My instructor was away last week, so it’s been two weeks since my last lesson. Sod’s law would suggest that the weather would be terrible, but someone must like me because instead it was one of the nicest days in quite a while!
The only real thing of concern was a bit of an inversion, giving a fairly thick ground haze. The student up before me hadn’t flown in the end because he needed a strong horizon for the exercises he’d been doing (just as I did not so long ago) and had instead practiced taxying around the airfield.
John thought it’d be more than fine for me though, especially since I’d managed worse conditions including the gusting last time! The complete lack of any cloud base meant that the gsson today would be more stalling, getting the opportunity in as there’s a couple of hours of these today.
No drama with the checks or take-off today, I’ve got pretty used to handling these by myself now. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that I nailed the take-off and had spare brain power to remember to deal with the flaps and fuel pump at the right times and watch the engine gauges and make occasional clearing weaves during the climb.
Headed down the Fosse Way to Shipston again, I’ve a hunch that there’s a club rule that newbies got to the west and students in the later exercises go to the south, since we now seem to spend most of our time down here. Easily climbed all the way to 3,500ft with a bit of practice of climbing turns.
Once there, HASELL and a couple of revisions of a clean stall; no drama here, if anything it was easier than last time since we weren’t trying to keep in a cloud hole. In Victor Alpha today which handles a little differently than Victor November, seems to like to dance to the side during a stall; so a bit of extra need to keep it in balance.
John next demonstrated an approach stall with full flaps, and I repeated it with little difficulty, though again forgot to remove the carb heat. Made a mental note that the throttle and carb heat always go together, and didn’t forget it again.
A base leg stall in a turn was up next, a couple to the left since I didn’t get the first one quite right, and then one to the right to mix things up a bit. Much better that time.
Practised a couple of mid-air go-arounds, since the procedure is much the same as cleaning up flap from a base leg stall; and then it was time to head home. A little bit of excitement as a John spotted a PA-28 and pulled us up and out of the way quickly, not that close but they clearly didn’t see us.
Handled the overhead join, descent and turn onto final, following John through for the last part of the landing, then back to the school.
Next lesson: circuits!
P/UT Hours Today 0:45, Total 9:00
