wing slighty, Tomahawks will have you in a spin in short order if you don't get the nose down fast. I can do the 'falling leaf' easily in a Cherokee and even [not as easily] in most Cessnas but not at all in a PA38 yet.. Maybe I just need more practice or a better understanding though. Only about 30 or 40 of my 1,000 hrs are in Tomahawks.

<---<^>--->
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Another mock checkride today. Played a bit with using rudder instead of aileron to raise a wing in slow flight. Flew home with inop stickers over the gps and DG. Worked on spot landings.
 
GeorgeC said:
Another mock checkride today. Played a bit with using rudder instead of aileron to raise a wing in slow flight. Flew home with inop stickers over the gps and DG. Worked on spot landings.
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Sounds like your almost there! Good luck on that checkride.

<---<^>--->
 
Thanks. Finished up the solo requirements today.
 
IACRA and 8710 done, checkride scheduled.
 
chinos: check
watch: check
raybans: check
leather jacket: check

temporary airman certificate: check
 
Congratulations!
 
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