The Transition - Part 2

So, the idea was to practice pattern work at an uncontrolled field. This is basically the same flying as at any other field, but the radio work is a little different. The concept is that you report where you are and what you are doing at each stage of the pattern. At a controlled field (one with a controller managing traffic), the controller is monitoring positions of aircraft and doesn't necessarily need you to report except at specific locations, depending on the field.

But the old adage "aviate, navigate, communicate" held sway today. I was so busy dealing with my inherently bad approaches and unfamiliar field, that my radio work took a back seat. That's why the instructor is there, of course, and he picked up the slack when I got overworked. And I say "bad" approaches, but they really weren't. I just had too much altitude and too much speed and all my tracks were quite a bit different. I didn't have my familiar landmarks and references, the runway was much shorter and narrower (by about half in each direction), and maybe I was just having a bad day. In retrospect, I think the fact that it was an afternoon flight has something to do with it. I am definitely not a "morning person", but once I'm up, I do my best thinking before lunch. Of course, the air is less bouncy, but that really wasn't the problem today.

When all was said and done, what were supposed to be a series of landings, touch-and-gos, and low approaches turned into a couple of long touch-and-gos, some fast low pass flybys, a couple of go-arounds, and just plain crooked approaches. And just as I had made up my mind that my last approach would be a good one, my speed just wasn't coming down.

I couldn't put my finger on what was happening, but the plane just wouldn't drop altitude or speed, and the runway just starting slipping away underneath us. I even said, "I don't know what my problem is here."...to which T.I. replies, "I do...I pulled your flaps circuit breaker when you were turning toward the runway." Ah-ha! So, when I was thinking I was putting out flaps to slow down and descend, the plane was happily skimming along in cruise configuration... I had a tickling in my brain that something just wasn't coming together, but I just couldn't put it all together. The key in this situation is to expect the slow-down when flaps are put out, and to suspect a problem if it doesn't happen.

So, I called this post "The Transition". The reason is because more and more, T.I. is expecting me to take subtler cues about what to do at certain times, without direct instructions. This is a hard thing to get over, and it's a disconcerting feeling to watch a situation deteriorate while the instructor is calmly watching you sweat and try to decipher what is going wrong. Without a doubt, it is a necessary evil, but also hopefully it is building habits I'll never need to call on.