What did they say to me?

We got a lot accomplished in today’s flight.  We practiced stalls, slow flight, forward slips, and ground reference maneuvers.  The ground maneuvers (Rectangular Course, S-Turns, Turns Around a Point) is designed to practice turns in a crosswind environment.  It was fun practice and it forced me to spend more time looking outside of the cockpit.  I just wonder what the people in that barn below was thinking with a small Diamond aircraft circling over them for ten minutes.

Rectangular Course

S-Turns

Turns Around a Point



In addition, we spent some time in the traffic pattern, and I did a record breaking (well my personal record) of six take offs and landings.  It was very helpful to do so many in a row like that.  Overall I was very pleased with my performance.  Out of the six landings, there were about two that could have been smoother, so I’ll have to work on consistency.  I did notice that my CFI appeared relax and his hands spent very little time on the controls, which I take as a good sign.

Once again, my rudder work with taxiing on the ground still needs some fine tuning.

With all that we did, there will only be one thing I’ll remember from this flight.  My CFI saying: “Do you want to try talking to the tower?”  He did say “want to try”, which would imply that I had a choice, but to me it sounded like a challenge.  If he thought I was up for the challenge, then I couldn’t say no.

The pilot talks to “ground” pre-take off and post landing, and “tower” during while in their airspace during flight.

The main topics you should cover are:

1. Who you are calling

2. Who you are

3. Where you are

4. What you want

For example: “Smyrna Ground from Diamond 223 November Hotel ( the “N” number on the plane is N223NH) at the …  ready to taxi, departing to the east.”

At this point ATC will provide the pilot, at auctioneer speed, directions on what runway and the taxiway to use.  The pilot should then repeat the directions and re-state the plane’s “N” number.

This is where it gets hard.  Due to the busy schedule of the ATC, communications need to be clear, concise, and brief.  There isn’t a lot of time to ask for them to repeat it several times.  Luckily, my CFI was able to quickly interpret and repeat it to the ATC.

The rest of the flight I communicated with the tower, with the assistance of my CFI.  Once again, more practice is needed.  I guess that is why they don’t give you a pilot’s license within the first 6 hours of training…

Ground instruction: .3 hours   Flight time: 1.50 hours

Cost:  Plane rental - $141.00, Instructor Fee - $72.00

Stalls and Spins

I have written several posts where I discuss practicing a stall.  A stall is cause by the separation of airflow from the wing’s upper surface.   Level flight requires smooth airflow above and below the wings.  Of course you have to be able to ascend and descend smoothly so the wings are designed to take some movement up/down using the pitch of the plane.  Yet if the pilot increases the angle of the wing (called: angle of attach) too much the airflow will be broken.

The stall warning will go off and, since there is minimal wind going over the wing, the ailerons (the main flight controls) will have little effect on the plane making the plane difficult to control.  While both wings are being stalled, normally one wing will be stalled more than the other, thus cause the plane to dip to one side or the other.  The outcome is one wing then gets a lot of airflow over it while the other stalls even more.  If the pilot fails to recover from the stall at this point, the plane will likely continue into a spin.  It is the spin that I described as very dramatic in a prior post.

Spins are dangerous and may be one of the most complex of all flight maneuvers.  It can be very disorienting and difficult to recover from.  Plus, hopefully you are at a high altitude, as you can lose up to 6,000 feet per minute in a spin.  A private pilot is not required to demonstrate spins but should know how to recover from them.

The good news is that a stall is very easy to identify and recover from.  The quickest is solution is to decrease the nose of the plane (angle of attack of the wing) to regain proper airflow over the wing.  Adjustments with the rudders or additional thrust may help as well.



Recovery from a spin, on the other hand, is more complex.  The mnemonic technique is PARE.

·         P = Power off.  If the plane is pointed towards the ground.  You don’t want additional thrust getting to there sooner.

·         A = Ailerons should be natural.  You don’t want them to encourage the spin.  Also flaps up.

·         R = Full rudder in the opposite direction of the spin.  The turn coordinator can help you determine which way the plane is spinning.

·         E = Elevator to neutral

This would hopefully stop the spin and then the pilot can power up, rudder neutral and elevator up, being careful not to fall back into another stall/spin.

I spend a lot of time in the air simulating stalls and practicing recovery from them.  The reason is that unintentional stalls are most likely to happen upon take offs and landings.  With just a few hundred feet in the air, a pilot has to act quickly to recover from them.



How much does $1,095.80 get you?



As I mentioned before, one of the main questions I get asked when I tell people about becoming a pilot has to do with cost.  I stated I would be transparent with the costs…  Well I’m 17 days into this adventure and my total is at $1,095.80.

What have I gotten for that amount?

·         Knee Board

·         Used Private Pilot Maneuvers Manual

·         New Pilot Log book

·         Used David Clark Headset

·         A physical from an AME

·         6.8 hours of instruction

·         5.0 hours of flight time logged

·         .4 hours if instrument (hood) training

·         8 take off and landings

Yes, this is absolutely expensive, but a lot of the major costs are in the beginning.  I don’t anticipate having to purchase any other equipment, and once I start to solo, I will not have the instructor fees as often.

To put it in perspective, the price of a Mizuno MP-58 3-PW iron set of golf clubs is $1,099.  This is the cost before you even set foot on the course, and who uses only 3 clubs?  Also, who would argue that golf is more fun than soaring through the air?

Aviation Headset

A quality headset makes all the difference when trying to understand ATC and your passengers.  Comfort, noise reduction, and durability are all factors when picking an aviation headset

During my last couple of flights, I have been using a spare set my CFI has, but I will not be able to do that forever.  This week I searched e-bay and Craigslist for a used set.  Brand new, they can range in price anywhere from $100 to $1,200.  The David Clark Company makes some good mid-priced headset.  DC is actually the brand I’m using from my CFI.

I bided on a couple pairs in e-bay and I won a set of H10-30 for $132.50.  They retail for about $270.00.  The set I bought are old, but in aviation, years of use can equate to only a handful of hours actually used. 

The typical outcome is the headset used as a student pilot becomes the passenger headset, while the pilot makes a more informed decision for his/her primary set.

Engine Failure Does Not Equal Pilot Failure

Today, my CFI and I spent about 30 minutes on ground school lessons.  Topics we covered were:

·         What to do in an engine failure

·         How to recover from a stall with a spin

·         FAA FAR 91.3 – regulations dealing with responsibilities of a pilot in command (PIC).

o   The pilot in command of an aircraft is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of that aircraft.

o   In an in-flight emergency requiring immediate action, the pilot in command may deviate from any rule of this part to the extent required to meet that emergency.

o   Each pilot in command who deviates from a rule under paragraph (b) of this section shall, upon the request of the Administrator, send a written report of that deviation to the Administrator.

To paraphrase, the pilot in command main responsibility is flight safety, and in an emergency, can ignore any/all other FAA rules.  Of course, you may have to document the situation.

Next, I completed the pre-flight check on the 2000 Diamond Katana DA20-C1 (N223NH).  I am finding that the time doing my pre-flight check is decreasing as I become more familiar with the aircraft.

My taxiing has gotten better, but I still have little frustration in my struggle to keep the plane on the center line.  In the air, I find my rudder work is a bit awkward as well.  I think it will come with more practice.

In this flight, we practiced a lot of what we have done in the past (high speed and low speed stalls, hood work, slow flight, etc).  A couple of new maneuvers he introduced were high angle turns and mid-air engine failure procedures. 

The high angle turns are self explanatory, so I will not go into a lot of detail, but I will say it was really fun.

In the event of an engine failure, the pilot should follow the A, B & Cs.

A = Aviate & Maintain Airspeed

B = Locate the Best place to land

C = Checklist (trouble shoot) & Communicate

"A" is the most important because a pilot's first action should be to insure you have the maximum time in the air before an emergency landing. By setting the airspeed for best glide speed (Vg) the plane will cover the most distance over the ground, hopefully far enough to get to an airport, and the pilot will have the most time in the air to prepare for an emergency landing.  The glide speed (Vg) for the Diamond is about 73knots.  The obvious question: if the engine is off, how do you maintain air speed?  The pilot can adjust the air speed by adjusting the pitch of the aircraft.  Tilt the nose down slightly and the plane will speed up, raise the nose, and the plane will slow.

In an emergency "B" is not Best Airport or Best Huge Open Space, but rather Best Place to Land. After setting the plane for Vg, the pilot's next task is to identify the best place to land and fly toward it. As airlines flight attendants say during the passenger briefing, "Take a minute to locate the nearest exit, keeping in mind that the nearest exit may be behind you." The pilot should spend a few seconds evaluating all the available landing sites to determine the best one for landing. These may be airports, abandoned airstrips, open fields, roads, or any other long open space. Once a landing site has been picked the pilot should fly towards it and be mentally prepared to land there.

"C" is the last item, but hopefully the one that will change the situation from major disaster to a momentary panic.  After picking a landing site the next job is to run thought the engine failure and restart checklist.   This is also the step where the pilot should contact ATC for assistance.

When every step is complete, and the pilot is preparing to land, they should disconnect the fuel and electronics.  If the landing is a bit rough, you don’t want a spark igniting the fuel.  On a side note, engine failure and an emergency landing is not a death sentence.  For the most part, landing speed is about 42 knots (about 48 mph), which is a very survivable impact, especially if you can slow the plane down a bit by landing in soft soil or a pavement where you can utilize the brakes.

My CFI put the engine to idle and we practiced the A, B, Cs.  Of course, I didn’t actually land in someone’s cornfield, but I was surprised at how quickly I was able to identify a suitable to landing area and set myself up for a landing.  This technique that had a big impact (no pun intended) on me and I’m going to make it a regular practice of indentifying emergency landing areas.

Finally, we spent some time in the flight pattern, and I executed three addition take offs and landings.

Ground instruction: .5 hours   Flight time: 1.50 hours

Cost:  Plane rental - $141.00, Instructor Fee - $80.00

The Rain in Spain (or Nashville) Doesn’t Falls Mainly on The Plane

Today, my CFI and I spent about 30 minutes on ground school lessons.  Topics we covered were:

·         Carburetor icing

·         Using a lean fuel mixture

·         Wind shear

·         Wake Turbulence

Next, I completed the pre-flight check on the 2007 Diamond Eclipse DA20-C1 (N362DC).  Everything went smoothly and we climbed into the cockpit.  My CFI requested permission from air traffic control to take off and for a runway assignment.

My take off was smooth, and we flew to a practice area and I preformed the basic maneuvers of turning, ascending and descending.  Next we practiced a power off stall, and power on (or high speed) stall, low speed flight.

Today the wind was a bit stronger then I have flown in the past, but it was manageable.  It did require me to actively fly the plane, constantly making corrections for heading changes and altitude fluctuations.  I did fine, but I was prone to a typical student pilot error, which is over correcting for the adjustment.  Thus causing more corrections the other way.  My forearm was sore at the end of the flight from “death gripping” the flight stick.

One new introduction this flight was the use of IFR hood.  They are basically goggles that block out your view of everything but the instrument panel.  This is to simulate the effects of flying in low visibility.  At the end of my training, I will not be instrument rated, nor will I be allowed to fly in low visibility conditions.  Yet, I’m required to have a few hours with the hood on, so I’ll know what to do if I inadvertently find myself in a low visibility condition.  I didn’t find this lesson to be challenging, since I have noticed I have been looking inside the cockpit more then I should be.  Today I wore the hood for about 20 mins.

Next, we were ready to land.  My CFI sought permission to land.  I put the plane into position and lightly touched down and slowed the plane to idle.  This time we didn’t come to a complete stop, and at my CFI’s instruction, I opened up the throttle and down the runway we went for another takeoff. 

Off in the distance, we could see a storm with rain.  I have never seen weather from that perspective before (maybe in the mountains), and it was absolutely beautiful.  I can understand how a pilot could anticipate flying into bad weather and diverting the flight path to avoid it.

We flew in the traffic pattern once and made our final landing of the day.  Just as we landed, we started to see lightning.  Made it to the ground in just the right time.  It was pouring as we were wrapping up and setting the training schedule for the following week.

Ground instruction: .5 hours   Flight time: 1.20 hours

Cost:  Plane rental - $138.00, Instructor Fee - $68.00

How High Am I Really?

While I have been confused often while learning new aviation skills, one item I have a hard time wrapping my head around is altitude.  Yes, I understood altitude meant how high the aircraft was, but what troubled me the most is there are several types of altitude. 

Indicated altitude is the altitude measured by the aircraft’s altimeter, the one most used during flight.

Absolute Altitude is the difference between the aircraft and the surface you are flying above.  While this is important information, it is not as practical to be used.  During level flight, the altitude would change based upon the terrain over which the plane is flying.  To maintain a consistent altitude, the pilot would have to consistently adjust.  Also, it is not as easy to measure as other types of altitude.  Absolute altitude is also referred to as the height above ground level (AGL).

True Altitude is the actual height above mean sea level (MSL).  On aviation charts, heights of ground obstacles will be displayed as true altitude.  During level flight, true altitude would not change based upon what you are flying over.  Also called actual altitude.

Pressure altitude is the altitude indicated when set to 29.92 in Hg.  This is the altitude above the standard datum plane, which is a theoretical plane when air pressure (corrected to 15 degrees C) equals 29.92 in.  Pressure altitude is used to compute density altitude, true altitude, true airspeed and other performance data.

Density Altitude is pressure altitude corrected for non-standard temperature.  It is where the aircraft “feels” like it’s flying.  If the density altitude is at 2,000 feet on the ground, then the aircraft feels like it is at 2,000 feet already and this will have an impact on it performance.  If density altitude is too high for the plane’s requirements, it could prevent flight.

My explanation may not of provided a clear understanding of the differences, but the different types of altitude have a greater impact when flying cross country.  As you fly from one region to another the barometric and temperature may change.  This has an effect on the closeness of the air molecules which can impact the altimeter readings. 

I’m sure there will be more to come. I found the below video which may help.

Back in the Air

After several days of being grounded by bad weather, I was back in the air.  First, my CFI and I spent about 45 minutes on ground school lessons.  Topics we covered were:

·         Human Factors in flying

·         Different types of Altitudes

·         Collision Avoidance

·         Taxiing in the wind

·         Runway layout

·         Flight Patterns

Landing Pattern

Each of these subjects could be a blog post themselves, so I’ll hold off on going into a lot of detail on them now.

Next, I completed the pre-flight check on the 2009 Diamond Eclipse DA20-C1 (N322DC).  Everything went smoothly and we climbed into the cockpit.  My CFI requested permission for air traffic control to take off and for runway assignment.

I taxied out to the runway.  This time I was a little more comfortable on taxiing the plane.  It was not perfect, but showed marked improvement.

My take off was smooth, and I must say that is my favorite part.  There is nothing like that first feeling of floating.  I hope I never lose my awe of the sensation.

We flew to a practice area and I preformed the basic maneuvers of turning, ascending and descending.  Next we practiced a power off stall, and power on (or high speed) stall, low speed flight.

Stalls are practiced with two goals in mind.  One objective is to help the student pilot gain familiarity with the stall characteristics of the aircraft so they can better learn to avoid them.  The other is to condition the pilot to recover from an inadvertent stall quickly and with minimal loss in altitude.  Stalls are practiced at high (at least above cruising altitude) altitude because it is expected to lose about 500 – 1,000 feet.

The purpose of maneuvering during slow flight is to help the student pilot develop a feel for the airplane’s controls at slow speeds as well as gain an understanding of how load factor, pitch altitude, and altitude control relate to each other.  Speed tends to hide a lot of the effort put on the plane.  With enough speed, the plane design does most of the work.  At slower speeds, aerodynamics alone can’t keep the aircraft up.  It is then necessary to adjust the pitch, flaps, rudders and other controls to keep the plane level.

Next, we were ready to land.  My CFI sought permission to land.  I put the plane into position and lightly touched down and slowed the plane to idle.  There are a 2^nd set of controls on the CFI’s side of the cockpit, so he was ready to take over if need be.  Before we came to a complete stop, at my CFI’s instruction, I opened up the throttle and down the runway we went for another takeoff.  I was surprisingly pleased with my landing and takeoff. 

We flew in the traffic pattern once and made our final landing of the day.  This time it wasn’t as smooth.  As you land the plane, you want to have the nose of the plane slightly higher than the rest of the plane.   This is how I came in, yet is also make the plane float longer, so you have to bring the nose of the plane down eventually.  As it got to the point to bring the nose down, my CFI gave the command, and I lowered the nose of the aircraft.  I may have maneuvered quicker than ideal, as the front tire (just about a foot off the ground) hit the pavement move rough than I would have liked.  Overall, the landing was safe and adequate, but will require more practice.

Ground instruction: .6 hours   Flight time: 1.30 hours

Cost:  Plane rental - $156.00, Instructor Fee - $76.00

Last week one pilot made headlines, the other 588,656 did not

In 2005, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) ran an ad in USA Today and Roll Call with the tag line “Last week one pilot made headlines, the other 588,656 did not". 

As I embarked on this adventure, the advice I get the most form the people that care for me is “Be safe”.   Also, for those acquaintances I tell about my quest for a pilot’s license, I hear “oh you are brave” or “how scary”.  The stories of JFK Jr. and Ritchie Valens run through their minds

I absolutely understand the inherent dangers if soaring thousands of feet above the Earth.  I don’t have a death wish, and I have a beautiful wife and son at home that I want to be with for years to come. 

Personally, I don’t know of anyone that has ever been in a plane accident, let alone one from a general aviation accident.  I often hear that “flying is safer than driving”, but is it really true?  Wikipedia, the source of all things unnecessary, stated:

Ok, it is safer than motorcycles, bicycles and other types of transportation, but these numbers most likely include commercial aviation (heck, it is Wikipedia, so how accurate is it?). 

I went to the 2010 Null Report (2011 is not out yet) published by one of the most trusted names in general aviation.  “2009 saw a total of 1,418 general aviation accidents” of which a vast majority (82%) were non-fatal.  These rates are the lowest in decades.  This gives general aviation an accident rate of 6.6 per 100,000 hours of flight time.

Grated, the accident rate is not zero, nor will it ever be, but this shows me that thousands of non-commercial (amateur) pilots fly their entire career without incident.  Safety is my number one goal and I plan to be one of the pilots that always land smoothly on the ground. 

It will take vigilance, commitment, and knowing when not to fly, but I have set an expectation to be around for my family without compromise.

Kate and Rome, I love you and will grow old with both of you.

Cloudy Skies

Once again, training is delayed to weather.  Only a few drops, but the cloud cover doesn’t look like it will clear up at all today…

I guess more time for book study.

Inside the Cockpit – Vertical Speed Indicator (VSI)

The vertical speed indictor (VSI), also called a vertical velocity indictor displays the rate of climb or descent in feet per minute.  Basically it how steep your climb to drop may be.  Instead of telling you the slope of the angle, it is telling every minute how many feet (in hundreds) you are going.  For example, it the needle was steady at 5 (above the zero) I would know that I could go from an altitude of 2,000 to 3,000 feet in two minutes (500 feet x 2 = 1,000 feet).

The VSI is capable of displaying two different types of information.

• Trend Information shows you an immediate indication of an increase or decrease in the airplane’s rate of climb or decent.
• Rate information shows you a stabilized rate of change.

One way this information is useful in a particle sense is that it helps the pilot predict better when they reach their desired altitude without over shooting.  When the pilot levels off the aircraft, depending on speed and other factors, it can take seconds before the aircraft climbing or descending.  This can mean hundreds of feet difference than desired.  So if I’m 200 feet away from my cruising altitude, and I’m descending at a rate of 500 f.p.m., then I know to start leveling off now since I’ll reach my altitude in just a few seconds.

The VSI uses the static port pressure to display its information.  The static port is usually flush-mounted on the side of the fuselage in an area of relativity undisturbed air flow.



Planes Have Pieces

Just like a driver should know the basic parts of an automobile, a pilot should know the basic parts of the aircraft.  General aviation aircraft’s have very similar designs and part, yet not every part on the plane may be in the same place.

Fuselage

This is the part of the aircraft that houses the cabin and/or cockpit which contains seats for the occupants.  While the fuselage of some aircrafts can look very large, you’ll notice when you look inside, they can actually be very little cabin space (mostly to the front).  This is especially true with general aviation or prop planes like I’m learning to fly.  This has to do with where the center of gravity is.  I’m sure I’ll talk more about that in a later post.

Wings

Of course most of us know this is the part that allows for flight.  In an earlier post, I briefly mention the difference in the placement of the wing (high vs. low).  Also, they have monoplanes (one set of wings) and Biplanes (two set of wings).  On the rear edge of the wings you’ll find the aileron and the flaps.  (see the above photo)

·         Ailerons extend from the midpoint of the wing to the tip and move in opposite directions to create an aerodynamic force that causes the plane to turn.  The pilot controls the ailerons with the stick/yoke.  Turn the stick to the left and the left aileron moves up and the right aileron moves down.  During flight, this how you would start a left turn.

·         Flaps extend outward from the fuselage to about the mid-point of the wing.  The flaps are normally flush with the wings’ surface during cruising flight.  When extended, the flaps move simultaneously downward to increase lifting force during takeoffs and landings.  The flaps are controlled by a switch in the cockpit.

Empennage

The “tail” as it is sometimes called consists of the vertical stabilizer, or fin, and the horizontal stabilizer.  These two surfaces act like the feathers on an arrow to steady the airplane and help you maintain a straight path through the air.  Also attached are the rudder and the elevator.

·         The rudder is attached to the back of the vertical stabilizer and can be used to move the nose of the airplane left or right (similar to a boat rudder).  In the air, both the rudder and the ailerons are needed to turn.  While on the ground, just the rudder is required.  The rudder is operated by foot pedals.

·         The elevator is attached to the back of the horizontal stabilizer.  During flight, the pilot can move the nose of the aircraft up or down using the elevator.  The elevator is controlled by the forward/backward movement of the stick/yoke.

Landing Gear

Yes, the landing gear is the wheels on the aircraft.  Usually 3 tires, normally two of the tires are located under the wings.

·         Conventional landing gear has the 3^rd wheel at the rear of the plane and is called a tailwheel (also referred to as a tail dragger).  The when the 3^rd wheel is located at the nose of the plane the design is referred to as tricycle gear (or nosewheel).    In my limited experience, the tricycle gear planes are more common, and I hear they are easier to land/take off.

·         Fixed gear planes have their landing gear exposed at all times, while the retractable rear planes hide the landing gear during flight.  Retractable rear systems are normally reserved for more expensive planes.

·         Some planes are designed to land/take off from the water.  Seaplanes are planes that appear have normal looking landing gear but they are supported by twin floats.  Amphibian planes will look more like a boat with wings.  True amphibian planes have a retractable wheels used for ground landings.

Seaplane

Amphibian Plane



Powerplant

The powerplant includes both the engine and propeller

*information taken from my Jeppesen Private Pilot Manual.  Photos are googled images.