Flightblog

Lesson 19: First Solo 'XC'

Had a terrific solo flight to Molokai and Lanai today! It was simply spectacular.

The weather was beautiful: scattered clouds at about 3500', temps in the 80s, light trades, 20mi visibility...one of those days that's just perfect for flying.

Almost all of my flight planning skills returned to me as I reviewed the sectional and weather data at the hangar. As I made my preparations I made notes on my kneeboard about almost everything. Weather enroute, alternate airports, radio frequencies, fuel requirements, emergency gear on board. My preflight inspection was uneventful and yielded a perfectly airworthy (if not somewhat old and underpowered) airplane, so after one last bathroom stop, I mounted 3-2-Lima and headed out to the runway.

One thing I've noticed my last couple of flights: I'm not seized with apprehension as I taxi and talk to the tower controllers anymore. The first couple of flights I made after getting chewed out by ATC were really nerve wracking. Glad that's passed!

Lined up, transponder to ALT, flaps up, carb heat off, mixture for best power, throttle to full and RPMs in the green, oil pressure in the green, maintain directional control...airpseed alive, 60KIAS and rotate, positive rate of climb, pitch for Vy and climb for 1000'. That is what I do every single time I take off. Each point I say out loud as I do/check it.

Fletch and I were talking about a student who almost stalled the airplane on takeoff by over pitching for the climb out. I thought about how I fly the airplane during this critical phase of flight and considered that as long as I continue to do it the way I'm doing it, this can't happen to me.

Pitch + power = performance. How fast you climb or descend will be a product of the wing's pitch and the engine's power setting. Pitch up, go up, slow up. Pitch down, go down, speed up. The way I understand and experience flight, pitch (raising or lowering the nose of the airplane) controls airspeed. Pitch up = slow down, pitch down = speed up. Power controls climb or descent; to climb apply power, to descend retard power. It's a lot more complicated than that, there is a complex relationship between airspeed, angle of attach (pitch) and power, but the overview/simple explanation explains almost all situations encountered in flight. It is deeply ingrained in me that climb is a product of power, airspeed is a product of pitch.

During takeoff, what is my sequence? "..60KIAS and rotate, positive rate of climb, pitch for Vy and climb for 1000". With power set to take off, I pitch for best rate of climb (Vy) airspeed and am rewarded with the airplane's maximum sustainable climb rate. As long as I hold Vy and max power, I will climb at the airplane's best rate of climb. So, that's what I do. I've learned what pitch angle gives me Vy and use my visual references ('what it looks like') to set that pitch angle on the climb out. Occasionally I'll cross-reference the airspeed indicator, but it's not even necessary anymore. You learn what 67KIAS looks like and what it sounds like and can fly it (+ or - 5 kts) by just looking out of the airplane.

So why would you keep pulling back on the yoke once the plane has slowed to Vy? Why would you pitch for any other airspeed? Pilot's who do that aren't pitching for an airspeed, they're pitching for a perceived climb angle. But an angle won't give you performance unless it is matched with the ONLY corresponding airspeed and power setting for that angle.

Anyway...

After my takeoff I flew to the north west, toward the northernmost tip of the West Maui mountains. Maui Tower handed me off to Maui departure until I dropped off the top of their scope and then I contacted Honolulu Center for flight following radar services. It was just beautiful. My waypoints arrived beneath me on time, the air was smooth and visibility was just perfect. It got especially awe inspiring when I got to Molokai and flew past the Molokai sea cliffs at about 3000'. Waterfalls flowed off the cliff into the sea and I enjoyed a spectacular vantage point of a spectacular geographic feature.

Holding my heading, flying toward Kalaupapa I let Honolulu Center know I'd be off frequency to touch and go at Molokai and changed frequencies. As I made my initial call to Molokai tower, it dawned on me that I didn't know which runway to use. No problem,I'm sure the tower will clear me for the current active.

'Molokai Tower Cessna 7-3-3-2-Lima inbound for touch and go with Whiskey'

'Cessna 7-3-3-2-Lima make right traffic RWY 23 and be advised Dash 8 on final for 23'

'3-2-Lima, right traffic 23, looking for the Dash'

Then I realized I had no idea which of the 4 runways was 23. As I flew toward the airport, I tried to use my DG to get a compass heading for the airport layout but 230 on my DG was splitting the difference between 2 runways. I was lost.

'Molokai Tower, Cessna 7-3-3-2-Lima unfamiliar with the airport, which runway is 23?'

I made headed for what I thought was a right downwind for 23 only to see the Dash way below me on final.

'Molokai Tower, Cessna 7-3-3-2-Lima has runway in sight, making a right 180 to enter left base for 23'

'3-2-Lima, cleared touch and go, runway 23'

Great lesson. Part of flight planning is getting familiar with ALL available information (airport layouts?) that will affect my flight. No problem, just take a airport/facilities directory and stick it in the kneeboard.

My landings were nice and after 2 I bade 'good day' to Molokai Tower and departed to the south, outbound on the MKK 142 radial for Lanai.

I tracked the VOR across the channel to Lanai, happy to be back with Honolulu Center and a little embarrassed at getting lost in the pattern on Molokai. Bet the Dash crew got a good laugh out of that. Hey, no problem...I'm still a STUDENT pilot, right?

Inbound to Lanai I heard Honolulu Center talking with a King Air crew on the ILS for Lanai. Moments later I got the traffic advisory and held just outside the pattern to watch them fly their approach. The King Air appeared to my 1 o'' clock flying fast for Lanai RWY 5. I could hear them on the radio, following ILS procedures all the way down. It was cool, sounded really professional. I had fun imagining how busy it must be in the cockpit of a King Air on an ILS approach and then how expensive that must be! 2 guys flying simulated instrument approaches in an $1100/hour airplane!

I flew one touch and go then went around for another. Flew a short approach on the second one and went around right before getting low enough to round out. I was a little fast and a little far down the runway and just didn't like it. No problem. Reset the stopwatch and go back to Honolulu Radio, who immediately handed me off to Maui Approach.

As I flew across the channel toward Maui, I watched the King Air fly steep turns below me and whales playing in the clear blue water off Maui...gorgeous!

The controller handling approach was totally new. I heard her talking to an Archer flying up the coast from Lahaina and she had to get his tail number 4 times. Then she gave him his location, '10 miles west of the Kahului VORTAC'. Heh, first time I'd ever heard a controller reference the VORTAC instead of the airport. Then it was my turn'

'Maui Approach Cessna 7-3-3-2-Lima inbound for landing'

'Cessna what?'

'7-3-3-2-Lima'

'7-3-2-Lima radar contact 12 miles west of the Kahului VORTAC say altitude'

'7-3-3-2-Lima is 3000'

'What's your tail number?'

'7-3-3-2-Lima'

'roger, 7-3-3-2-Lima, make straight in runway 2'

'7-3-2-Lima what's your aircraft type?'

'7-3-3-2-Lima is a C-152'

'7-3-3-2-Lima I need you to do at least 100KTS'

'7-3-3-2-Lima is a 90KT airplane flying into a 20KT wind'

'7-3-3-2-Lima, ok...just fly as fast as you can'

'7-3-3-2-Lima, making good time, straight in runway 2'

I thought I would never get handed off to the tower ;) It was fun, as I listened to the approach controller struggle with her radio work, it reminded me of how I'd just screwed up over at Molokai and how we're all students, doing our best to get through this thing called aviation without killing ourselves and trying to learn as much as we can in the process.

Another excellent flight.

1.7 PIC

Posted by johnpeace at February 3, 2004 11:56 AM