Today was mostly review. I rescheduled my lesson to get the plane for 3 hours (instead of the usual 2), but it turned out I didn't need all that.
Today was mostly review. I rescheduled my lesson to get the plane for 3 hours (instead of the usual 2), but it turned out I didn't need all that.
Arrived at the hangar watching scattered clouds build along the north shore all the way down the hill. Some of these clouds had showers under them. I was telling Carie on the way down how when you're flying airplanes on Maui, there's a lot more good weather days than with hang gliders. Looking up the hill to our HG launch revealed thick, gray, overdeveloped rain clouds upcountry. Toward the south, blue skies with scattered cu's and light wind, an excellent day for flying!
Fletch and I reviewed some stuff: airport operations, the pattern, using the DG for setting up pattern legs. A wind check showed us a pretty good crosswind on RWY 5, which is the only RWY we can expect to be cleared for T & G on, so we planned a flight out to Kihei to review some stuff. Fletch wanted to review since we had bitten off such a large bite in my first 3 lessons.
I got the Aerobat ready and we taxied down to the runup area. Runup looks good so I got Maui Ground on the radio and was cleared to taxi to RWY 2 at taxiway Echo, hold short on 2. My read back was good, Fletch tuned Maui Tower for me and I asked for takeoff clearance as we were taxiing, they cleared me for 2 at Echo immediately and we lined up on the centerline. Lights, camera, action.
Takeoff roll was smooth, 55kts and rotate. Pitch for 75kts and note crab into the wind. We noticed another huge difference between the real thing and MS Flight Sim: In the simulator, to crab into the crosswind on takeoff, you have to apply some input. In the real airplane, the plane wants to weather vane into the wind and it pretty much finds it's own crosswind crab angle, requiring very little input to maintain crab for RWY heading. At 600' I started my turn to 165 and tuned Maui Departure. I still love the radio!
'Maui Departure, Cessna 7332Lima with you. 165 and 1000 for area Alpha'.
'Cessna 7332Lima, traffic is helicopter at 11 o'clock, 2000''.
'32Lima, traffic in sight'
'Cessna 7332Lima maintain 1-3000' in area Alpha'
'32Lima, maneuver at 1-3000. Good day'.
:) It's FUN!
As we approached the practice area (lol...Kihei, the largest urban area on the island. You'd think we'd practice out over the water or over some lava field or somewhere away from people.) Fletch asked me for some 360s around our water tank on the Monsanto lab/farm over there. Turns around a point in 15 kts...no problem.
Next we did S-Turns on the Highway. Again, no problem. Hardly any altitude deviations, even through 45-60° of bank and my ground track was alright. I think I can get these perfect with just a little more practice, but they're already checkride quality.
So we did some power off stalls. This is pretty fun because it's flying the airplane all the way to the limit of what it can do. I like it because it shows me just how tenacious that little plane is. Even at the placarded stall speed (45kts) it want to keep flying! My descent rate goes up a little as I hold heading and altitude through 45-50 kts, but I swear the airspeed indicator shows 25-30 before the nose starts to waggle and the plane stalls. It makes me feel safe, knowing that stall speed, real control losing stall speed, is way below what I will ever do just flying maneuvers or the pattern. It seems like you'd have to be completely inattentive to stall this airplane unintentionally.
Next up, power on stalls. This was really fun! We fly the airplane in climb configuration. Flaps up, power full (2500rpm) and pitch for best climb (70-75kts). Then, I start easing back on the yoke. In seconds, all you see is sky. The airplane starts to slow down. The climb rate gradually decreases and all of a sudden the plane just shudders under tons of torque and p-factor, wanting to drop a wing and stall. I keep holding it until it breaks, then pitch for level and hold heading while the plane accelerates. Very fun! The first one we did, the right wing dropped and I fell through 90° of heading, looking straight at the reef, before I corrected it. That was exciting, but a good example of what not to do on my checkride. Or with first time passengers :)
Since we'd gained some altitude in the climbs and were about to bust our clearance, we did a simulated engine out to get down. Fletch cut power to idle and told me to go through checklist. Pitch for best glide. Look for a field. Radio emergency. Try to restart engine. Set up approach. This was so much fun, it was just like landing out XC in my hang glider (except we didn't really get to land). About 100' Fletch gave me power back and we climbed back out toward the ocean.
Then steep turns. I had to ask about the indicator lines on the attitude indicator. In our last steep turn session, I had mistaken the 60° for 45°. 60° is a lot of bank. We got clear on what 45° looked like on the instrument and proceeded with 4 perfect steep turns in figure 8. Today, my right turns were as good as my left and they were well within checkride tolerances. Excellent. I found myself looking outside the airplane for attitude and using my kinesthetic senses to correct for climb/descent and airspeed deviations. The only thing I need to practice still with these is coordinating the turns, that little ball just does not want to stay in it's cage.
After that, we were at a loss for what to do. Fletch told me that all of my maneuvers were checkride quality and that there's no need to keep doing them over and over again. So, instead of burn more gas and needlessly run up the Hobbs meter...we headed back for the airport.
About halfway there we get vectored back away from the charlie airspace by some lazy controller who can't (or doesn't want to) handle landing 2 planes at the same time. Go do S turns for 10 minutes while he vectors a 777 for long final then follow the 777 in. I got to do all the radio work and this time the landing was all me!
On the straight in final for RWY 2 at Maui, you have plenty of time to go through pre-landing checklist and get stabilized on glideslope. I did just that and was surprised to see how much crab into the wind I had to do to fly down the RWY. The E6B calc at http://www.csgnetwork.com/e6bcalc.html shows me landing today in a 9kt crosswind. I kept the nose pointed over to the right and just flew down the pipe, straight toward the numbers. Pitch for speed, power for altitude.
I did fine until we got through the gradient and into ground effect. Then I felt like I had my right wing just a little low and started to drift toward the right as we rounded out. Instead of leveling the wings, I countered with more left rudder. Touched down on the right wheel first, just before the stall horn went and had a respectable landing. I'll keep practicing for beautiful. Want to get them butter smooth for Carie.
As we taxied, I asked Fletch about my progress and what we'd do from here. He wants to get me into pattern work starting with my next lesson. He wants me doing touch and goes at Kahului, working the radio, flying the pattern. Then more engine outs. He anticipates I'll solo in another 3-4 lessons. I thought 3-4 more lessons seemed like a lot considering how much we cover every time we fly. So he told me that the average student here solos in 20 hours. It didn't hit me until after lunch that he was anticipating me soloing with less than 10 hours, even though the average is 20.
That's progress.
1.3 hrs
Oh boy, well...we got to something that was a little bit challenging today, ground reference maneuvers.
Up to this point I've been totally fixated on the instrument panel and keeping all of my maneuvers within the standard tolerances: perfect bank angle, airspeed, altitude, heading. Today we flew entirely by feel and it was FUN!
Oh boy, well...we got to something that was a little bit challenging today, ground reference maneuvers.
Up to this point I've been totally fixated on the instrument panel and keeping all of my maneuvers within the standard tolerances: perfect bank angle, airspeed, altitude, heading. Today we flew entirely by feel and it was FUN!
The weather was a little iffy so when we got started at 8am it was unclear whether we'd fly or not. After a 1/2 hour or so things were looking good so Fletch had me preflight the Aerobat and get ready to go. I got to work the radios for the first time! Fletch gave me a kneeboard and asked me to listen to ATIS and write down my information, then ask the tower for clearance to takeoff. It was COOL! I got to talk to ATC and ask for permission to takeoff. I was cleared immediately for SE departure from RWY 20 (still Konas) and taxied to the centerline. Power up, Vx and rotate, pitch for Vy (I think I can...I think I can...the little airplane that could ;) and begin climb to 1000'. At 1000' we made a turn to 065 and were handed off to Maui tower. Excellent.
Our first maneuver was the turn around a point. Fletch pointed me to a water tank and had me maintain 1000' (about 800' AGL) as we headed to the upwind side. The task is to fly a 360° around the tank, maintaining a constant distance (turn radius around the fixed point) from the tank. Easy, right? Well...in calm air, sure it is. Just maintain a constant turn rate and airspeed and you'll fly a perfect circle. But we live on Maui...it's never calm air. I was in 25kts of wind from the SE!
It turned out to be easier than I expected, but I'll have to practice to perfect this maneuver. You bank steeper to increase the turn rate on the downwind side, and level off a little to penetrate the wind on the upwind side, and then adjust as needed in between. I flew a bunch of left 360s around the tank and after 20 minutes or so was doing pretty good...keeping a constant distance from the tank without losing or gaining more than 100' of altitude.
I noticed that I was flying a lot from the feel of the airplane. Making pitch and power adjustments not from the instruments (which I was barely glancing at) but based on the sound and feel of the airplane. That was a really neat thing to discover. I think the word is kinesthesis, being able to detect motion speed and direction from the sensation in the body. This is apparently a learned skill, but I was pleased to see a natural propensity at the very beginning. Basically, 100kts *feels* and sounds different than 80kts. A 250fpm climb feels and sounds different than a 100fpm descent. This is extremely helpful when you're looking out the window and trying to fly the plane.
Next, we flew S-turns over the Piilani Hwy. This was more difficult. I had a tendency to overbank on the steep parts of the turns and then have to correct by flying the shallow parts a lot steeper than I should have. No worries, before my checkride I'll be cleared to fly in this area solo and practice these maneuvers. I figure a few hours of practice both ways and I should be able to nail them both.
We reviewed the PTS (Practical Test Standards) for the Private Pilot certificate and I was surprised to see that you don't have to be all that precise. Altitude deviations of 100' are defined in the standards and Fletch told me the examiners will usually allow you to get away with a lot more than that. I guess the higher standards will come later with my commercial and instrument work.
After the S-turns we headed back and I got to talk with the tower and approach to get clearance to land. Left 45 to downwind, reduce power, base, final into wind shear turbulence and bounce, bounce, bounce down the glide slope on final. I stuck it right past the numbers :)
.8 hours
Just getting used to the Movable Type CMS.
I figured out the configuration problem that was causing the comments to malfunction and fixed it.
Please feel free to add comments.
Woohoo!
Lesson #2 today and it was a good one. Fletch let me take a couple of pretty big bites to chew on. That was sort of frustrating after my first lesson; going through several days of processing what we'd covered, and we hadn't really done anything yet. Today was much different...
We had 15kt Kona (SW) winds at the airport, and were using RWY 02 instead of the usual 20. Here at Maui we get basically 3 kinds of wind: Tradewinds (NW to NE) about 320 days a year, Kona winds (SW to SE) a few days of the year and no wind rarely but occasionally. Since we were using RWY 02, we only had to taxi a few hundred yards to the takeoff point.
I was able to do my preflight do and check lists and aircraft walk-around pretty quick after my orientation last week. Got the engine started and ran down to get some gas, Fletch let me taxi to the pumps, I'm getting used to the differential braking steering used on the Aerobat.
ATIS reported wind at 060 at 15kts, slightly cross to RWY 02 so we got clearance to taxi, were basically there already so requested takeoff clearance, which was granted from taxiway K immediately. Fletch let me handle the takeoff completely. Power to full, slight right rudder correction for left turn tendencies, airspeed to 55 then rotate. Pitch for 75kts and climb to 1000'. Tower acknowledged squawk and directed us to a heading of 065 for the Kihei practice area, great!
I still have the airplane and we fly over to Kihei. Our lesson today is on slow flight. As we approached Kihei I reduced power to 2000rpm and began to slow the airplane. Inside the white arc I deploy flaps, 10 degrees at a time, managing the buoyancy with each increase in flaps. At full flaps, 2000rpm, we're straight and level and maintaining about 55-60kts. At this point we were right under a long cumulus cloud and getting rolled all over the place in each thermal feeding the cloud. As slow as we were, I wanted to throw the thing in a turn and pull back on the yoke and see if we could thermal the Aerobat to cloudbase (I think you could with big enough a thermal), but decided to stick with my lesson ;)
The airplane flies slow great! I was surprised at how easy it was, having read other student's difficulties with slow flight maneuvers. Using power settings I was able to maintain altitude at 1500' and 50-55kt airspeed. We flew some 10 degree turns, which required just a little more power to hold altitude. Piece of cake.
Fletch told me I was doing much better than he had his first time at slow flight.
We practiced some climbs and descents, flying with reverse input. Pitch down a little to keep from getting too slow, apply power, begin to climb. Climb a few hundred feet and level off with a slight pitch up and reduction in power. Descents are the same, pitch back to manage airspeed, power back to just a little over idle and descend a few hundred feet. Level off by applying more power and pitching forward a little.
Reverse input: pull back to go down (slow), pitch forward to climb (fast).
GREAT! That was fun!
Next we did a few power off stalls, OMG...this was FUN!! We climbed to about 2000' and got slow. Then Fletch has me cut power to idle and hold altitude with pitch. The prop is so slow I can see it spinning in front of us and I've got the yoke in my chest, stall horn blaring. Finally the nose wags left and I apply right rudder to keep us straight, then it breaks. The nose drops, I apply full power and as we gain airspeed pitch for level.
My first one I lost 90 degrees of heading, not anticipating the yaw motion. But after we practiced a few, I got more comfortable with the rudder and was able to fully stall the airplane and recover without losing more than a 5 degree heading deviation.
Again, Fletch applauded my first efforts at power off stalls.
Fletch demonstrated a power on stall and THAT was pretty fun. All that torque caused us to way drop the left wing (my side of the airplane) as it broke, giving me a great view of the ocean and the horizon behind us as we gained airspeed.
Fletch was very pleased with my progress and said that since I was grasping everything so well, we'd keep going. He let me fly some steep turns. I was glad to be back at cruising speed and flew straight and level, 80kt cruise down the coast toward Makena. 45 degree left bank and enough left rudder to kick the ball back between the white lines and hold. Little opposite aileron and back pressure to counter the progressive bank and keep our altitude. Keep going through 360 degrees. Roll out. Perfect. I kept the altitude within 100' of my assigned altitude and rolled out on my heading precisely.
As we started a steep 360 to the right, Fletch told me this one is always harder. He was right, I was all over the place! Too much right aileron, we're at 60 degree bank, back it off...oops, too much, rolling through 180 degrees at 30 degree bank and I lost 200'. More bank, back pressure, too much..I gain 200'. Roll out on heading...not at all what I wanted.
We practiced those a few more times and I can see that right steep turns are going to take some practice, but I'll be able to nail them eventually.
That was enough for one day. Airplane back in a slow configuration: 2000rpm, 70kt cruise and back toward the airport. Fletch let me talk to the controllers a little as we flew back toward the pattern. This was my first pattern!! I got clearance to enter pattern for 45 degree left downwind and remember having a hard time visualizing the turns. Everything was backwards! Once established on my downwind at 800' I got it. Tower alerted us of traffic, which I saw as we flew past the tower. I slowed down, dropped 10 degrees of flaps and powered up to maintain 800'.
I brought in more flaps as we turned onto base and it was at this point that I realized I was still flying the plane and the Fletch was going to let me land the airplane! Base to final at 500', 30 degrees of flaps, adjusting power to maintain GS on the PAPI. Wind is coming off the houses on the beach and tossing us back and forth. I just kept the wings level, airspeed at 65-70kts and power for a -500fpm descent. Crossed the threshold, still flying the plane. I was so focussed on rounding out low that I forgot to throttle back. Fletch reminded me to set power to idle, as I did the left wheel touched and bounced a little. As we settled back in I pulled back just a touch and we gently touched down. Braked a little and turned off at taxiway K.
Fantastic lesson.
1 hour in the logbook with one takeoff, one landing.
ohmygoshohmygosh!!
Met with my instructor (Fletch) at 10:15 to review what I'd read then we got on to preflighting the airplane (c-152 Aerobat: N7332L) and going through checklists.
Took off from RWY 2 at OGG around 11:10, climbed to 1000' and flew at a heading of 165 deg for practice area west of Kihei. The practice area was surprisingly close to the RWY 2 approach corridor, kept hearing ATC telling us about 737 traffic on long final for rwy 2, traffic is 737 11 o'clock at 4 miles, etc. I guess too far in the other direction and you get into some nasty air where hte north wind wraps around Makena. Even at only 80kts you can cover terrain (or air) pretty fast.
Practiced pitch and power, climbs, descents, turns. Basic stuff. I had a blast, I was finally flying an airplane!
We wanted to go back and do a touch and go but as we immediately after requesting clearance we weer asked to hold off the coast to wait for 172 traffic on final. That cost us enough time that we just got in line to land. I flew the approach. At 1500' we were lined up on the centerline several miles out waiting for the vasi to show up. As soon as I got a good VASI slope (red/white) it disappeared into a little rain squall between us and the end of the rwy. Heh, the windsreen went rainy for a few seconds and when we popped out we were on the centerline, a little high and almost to the middle marker. Reduce power, pitch for 75-80kts and just wait. I love that the 152 is *really* responsive. Adding power immediately arrests descent...reducing power immediately start a descent, makes those final corrections a little easier. My approach was prefect, I wanted to flare high but Fletch didn't let me. We stuck it on the main gear right past the numbers.
That was the fastest .7 hours of my life.
Next lesson is Tuesday at 8am, I'll keep you posted.