Cloud Skimming
A cancellation opened up a slot with my instructor first thing this morning, which I jumped at to make up for the lost lesson this week. Normally I try not to book the first lesson of the day; you have the disadvantage of not being able to phone in advance to check the weather, and also the general fact that the weather might not be as good first thing as later.
This held true today! I set off early to try and counter the expected bank-holiday traffic, and made it to the airfield with plenty of time before the start of the lesson. John was pinning up the NOTAMs and forecast for the day “Ah, you know what you can do!” he said on seeing me. I knew what was coming, “Check the plane?”
A new plane today, G-WAVI; took my time over the checks, since these really were the first of the day and I wanted to be sure. These are becoming more natural now, and I remembered to remove the (very obvious) guards over the pitot tubes and static sources as well as took some time checking for water in the fuel. John came out to hand me a chamois leather, cloth and bottle of Windowlene to clean the windows and I also took the opportunity to rub the bugs off the leading edge of the wing.
A quick briefing for the lesson plan, which we’d already done the introduction for last week; climbing and descending. Main thing to remember is that pitch controls airspeed, and power controls rate of ascent or descent - and not the other way round as common sense might suggest.
Handled the initial radio traffic myself today and taxied out to the holding point; first time on runway three-six, normally we come back down the other way, and this meant some noise-abatement procedures to be obeyed. Followed through on the take-off again, and round the circuit until we departed heading south.
Unfortunately while I’d been doing the checks, and while being briefed, the clear blue skies vanished and a low bank of murky cloud had blown over. The base of this was just above 2,000ft so there was still some room to do the lesson, but the horizon wasn’t clear or distinct anymore.
Several exercises for the lesson today, entering a climb, maintaining it, adding and removing flap, then leveling off. And the same in reverse for descending. For some reason today, I kept flipping the flap switch the wrong way; when asked to add the second stage of flap while climbing, I removed the first stage instead. Decided to do the sequence again, and got it right the second time.
Then again when descending, added the first stage just fine; but when asked to add the second stage, I took the first stage off again! And to compound the error, I was so busy adjusting the plane for the expected effect of adding the flap, I forgot to check out of the window (and the indicator instrument) to see what I’d done to the flaps; so was pointing at the ground and descending fairly fast before I realised my error. Quickly corrected; and another mental note for not just flipping switches and actually double-check what I’d changed.
Little mistakes aside, I found much of the lesson much easier this time. The handling of the plane is becoming more natural by feel, and am able to hold the attitude and airspeed I want. The occasionally obscured horizon added an extra interesting element, but it’s something I’ll encounter after training so I was glad to have experience of it.
We had a little time and we were a little far out, so a little introduction to turning followed on the way back. First though, an evil navigation question “So, which way is Stratford then?” a quick glance out of the window at our location, and at the compass, I pointed and was only a handful of degrees off. Not bad! I turned towards it and kept control as we performed an overhead join, and then entered the circuit.
First sign of traffic for the day as there were a number of planes in the circuit. Some spare brain power has clearly been made available, since I was able to listen to the radio and identify where aircraft would be based on the R/T traffic whilst still maintaining control and performing lookouts.
John took control into the landing and gave it back for the taxi off the runway, and for the after landing checks. Followed through the list, and forgot to stop at the end and started the closing down checks! Must be because I’m used to doing the pre-take off checks immediately following the into-wind engine checks.
“If I were evil,” John said, “I’d let you finish those and then say ‘Get yourself out of that one!’” Much laughter over the idea of walking back to the school leaving the plane parked on the hold, as I taxied back to the school. Picked a parking spot and brought the plane to a halt, and then did the close-down checks and switched the engine off.
A good lesson today! Next week will be turning, which I’ve already done quite a bit of anyway; and maybe an introduction to slow flight.
Spent the rest of the morning at the airfield; first grabbing a second breakfast at the Cafe and then hanging out at the club and chatting to a few other members, before heading over to the market that takes over Runway 05/23 every Saturday to see what it was like.
P/UT Hours Today 0:50, Total 4:25
