Friday, October 27, 2006
x-country flight plan
So, I am sitting at home on a Friday night pondering my good fortune. I was pretty bummed after the eagle interview, but as the old saying goes, when one door closes another door opens. I spent yesterday in the airplane all day...literally. I maxed out my duty day of 8 hours of flying, and capped my day with an IFR trip up to KFRG. Farmingdale, Long Island, NY. Our clearance was JYO-martinsburg-v214 to baltimore-v268 to smyrna-v16 to kennedy-direct. We took off to the north in the 172 and was soon instructed by potomac approach control to go direct Wooly intersection. we picked up v214 at wooly and was soon overhead of BWI at 5000. We stayed on the airway and once passed smyrna, hopped off the airway for a practice ILS approach at Millville municipal. What a great approach that was. Then it was back onto the airway direct to cedar lake VOR and gave a call to atlantic city approach. We passed about 40 miles west of Atlantic city. The casinos made it easy to spot. Next was mcguire AFB approach and the voice of a young airman greeted us on the horn. Heavy airforce jets crowded the freq. We watched as newark arrivals from the south passed offshore and crossed out path as they maneuvered for runway 4 at newark. Crossing Dixie intersection which is about 15 miles southeast of the Verazano bridge into long island, we contacted NYapproach. It was go time. My student was so pumped. WE passed overhead JFK at 5000. Departure control had numerous aircraft coming off kennedy which were turning NE directly under us. Most were heavy international departures on the canarsie climb--and I think kennedy 4 departure. Pretty friggin cool. Departure stopped their climb at 4000 until they passed underneath. You can blame me when your airline ticket prices go up. IT costs fuel to level off and then start the climb again. We took a visual approach into FRG....we were number 3 for the runway and cleared to land on 32. the sun was setting and the scene could not have been more perfect.
The trip home was pretty much the reverse, except it was night and I was tired. But we still made it home around 1030, and got in our 3 approaches along the way. I think Brett learned alot, and I sure did too.
Another guy of mine needs a copilot to help him get back from California in his new Mooney. Hopefully Ill be flying back from LA to DC in a mooney this time next week. What good fortune. A real cross the country x-c. a test of everything Ive ever learned, both IFR and VFR. Ill post more on that, but in the meantime enjoy these pics.
The trip home was pretty much the reverse, except it was night and I was tired. But we still made it home around 1030, and got in our 3 approaches along the way. I think Brett learned alot, and I sure did too.
Another guy of mine needs a copilot to help him get back from California in his new Mooney. Hopefully Ill be flying back from LA to DC in a mooney this time next week. What good fortune. A real cross the country x-c. a test of everything Ive ever learned, both IFR and VFR. Ill post more on that, but in the meantime enjoy these pics.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Morning Dew
I woke up this morning for my 7 am flight to a lovely AWOS report of less than 1/4 mile, and 100 overcast in fog. I called Rob and told him the fog would burn off around 10 per the forecast and that we should fly later once it cleared up. Bob Kierein, the flight service guy, and the weather channel all declared that the fog would clear out around 10 once it warmed up. It never did.
The formation for fog is mainly due to a close dew point/temperature spread. Take a look at the Dulles metars from this morning. You will see that the temp and dewpoint started off eaqual but never had a chance to break apart. After the rain we had the other day and the light winds as this cold front approaches the air is laden with moisture.
KIAD 191605Z 18003KT 2 1/2SM BR OVC002 18/16 A2986 RMK AO2
KIAD 191552Z 00000KT 1 3/4SM BR OVC002 17/16 A2986 RMK AO2 SLP110 VIS W 3/4 T01720161
KIAD 191512Z 12003KT 1 1/2SM BR OVC002 17/16 A2986 RMK AO2 VIS W 3/4
KIAD 191452Z 00000KT 1SM BR OVC002 17/16 A2988 RMK AO2 SLP115 VIS W 1/2 T01670161 50001
KIAD 191352Z 00000KT 1SM BR VV002 17/16 A2988 RMK AO2 SLP116 VIS W 1/2 T01670161KIAD 191340Z 12003KT 1SM BR VV002 16/16 A2988 RMK AO2 VIS W 1/2
KIAD 191311Z 00000KT 3/4SM BR VV002 16/16 A2988 RMK AO2
KIAD 191310Z 00000KT 1 1/4SM BR VV002 16/16 A2988 RMK AO2 VIS 1/4 WEST
KIAD 191255Z 00000KT 1/4SM FG VV001 16/16 A2988 RMK AO2
KIAD 191252Z 00000KT 0SM FG VV000 16/16 A2988 RMK AO2 SLP115 T01610156
KIAD 191152Z 00000KT 0SM FG VV000 16/15 A2987 RMK AO2 SLP114 T01560150 10156 20128 53003 $
KIAD 191052Z 32003KT 0SM FG VV000 16/15 A2987 RMK AO2 SLP112 T01560150 $
The problem with this weather is that only the most sophisticated airliners can make it into the airport. Visibility is the controlling factor in shooting an instrument approach in the part 121 world. Larger airports with category 2 or cat 3 approach systems have RVR transmissometers installed for particular runways. RVR is runway visual range. It measures how far you can see when looking straight down the runway. There are usually 3 RVR sensors--touchdown, midfield and rollout. Only two need be operational before the required weather mins go up. Today was one of those days where the RVR was right on the edge. 1/4 mile vis is equal to about 1200 rvr. Imagine landing at 130 knots only being able to see 1200 ft in front of you. And then best part is, if you are inside the final approach fix and the rvr goes below mins you are still authorized to continue on down and take a look and land if possible.
Next time you are in the back of an airliner and you dont see the ground until you are over the runway, tell him/her good work. Your flight crew had their work cut out for them. Here is a wikipedia definition of RVR.
From Aeronautical Information Manual 7-1-16
There are currently two configurations of RVR in the NAS commonly identified as Taskers and New Generation RVR. The Taskers are the existing configuration which uses transmissometer technology. The New Generation RVRs were deployed in November 1994 and use forward scatter technology. The New Generation RVRs are currently being deployed in the NAS to replace the existing Taskers.
RVR values are measured by transmissometers mounted on 14-foot towers along the runway. A full RVR system consists of:
Transmissometer projector and related items.
Transmissometer receiver (detector) and related items.
Analogue recorder.
Signal data converter and related items.
Remote digital or remote display programmer.
The transmissometer projector and receiver are mounted on towers 250 feet apart. A known intensity of light is emitted from the projector and is measured by the receiver. Any obscuring matter such as rain, snow, dust, fog, haze or smoke reduces the light intensity arriving at the receiver. The resultant intensity measurement is then converted to an RVR value by the signal data converter. These values are displayed by readout equipment in the associated air traffic facility and updated approximately once every minute for controller issuance to pilots.
The signal data converter receives information on the high intensity runway edge light setting in use (step 3, 4, or 5); transmission values from the transmissometer and the sensing of day or night conditions. From the three data sources, the system will compute appropriate RVR values.
An RVR transmissometer established on a 250 foot baseline provides digital readouts to a minimum of 600 feet, which are displayed in 200 foot increments to 3,000 feet and in 500 foot increments from 3,000 feet to a maximum value of 6,000 feet.
RVR values for Category IIIa operations extend down to 700 feet RVR; however, only 600 and 800 feet are reportable RVR increments. The 800 RVR reportable value covers a range of 701 feet to 900 feet and is therefore a valid minimum indication of Category IIIa operations.
Approach categories with the corresponding minimum RVR values.
Nonprecision 2,400 feet
Category I 1,800 feet
Category II 1,200 feet
Category IIIa 700 feet
Category IIIb 150 feet
Category IIIc 0 feet
Ten minute maximum and minimum RVR values for the designated RVR runway are reported in the body of the aviation weather report when the prevailing visibility is less than one mile and/or the RVR is 6,000 feet or less. ATCTs report RVR when the prevailing visibility is 1 mile or less and/or the RVR is 6,000 feet or less.
Details on the requirements for the operational use of RVR are contained in FAA AC 97-1, "Runway Visual Range (RVR)." Pilots are responsible for compliance with minimums prescribed for their class of operations in the appropriate CFRs and/or operations specifications.
RVR values are also measured by forward scatter meters mounted on 14-foot frangible fiberglass poles. A full RVR system consists of:
Forward scatter meter with a transmitter, receiver and associated items.
A runway light intensity monitor (RLIM).
An ambient light sensor (ALS).
A data processor unit (DPU).
Controller display (CD).
The forward scatter meter is mounted on a 14-foot frangible pole. Infrared light is emitted from the transmitter and received by the receiver. Any obscuring matter such as rain, snow, dust, fog, haze or smoke increases the amount of scattered light reaching the receiver. The resulting measurement along with inputs from the runway light intensity monitor and the ambient light sensor are forwarded to the DPU which calculates the proper RVR value. The RVR values are displayed locally and remotely on controller displays.
The runway light intensity monitors both the runway edge and centerline light step settings (steps 1 through 5). Centerline light step settings are used for CAT IIIb operations. Edge Light step settings are used for CAT I, II, and IIIa operations.
New Generation RVRs can measure and display RVR values down to the lowest limits of Category IIIb operations (150 feet RVR). RVR values are displayed in 100 feet increments and are reported as follows:
100-feet increments for products below 800 feet.
200-feet increments for products between 800 feet and 3,000 feet.
500-feet increments for products between 3,000 feet and 6,500 feet.
25-meter increments for products below 150 meters.
50-meter increments for products between 150 meters and 800 meters.
100-meter increments for products between 800 meters and 1,200 meters.
200-meter increments for products between 1,200 meters and 2,000 meters.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runway_visual_range"
The formation for fog is mainly due to a close dew point/temperature spread. Take a look at the Dulles metars from this morning. You will see that the temp and dewpoint started off eaqual but never had a chance to break apart. After the rain we had the other day and the light winds as this cold front approaches the air is laden with moisture.
KIAD 191605Z 18003KT 2 1/2SM BR OVC002 18/16 A2986 RMK AO2
KIAD 191552Z 00000KT 1 3/4SM BR OVC002 17/16 A2986 RMK AO2 SLP110 VIS W 3/4 T01720161
KIAD 191512Z 12003KT 1 1/2SM BR OVC002 17/16 A2986 RMK AO2 VIS W 3/4
KIAD 191452Z 00000KT 1SM BR OVC002 17/16 A2988 RMK AO2 SLP115 VIS W 1/2 T01670161 50001
KIAD 191352Z 00000KT 1SM BR VV002 17/16 A2988 RMK AO2 SLP116 VIS W 1/2 T01670161KIAD 191340Z 12003KT 1SM BR VV002 16/16 A2988 RMK AO2 VIS W 1/2
KIAD 191311Z 00000KT 3/4SM BR VV002 16/16 A2988 RMK AO2
KIAD 191310Z 00000KT 1 1/4SM BR VV002 16/16 A2988 RMK AO2 VIS 1/4 WEST
KIAD 191255Z 00000KT 1/4SM FG VV001 16/16 A2988 RMK AO2
KIAD 191252Z 00000KT 0SM FG VV000 16/16 A2988 RMK AO2 SLP115 T01610156
KIAD 191152Z 00000KT 0SM FG VV000 16/15 A2987 RMK AO2 SLP114 T01560150 10156 20128 53003 $
KIAD 191052Z 32003KT 0SM FG VV000 16/15 A2987 RMK AO2 SLP112 T01560150 $
The problem with this weather is that only the most sophisticated airliners can make it into the airport. Visibility is the controlling factor in shooting an instrument approach in the part 121 world. Larger airports with category 2 or cat 3 approach systems have RVR transmissometers installed for particular runways. RVR is runway visual range. It measures how far you can see when looking straight down the runway. There are usually 3 RVR sensors--touchdown, midfield and rollout. Only two need be operational before the required weather mins go up. Today was one of those days where the RVR was right on the edge. 1/4 mile vis is equal to about 1200 rvr. Imagine landing at 130 knots only being able to see 1200 ft in front of you. And then best part is, if you are inside the final approach fix and the rvr goes below mins you are still authorized to continue on down and take a look and land if possible.
Next time you are in the back of an airliner and you dont see the ground until you are over the runway, tell him/her good work. Your flight crew had their work cut out for them. Here is a wikipedia definition of RVR.
From Aeronautical Information Manual 7-1-16
There are currently two configurations of RVR in the NAS commonly identified as Taskers and New Generation RVR. The Taskers are the existing configuration which uses transmissometer technology. The New Generation RVRs were deployed in November 1994 and use forward scatter technology. The New Generation RVRs are currently being deployed in the NAS to replace the existing Taskers.
RVR values are measured by transmissometers mounted on 14-foot towers along the runway. A full RVR system consists of:
Transmissometer projector and related items.
Transmissometer receiver (detector) and related items.
Analogue recorder.
Signal data converter and related items.
Remote digital or remote display programmer.
The transmissometer projector and receiver are mounted on towers 250 feet apart. A known intensity of light is emitted from the projector and is measured by the receiver. Any obscuring matter such as rain, snow, dust, fog, haze or smoke reduces the light intensity arriving at the receiver. The resultant intensity measurement is then converted to an RVR value by the signal data converter. These values are displayed by readout equipment in the associated air traffic facility and updated approximately once every minute for controller issuance to pilots.
The signal data converter receives information on the high intensity runway edge light setting in use (step 3, 4, or 5); transmission values from the transmissometer and the sensing of day or night conditions. From the three data sources, the system will compute appropriate RVR values.
An RVR transmissometer established on a 250 foot baseline provides digital readouts to a minimum of 600 feet, which are displayed in 200 foot increments to 3,000 feet and in 500 foot increments from 3,000 feet to a maximum value of 6,000 feet.
RVR values for Category IIIa operations extend down to 700 feet RVR; however, only 600 and 800 feet are reportable RVR increments. The 800 RVR reportable value covers a range of 701 feet to 900 feet and is therefore a valid minimum indication of Category IIIa operations.
Approach categories with the corresponding minimum RVR values.
Nonprecision 2,400 feet
Category I 1,800 feet
Category II 1,200 feet
Category IIIa 700 feet
Category IIIb 150 feet
Category IIIc 0 feet
Ten minute maximum and minimum RVR values for the designated RVR runway are reported in the body of the aviation weather report when the prevailing visibility is less than one mile and/or the RVR is 6,000 feet or less. ATCTs report RVR when the prevailing visibility is 1 mile or less and/or the RVR is 6,000 feet or less.
Details on the requirements for the operational use of RVR are contained in FAA AC 97-1, "Runway Visual Range (RVR)." Pilots are responsible for compliance with minimums prescribed for their class of operations in the appropriate CFRs and/or operations specifications.
RVR values are also measured by forward scatter meters mounted on 14-foot frangible fiberglass poles. A full RVR system consists of:
Forward scatter meter with a transmitter, receiver and associated items.
A runway light intensity monitor (RLIM).
An ambient light sensor (ALS).
A data processor unit (DPU).
Controller display (CD).
The forward scatter meter is mounted on a 14-foot frangible pole. Infrared light is emitted from the transmitter and received by the receiver. Any obscuring matter such as rain, snow, dust, fog, haze or smoke increases the amount of scattered light reaching the receiver. The resulting measurement along with inputs from the runway light intensity monitor and the ambient light sensor are forwarded to the DPU which calculates the proper RVR value. The RVR values are displayed locally and remotely on controller displays.
The runway light intensity monitors both the runway edge and centerline light step settings (steps 1 through 5). Centerline light step settings are used for CAT IIIb operations. Edge Light step settings are used for CAT I, II, and IIIa operations.
New Generation RVRs can measure and display RVR values down to the lowest limits of Category IIIb operations (150 feet RVR). RVR values are displayed in 100 feet increments and are reported as follows:
100-feet increments for products below 800 feet.
200-feet increments for products between 800 feet and 3,000 feet.
500-feet increments for products between 3,000 feet and 6,500 feet.
25-meter increments for products below 150 meters.
50-meter increments for products between 150 meters and 800 meters.
100-meter increments for products between 800 meters and 1,200 meters.
200-meter increments for products between 1,200 meters and 2,000 meters.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runway_visual_range"
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Passed over
So, as quickly as I thought I was airline bound the hope was snatched from me. I received an email from American Eagle mgmt stating that the Captains selection board did not take me. I was pretty bummed as Eagle wouldve been an awesome place to work. With crew bases in LGA, BOS, and SanJuan on the top of my list I wouldve had the awesome priveledge to fly for AAL as their regional carrier. Anyhow, Its back to work here at the flight school. I have several more resumes out there, and if all else fails I will go fly freight when I get part 135 mins. That includes 1200 total time, 500 x-c, 100 instrument and roughly 100 night. I am at about 1070 total time right now. there is an outfit in Richmond that Id like to go fly at. Learn how to really fly a twin aircraft.
In the meantime I am writing this while my student preflights the aircraft. His private pilot checkride is on the 22nd of this month so we dont have much time to get him up to speed. Hes got alot of time scheduled so that will be good for me. the frost has set in as well. We broke out the glycol solution to clean the wings this morning, and will probably be doing it for a few months now to come. It is very important to clean off the frost, snow and ice from the wings before attemting to takeoff. If it is bad enough it could potentially disrupt enough airflow so that the airplane never gets airborne. I broke out the fleece jacket, and will need to find some gloves in the next week. Summer is officially over i guess.
Keep your fingers crossed.....air wisconsin and continental express are my main focus right now.
In the meantime I am writing this while my student preflights the aircraft. His private pilot checkride is on the 22nd of this month so we dont have much time to get him up to speed. Hes got alot of time scheduled so that will be good for me. the frost has set in as well. We broke out the glycol solution to clean the wings this morning, and will probably be doing it for a few months now to come. It is very important to clean off the frost, snow and ice from the wings before attemting to takeoff. If it is bad enough it could potentially disrupt enough airflow so that the airplane never gets airborne. I broke out the fleece jacket, and will need to find some gloves in the next week. Summer is officially over i guess.
Keep your fingers crossed.....air wisconsin and continental express are my main focus right now.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
1000 and in interview
Long time since I have been able to post anything. The flying has been good. Found a little twin time along the way, and have been succesful in getting a couple of my guys through their checkrides. I passed 1000 hours last month, and subsequently landed an interview with American Eagle in Dallas last week. I attended the interview at the American Airlines training academy. I breezed through the HR and tech portions of the interview, and dominated the sim session. I am still waiting to hear on the background check and the captains board. Ive been a stress ball the last two days, and I really hope I get a class date. Its been a long tough road, and it is about time that something pans out for me.
Friday, August 18, 2006
900 hours
Some news to report. I passed 900 hours somewhere in the traffic pattern last week. I am at 930 total time, and have had the good fortune to be able to add to my multi engine total as well with flights in the cougar. The Grumman cougar(GA7) is a nice aircraft, and there arent very many of them around. I heard once that there were only 150 made. A guy even commented while we were arriving into Teterboro last week that "you dont see many cougars". Good stuff.
I have gotten to fly the airplane solo as well which has been a real treat.
I pushed through my third pilot last week as well. Chris passed his private pilot checkride a week before he leaves for college.
While teaching primary students to fly is fun. It carries a certain level of frustration at times, and it is always nice to take a step back and get an easy fun flight. Today I worked with an FAA employee in the g1000 skyhawk. It was a real treat. We flew VFR to Charlottesville and got a chance to work with all the glory of the G1000. We dialed in the autopilot, and took the time to set up a flight plan and get approach to vector us onto the ils for an autopilot coupled approach. Upon reaching the Decisions height we went manual for a touch and go and were on our way back to Leesburg for a GPS approach to a straight in landing on runway 17.
Weather has been gorgeous and I will be at 1000 hours by mid September. I think it is time to get some resumes in the mail.
I have gotten to fly the airplane solo as well which has been a real treat.
I pushed through my third pilot last week as well. Chris passed his private pilot checkride a week before he leaves for college.
While teaching primary students to fly is fun. It carries a certain level of frustration at times, and it is always nice to take a step back and get an easy fun flight. Today I worked with an FAA employee in the g1000 skyhawk. It was a real treat. We flew VFR to Charlottesville and got a chance to work with all the glory of the G1000. We dialed in the autopilot, and took the time to set up a flight plan and get approach to vector us onto the ils for an autopilot coupled approach. Upon reaching the Decisions height we went manual for a touch and go and were on our way back to Leesburg for a GPS approach to a straight in landing on runway 17.
Weather has been gorgeous and I will be at 1000 hours by mid September. I think it is time to get some resumes in the mail.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
800 hours
Passed another milestone last week. 800 hours total time. I was somewhere over carroll county, md on my way back from Lancaster when I passed the mark. Larry and I were on his first student x-c since he soloed. It was hazy but a good time.
Lately the weather has been either crystal clear or hazy beyond belief. Its extremely frustrating to have to bag 4 flights a week because the visibility gets so bad...mostly due to haze. The high humidity is really to blame. After the thunderstorms pass through it usually clears up considerably until the rain that just fell evaporates. Kinda interesting to witness the convection taking place.
Last night was interesting. A fellow pilot and I ferried an aircraft up into Hagerstown, MD for maintenance. We were racing to get in before a storm hit up there, and then raced to get out of there. We won that race, but nearly lost the next one. Arriving into Leesburg I checked the AWOS(automated weather observation system). The AWOS reported broken at 5000, thunderstorm, rain, and gusting winds. It was an interesting arrival. I watched as a wall or rain moved from se-nw directly towards us. It engulfed route 7 at the rate of about 1/2 mile a minute. It was a fast moving cell with alot of moisture. We lined up on a 6 mile straight in final to the south runway, and landed uneventfully. As I pulled out the mixture control knob to shut down the engine the skies opened and visibility dropped to 2 miles.
I have a multi engine student starting next week. He wants to make trips to Teteboro, NJ, myrtle beach, and BKL in cleveland. I am extremely excited about building some multi time, getting to fly a twin, and to get to fly into some very dense airports. And I dont have to pay a dime. Good stuff.
Lately the weather has been either crystal clear or hazy beyond belief. Its extremely frustrating to have to bag 4 flights a week because the visibility gets so bad...mostly due to haze. The high humidity is really to blame. After the thunderstorms pass through it usually clears up considerably until the rain that just fell evaporates. Kinda interesting to witness the convection taking place.
Last night was interesting. A fellow pilot and I ferried an aircraft up into Hagerstown, MD for maintenance. We were racing to get in before a storm hit up there, and then raced to get out of there. We won that race, but nearly lost the next one. Arriving into Leesburg I checked the AWOS(automated weather observation system). The AWOS reported broken at 5000, thunderstorm, rain, and gusting winds. It was an interesting arrival. I watched as a wall or rain moved from se-nw directly towards us. It engulfed route 7 at the rate of about 1/2 mile a minute. It was a fast moving cell with alot of moisture. We lined up on a 6 mile straight in final to the south runway, and landed uneventfully. As I pulled out the mixture control knob to shut down the engine the skies opened and visibility dropped to 2 miles.
I have a multi engine student starting next week. He wants to make trips to Teteboro, NJ, myrtle beach, and BKL in cleveland. I am extremely excited about building some multi time, getting to fly a twin, and to get to fly into some very dense airports. And I dont have to pay a dime. Good stuff.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Passed my first checkride....
...as the recommending flight instructor. I sent my guy Justin for his private pilot checkride last week with a local examiner. I have to admit I was just as nervous as Justin was. My part of the checkride involved a)making sure Justin was well prepared, and b) making sure I filled out all the paperwork correctly. It was my first time, and I really worked hard to make sure it all came together. Justin did fine and he is now a private pilot....licensed to exercise all the privelages associated thereof.
I also soloed Jim last week. He did great. We did a few landings in the pattern, and then I hopped out. I took a few pictures of Jim while he flew in the pattern. He used runway 35, and winds were fairly calm. It was a perfect day to solo. When we got back in the office I cut the shirttail out of Jim's shirt and decorated it. It is hanging on the wall here in the flight school.
So, that makes two solos....one passed checkride, and I am at a 100% first time pass rate for private pilot checkrides. I need 5 checkrides, and an 80% pass rate and I wont have to pay anything to get my CFI certificate renewed in June of 2008. The FAA says that if you do not have 5 signoffs, with at least 4 first time passes within two years, you can either take a cfi refresher course in person or online(3-400$) or you can participate in a diff type of program. If you choose to not refresh your certificate and decide to instruct down the road, you will need to take another cfi checkride. Doesnt sound like fun to me....so, it might behoove you to make sure you take care of getting that refreshed. Also, passing an instructor addon checkride counts as starting over the two year clock. So, I passed two instructor addon rides in FL so I got a new lease on life...its now 2008 vs 2007.
anyways, thats about it for now. Teaching is going good. If you know anyone who needs an instructor shoot me an email.
I also soloed Jim last week. He did great. We did a few landings in the pattern, and then I hopped out. I took a few pictures of Jim while he flew in the pattern. He used runway 35, and winds were fairly calm. It was a perfect day to solo. When we got back in the office I cut the shirttail out of Jim's shirt and decorated it. It is hanging on the wall here in the flight school.
So, that makes two solos....one passed checkride, and I am at a 100% first time pass rate for private pilot checkrides. I need 5 checkrides, and an 80% pass rate and I wont have to pay anything to get my CFI certificate renewed in June of 2008. The FAA says that if you do not have 5 signoffs, with at least 4 first time passes within two years, you can either take a cfi refresher course in person or online(3-400$) or you can participate in a diff type of program. If you choose to not refresh your certificate and decide to instruct down the road, you will need to take another cfi checkride. Doesnt sound like fun to me....so, it might behoove you to make sure you take care of getting that refreshed. Also, passing an instructor addon checkride counts as starting over the two year clock. So, I passed two instructor addon rides in FL so I got a new lease on life...its now 2008 vs 2007.
anyways, thats about it for now. Teaching is going good. If you know anyone who needs an instructor shoot me an email.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Boomer town and a stationary front
Last week we endured the wrath of a stationary cold front that stalled out and ran the length of the east coast. The north/south frontal boundary ran up the coast, and was fueled by some very moist tropical air sent northward and up the face of the front by a low pressure system in Florida. This setup was the recipe for about 3 days of non stop rain, flooding, and consequently no flying for me.
This week has been better. Flying has resumed. The only factor we have had to deal with has been the thunderstorms that usually make their arrival around 3-4 pm daily. You sit back, wait them out, and then enjoy the cool calm air after the storm passes.
The flying lately has been rather benign. Nothing crazy to report. I am sending my first student for his checkride on Saturday. Larry finally soloed last weekend. He was pretty excited, as was I. Its a wild experience to say "ok, go ahead and drop me off at the terminal and do three landings to a full stop". I really enjoyed seeing the excitement and smile the experience brought to him. I remember my first solo. To be able to provide that kind of experience to someone else, and to have used my skills to teach that person how to do something so very difficult and intense is just as exciting for me.
This week has been better. Flying has resumed. The only factor we have had to deal with has been the thunderstorms that usually make their arrival around 3-4 pm daily. You sit back, wait them out, and then enjoy the cool calm air after the storm passes.
The flying lately has been rather benign. Nothing crazy to report. I am sending my first student for his checkride on Saturday. Larry finally soloed last weekend. He was pretty excited, as was I. Its a wild experience to say "ok, go ahead and drop me off at the terminal and do three landings to a full stop". I really enjoyed seeing the excitement and smile the experience brought to him. I remember my first solo. To be able to provide that kind of experience to someone else, and to have used my skills to teach that person how to do something so very difficult and intense is just as exciting for me.
Monday, June 26, 2006
back in town
Ive been back in the area about a week now, and am settling back into the routine of being a flight instructor. One part of the routine I really am not enjoying is the fact that when weather moves in, I get screwed.
As I am typing this, the entire east coast is sitting under a stationary front, that is being fed from the south with tropical moisture laden air. Humidity is near 100%. Ranfall totals yesterday were 6 inches at Dulles. The beltway was shut down due to a mudslide that yielded nearly 5 feet of debri and shut down the nation's capital's biggest road all night long. A local airport that was built on the Patuxent flood plain is covered in water. Most of the aircraft based there have water up to the door.
I suppose the fact that I cant fly(and make money) is minor compared to what alot of other people are being subjected to. However, I really am beginning to get frustrated. Larry is ready for his presolo stage check. Jim is as well. Randy is just learning to land and needs all the positive reinforcement he can get. anyways, I guess I will wait it out and see what happens the rest of the week.
Last week I learned a couple valuable lessons. 1) always do a thourough preflight, and 2) always have a sick sack in reaching distance. I picked up 2 aircraft from maintenance last week. One had a spider nest in the pitot tube that took 45 mins to clean out. The other(the pa28 arrow) has take over the pitot vane. I didnt preflight as thorough as I should have and ended up with glue residue partially blocking the pitothole. My airspeed indications were erratic, and before I knew it the airplane was airborne. So, I flew the pattern sans airspeed indications. I fell back on my experience and knowledge to successfully and safely make a normal landing. It wasnt really an event of any sort, but sent me into survival mode nonetheless. Glad that I am armed with those skills when I needed them.
That morning I was flying with a student and he decided it was going to be a rough landing. As I was flaring he decided to show me what he had to eat.....all over his chest and out the window and down the side of the aircraft. It took about an hour to clean.
And the icing on the cake was when Randy and I had a bird strike on the downwind while working the pattern the other morning. The airplane was fine, but the poor bird took a real beating.
As I am typing this, the entire east coast is sitting under a stationary front, that is being fed from the south with tropical moisture laden air. Humidity is near 100%. Ranfall totals yesterday were 6 inches at Dulles. The beltway was shut down due to a mudslide that yielded nearly 5 feet of debri and shut down the nation's capital's biggest road all night long. A local airport that was built on the Patuxent flood plain is covered in water. Most of the aircraft based there have water up to the door.
I suppose the fact that I cant fly(and make money) is minor compared to what alot of other people are being subjected to. However, I really am beginning to get frustrated. Larry is ready for his presolo stage check. Jim is as well. Randy is just learning to land and needs all the positive reinforcement he can get. anyways, I guess I will wait it out and see what happens the rest of the week.
Last week I learned a couple valuable lessons. 1) always do a thourough preflight, and 2) always have a sick sack in reaching distance. I picked up 2 aircraft from maintenance last week. One had a spider nest in the pitot tube that took 45 mins to clean out. The other(the pa28 arrow) has take over the pitot vane. I didnt preflight as thorough as I should have and ended up with glue residue partially blocking the pitothole. My airspeed indications were erratic, and before I knew it the airplane was airborne. So, I flew the pattern sans airspeed indications. I fell back on my experience and knowledge to successfully and safely make a normal landing. It wasnt really an event of any sort, but sent me into survival mode nonetheless. Glad that I am armed with those skills when I needed them.
That morning I was flying with a student and he decided it was going to be a rough landing. As I was flaring he decided to show me what he had to eat.....all over his chest and out the window and down the side of the aircraft. It took about an hour to clean.
And the icing on the cake was when Randy and I had a bird strike on the downwind while working the pattern the other morning. The airplane was fine, but the poor bird took a real beating.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
just about done
I guess its been close to a week since my last post. Alot has happened. Flew home last Friday on an Airtran 717. Not a bad jet, and the arrival into Reagan-national was pretty interesting. One of my best friends got married over the weekend, so that was the occasion. We all had a blast and it was great to see everyone in one place.
Got back to Ft Pierce Sunday night pretty late. I had about 8 hours left to fly in 3 days. So I relaxed on Monday. Yesterday I hit the airways again. Tropical storm Alberto was kickin pretty hard. I had wanted some actual instrument weather so took advantage of his wrath to go fly. Antoine, the Frenchman, and I boarded the Duchess for what was supposed to be a round robin.....Jacksonville-cecil field, then on to Cross city, then back to Ft pierce. As we neared Jax-cecil we asked Jax approach control for the vor approach to runway 9. He said weather was VFR, then changed that comment with "cecil field is reporting 1 mile, heavy to extreme weather, right over the field". I tried to get holding but he opted to vector us out west and then back into the field. We saw the airport as it emerged from the torrential rain showers. We asked for a visual approach and he informed us that we needed to do an approach since it was still reported IFR. This was probably my one and only chance to request a contact approach. I was about to until he came back saying he talked to the tower and it was VFR....hmmmm...I couldve told him that. Anyways, a contact approach is when a pilot is in pseudo ifr and can remain clear of clouds and reasonably navigate to the airport. Something I learned alot about on my CFII checkride. Usually happens when a pilot is in low vis but is familiar enough with the airport and terrain to make it safely to the runway. Anyways, there was some pretty severe weather moving northeast so we opted to make a beeline back to FT pierce. We hit some pretty decent weather over Daytona and Malbourne. Vis in Vero and Ft pierce was down to about 4 miles in haze so we flew the VOR14 approach at FPR. not a bad flight. The evening flight was to Tamiami. A nice airport south of Miami. Smooth air, decent vis. We were on radar vectors the whole way. Not a bad way to navigate. Makes it easy. The leg home was mine and as we cruised at 6k west of Miami I enjoyed a pretty wild sunset....a bright pink sky...and a sliver of sun between two layers of clouds that lingered over the middle of the state towards Tampa. Its been a blast down here. Time has flown by, but I managed to log 95 hours of twin time, and sit at 715 total time and 105 multi. not too bad.
Its back to work on Saturday. Got some students lined up for the week. Have a couple new ones starting up. Get to use my new ratings too...CFII and MEI.
The summer should be a good one. The airlines are definitely within my grasp. Exciting Stuff.
Got back to Ft Pierce Sunday night pretty late. I had about 8 hours left to fly in 3 days. So I relaxed on Monday. Yesterday I hit the airways again. Tropical storm Alberto was kickin pretty hard. I had wanted some actual instrument weather so took advantage of his wrath to go fly. Antoine, the Frenchman, and I boarded the Duchess for what was supposed to be a round robin.....Jacksonville-cecil field, then on to Cross city, then back to Ft pierce. As we neared Jax-cecil we asked Jax approach control for the vor approach to runway 9. He said weather was VFR, then changed that comment with "cecil field is reporting 1 mile, heavy to extreme weather, right over the field". I tried to get holding but he opted to vector us out west and then back into the field. We saw the airport as it emerged from the torrential rain showers. We asked for a visual approach and he informed us that we needed to do an approach since it was still reported IFR. This was probably my one and only chance to request a contact approach. I was about to until he came back saying he talked to the tower and it was VFR....hmmmm...I couldve told him that. Anyways, a contact approach is when a pilot is in pseudo ifr and can remain clear of clouds and reasonably navigate to the airport. Something I learned alot about on my CFII checkride. Usually happens when a pilot is in low vis but is familiar enough with the airport and terrain to make it safely to the runway. Anyways, there was some pretty severe weather moving northeast so we opted to make a beeline back to FT pierce. We hit some pretty decent weather over Daytona and Malbourne. Vis in Vero and Ft pierce was down to about 4 miles in haze so we flew the VOR14 approach at FPR. not a bad flight. The evening flight was to Tamiami. A nice airport south of Miami. Smooth air, decent vis. We were on radar vectors the whole way. Not a bad way to navigate. Makes it easy. The leg home was mine and as we cruised at 6k west of Miami I enjoyed a pretty wild sunset....a bright pink sky...and a sliver of sun between two layers of clouds that lingered over the middle of the state towards Tampa. Its been a blast down here. Time has flown by, but I managed to log 95 hours of twin time, and sit at 715 total time and 105 multi. not too bad.
Its back to work on Saturday. Got some students lined up for the week. Have a couple new ones starting up. Get to use my new ratings too...CFII and MEI.
The summer should be a good one. The airlines are definitely within my grasp. Exciting Stuff.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Cleared direct Seminole....
...was our clearance after passing over Ocala VOR last night. We were on an IFR flight plan from Ft Pierce to Tallahassee. We took off from FPR around 7 and enjoyed a nice sunset from 6000 ft on a heading of about 322. I found it interesting that the VOR nearest to Tallahassee(home of FSU) was named Seminole.......Maybe they can get a VOR named Hokie down in the Blacksburg area. I think there is a Gps waypoint on the approach into Blacksburg named Hokie, but it sure would be nice to get something bigger.
Anyways, we landed at TLH after flying the NDB rwy 36 approach. I dont have alot of experience with ADF navigation, and flying NDB approaches so I am using the time I have left here to get more familiar with them. The planes back home dont have ADF's in them so I never had to do an approach for my checkride.
The NDB is a non-directional beacon that will allow you to track a needle inbound or outbound to the beacon. The ADF is the equipment in the airplane that consists of a compass card and a needle that will always point to the station. The level of precision is alot less than that of a VOR or a GPS so the approaches can be a challenge, especially when executing the approach in actual instrument conditions(clouds).
My time down here has been extremely well spent. I passed my CFII(instrument instructor) checkride yesterday. So now my resume reads CFI, CFII, MEI. I am taking the instrument ground instructor written on Monday so that when I get my ten checkrides with an 80% pass rate I can get my golden seal on my instructors certificate. Ive learned a tremendous amount down here from the people Ive flown with, the airspace, the weather, and the twin engine airplanes we have been flying.
Today we are climbing back into the Duchess for another 6 hours. Probably do Key West and maybe Peter Oknight in Tampa. Weather again is clear skies and its already up to 86 degrees.
Im hopping on an airtran flight to DCA tomorrow for a wedding this weekend. Then its back down here to take that written and finish the flying. My three weeks have flown by, but what Ive learned here and what Ive experienced will stay with my for the rest of my life.
The wonderful thing about aviation is that for the most part everyone has the same goal, and everyone wants to see you succeed. There is the occasional bad seed you run across, but as a whole the aviation community is one big family. Thats they way I like it.
Anyways, we landed at TLH after flying the NDB rwy 36 approach. I dont have alot of experience with ADF navigation, and flying NDB approaches so I am using the time I have left here to get more familiar with them. The planes back home dont have ADF's in them so I never had to do an approach for my checkride.
The NDB is a non-directional beacon that will allow you to track a needle inbound or outbound to the beacon. The ADF is the equipment in the airplane that consists of a compass card and a needle that will always point to the station. The level of precision is alot less than that of a VOR or a GPS so the approaches can be a challenge, especially when executing the approach in actual instrument conditions(clouds).
My time down here has been extremely well spent. I passed my CFII(instrument instructor) checkride yesterday. So now my resume reads CFI, CFII, MEI. I am taking the instrument ground instructor written on Monday so that when I get my ten checkrides with an 80% pass rate I can get my golden seal on my instructors certificate. Ive learned a tremendous amount down here from the people Ive flown with, the airspace, the weather, and the twin engine airplanes we have been flying.
Today we are climbing back into the Duchess for another 6 hours. Probably do Key West and maybe Peter Oknight in Tampa. Weather again is clear skies and its already up to 86 degrees.
Im hopping on an airtran flight to DCA tomorrow for a wedding this weekend. Then its back down here to take that written and finish the flying. My three weeks have flown by, but what Ive learned here and what Ive experienced will stay with my for the rest of my life.
The wonderful thing about aviation is that for the most part everyone has the same goal, and everyone wants to see you succeed. There is the occasional bad seed you run across, but as a whole the aviation community is one big family. Thats they way I like it.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
I can teach twins
"You fly very well, and that xwind landing was very nicely done", said the examiner as he typed up my new temporary airmans certificate. I am officially licensed to teach students in multi engine aircraft. Just the next step in this venture of mine.
The checkride wasnt bad. Started off with about a 2 hour oral exam, and then we went flying. We went out over the Atlantic for some airwork, then over to Vero Beach for some landings. All in all it was about a 4 hour ordeal with about a 1.1 hr flight. The icing on the cake was the return to Ft. Pierce. Winds were 040 at 15gusting 20. We landed runway 9 so we had a 50 degree xwind component. It was probably the best xwind landing Ive ever pulled off. I think I really impressed the examiner.
Then it was off on a x-c up to Tallahassee FL in the Duchess. A nice evening flight up there and then a night flight back. I flew the first leg up, and we got the visual approach to runway 36. The way home was Adams leg. I was tired, and sat there staring out the window for traffic. A bright star caught my eye. It stood out from all the rest. Mixed in with the various constellations a bright star stood out, shining down on me. Perhaps it was a planet; it certainly wasnt the north star as we were headed south. Maybe it was just a bright star.......or maybe it was a sign that there might be someone from above looking down and taking care of us.
I cant help to think that perhaps that star was David's way of communicating to me that he was there. It was almost as though I could feel his presence in the back seat of that beat up old twin engine airplane. I had a patch with his name and number on it(ktown team made them for their rugby shorts) in my pocket, and have been flying with it all week in my bag. Dave was with me on my checkride today, and he helped me to fly better than Ive flown ever.
As I sat there and thought good thoughts about the day I had just enjoyed on this earth and in the air, and found comfort in the thought that Dave was with me, I looked forward to my future and imagined where my life will take me. Will I end up in the left seat of a 777 some day, or perhaps I will end up in corporate and charter aviation. Whatever or wherever I end up, I will enjoy the journey that is going to take me there. My training for a career in aviation has been amazing, and the people Ive met and things and places Ive seen from the air have left a lasting impression on me that I will never lose.
Tomorrow morning I have an 8 am departure to Key west. We are going VFR and plan to fly the coast at 500 feet. Ill try to get some pics that actually post this time. For some reason I couldnt get the last batch to post.
Instrument instructor checkride is next week.
The checkride wasnt bad. Started off with about a 2 hour oral exam, and then we went flying. We went out over the Atlantic for some airwork, then over to Vero Beach for some landings. All in all it was about a 4 hour ordeal with about a 1.1 hr flight. The icing on the cake was the return to Ft. Pierce. Winds were 040 at 15gusting 20. We landed runway 9 so we had a 50 degree xwind component. It was probably the best xwind landing Ive ever pulled off. I think I really impressed the examiner.
Then it was off on a x-c up to Tallahassee FL in the Duchess. A nice evening flight up there and then a night flight back. I flew the first leg up, and we got the visual approach to runway 36. The way home was Adams leg. I was tired, and sat there staring out the window for traffic. A bright star caught my eye. It stood out from all the rest. Mixed in with the various constellations a bright star stood out, shining down on me. Perhaps it was a planet; it certainly wasnt the north star as we were headed south. Maybe it was just a bright star.......or maybe it was a sign that there might be someone from above looking down and taking care of us.
I cant help to think that perhaps that star was David's way of communicating to me that he was there. It was almost as though I could feel his presence in the back seat of that beat up old twin engine airplane. I had a patch with his name and number on it(ktown team made them for their rugby shorts) in my pocket, and have been flying with it all week in my bag. Dave was with me on my checkride today, and he helped me to fly better than Ive flown ever.
As I sat there and thought good thoughts about the day I had just enjoyed on this earth and in the air, and found comfort in the thought that Dave was with me, I looked forward to my future and imagined where my life will take me. Will I end up in the left seat of a 777 some day, or perhaps I will end up in corporate and charter aviation. Whatever or wherever I end up, I will enjoy the journey that is going to take me there. My training for a career in aviation has been amazing, and the people Ive met and things and places Ive seen from the air have left a lasting impression on me that I will never lose.
Tomorrow morning I have an 8 am departure to Key west. We are going VFR and plan to fly the coast at 500 feet. Ill try to get some pics that actually post this time. For some reason I couldnt get the last batch to post.
Instrument instructor checkride is next week.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Space Coast express
For the second time in as many flights I flew to Key West international. Yesterday morning we climbed into the Beech Duchess for a 4 hour round trip and and airport hamburger in Key West. The flight down was nice. We filed for victor airway 3 which goes overhead Miami international. ATC wanted no part of that and sent us direct to Key west almost immediately to keep us west of Miami approach's airspace. We flew at 8000 ft right over Lake Okkachobee(sp?) and then out over the Gulf of Mexico for a visual approach to runway 9 at Key West. The leg home was my leg and we climbed to 11000 ft to try to get over some build-ups west of miami. We ended up penetrating several buildups and got bounced around a bit. Miami arrivals were coming overhead at 13000 on the downwind to Miami international. Saw a 757, and a bunch of southwest 737 aircraft......you are now free to move about the country.
The evening flight was kick a$$. we flew up Victor 3 to Daytona beach....right over the airport and the speedway, then east on a victor airway that sent us about 8 miles off shore. We had a nice haze layer and little or no horizon so it was a good instrument flight. We passed abeam Kennedy space center and got a look at the Vehicle Assembly building and the launch pads. The arrival into Savannah was awesome. We were vectored onto a right base for runway 9, then cleared for the visual into the Savannah airport. The leg back was mine, and again we were bounced around in some cloud buildups. Radar vectors to the ils runway 9 at fort pierce concluded a 5.7 hour flight.
Today is my multi engine instructor checkride. I am nervous about the oral, but I think I will be fine. The flight should be a more fun learning experience than anything else. Here is a pic from the final into runway 9 at Key West. Enjoy....
The evening flight was kick a$$. we flew up Victor 3 to Daytona beach....right over the airport and the speedway, then east on a victor airway that sent us about 8 miles off shore. We had a nice haze layer and little or no horizon so it was a good instrument flight. We passed abeam Kennedy space center and got a look at the Vehicle Assembly building and the launch pads. The arrival into Savannah was awesome. We were vectored onto a right base for runway 9, then cleared for the visual into the Savannah airport. The leg back was mine, and again we were bounced around in some cloud buildups. Radar vectors to the ils runway 9 at fort pierce concluded a 5.7 hour flight.
Today is my multi engine instructor checkride. I am nervous about the oral, but I think I will be fine. The flight should be a more fun learning experience than anything else. Here is a pic from the final into runway 9 at Key West. Enjoy....
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Free light show
"66366, miami center squawk 3014, turn right heading 360 to join victor 3 northbound..." was all I heard as we departed Ft Pierce last night and was met with a tremendous light show at our 12:00 and 20 miles over the Melbourne VOR. Miami Center informed us of an area of severe to extreme weather over the airway we were to fly. I replied with...."roger that center, we are looking at it.....we'd like to go gps direct to a fix and then on to gainesville for an approach and then to jacksonville Craig municipal for a full stop." This took us west of the storm and gave us a great show as it passed us off the right wing.
Lat night was my first timebuilding flight in the Duchess--BE76. What a sweet airplane. We went to Gainesville for the ILS and low approach, then we went to JAX-Craig(kcrg) for the vor rwy 14 approach. Then on departure from CRG we picked up clearance and shot approaches at Daytona, Titusville, melbourne, Vero beach, and then back at Ft pierce. It was a hell of a night. Even had a door pop open on our takeoff roll from ft pierce. My door----unnerving to say the least and resulted in an aborted takeoff. 5.1 hours total in the airplane....today is a day trip...probably to Key west, and then maybe back up for Fuel and then north to shoot approaches at Titusville-Space coast so i can get a look at Kennedy Space center.
My MEI checkride is scheduled for Tuesday. I still have a written to take for the CFII(instrument instructor) and most likely the checkride for that around June 7 or so. Anyways, I feel absolutely comfortable in the new airplane now. It was tough for about the first 2 hours, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly. The Duchess is a very forgiving twin, and flies great on one engine.....is a breeze to land as well.
Lat night was my first timebuilding flight in the Duchess--BE76. What a sweet airplane. We went to Gainesville for the ILS and low approach, then we went to JAX-Craig(kcrg) for the vor rwy 14 approach. Then on departure from CRG we picked up clearance and shot approaches at Daytona, Titusville, melbourne, Vero beach, and then back at Ft pierce. It was a hell of a night. Even had a door pop open on our takeoff roll from ft pierce. My door----unnerving to say the least and resulted in an aborted takeoff. 5.1 hours total in the airplane....today is a day trip...probably to Key west, and then maybe back up for Fuel and then north to shoot approaches at Titusville-Space coast so i can get a look at Kennedy Space center.
My MEI checkride is scheduled for Tuesday. I still have a written to take for the CFII(instrument instructor) and most likely the checkride for that around June 7 or so. Anyways, I feel absolutely comfortable in the new airplane now. It was tough for about the first 2 hours, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly. The Duchess is a very forgiving twin, and flies great on one engine.....is a breeze to land as well.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
And then there was 600
Yesterday I hit 600 hours in airplanes. Seems like I was just posting that I passed 500. The hours are adding up quickly. My students are progressing. Im having a blast. Ive got my guys landing the airplane now safely, and some smoother than others. This is by far the most rewarding job I have ever had. I leave Monday for FL. I will try to post some pics from FL when I get down there.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Pattern A
"Ok, Larry, today we stay at home and work the traffic pattern." Larry was excited and very eager as I sent him next door to file a flight plan with flight service. We walked out to the airplane after I explained the traffic pattern to him.
"Larry, downwind power setting is 2000 rpm, 100 knots and 1200 feet. Abeam the numbers we bring the power back to 1700 and put in 10 degrees of flaps below 110 knots. when the runway is 45 degrees off our landing gear we turn our base and put in another notch of flaps....20 degrees. We leave the power in and let the flaps slow us down. On the base I like 80 knots and as we turn final, last notch of flaps and then power as needed to maintain 65 knots and a stabilized approach to the runway....this is where all good landings begin."
Larry was doing great. We took off nicely, he maintained Vy(best rate of climb) until 1200 feet. He pushed the nose over and leveled off, accelerated to 100 knots then brought the power back to 2000 rpm. he flew a nice pattern but it still left something to be desired in the flare.
Larry and I flew about 10 patterns and he had 2 decent safe landings...the rest were either assisted by yours truly or were complete scheauwwws. anyways, for his first real pattern work i was happy at the overall effort. his patterns were square, his descents stabilized and procedures were good. I am sure the flare will come in due time. hes flying with a different instructor this weekend as I will be out of town, so hopefully that will help him.
"Larry, downwind power setting is 2000 rpm, 100 knots and 1200 feet. Abeam the numbers we bring the power back to 1700 and put in 10 degrees of flaps below 110 knots. when the runway is 45 degrees off our landing gear we turn our base and put in another notch of flaps....20 degrees. We leave the power in and let the flaps slow us down. On the base I like 80 knots and as we turn final, last notch of flaps and then power as needed to maintain 65 knots and a stabilized approach to the runway....this is where all good landings begin."
Larry was doing great. We took off nicely, he maintained Vy(best rate of climb) until 1200 feet. He pushed the nose over and leveled off, accelerated to 100 knots then brought the power back to 2000 rpm. he flew a nice pattern but it still left something to be desired in the flare.
Larry and I flew about 10 patterns and he had 2 decent safe landings...the rest were either assisted by yours truly or were complete scheauwwws. anyways, for his first real pattern work i was happy at the overall effort. his patterns were square, his descents stabilized and procedures were good. I am sure the flare will come in due time. hes flying with a different instructor this weekend as I will be out of town, so hopefully that will help him.
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