Saturday, November 30, 2013

Smoothing the Edges


Today was to be a quick flight with two goals: a checkout with the instructor, good for renting solo for the next 30 days, and a bit of local solo flying to keep the skills sharp.

Whether you fly often or sporadically, keeping skills up and making good use of the available time means flying with some purpose.  But, like almost every other plan, mine was virtually moot by the time I arrived at the field.

Though I had anticipated a quick flight as before, this time was more like a lesson or even a basic flight review.  First, the school now has a policy of filling out a written weight and balance sheet as well as a risk assessment for every solo flight.  Personally, I think this is a good idea, and don't mind the extra time.  It's good practice anyway.  Pilots who own and fly their own planes often forgo these steps, citing familiarity with the airplane, the load, the airport, and any number of other things that can yield complacency just when you might need critical thinking.

https://www.flightliteracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/2-6.jpg
Example VFR Pilot Risk Assessment
Diamond DA20 Weight and Balance Worksheet
Having checked the weather and planned on a nice, smooth day, I figured on flying with the instructor for maybe a half-hour and then doing another hour or so on my own.  Instead, we did a mini-checkride with some stalls and general flying practice.  After the paperwork was done, I preflighted the plane and we were off.

Not only do skills atrophy with time, but the flying environment can change significantly as well.  Several years ago, the airport installed radar that allowed better ATC services from the tower and handoffs for IFR traffic.  Gradually, the Class E airspace around the field has also changed to accommodate this activity.  More recently however, an approach/departure controller position has also been added.  This affects local training flights by using this frequency for traffic advisories rather than a common air-to-air channel.  Regardless of the details, it's a good reminder of why biennial checkrides are required.  Regulations and airspace can and do change and it's the pilot's responsibility to stay informed.

Once we were in the air, the instructor wanted to see how my stalls held up.  The first, a power-off, went very well.  Knowing that the Diamond is difficult to actually stall (it just sort of mushes rather than suddenly dropping the nose) I kept the nose high and got it to "break" - impressing the instructor that I was able to do so.  Like so many other things, it's as much a reflection of my original instructor (who no longer teaches) as any personal skill.

Then a power-on stall.  

These can be quite difficult to obtain the right result.  It's a simple enough concept: mimic a too-steep takeoff at full power and partial flaps.  Problem is, the Diamond really wants to fly.  Give it nose up at full power and you are recreating Maverick's trick in "Top Gun" - "I'll hit the brakes and he'll fly right by."  


After we settled down, the instructor went through it to demonstrate how slowly you have to raise the nose so as not to rocket up at 45 degrees.  Then it was easy, and just needed to focus on the rudder work.  Contrary to my primary instructor, who made sure I knew how to keep my feet active on the rudder, this instructor kept movements to a minimum.
Nevertheless, when all was said and done, the instructor was happy that I could keep the plane going where we needed it to go and could handle the ATC radio calls.  So it was back in for touch and goes.
Interestingly, it was a single question from the instructor that helped me achieve the best approaches I've had in a long time.  A typical approach starts parallel to the runway, off to one side.  Then, the descent and turns are done at certain points, with a rule-of-thumb of 80-70-60 knots on the initial, base, and final legs.  I had somehow forgotten this little nugget of wisdom, and his simple question of "what speed are you looking for" got me back on track.

This, combined with his tip to not deploy landing flaps until within gliding distance of the runway threshold led to some of the best overall patterns and approaches ever.  If you can time the flare properly, a good approach will almost always lead to a nice landing - and that's just what we had.  He was again duly impressed, as before, and decided that I was good to go for an hour on my own.

Since we did so much during the "checkride" I just took it easy and had a nice cruise around the valley before heading in for a few more landings just for good measure.  This solo work - rather than focusing on any particular flying skills - was more just a reminder that despite all the hard work, flying is fun.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Another Solo

With my commercial flying taking me through Bozeman again, yesterday I had the chance to to some more flying.  The weather was looking good, and I thought I might be able to fly over to the home base, pick up the kids and take them for some sightseeing flying before heading back.

Unfortunately, they got a taste of what it means to be a VFR private pilot, as a line of thunderstorms popped up just as I arrived to KBZN, and though they weren't moving quickly, they threatened to cut off my return trip in a few hours.




With only a couple of hours before the rain came in and without much in the way of a flight plan for the local area, I stuck to doing some pattern work, touch and go's, and even some ground reference just to keep things interesting.  Indeed, it's been over four years since I last flew truly solo in any plane, with not even a passenger to keep me company, and just over five years since I did so in the Diamond.  Since I wasn't asked to do any S-turns on my checkride, it's been over five years since I last performed that maneuver as well.

After the first trip around the pattern, which required a go-around due to a fast approach and a bad updraft from the winds, the rest of my approaches were decent.  With such a light load without a co-pilot, I had to keep the power way back all the way from downwind to final, and a few soaring hawks near the field showed just how much the winds were trying to keep me in the air.  I don't know how significant it was that I was the only plane in the pattern on this otherwise fine Friday.

Despite the time since my last S-turn, I was able to pull off a few good ones.  It also seemed that I have probably absorbed a lot of subconscious adjustment, since I remember having to think through each part of the turn, considering the wind and bank angle.  This time, it seemed that the turns just worked out even though I didn't have to put in much effort.  Granted, these aren't overly difficult maneuvers, but my mental load seems much reduced now.

Then, before heading back in to avoid the rain, I tried a steep turn just for the heck of it.  It's the closest I'll get to aerobatics in this plane, and remains a good check of multi-tasking ability.  It's a challenge to maintain altitude in the Diamond, but this one worked out very well, especially considering the turbulence.  Then, just as I was feeling pretty good about everything, the tower controller gave me an odd routing that required a long deviation to enter a right downwind.  I thought maybe he didn't know exactly where I was (even though he has a radar scope) and said "It will be more of a right base from where I am."  "Negative," he responded.  "Set up for a right downwind."

"So, I should maneuver to the east and come back around?"  "Affirmative."

He sounded annoyed that I was questioning his direction, but it was good that I was able to clarify rather than wander around the sky, especially since the reason for the direction was to avoid other traffic.  Then, since I was in an odd location in a different direction than normal, I lost track of the field and had to make an extra turn, but I finally got it all sorted out and lined up behind the commuter airline I was to follow for landing. 

Since the storms were still holding off, I went for another touch and go, but then the surface winds started to become a crosswind and hold the windsock out.  One more would do it.  A nice crosswind landing capped off this little review, and the rain started to fall just as I shut down the engine.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Oshkosh! (Part Deux)

I don't know how often I will be able to make a trip to Oshkosh.  I don't know how people manage to go every year, especially those who fly in from across the country.  It's not just a week of vacation, it's all the planning, planning, and more planning that goes into the trip...plus the risk of bad weather.  I also don't know whether or when another family member will be able to make the journey with me, as my son was able to do this time around.

My first trip in 2011 was quite the eye-opener.  As a non-homebuilder, there's a vast airport full of things I simply can't get to, not that they aren't interesting.  For example, I didn't spend much time in the workshops or forums on vintage aircraft - even as a pilot there's only so much you can do.  So I was a bit cautious of how many days a non-pilot would be able to stand. 

But a 10 year old knows no such limitations.  Everything was interesting...well, almost.  Forums were out.  He sat through one that I wanted to attend and that was it.  We were there a total of four days, and his favorite parts by far were the daily (and one night) airshows, Jetman, the warbird reenactment of Pearl Harbor, and of course, the premier of Disney's Planes.

Unlike some past years, the weather was perfect for the entire time we were there, with only one blustery afternoon that eventually turned still and clear for the night airshow.  I always enjoy watching the aerobatics and didn't even miss the military jets that didn't make it this year due to the federal budget cuts.  Last time, I got to hear Chuck Yeager and Burt Rutan speak.  But this time, though he didn't do a presentation, I got to shake hands and get Bob Hoover's autograph.  That's a highlight for any pilot.



Sunday, July 21, 2013

Totals This Page

Every pilot starts training with a log book.  It's required to keep track of lessons, hours flown, whether with an instructor or solo, instrument flying, and so forth.  The private certificate requires various numbers of hours in different categories, but once you become a pilot, you don't actually need to log every flight - just certain future endorsements, flight reviews every two years, and a few other bookkeeping necessities.  Unless aiming for an instrument rating or more advanced certificate, your flying is your own business, much as taking a boat out on the lake.

https://i1.wp.com/krispierson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/11945_3.jpg?ssl=1
But many pilots do continue the habit of logging every flight - the type of aircraft, location, numbers of takeoffs and landings, hours, and any notable remarks.  Some do it just in case they want to advance further - then the hours are already counted and you don't have to start over.  Some do it more as a diary of progress and lessons learned.  I'm a little bit of both, and Page 6 of my logbook is now complete - revealing some interesting statistics.

It was capped off yesterday with a nice cross-country flight over Yellowstone National Park with my son.  With some time available and the weather looking much better than last time, I had my eye on doing some flying anyway.  But I also wanted to get out of the local area.  Since I was familiar with Helena, even though I hadn't flown there in a while (six years ago?!?), that was looking like a good option.  Even so, my eyes wandered south as well.  I've wanted to fly over Yellowstone for a while, but weather is a constant concern, as is flying around the mountains.  The peaks in the area rise to over 11,000 feet, and wind and sun conspire to make many flights here quite the roller-coasters.

But the forecast looked good.  Winds were predicted to stay calm, it was to be a warm day but we could get out in the morning, and it was completely clear.  I double-checked at the FBO when we picked up the plane, and they said "Go for it.  It's a good day for sure."  So the only real concern at that point was monitoring fuel.  This was going to be my longest flight since 2009's trip in a 172, but my DA-20 cross country flights go back almost exactly five years ago.  With so little flying in the interim, they really do seem like just yesterday.

Fuel burn was a non-issue.  At the high altitudes and medium power settings, the Diamond burns 5-6 gallons per hour.  And the flight itself - though proving to be a bit long for my younger passenger - was fairly smooth considering the terrain we were traversing.  I left it up to him for the most part.  We started with two touch-and-goes before heading over the hills, then skirted the highest terrain and crossed over West Yellowstone.  We could see the Geyser Basin well before reaching it, and even on this warm summer day could see steam rising from all over.  I knew from aerial photos that Grand Prismatic Spring might be a good landmark - and it definitely was!  I had no idea we would be able to spot it from over five miles away.

Yellowstone's Geyser Basin
The only other minor consideration for this flight was the restriction for flight above a National Park.

Inside the highlighted area, pilots are requested to remain at least 2,000 feet above the ground.  Flying over 8,000-foot terrain just north of Old Faithful, our altitude of 10,800 gave us a nice buffer, while still getting a good view of the geysers.

Overall, this was a very relaxing and worthwhile trip.  I got a few more landings in, we got to see Yellowstone from the air, I reinforced by abilities on cross-country trips, and my son and I got to spend a quality day together.  A good end to a very interesting page of the logbook.

---
My log book has 13 entries per page.  The first three pages + two more lines (totaling 41 flights) covers seven months and arrives at my private pilot checkride.  Unsurprisingly, these are all done in one of three planes, all of the same make and model, and all within the "local" area.

In contrast, Page 6 alone spans three years, seven months, but with the following statistics:
Different aircraft flown:  11
Unique make/model flown:  4 (Diamond, Piper, Tecnam, Cessna)
Countries flown in:  3 (U.S., Canada, Australia)
Continents:  2
Biennial Flight Reviews done:  2
Number of different instructors flown with:  11
Number of solo flights (no instructor or passenger):  0

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Squeaky Wheels

Many pilots refer to the ability to fly as being a balance between having enough time and money, usually with not enough of either.  Rarely enough of both.  In my case, it's more of a multivariable calculus problem that must account for odd project schedules, quickly changing Montana weather, oh, and of course, the local airport being under construction.

Since I had to fly home from work on a Friday and couldn't get into Billings, it meant I had a reason to be in Bozeman, which meant I had a 'reason' to go fly the Diamond again.  The fact that the family would be driving over for a trip to Yellowstone National Park didn't hurt either.  So I started watching the weather on Tuesday, and not seeing anything more significant than the typical afternoon thunderstorm forecast (you may as well forecast the sun to rise in Montana) I scheduled a plane for that Friday.

Then it all started to unravel.

First was the email from the flight school saying that I couldn't rent the plane solo without a Mountain Flying course.  This was only partially surprising.  Though I knew the school had been upping their safety policies, I didn't recall that particular point when I did my BFR two months ago.  Nonetheless, I didn't really worry too much about it, and wouldn't mind just scheduling some dual time instead, so I responded with a request to add an instructor to my appointment.

That's where things stood all the way up into Friday.  I flew out of Canada and kept an eye on the weather.  There was a bit of turbulence on the Airbus into Bozeman and the clouds were starting to build, but it still looked flyable.  Until I got on the ground and checked my phone - no instructors were available today.  I called back and since I was literally just a five-minute walk from the flight school, I would stop in anyway and see what we could work out.

Good news: my original flight training exempted me from the mountain flying requirement, since I'm familiarized with the area and the aircraft.  Bad news: I still can't solo since the school requires a dual flight every 30 days.  Worse news: the weather is going downhill fast.

We finally agree on a strategy.  If the weather breaks, a single pattern with an instructor will suffice given my history at the school.  At least, it will reset the 30-day clock and I can come back another time.  So we ponder the clouds, feel the wind, and squint at the radar picture online.  Finally, we decide to give it a go.  Out to the ramp and a quick preflight underway, then we smell the rain...and the wind picks up.  It's not a thunderstorm, but it's enough for a small plane to have a rough time of it.  "I don't know," says the instructor.  That's enough for me.  If the instructor has second thoughts, I don't want any part of it.  Back inside we go, and a good choice it was.  Eventually, the winds reached 45 knots across the runway.  No thanks.  I'll wait it out.

And I wasn't the only one.  A few other pilots and instructors were playing the same game, hoping for checkrides that depended on lighter winds and no heavy clouds.  After almost two hours, things started to look up.  The small, isolated showers had moved north and the winds weren't threatening to take the windsocks with them any longer.  "Quick!  Let's go!"

The instructor and I did a two-man preflight, each on one half of the plane. On the ground frequency, I requested a takoff "with one circuit and a full-stop."  "Circuit," says the instructor.  "Haven't heard that for a while."  "I flew in Australia and Canada..."  As before, my radio calls got the attention of the instructor.  "What a relief to hear someone who can talk on the radio."  Then off we went.

A little wobbly in the wind, but nothing like I would have expected given the gusts just an hour before.  Kept the correction into the crosswind all the way around, and though it was a quick circuit, er...pattern, it was good to get it done.  My last flight rebuilt some of the confidence I had lost down in Australia, and this one ended in the best way possible: the softest, barely perceptible landing.  The instructor commented back in the office, "Textbook doesn't quite capture how good that landing was."  Well, I'll take it.  I know better that my flying still has rusty spots, but it's nice to have a good day work out as well as this one did. 

I may have another chance to fly in the next couple of weeks, but even if not - next stop: Oshkosh!

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Unbelievable BFR

This week started out simply enough.  I'll be traveling again soon, and I had been busy getting all set for another venture up in Canada.  I had toyed with the idea of getting some flying in, but didn't think I'd have the time or good weather for it.  Once again, my understanding wife supports me and says, "You should go flying." 

Say no more.

The complicating factor is that I'm not current - I need to do a biennial flight review (BFR) to be legal to fly as PIC.  Granted, this doesn't keep me from flying with any old instructor, but it was a good opportunity to get it out of the way.  As before, I wanted to return to my original flight school and the Diamond DA-20, and I'm very glad I did.  Embarrassingly, I had only 8 hours of flying time to show for my last two years, and I somewhat inauspiciously now have two BFRs on the same logbook page.  So it goes...

I called the day before to get it scheduled, and drove over through a few rain showers to get to the airport under a very light overcast and calm winds.  It would  be a nice day as long as we could get the flying in before the afternoon's forecast thunderstorms rolled in.

We spent an hour going over the ground review, covering the airplane, pilot, and flying environment.  This means the things that make an airplane legal for flight - airworthiness, inspections, repairs, required systems, and inoperative equipment - along with the pilot's certification and fitness.  The "environment" is pretty much everything else - airspace review, flight planning, chart interpretation, weather, traffic patterns, ATC, and briefing resources.  The instructor had never heard of my favorite: http://maps.avnwx.com.  So we both learned some new stuff.

I preflighted the plane while we waited for fuel.  I was back in the routine and could do almost the whole thing without the checklist - using it as a post check rather than a to-do list - just the way it's meant to be.  The flight school also had a few new procedures to review - they now require a SPOT GPS receiver in their planes, along with new callsigns for the local airport.  And they now chock and gust lock the planes when parked - for some reason we never bothered before.

Now came the best part - flying!  Everything came back (if it was ever gone) once I was settled in the cockpit.  It's as much a testament to my original instructor as anything else, but I was glad that I didn't fumble too much.   We started with a few touch and gos, then hopped over to the practice area.  I was on the radio and quicker on the calls than I think the instructor was guessing I would have been given the length of time since my last flights.  Even better, after the steep turns and stalls, he couldn't believe I hadn't been flying or studying for the past several months.  That's a great confidence booster, even if I still plan on flying with an instructor for the next few hours - especially if I'm in a different airplane again.

Of course, everyone's mileage may vary, but for me it has been very helpful to keep my head in the flying game even if I'm not actually sitting in the cockpit.  Even flying commercial airlines allows me to think about what's going on up in front, and watch the airport environment as we taxi in and out of the terminal.  I can plan flights I'll never take, check weather briefings every once in a while, and keep up with current events through AOPA and EAA.  Contrary to expectations, I don't spend much time with Microsoft Flight Simulator.  I toy around with it from time to time, but don't use it for any particular training purposes.  I'm worried it might teach me bad habits - and anyway, there's no physical sensation attached to it, so it doesn't help with coordinating turns or looking outside the plane at other real traffic.