Flying Lessons

Tail Lesson 6

July 28, 2004. Slow flight, MCA stall/spin awareness, landings

We start with some slow flight and stall/spin practice then return to Boeing where we make multiple laps for me to practice landings. They are getting a little better. I'm encouraged.

Tail Lesson 7

July 30, 2004. slow flight, stall/spin, mca, lazy 8s, landing

We head east to practice slow flight. I play with the "Moose" stall in several different ways. George asks if there is anything else I want to do. I notice the river and suggest some river work. I fly at 700 ft, 75 mph, leaving a good buffer for safety. When I say I'm done George suggests dropping to 600 ft and a little slower for a couple more tight turns.

Next George shows me Lazy 8s. This is a series of turns where each turn is done by gaining altitude and until the plane is slow then making a steep 180 deg turn. Descend and pick up speed then up and a turn in the other direction. I immediately recognize that this is how to turn around in a narrow valley or canyon. In the Maule this is pretty easy. As it slows to 80 use some rudder to initiate a turn. It kind of falls over on it's tail. Level it out and be sure to pull out at given entry altitude. That last part is important if this turn is ever going to be used in a canyon. I want to be sure that I can make this turn and come out no lower than when I started.

Landings go better. However, back at parking George says two things that startle me.

First, I ask how much longer until I'm qualified to fly myself. He says he would sign me off now. I don't feel nearly qualified so I'm startled that he would sign me off.

Second, occasionally he has to save me with quick use of the breaks. I ask about this and he says that I should not be thinking about breaks - when thing go bad I should it the power and get out of there. Even when the airplane is on the ground. I would never think to do this. Adding power seems like throwing gasoline on a fire. A move to guarantee that things will go to hell in a hand basket right quick. But George says that the power will give the rudder more authority, may let me rescue the landing or initiate a go-around. I've got to figure out how to learn this.

Practice Flight

August 2, 2004. Cessna 172, landings, stalls, moose stall, lazy 8, Ranger Creek.

When I show up at the airport my airplane, the old 150C in which I did my check ride, is not there. Deane shows up and tells me it was wrecked over the weekend. (I later learn in eastern Washington and everyone walked away.) So I take the 172.

I've had trouble landing the 172 because of how much it floats. It just wants to keep flying. Moving from the Maule to the 172 and back is throwing off my sense of what glide slope I can achieve. In the 172 I will think I'm low only to find that even with full flaps I'm half way down the runway and still 50 ft up.

I do some "Moose Stalls". This is where I get into a slow, steep left turn. As I slow I use right aileron to lift the inner wing. At slow speeds this will cause more drag on that wing, requiring more aileron, and eventually lead to a cross controlled stall and then spin. I practice this in the Maule and recovery by neutralizing the ailerons and using high wing rudder to roll out. I find that in the 172 I don't get such dramatic drag on the inside wing. The aileron is generally able to bring the plane level. Possibly if I did this maneuver even slower I would get a stall. But I don't.

Then I do some lazy 8s. I find that the 172 does not turn as sweetly and wants to come out of the turn in a much more nose down attitude. This requires more up elevator.

Next I fly up to Ranger Creek, thinking I would try landing on it. I find the valley to be narrow with a strong up valley wind. I make left traffic and a low pass over runway 33 (landing down valley). Not sure about this at all. Next I cross over the airport and make a right base (more room for the turn). As I'm turning I can feel the wind pushing me up valley. I figure that I'm in good position to make it down to the runway, even in the 172. On final I'm carry a little extra speed - I'm not comfortable flying too slow in this wind so close to the trees. At the runway I find that I'm high. I continue with a low pass. As I near the tree tops I get strong turbulence. I think that training to use the high wing rudder to level the airplane may have saved me in one instance. Quickly I decide this is not a good place to by flying, apply full power, and get out of there.

I learned that I still have a lot to learn. I schedule a lesson with Deane in the 172 for him to show me how to land at Ranger Creek and land the 172 in general.

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