Final Post!!

I used this blog to chronicle my experiences leading up to the CFI.

I earned that certificate yesterday and so "trainingforCFI" doesn't make much sense to post to anymore.

I'll leave this up for any aspiring CFI candidates who want to peruse and see what I went through in preparing. I also like to read back and be reminded of lessons learned, good flights, etc.

So the blog will be changed to www.flightmusings.blogger.com

CFI Checkride, Part 2 (10 APR 08)

The weather looked marginal today and tomorrow, but when I called the FAA Inspector at 9 he said, "Let's go" so I raced to VVS, preflighted the A36, flew up to FWQ, and was on the ramp by 10.

He was waiting for me, so he probably saw the short field landing and short roll out despite the 70 degree 12 knot x-wind.

Good.

After some preliminaries -- 8710, logbooks, etc, he hopped in the left seat. I said, "I'm going to treat you like a low time pilot moving up to a Bonanza -- you tell me when to stop."

I then went over the entire panel, safety and egress, gear, and various systems. He hadn't flown and A36 so he wasn't pretending -- he really wanted to know the stuff.

Then we did startup and taxied to the end of 26. I went through the entire runup procedure, explaing each step (and why in some cases). We were ready to go and he said, "Are we ready to go?" I did a second check and said, "Yes."

He said, "No we're not.. check again."

Finally I saw the vent window was open. is aid "The vent window is open, but as long as you keep the airspeed under 125 KIAS that's fine..." and then I pointed out the little placard under the vent.

He said OK, closed it, said "You need to check things like that with yoru students" and then he kept control of the a/c and took off, with me talking him through the procedure.

We climbed to 3500 and headed south into the open airspace well clear of the Class B and any other airports. He had me demonstrate 720 power turns, a Lazy 8, and Approach to landing stall and slow flight. I did all the required clearing turns, etc and talked him through the steep turns.

He had me close my eyes and then after a while I heard the gear horn -- I said, "That's the gear horn -- since you're low power with gear up."

I kept my eyes closed for a few more gyrations and then he said, "OK"

Nose down, airspeed increasing, banked -- level the wings, pull out from the bank.

"Good -- now get us headed to Morgantown."

I showed him the river and the powerplants and said, "head that way" as I punched MGW direct into the 430.

We headed towards MGW and he took the landing there. I talked him through it, and he landed somewhat flat, but passable.

We taxied over to the ramp, I picked up the CAP a/c book, and we walked over to that hangar. I looked the a/c over and it was in good condition. he found two missing screws but those had been noted in the log (missing inserts deferred to next 100 hour).

I talked him through startup and then he taxied. Winds were 220 at 12-16, at the tower offered us 23, but he said, "Let's use 18."

I talked him through runup and then he had me demonstrate a normal t/o and landing. I leveled off at pattern altitude and then set up for 80 KIAS, 1500 RPM, 10 degrees flaps, 500' FPM descent, turned base, then final, slowed to 70 and we got jostled quite a bit (MGW is on a hill and after you fly there a while you learn to anticipate the wind shear).

I did a passable landing wing low, no side load, on the centerline. He had me taxi back to 18 for the next t/o. He took this one and I talked him through it. We had a little side skip on t/o (not enough x-wind correction -- and I said so -- and lifted off a bit early -- hold it on with a x-wind).

He took the landing and on short final aid, "I can see why you were having trouble holding airspeed -- some shear going on here."

A decent wing low landing and then taxi back.

I demonstrated soft and then short fld t/o and landings -- all were good considering the varying winds and gusts and rain and t-storm just southeast of the field.

He said, "That's good -- lets get back in the good airplane.."

We put the 172 away and then i checked to see if we needed to file to get back. It was MVFR but still legal VFR all around so I said we didn't need to. He took off and flew back and even landed as i coached him through the different phases.

Another flat landing at FWQ and then shutdown. HE took my 8710 and test reports, filled out the temp certificate, and now I'm a CFI!

He said I was very well prepared and that I would be a good instructor, and to call him when I was ready for the double I.

Whew! It's good to have that done!!!

April 7 & 8 in CAP C172N

Yesterday I was Safety Pilot as Ryan flew 3 approaches to stay current. I need to do the same but want to concentrate on the CFI right seat maneuvers.

Winds were 21 from 120, but seemed to be from 090 as we landed on 18. I had a hard time keeping it all straight and had two ugly x-wind landings in the C172.

So i decided to do some solo practice this morning and get my C172 wings back -- it's been a while and I needed to work out the kinks alone.

I flew 1.4 in the pattern and logged 12 T/O & Landings. There was some time spent extending downwinds and doing 360s to fit into the flew of transient and low approach traffic, so the total count was lower than it could have been for that much hobbs time.

The first 4 landings were downright awful. On the fifth downwind I realized why -- I was coming in way too fast. 65-70 is the recommended normal approach speed, but anything over 65 solo in this bird with full flaps is simply too fast.

So on the fifth landing I nailed the approach to 65 on final and it worked out much better. I did several more and never let it creep above 65. I did a short field at 60 and was stopped by the Bravo taxiway -- 2400', but I didn't touch down until my aim point 1000' feet down the runway.

1.3 Vso in the C172N is 40, so I should have been using 55 as my short field approach number. I'll use that Thursday (assuming we fly then). The landings are far less work at these slower speeds.

Now I feel prepared in both airplanes. It's a bit of a trick to be at peak form in two very different airplanes on the same day, but too late to worry about that now.

Airplane Fixed (4 April 08)

Kevin added the missing static wick today.

Apparently 2 per wing (one on each aileron, one on each flap) were original equipment according to the A36 IPB. There was no other mention of sttaic wicks in the Shop manual, POH, etc.

He also inspected and logged that the dent was considered negligible damage that meant the aiplane was airworthy.

I'll look over the CAP airplane Sunday and then fly the pattern right seat for an hour.

I'm hoping we can simply fly Thursday and not got bogged down in minutia.

CFI Checkride, Part 1

My CFI checkride was scheduled for 10 AM on April 3rd at FWQ. I arrived at VVS to find the winds from 150 at 22 G 37.

Great....

I decided to launch at 9. The winds died down a bit (G32 now), but were variable between 150-170. The wind sock seemed to favor 170, and after thinking it over I realized if I took off on 14 I would be climbing into all the turbulence off the mountains, and the sink rate might exceed my climb rate.

So I opted to accept the 60 degree crosswind and take off from 23 and turn west as soon as possible.

The takeoff run was exciting -- I lined up on the left side to account for any drift. The airplane wanted to weathervane left into the wind but I worked hard at maintaining a track parallel to centerline. I reached 70 KIAS, held it on a bit longer, and popped up into the climb. The stall horn beeped at me a few times as I reached Vy (96 KIAS).

The crab angle to maintain runway centerline was about 30 degrees. I pitched and trimmed for 100 KIAS and left the gear down for stability. The airplane was caught several times by some sharp gusts and tried to roll but I was prepared and caught it and prevented the roll without over-correcting.

About 1200' AGL I raised the gear and began a slow turn westward at about 10 degree bank. If I banked more than that the winds rolling off the ridge were threatening to roll me right over, so I kept it gentle as I came around.

The turbulence on climb out would have to rated moderate to severe.

Once I was at 3500' MSL I leveled off and maintained straight and level. The turbulence was far less violent and the airplane was flying normally.

I listened to the FWQ AWOS and winds there were 150 @ 8 -- quite a difference!

I settled in behind a Cessna doing pattern work and landed on runway 8. I lowered the upwind wing and settled down nicely on the right main before the left.

I unloaded the plane after parking in front of the Airport building. I had lots to carry -- binders, books, and airplane logs.

Larry met me and helped unload. We waited past 10 and then I got a call saying he was running 15 minutes late.

We started at 1030 and after paperwork (8710, ID, etc) reviewed endorsements. they were fine despite a few questions (had to change all the dates entered as "10 JAN 2008" to "JAN 10 2008" even though the PDF the FAA provides prefers the former). We reviewed the FAA rules about right side brakes but he said we still needed an airplane with dual brakes.

(The A36 only has brake son the pilot's side. All otehr controls are available. The FAA has a guide for practical tests and on the second page they list the FAA interpretation of the rules and conclude that the examiner can hold the brakes or the examinee can simply switch seats for that portion of the test.)

I thought it was a bit unfair to say that this guidance could be ignored. He argued that working the brakes made him PIC. I held my tongue but that's nonsense as the PTS says specifically that the *applicant* is PIC.

I told him I preferred to use the CAP airplane at MGW since the 172E at FWQ seemed to be having generator output problems. He seemed OK with that.

He went over the A36 books and spent time on the phone with the FSDO about ADs, but ended up with nothing -- the A36 books are impeccable.

The he started the oral -- he had the standard FOI questions, then rolled into basic aerodynamics -- lift, how an airplane turns, primary controls, etc. Then onto navigation and I demonstrated solving a time-distance problem using the both electronic and manual E6Bs.

We discussed constant speeds props for a while.

Then he asked me to explain how and airplane turns. I discussed banking, adverse yaw, HCL and VCL, and the rest. He suggested I draw the vectors differently, but otherwise that was fine.

We spent a little time on systems, but he said he didn't know much about the Bonanza.

Around 1220 he said "You're apparently very well prepared so you passed the oral portion with flying colors.."

I was happy to hear that and we decided to fly right away rather than break for lunch before the weather deteriorated.

I checked wx and winds were 150 @ 15g22 at AGC. Oh well, would be a good day to find out if I know how to fly!

I started the preflight and prepared to describe everything but he seemed in a hurry and walked around ahead of me. I did a complete preflight and tried to point out things as I went whenever he was nearby.

I said we were good to go and said I would pull the chocks when he said "Don't pull the chocks -- there are two things wrong with this airplane and we can't fly it today."

After playing the "Guess what I'm thinking game" I figured out he meant the tiny (3mm deep) dent in the left elevator and the fact that there was a static wick on the right flap but not one on the right.

There is no STC for the wicks and no mention in the A36 shop manual, so I couldn't confirm or deny how many there should be and where they should be mounted. I told him the dent had been inspected by an IA and found airworthy but he said there needed to be a logbook enrty attesting to that (first I'd ever heard of that).

Then he said if I wanted to fly it back I would need a ferry permit.

Anyway, I was more than annoyed.

He went over to the restaurant while I called Kevin, and IA. He said he couldn't come out and sign the log this afternoon, but thought the guy was full of $#&&.

So we had lunch (he paid) and talked about flying. He did say several times "As a flight instructor you will find that..." which gave me a bit of a boost -- at least he was thinking that way.

So today I'll go buy a static wick, Kevin will install it, we'll get the logbooks annotated, and I'll try again next Thursday.

We still have to look over the CAP C172. I'm hoping I will have impressed him enough in the A36 that he'll decide, "Let me just pass this guy" and not be a pain about that airplane as well.

We'll see...

All Day Flying (March 29, 2008)

I was sure there would be plenty of pilots out flying today as we finally had the perfect combination -- Good weather on a Saturday.

I prefer avoiding weekend flying as the airspace is busy and there's always something to do at home, but the family drove east to visit my oldest daughter and I was pet and house sitting so I had to take advantage of the opportunity.

I waited until noon to fly the A36 up to FWQ so it would be over 40 degrees. The flight there was uneventful and the landing at FWQ flawless.

I met Larry at the airport restaurant and we went over my 8710 and the items I should prepare.

Then we pulled the C172E out of the hangar and stayed in the pattern for landing practice.

My soft and short field takeoffs are perfect, but for some reason I just could not get the airplane into a good approach configuration on downwind. When i thought I figured it out (1500 RPM, carb heat on, 10 degrees flaps, 500 FPM descent rate), we'd catch some left from the ridge.

Anyway, we had about 8 touch and goes and three weren't flawless. One I nearly let the airplane ground loop by relaxing the x-wind correction too early -- dumb, dumb, dumb.

I'm not a big fan of that airplane -- the controls feel -- sloppy. We had some radio issues (stuck mike, etc) and I think the generator isn't working properly.

Sooo... I'll try to have the CAP airplane available for the t/o and landing segments.

Although... I found this gem on the FAA website:

5-78 DUAL CONTROLS IN A PRACTICAL TEST OR FLIGHT TESTING. This guidance concerns the intent of “dual controls” as it applies to civil aircraft being used for either flight instruction or practical tests, in accordance with 14 CFR part 91, § 91.109.
A. Neither previous nor current part 61, § 61.45 nor § 91.109 have listed brakes as “required control” in a civil aircraft when used for either flight instruction or a practical test.
B. The FAA has held that both flight instruction and practical tests may be conducted in an airplane without dual brakes when the instructor/examiner determines that the instruction or practical test, as applicable, can be conducted safely in the aircraft. Further, numerous makes and models of both single- and multiengine civil aircraft not equipped with two sets of brakes or a central handbrake have been used to provide flight instruction required for virtually all certificate and rating areas authorized under part 61.
C. The FAA has responded to a request for an interpretation of the requirement for brakes on the right side to be equal to the brakes on the left. The policy is that the brakes on the right side do not have to be a duplicate or equal to the brakes on the left side.
1) Section 91.109(a) states, in part, that no person may operate a civil aircraft that is being used for flight instruction unless that aircraft has fully functioning dual controls.
2) Title 14 CFR part 141, § 141.39(d) provides that each aircraft used in flight training must have at least two pilot stations with engine power controls that can be easily reached and operated in a normal manner from both pilot stations.
3) Section 61.45(b)(1)(i) provides that an aircraft used for a practical test must have the equipment for each area of operation required for the practical test. For example, an examiner may conduct a flight instructor practical test with an applicant in the right seat without brakes on that side. If a task requires the applicant to use the brakes, he or she may either switch seats with the examiner to perform the task or ask the examiner to apply and release the brakes at the applicant’s request.
4) Section 61.45(c) provides that an aircraft (other than lighter-than-air aircraft) used for a practical test must have engine power controls and flight controls that are easily reached and operated in a conventional manner by both pilots, unless the examiner determines that the practical test can be safely conducted in the aircraft without the controls within easy reach.
5) Dual brakes are not a requirement in §§ 91.109(a), 141.39(d), and 61.45(b)(1)(i) and (c).

So, I might be able to take the entire CFI flight test in the A36 -- a Very Good Thing.

After the pattern session we switched to the A36. We did:

• Steep turns (all fine -- start at 120 KIAS at 18" MAP, 2300 RPM, upon rolling into the bank add 2" MAP and one throw of up trim),

• Chandelles (18" MAP, 2300 RPM, 30 degrees bank then get pitch attitude to 15 degrees up by 90 degree point -- hold it on roll out of bank and listen for stall horn), and

• Lazy 8s (enter at 120 KIAS with 17" MAP, 2300 RPM, slowly roll to 15 degrees bank, 15 degrees up by 45 degree point, then let nose descend though the horizon as bank increases to 30 momentarily at the exact same point, roll back to 15 degrees and decrease pitch to 15 degrees down by 135 point, then slowly bring pitch back to 0 as roll is set back to 0).

Also some steep spirals and a landing at MGW to drop off CAP papers.

After the return to FWQ I filled up the C172 with fuel and then flew the A36 back to VVS after dark, where I logged one night t/o and landing.

The comms seem weak so I'll need to have that looked at soon.

Final Tune Up (21 March 2008)

Today we flew the A36 2.1 hours for the final check before the CFI checkride.

I flew from VVS to FWQ and there was a thin layer of clouds at about 2000' AGL as I flew north to FWQ. I used the short field landing technique there and didn't need the brakes to make it to the tie down spot.

We talked for a while in the restaurant then headed out to the airplane. We flew over to "Lazy 8 Alley" near AFJ, where smokestacks make perfect reference points for the 90, 180, and 135 degree points.


I did some clearing turns and then a chandelle -- they were nearly flawless with MAP at 18", 2300 RPM, and a steady back pressure to maintain about 13 degrees pitch up.

Then onto Lazy 8s. The hardest part is being patient and not rushing the maneuver. With 17" MAP, 2300 RPM, 122+/- KIAS entry speed, there's a very slow gradual pitch up and increasing bank. The AFH says that at the 45 degree point the airplane should be in maximum pitch up (about 10 degrees in this PAC) with a 15 degree bank.

The bank angle does not reach 30 degrees until at the 90 degree point while the nose is falling through the horizon and the airspeed is lowest. So the rate of roll is very slow -- 15 degrees of bank while applying 10 degrees pitch up, then slowly release the pitch up back pressure while rolling the additional 15 degrees.

Reverse the procedure after the 90 degree point -- gradually decrease pitch while taking out no more than 15 degrees of bank to the 135 degree point. From 135 to 180 pitch down 10 degrees, roll out from 15 degree bank to level momentarily and then head in the other direction.

I practiced a few of these, then took a break and did some steep turns. Using trim help tremendously. I entered at 18" MAP, 2300 RPM, rolling into the turn I gave one 1/4 turn of trim and increased power to 20". That seemed to do the trick as airspeed, attitude, and altitude remained within tolerances.

After a few of those back for a few more lazy 8s. These were better with only slight corrections needed here and there.

Then I searched for some pylons -- found a cell tower and a mine building and used those. The 8s on pylons were a bit of a challenge as the surface winds were light but convection was increasing. I kept the airspeed around 105-110 which made the manuever rather simple.

Then over to AFJ fro some touch and go practice. There was a Cherokee doing 747 patterns, but except for one a bit too slow short field landings they were better. The right seat proficiency is coming along.

Then back to FWQ for a fairly nice landing -- straight, gentle, stall horn, centerline.

After lunch I flew back to VVS. I executed a perfect short field landing on 32, but of course that was from the left seat.

So now I'm completely signed off and will just practice until the test!

Long Day of CFI Train Up (17 MAR 08)

Today was absolutely beautiful, so another personal day and on to the airport...

I flew the A36 to FWQ after a 20 minute pre-heat (it was 28 degrees at 930 AM). It was fairly smooth at 3000', which was a nice change from the flying weather the past few months.

After arrival at FWQ, Larry hopped into the left seat and we took off for some Lazy 8, Chandelle, Steep Turn, and other practice. The chandelles went well with only a few minor quibbles, but otherwise the stall buzzer was on at the 170 point and on to the 180 point. 14 degrees up seems the magic number at 18" MAP (120 KIAS entry speed).

Then some steep turns. Left turns were smoother than right, but within Comm tolerances.

Then some Lazy 8s south of Washington, PA where there were perfect 90, 135, and 180 reference points on the horizon. The Lazy 8s were much better today, with only a few minor points, but overall a good set.

We flew to AGC where I practiced some touch and goes. For some reason I couldn't get the short field approach down -- I think it was becasue I wasn't sure what we were doing. I should have been more focused. We did 3 touch and goes at AGC then heded to FWQ for a few more stop and gos, including power off 180.

the winds at 1000' AGL were a bit stronger than I thought, so I came up short and had to add power.

After landing we headed to lunch. After a hamburger and cake, we headed back to FWQ and pulled out the 172E for spin training.

Today was much easier with no anxiety. I knew wht to expect and we did several spins. Those to the right would not snap like those to the left. The cross-control stall was a very quick transition to a right spin --impressive!

Then a landing at FWQ. I took the A36 back to VVS solo. I was pretty beat so I dint practice.

The landing at VVS was flawless.


So today I have my spin endorsement! We'll try to schedule the FAA for the appointment and then schedule one more pre-ride before the test.

I feel ready!

Spin Training! (13 March 2008)

Finally -- a day clear enough to show the horizon. Only problem were winds were 240 16G26. Not a great day to be flying an underpowered C172E (145HP).

We launched anyway and it was fun trying to maintain heading and altitude, but eventually we crept up to 6000 feet where the turbulence was light and transitory. The winds were steadily increasing as the day went on so we were trying to get the flight in before things got too uncomfortable.

I did a couple of power off stalls while holding the yoke all the way back. It made for some prolonged mushing and use of aileron to keep the wings level (this was different).

Afetr a few of those Larry demonstrated a spin to the left. It was a bit disorienting as the airplane went from nose up to (apparently) corkscrewing straight down. It wasn't a full-blown spin, so I did the next one and pulled all the way back and kicked left rudder at the top of the stall. Suddenly we were in a spin (we appeared to be inverted for a moment). The only disconcerting feeling was the 2+ G pull up -- but the airplane is strong and handled it all with aplomb.

We did two more and then my stomach decided it was enough so we headed back (constant allergy-induced sinus pressure and drainage isn't helping).

It was good to finally get that done. We're going to go out and do a few more next time, but now that I know what to expect it's somewhat a non-event, especially in the 172 with the front seats filled. The plane is nose heavy and stable and has predictable responses. By the second spin I was able to give right rudder and almost immediately stop the spin. The dive was actually the strange expereince with the ground rushing up as the airspeed quickly built up.

So now I'm looking forward to the next session and get the endorsement.

We should need one more session in the A36 and then I'll need a few solo practice sessions and I'll be ready to test!

CFI Dual (12 March 2008)

We had another decent afternoon forecast, but the downside was gusty winds. Nothing too difficult, but not ideal for flying the 172E or doing spins.

So I flew the A36 from VVS to FWQ under a 3000' ceiling. It was very hazy, though still VFR (about 5-7 miles vis under the overcast).

It was bumpy, but in the wave rolling way. I landed in the 8 to 16 Knot, varying from 240-320 wind on 26 with a gentle chirp (I can land this airplane! Just have to continue the transfer over to the right seat).

I fueled up and then tied it down on the ramp.

Larry and I went into the airport restaurant where we discussed students,training, CFI check ride expectations, etc while we waited for the overcast to dissipate.

By 1230 the sun was shining above and though there was still a broken layer to the north, I decided we would have success finding a hole if we flew south.

By now the wind was blowing steadily and it felt very cold out. After engine start I treated Larry as a brand new student and talked and demonstrated him through the taxi, pre-takeoff checks, and the takeoff.

We climbed to about 3500. the layers was right above but I could see clearing to the south. It was bumpy and maintaining straight and level and altitude took some work.

I found a nice big hole and we circled up through it. Soon we were on top and the sky above was smooth and beautifully clear. It was nice to see the sun unfiltered by haze or clouds!

We practiced Lazy 8s and chandelles. The Lazy 8s were tough as there were no clear reference points, so it was mostly and instrument lazy 8 -- not the ideal. But I got the hang of the roll rate and the pitch attitudes.

Soon we were at 11,000, so I spiraled down to dissipate some of the excess altitude.

I worked on steep turns, which were harder then I remembered as I had no trim wheel. I'm still trying to find the spot to jam my right elbow in. I'll need to practice those a couple of more times.

After 90 minutes we started heading back. Larry pulled the power and I pitched for best glide and talked through the engine start checklist. I took a little long explaining what I would do, but said I knew how to instinctively switch tanks, push mixture to full rich, throttle forward, and then check mags.

I took us pretty low where we would have made a field (about 500' AGL).

We headed bcak through the bumpy air to FWQ. I was a bit high and fast entering the pattern, but dissipated the energy and made a fairly good landing on 26 after adjusting for my overshot turn from base to final.

We debriefed a while, and then I climbed back into the A36 and flew solo back to VVS. It was another bumpy ride with poor visibility. I did a few S turns approaching VVS and then did a textbook short field landing on 31. I could have stopped long before the 1/2 way point but let it roll to the taxiway exit.

Overall a very good day's practice. I need a couple of more flights in the right seat, but should be ready soon.

We will try to get spin training in soon (today?)

CFI Training (Finally!) 6 March 2008

We had a short break in the weather today so I met Larry at FWQ where we extracted the C172E (145 HP Continental) from the hangar. The primer was stuck, but some power lifting got it unstuck. In the fourth try she fired up in that not-so-eager, maybe-I'll-get-there manner of this particular engine.

The winds were light but steady at 10 knots or so. We taxiied down the runway but I noticed that right rudder wasn't as effective as left, no matter which way the wind blew across the airframe.

After a nice long warm up and engine run-up, we took to the active. I was flying from the right seat and we took off into the somewhat hazy, 3000' overcast sky.

The airplane actually flew predictably (for a 172) and the engine loped along. We looked for clearing to climb above the layer but I decided it was a sucker hole and we would just stay below and practice take offs and landings.

On the way back we did some slow flight and stalls. The 172 behaved as expected, with a very gentle break in power on or off. Larry demonstrated how the airplane behaved if a stall was not broken and the stick held all the way back. We mushed and sank but no disaster.

The take off and landing series was interesting. The winds were from the left and so kicking out a crab or maintaining a wing low was nigh impossible given the limited right rudder travel. On most landings I had right rudder in all the way to the stop.

We did a few and then decided to call it a day in this one. We had lunch and soon the sky was clearing, with a haze layer and some high clouds the only obstruction.
We drove over to VVS, pulled out the A36, and after another nice long run-up, took to the sky.

The air was unsettled -- not really turbulent -- but not smooth. I climbed to 4000' were we worked on Lazy and not so lazy 8s (Larry demonstrated a wingover -- neat!)

I didn;t have the PTS handy so we weren't sure about some of the standards for the Lazy 8 (I dug the references up and will have them next flight).

A few chandelles and then some steep spirals to lose altitude.

We headed back to the field and practiced a few landings on 31 (3000' long with a displaced threshold).

I was far from sharp today, but part of it was rust form not having flown the A36 in a while.

Shift in Focus

I've been doing some ground school with a local student pilot to help him along while I practice teaching in this context. While there are similarities between classroom teaching and flight training, there are many differences.

Chief among these is the direct correlation between success and survival. The key in primary flight training is to provide enough information, but not so much that the student cannot see the critical data and develop a framework upon which to hang progressive addition of knowledge.

This winnowing down of important information will the the biggest challenge for me, I think. So far the focus of preparation and training is to collect and know all sorts of content, and then give evidence of that knowledge to an examiner. While there will still be the "prove to me you know this stuff" component of the CFI oral, the gear shifting will happen when the Examiner becomes the student.

V Tail Problems

The '47 V has an electrical issue (see previous post about loss of all electric power). It may be the alternator ($$$$) or -- hopefully -- may be the voltage regulator.

We'll have the IA test it and let me know.

I'd like to have it up and flying as soon as the weather breaks!

Some Solo Practice (3/3/08)

Today I flew the CAP 172 for 1.6 hours. The wind was steadily picking up and the air was bumpy under 1500' AGL.

I decided to work on Chandelles, Lazy 8s, and Steep turns up around 4500' today. I flew from the left seat but the practice will transfer. I wasn't solid on Lazy 8s before, so the practice was good. After a while they were more symmetrical, though still not perfect.

The chandelles were ok. Steep turns were solid.

I'll need to practice some more so I'll schedule the CAP plane again soon.

The flight back took a while -- the groundspeed was about 45 Knots, as the winds at 3000 were near 40 knots. I intercepted the ILS 18 and flew that down to a gentle touchdown, in spite of the gusting winds coming at 30 degrees from the right.

9.9 gallons for 1.6 hours flight time -- not bad!

Today's Right Seat Practice (24 Feb 08)

We had a fairly nice day forecast, though in the afternoon some high clouds crept in to obscure the bright blue sky.

Today we flew the A36 from VVS to MGW for some touch and go practice.

After takeoff from VVS I flew west a bit and climbed to 3000' where I practiced some 180 and 360 turns left and right. After a bit of altitude variance I was able to figure out the amount of back pressure to maintain altitude while in a 30 degree bank.

Then we headed to MGW where I stayed in the pattern and flew some stop and go practice. I did 6 takeoffs/landings and left the gear down to save some cycles.

The landings at MGW weren't the best -- I had a slight crab to the right on each touchdown until I figured out the sight picture and straighted it up. Then I was flaring a bit high. I need to practice on a big runway more often.

We flew back to VVS and I practiced turns around a point, S turns across a road, and some more 360 turns right and left.

I did an upwind pattern at VVS to practice pattern work, then landed very nicely on runway 5 right on the centerline.

Overall it was a good practice session. 2-3 more hours and I should have all the maneuvers down in the A36.

The wingtip for the 172 is on order so that should be fixed this week. If the weather permits I'll fly out to OH for the Tailwheel endorsement next week. I'll do the spin stuff with Larry next week as well, if the weather allows.

I'll need to go over the A36 and make sure all the logs are up to date so the FAA doesn't sneeze.

Weather Woes

This has been a terrible winter for flying. On days when bitter cold isn't a problem, the threat of icing is. Or high winds. Or zero visibility.

I need about 10 hours dual and should be ready for my CFI Checkride. I finally worked out the airplanes (A36 for complex and a 1964, E Model 172 for spins, etc). Now we just have to line up the weather!

I'm looking forward to heading over to Stewarts in OH next week for the tailwheel endorsement in the J-3 Cub!

Flight to New Castle and CFI-A Exam (14 FEB 08)

We finally a nice day! Though the temps never reached 40 F, the sky was clear and the winds light. As the afternoon progressed and the temperatures passed freezing, the haze increased but only climbed to about 2000' AGL.

I has studied as much as I wanted to and was ready to take the test and get it over with ASAP. I called around and found New Castle airport had a LaserGrade site and was available for testing (Akron was booked up, Wheeling didn't answer, and Allegheny County's proctor was not available). I hadn't used Lasergrade before, and only CATS gives a $10 AOPA discount, but I was willing to pay the difference to get the test done today.

After a 45 minute warm-up, I pulled the A36 out of the hangar and started it up. The sun warmed the interior rather quickly, and everything checked out. It has been two weeks since I last flew so I worked a little more slowly through the checklist.

After takeoff I bounced through some bumps and climbed to 3000. There was a thin layer of shredded clouds above, but no cause for concern. IN no time I was entering the pattern for landing on 23 at Connellsville.

The VVS landing was a greaser. I taxied over, shut down, and let John take the left seat. He re-acquainted himself with the airplane after the two month absence and I called for our Clearance.

We flew IFR to New Castle (UCP) on a routing that took us right over KPIT. It's not as busy as it was in the US Air heyday, but it's still an impressive airport. Downtown Pittsburgh was off to our right, with Heinz field and all the other landmarks clearly visible on this beautiful day.

I reviewed my formula cheat sheet and then put it away.

John let me have the landing at UCP after we were cleared for the visual. It was a greaser though about 10 feet to the right of centerline. I need more practice (I'll schedule the CAP 172 and do an hour's touch and go next week).

UCP was very quiet, but the facilities inside the main building were very nice. They had a nice display case with a full selection of ASA and Jepp products and a huge variety of headsets.I signed in for the test and soon I was set up and starting.

My only complaint about the Lasergrade format is that the text is way too big and the test ending procedure is a bit confusing.

I sailed through the first 96 questions in about 25 minutes -- some of the calculations weren't even needed as I knew the answer from study sessions. Then I started to run out of steam. I stumbled on a few of the weather chart questions, even though I had plenty of practice and confidence in those areas. I finished the last 6 questions in about 10 minutes and knew i had passed. I wanted to score a 94% or better, and felt pretty confident that I had achieved my goal.

With CATS, you get the score displayed on the screen as soon as you end the test. With Lasergrade, you have to go get the proctor. She printed out the certificate and I learned my score -- 93%.

I was a tiny bit disappointed, but not too terribly. We headed back out to the A36, and after getting the clearance, headed direct to VVS.

We had a slight diversion for traffic (and MD-80 at our altitude) and then cleared direct. We leaned to peak EGT and dialed the MP to 20" and the ROM to 2300 and saw 9 GPH burn rate -- not bad for such a big airplane!

I landed at VVS and this one had a bit of side loading. I was off center on final and adjusted a bit too much. I was still trying to get back on centerline when we touched down. The touch down was gentle -- just not perfectly straight. More practice needed.

next on the schedule is spin training and endorsement at Stewarts in OH!

CFI Knowledge Exam Prep

Last week I traveled to Bozeman, MT for work, and since I had little free time used most nights after work for study. I started out with the Gleim book, but have found the ASA book more comprehensive. I also use checkride.com Flight Instructor - Airplane ground school software when I'm stuck at the computer. I avoid the complex problems when on the computer and instead use it to quickly review all the rote knowledge questions.

After a brief struggle with the W&B questions, it's all come back to me and now I seem to have a good handle on it. The VOR, ADF, and RMI questions also needed some review (is there ever a situation in an airplane where you have to answer such questions without any context? If so, I haven't been in one yet.)

If work schedule allows, I plan on taking the exam this week. We have company Tuesday through Thursday, so I may have to wait until Friday. I'll have to be patient, I guess, even though I much prefer to get it over with once I feel ready!

No flying all week as I was in Bozeman and the weather and the schedule weren't suitable. I plan on flying this Monday if the weather is as forecast.

Electric Failure and FOI (31 JAN 08)

I flew the V up to Akron today. I was going to stay local but decided to fly the V a bit further to get engine temps up. She hasn't flown more than 1/2 hour in the last 3 months and some water had collected in the oil. A longer flight at higher power output would help take care of that and keep corrosion at bay.

I also needed to test fly it after the landing gear indicator was repaired.

I filed IFR even though it was VMC today. A high cloud layer at 12,000 and then another at 10,000 was all that was forecast. Winds were light out of the east, which can spell trouble at VVS, but should be no factor at FWQ.

After a long preheat in the hangar I finally got it started. The battery acted as if it barely had a charge, even though it had been on the charger for 4 days and had a full charged indication on the trickle charger. After about 4 tries she finally fired up. I waited a while before moving and let the oil temp rise. I taxied to fuel and shut down, fueled up, and then restarted on the first throw.

After a short wait for a clearance, I took off on 8 and then turned to the assigned 270 heading. Soon I was given direct BSV and 6000. It was smooth as glass up to and including 6000, and remained that way until ATC asked if I wanted to descend to 4000 (as filed). I said, "We'll stay at 6 if that's OK -- nice and smooth at 6."

After approval the bumps started. Nothing too bad but just a steady chop that caused yawing. Some rudder work dampened that some.

Ahead were some clouds. ATC vectored me around the precip but I spent a little bit of time in the mist. the ground was still discernible below but the instruments worked fine and I felt comfortable if we went totally IMC, as long as there was no ice. None developed so we were in good shape.

A bit of vectoring to the east and then the visual to AKR. The 496 helped maintain situational awareness and the big runway at KAKR was soon in view. After joining the left hand pattern landed on runway 7. The landing was poor with a bit too much flare and some awkward floating prior to touchdown. 172 habits die hard.

The return trip started after a battery charge. After getting started and calling CLC delivery on 121.6 I took off from 7 and headed east until vectored direct HLG.

ATC complained about the transponder, and eventually they said it wasn't on at all.

Not long after switching to Pitt Approach and receiving direct to KFWQ at 5000 I lost all electric -- radios, transponder, panel, and even indicator lights were all dark. I fished out the handheld and contacted Pitt Approach and notified them of the situation and then maintained heading and altitude.

The direct routing placed me right in the approach path to the active runways at KPIT, but I had no other option. I used the GPS to plan my direct route and soon saw the city. Once KAGC was in sight I called Pitt Approach on 119.35 and they replied to descend and maintain 4000.

A bit later I told them I had to descend and slow and would be unable to hear transmissions as I dropped the gear manually.

Once at 3000 I slowed to 100 MPH, pulled the gear CB, and manually cranked down the gear. It went down smoothly and the crank stopped. I popped the CB back in and the green light glowed dimly and I verified the mechanical indication on the floor.

I used the handheld to call my position to Rostraver traffic and joined the pattern on a 45 angle to downwind. I wanted to have maximum time to see other traffic and be seen.

I tried the flaps and they dropped 15 degrees or so. I came in a bit fast (85 MPH while 75 is my target) and landed OK -- not a rough landing but not centerline perfection, either.

I called the FSS number and advised them to cancel IFR.

2.2 hours logged with some excitement along the way!

CAP Flight 4777 Local Practice (28 FEB 07)

Finally, a beautiful day with some warmth! The above-freezing temps melted most of the snow, so there was a haze/mist layer up to about 4000', but otherwise a very nice day to fly.

The winds were 220 @ 4 at MGW, but a bit stronger and more westerly a few hundred feet up.

I'm practicing flying from the right seat. Everything but x-wind landings are coming to me pretty easily. I have to be conscious about keeping my left hand on the throttle, and will have to do some eyes-closed drills to be able to reach everything, but overall I'm getting comfortable turning, climbing, and flying straight and level from the right.

Landings are another matter. I'm still working on getting the sight picture right so that I'm not landing sideways. This gets compounded in x-winds (as I learned yesterday).

Of course I haven't flown the 172 much lately so I should probably spend some time in the left in x-winds getting the technique down. It's a bit different than the Bonanzas, where the crab and then a slight wing down works.

Coordination in the turns and the pattern work is good. I need to work on doing the maneuvers completely visually -- I still rely on the instruments too much.

Two hours of flight time today -- not bad!

IFR to VA and Back

It was a picture perfect but cold day yesterday as a big H dominated the mid-Atlantic region. The only forecast trouble might be some gusty winds -- never any fun over the Alleghenies.

I had to get to the airport extra early to give the heater a chance to warm up the hangar and the airplane. I arrived at 0610 and fired up the Reddy heater. It was 10 degrees F this morning and the hangar never really warmed up. The OAT gauge displayed 38 after an hour of heating, so I knew it wouldn't get much warmer. I turned the prop over a few times to help circulate the oil.

After shoveling an inch of icy snow off the driveway I started the tug and pulled the Bonanza out. I was glad the tug worked because the pin is still broken in the nosegear and it would have been impossible to push the airplane out over the ice and snow by myself.

I quickly closed up the hangar and truck and bid farewell --hopefully. After a few turns of the prop she started up. She ran for 15 seconds or so then died, despite my efforts to keep it going by altering the mixture. A quick check of the fuel selector, another boost from the aux fuel pump, and she started. I kept the RPMs up to 1100 and watched the oil pressure and cylinder temperature slowly climb.

By now the sky was starting to glow in the early morning dawn. The satellite and pre-flight brief both indicated clear skies. The 496 XM weather displayed everything but cloud cover -- it was "Waiting for Data." I carefully taxied over the patchy ice to 26.

Winds were steady from the west at 8-10. On the way in I noticed flags whipping in the breeze, so may have been stronger.

The runup went fine, and after a brief wait (about 10 minutes) got my clearance from Clearance delivery on the cell. After takeoff they had me climb to and maintain 3000 on a westerly heading. As soon as I contacted approach, they gave me direct to OTOWN, my first waypoint.

I climbed to 5, then 9000 then was on my way east. The GPS groundspeed hovered around 180 and 190 the entire time I was at 9000. I engaged the AP and monitored the instruments and referred to the maps to figure out where I was.

In fairly rapid succession I switched form Cleveland center to Washington to Potomac. less than and hour after runup I was descending towards Shannon airport (KEZF). Descending through 4000 it started to get bumpy. Winds were form the northwest at Shannon at 10 gusting to 16. The sky was clear but disturbed as a big High took over from the previous night's Low. I left the AP on after each descent so I could clean up the cabin, get the approach plate reviewed, and prepare for arrival.

I accepted a visual approach into Shannon. After reviewing the sectional I figured once I had I-95 in sight the airport should be just beyond it. In the distance the Bay was glistening in the sunshine. The usual DC traffic chatter kept the frequency busy. It was good to be in the air.

With the help of the GPS and the clear air I spotted Shannon airport in the distance. It was hard to pick out because it's not very big and the runway was partially obscured by trees and buildings from the angle I was approaching.

I canceled IFR, overflew the airport, descended and joined left crosswind for runway 6,slowed the airplane up and prepared for landing. GUMPS on downwind, then again on base and final. I targeted 80 KIAS as my base speed given the possible gusty conditions. But the base was smooth with no airspeed excursions. I pulled it back to 75 on short final and touched down rather gently within the first quarter of the 2999' runway. I let it roll down to the FBO parking on the north side of the field.

The return trip started later than planned. After some Bonanza-talk with another Bonanza pilot I started up at 1550. Winds were now 260 @ 6, nearly straight down the runway (24). After holding for 10 minutes, I called again, requested an IFR clearance, and then waited another 15 minutes. When he came back on the line he said "Call this number for your clearance." I called and waited another 5 minutes for the clearance -- all the while the engine running. At least it was fully warmed up prior to takeoff.

Clearance instructions were to climb and maintain 2000 at a heading 090 and expect the rest after 10 minutes. Due east would not work for a return trip to Pittsburgh, but I figured they wanted to vector me away from traffic. On this cold day with strong winds from the west I was at 2000' in no time, and was busy for a few minutes turning to the heading, reducing power, re-trimming, and communicating with Quantico Approach.

I saw a C-17 not too far away. Apparently he was holding over Stafford airport, about 7 miles from Shannon. I was being vectored to avoid his wake, which was fine with me. Ahead of me the Potomac opened up into the bay, and in the distance I could see the Nice Bridge that carries 301 from MD to Virginia.

Soon I was vectored to 360, and then direct to Linden VOR. I climbed to 4000 and stayed at 4 for about 15 minutes. The Alleghenies in the distance were clearly visible (as were the taller ridges in WV). I flew south of Dulles and I assumed they were keeping me below the jet arrivals. The groundspeed showed a pitiful 123 knots.

Eventually I was cleared to my requested altitude of 8000. It was smooth air all the way, despite the steady northwest winds. The air was clear and the view was spectacular. I monitored systems and worked on keeping the mixture just Lean of Peak. The temperatures are actually cooler at LOP and wear is no greater than at Rich of Peak, while reducing fuel consumption by .5 to 1 gallon per hour. I dialed the RPMs back to 2200 and MP to 21". Indicated airspeed was 143 while GS was hovering around 125.

Direct from Linden to Grantsville is a long stretch of not many options -- all mountain ridges and no airports. I waited until KCBE to switch tanks. She continued humming along.

The sun was near the horizon by now, but it was still plenty light. I saw a small jet about 5 miles to my left heading the opposite direction -- the closing speeds were impressive.

I requested 6000 as I approached the Indian head VOR. ATC gave me 4000 and then amended it to 5000 (4000 was a bit low for this area -- but I wouldn't have been down to 4000 until well past the ridges anyway).

The sun set and a few high clouds gave the sky some texture. I checked AWOS and all was good at FWQ -- sky clear, vis 10, and winds 260 @ 6.

After switch to Pittsburgh Approach I canceled IFR but the controller let me stay with her for advisories. 5 miles out I asked to switch to local and then entered and extended left base for 26.

The landing was flawless and I rolled to the taxi exit, fueled up, and put her away.

The V tail is fixed so I'm anxious to get her back in the air.

Short Flight to FWQ (23 JAN 08)

It was cold today (mid-20s) and the wind was steady 10 knots gusting to 16 from the west.

I called VVS and they setup the preheat. When I arrived the airplane was getting warmed up, which saved me some time. I had a meeting to attend at 4 and so time was limited.

After pushing the A36 out of the hangar (and out into the cold wind!) and a bit past the ice, I climbed in and gladly shut the door.

She started right up, and soon everything was humming. The instruments were chilled, and the DG was very far off.

After a nice warm up I headed over to 32. Winds were reported as 280 @ 10, gusting 16, so 32 made the most sense, even though it is shorter than 23.

Full left aileron and right rudder to maintain centerline, then a takeoff and an easy climb to 3500 with only a few bumps.

The flight to FWQ was short, though the wind was steady and strong from the west.

I entered a left downwind and flew a bit far (given the wind) and maintained power down to base leg. I deployed full flaps and maintained 80 KIAS on final and touched down gently and was stopped by 1800' mark.

After some airplane wrangling the A36 is now in the hangar ready fro preheat and next flight.

CAP Flight (21 JAN 08)

I expected to fly at 100 today, but the airplane was overdue on an unscheduled PPL checkride.

We waited in the tower until 1700 when the plane returned. After a quick but thorough preflight, we climbed into the 172.

After so much time in Bonanzas the 172 seemed very small.

I sat in the right seat as I need the practice handling the airplane from that position. We stayed in the pattern for touch and gos (all were stop and go this evening).

I had a bit of difficulty maintaining centerline from the right. The combination of relearning rudder effectiveness in a 172 and right seta sight picture helped make it a challenege.

Once airborne the flying came easy. Throttle, mixture, and carb heat control were all simple. Right hand yoke control seemed to transfer well also. I could fly coordinated and maintained altitude, airspeed, and bank angle in the pattern.

The first landing was off as I was right of centerline and flared a bit high. The final result wasn't too rough although there was a bit of side load on the gear.

Ryan flew most of the circuits and I took it back for a few. Each was a bit better. We had the additional challenge of landing without the landing light, but the moonlit sky and the bright runway lights helped.

Overall a good quick practice. I need to schedule the airplane again and get some more practice soon.

Today's Short Flight (16 JAN 08)

After a nice long preheat of the hangar and some time fiddling with the Garmin 496 yoke mount in the V Tail, I started it up and taxied out for some x-wind practice on 26.

Winds were 5-6 knots from 180, so it would be a very nice direct x-wind.

After a good long warm up I took the active and stopped, set full power, and released the brakes.

The nose wheel must have been cocked to one side because she wanted to turn left. I had to touch the brakes twice on the right to get turned back to center and then very soon 70 MPH and then lift-off.

I climbed at 80 and left the gear down -- I was staying in the pattern anyway. Very soon I was 800' AGL and started my turn to x-wind and then downwind. The airplane was still climbing at 100 MPH and 20" of MP so I backed it off to 17". It still wanted to accelerate so I set it at 15". That stabilized the airspeed at 100 MPH at straight and level with the gear down. Not bad.

I tried to keep the pattern close but the southerly wind blew me towards the runway. ON turn to base I was still pretty high. I kept it right at 80 with full flaps.

I touched down just past the numbers and rolled to the second taxi way.

I did a few more stop and goes and had to go around on one since I was too high after turn from base to final. Next one I worked harder at maintaining the crab to stay equal distance from the runway on downwind. Gotta practice the basics.

On the 4th pattern I hit full flaps and then noticed there was no radio noise. checked the panel and all was dark -- no electric power.

I checked the flaps and they were down. I kept flying the airplane and checked CB -- none were up.

I cycled the generator switch and nothing.

I was on base so decided to forgo fishing out the handheld. The other traffic behind had me in sight before I lost comms.

I landed OK and then taxied to the hangar. A few more tries and still no power.

I'll have Kevin take a look and see what's up. Might be the new flap motor?

Infrequent Flying Blues (16 JAN 08)

This week has provided more typical winter yuck -- intermittent snow shows, low ceilings, icing, strong winds, turbulence. The pattern has been for a low to get established somewhere over Tennessee and work its way northeastward until settling in and deepening over New England. We've had several of these so far and it seems to be the standard pattern.

Today may clear by noon (at least that's what the TAFS suggest), and, given the 500mb chart's depiction of steering winds, I think nice weather will prevail sometime after 1000 EST.

If all this holds true, I'm planning on taking the V up for a bit. I'm not sure where I'll go -- maybe just stay in the pattern? -- but I enjoy flying that airplane. The efficiency, simplicity, control harmony, and speed make it a joy to fly.

It's funny how the more often you fly, the more intensely you miss it when you can't fly. After a longer break other things crowd in and when I finally get to the airport I get those little bouts of trepidation -- What will I forget? Will I be able to handle an emergency? What if it's rough? -- that only seem to bubble up only when I don't feel 100% proficient.

In some ways it's a lot like racing -- some anxious moments, and then you're off and you wonder "How do I live without doing this?"

I've heard other pilots talk about the day or the flight they became 100% comfortable in the sky or in IMC. Usually there are a few thousand hours preceding that moment. I have had times during flights when I have been 100% at ease, but I think I need some more solo time -- just me and the airplane, to get that feeling consistently.

So hopefully today I'll get to fly.

Commercial Pilot (12 JAN 08)

Today I earned my commercial pilot's license -- whew!

The morning started out less than ideal with low ceilings (3200' AGL) throughout the area. But the TAFS suggested clearing, as did the satellite image. The FAs were way off (again).

I called Don and said I'd be at EKN by noon. After preflighting and adding 20 gallons of 100LL, I started up and headed south VFR.

I haven't flown much VFR lately so I had to think back on the correct verbiage for Traffic Advisories. It came to me and I flew south past KMGW and KCKB. It was one of those weird days when -- though the winds aloft are forecast to be light and variable and ASOS reported 5 knots from the west -- the continuous bumps and altitude excursions suggested otherwise. It felt like a day with 20 knot surface winds.

I had to head west to avoid the ceilings low over the ridges to the east. When I got near Route 33, I headed southeast towards the gap in the mountains. They looked awfully close but a glance at the Terrain view in the GPS said I'd be clear.

It was clearing inside the valley, and winds were calm. The flight down was bumpy -- like a hot summer morning.

The landing was smooth, though I flared a bit high. A touch of power and then a gentle chirp. I'm not used to 150' wide runway.

I arrived prior to the examiner, so I laid everything out -- FAA Form 8710, check, logbooks, etc. Everything was in order and after about 15 minutes of paperwork we started the oral.

He focused on the POH but I've spent a lot of time reading it so there wasn't much I didn't know -- in fact, there was no question I couldn't answer (down to the nose wheel tire pressure).

Then it was time to fly. I did another pre-flight and pointed out some of the airplane details (vortex generators, etc).

We climbed in and I did my usual checklist, including PAX brief. We taxied to 32 and did a soft field takeoff from there. There is no soft field technique described in the POH, so all you do is keep rolling, keep the yoke back, let it get light on the mains, pull up, and you're off. The A36 doesn't need much time in ground effect as it has plenty of power to accelerate and climb at the same time.

We headed south down the valley, climbed to 4500, and started off with slow flight. I pulled the power back, held the nose up, dropped flaps, and slowed us down to 70 KIAS. A bit more nose up at at 68 KIAS the horn was blaring.

"Make a few turns." I turned left, then right, the horn continuously blaring, the ball centered, my right hand on the throttle. "OK, drop the gear and do a power off stall -- landing configuration."

Gear down and locked, flaps down -- power back to idle, pull the nose up, stall horn, buffet, and then gentle fall forward.

Power forward, wings level, flaps up one notch, then another on positive rate, then gear up.

"OK, let's do a power on stall -- use 65% power."

I set it to 2300 RPM, 20" MP, and steadily pulled the nose back. Right rudder to counteract P factor, stall horn, 15 degree, now 18 degree nose up, no stall, pull back -- and break.

MP to 23", winds level, accelerate to Vy.

Next were steep turns. The turn to the left was fine. As I rolled into the turn to the right he completely covered the panel and after 360 I lost 500' foot in altitude. Ugh. He said, "You need to be able to do those completely visually."

I hadn't practiced that at all, but took the point.

Next up chandelles. Both went well with the stall horn going off with about 20 degrees remaining to turn. I was fixating on the instruments trying to keep bank 30, pitch 10 degrees plus, and airspeed steadily decreasing. He mentioned that I was adjusting pitch -- and that I should set it and leave it to the 90 degree point. The chandelles met the PTS standards but he could have dinged me on "Divides attention between accurate coordinated airplane control and outside visual references" which, while not a requirement on this specific task, is implied.

Next were Lazy 8s. The first was OK, though I dropped the nose too much and picked up too much airspeed. I had a habit of not letting the nose drop enough during practice and so over compensated today. Don said the second iteration was much better, but that I would "need to polish up on those before you go for your CFI."

By now we were at 7500 feet, and he asked me to do an "emergency descent." I was a bit confused on the terminology since the PTS only refers to "Steep spirals." And emergency descent in this airplane is accomplished at 153 KIAS with the gear down. A Steep spiral doesn't require gear down and Va is limited to 131 KIAS for performance maneuvers (though 140 is listed as Va in other sections). During the oral I mentioned that 110 is best glide but spirals at 110 would take us too far from the intended landing point so we used 90 KIAS as best spiral speed.

HE said, "OK, steep spiral then" and I pitched for 90 while banking it over to 45 degrees. I picked out the open field directly below and kept us over the spot.

He had me pull out after 2 1/2 turns and head over towards silos for 8s on pylons.

The first was a bit shaky, as the valley is rather narrow at that point and we came appear very close to a ridge on the west side of the circuit, but after the first half turn I ignored the terrain warning on the GPS and concentrated on keeping the pylon on the reference point fairly consistently, though the tip tanks make it a bit of a challenge. He didn't tell me to stop so I made three circuits of the two pylons.

"Let's head over to the airport." We were about 10 miles south at 3000' MSL which is pattern altitude. We flew north up the valley with the ridges on either side. I was going to do the whole pattern entry thing but he said "Winds are calm so let's use 23." We were heading straight in to downwind for 23. About midfield he said "Let's make this a short field landing. Have us stopped before the intersection." 32-14 crosses 23-5 at the midpoint. 23-5 is 4500 feet long, subtract the intersection width and the effective runway length was 2200 feet -- very doable in this airplane.

I kept the pattern tight and made a nearly continuous turn to base and then final with a very short base leg. I know he though we were high but once I dropped full flaps and maintained the target short field airspeed of 70 KIAS we dropped like stone. Everything was perfect and I was just about to flare when he said "go around."

The go around was a handful with 285 HP and full nose up trim. I was able to keep the nose down, raise the flaps, and then the gear, and accelerate to Vy.

Next was a no flap landing. When midfield I checked the gear down indication -- the green lights were not burning as expected. I glanced over and saw the CB popped. I said I would abort the landing, climb, and get the gear down manually. He said not to bother and reset the CB and I landed no flap (I added 10 knots to handle the higher stall speed, which gave me about 86-90 KIAS on base to final).

The landing was pretty poor with a drop in stall about 3 feet off the runway -- ugh. I told him I hadn't had a landing like that in 50 hours.

We did a short field takeoff and then another landing, this one better. On the takeoff I established VY and we were climbing and he said "What about the gear?" I reached over and put the gear up and said, "I need to pretend you're not here." I think I was in "touch and go in a retractable mode" which is how I practiced -- leave the gear down to save cycles and reduce the possibility of a gear-up landing when busy in the pattern.

We did two more landings with the winds variable up to 5 knots (mostly from the west so we had some marginal x-wind landings and takeoffs). Then we landed and he said he'd seen enough. I can usually land with the gentlest of chirps in that airplane, but for some reason today not one landing was a greaser. Go figure.

We parked and went inside and he filled out my temporary certificate, which is nestled snugly in my logbook pocket.

I really don't feel like I "had it" today -- I felt like I was off. I have flown much more crisply and much more proficiently than I did today. But I figure that if I can pass a commercial test on an off day, then I must be reasonably prepared.

I am relieved and satisfied, though I wish I could have demonstrated my usual proficiency. Oh well.

The flight back was easy, and I climbed to 7500' to get over a thin scattered layer between 4000 and 5000. I descended after passing KMGW and headed towards the house. at 4000' the bumps started again, but they were the wave riding sort, not the knocking type of bumps. I did two turns about the garage, then headed to VVS. If fuel wasn't $4.15 a gallon I would have flown somewhere just for fun. But I had been gone long enough and decided to land and put the airplane away.

The touchdown on runway 23 was better, though I rolled a bit long (I wasn't using short field technique, though). I taxied back, shut her down, and tucked her back into the hangar.

On to the CFI!

Practical Test Scheduled

The Commercial Practical Test is scheduled for tomorrow! I'm ready.. been reviewing my texts and everything is very familiar, so I'm confident about the oral.

On my way to Elkins, WV (KEKN) I'll do some steep turns, a few turns about a point, and maybe a chandelle and a lazy 8.

About the only maneuvers I'm not 100% confident in are the Lazy 8s -- but they are about 90% there.

We're planning on starting at 1 -- hopefully the clouds will break by then.

We'll see.

Final Commercial Dual Prep (10 JAN 08)

Today Pete and I completed the commercial maneuver training. We took off from VVS at 1130. We departed from 14 since the winds were reported at 150 at 5. At this airport this means there will be some wind shear climbing above 200' AGL as the wind rolls off the ridge.

As expected there was some buffeting after the gear came up. I started turning left (north) as soon as we were 600' AGL -- otherwise the ridge gets close very soon.

Once west of the ridge and above 3500' MSL (1700 AGL) the air smoothed. We started out with some chandelles. The best power, attitude, and configuration for the A36 is 2300 RPM, 17" MP to maintain 120 KIAS in straight and level flight (131 is Va at gross), flaps up, gear in.

At this PAC, the 30 degree bank is immediately established and the pitch rolled in steadily. 3 more inches MP and then the 90 degree turn comes quick this way. Then the bank is steadily released until the horn starts to blare. Yesterday we saw a 600' altitude gain with this PAC and technique.

Pete demonstrated a couple with a bit faster control inputs -- Quite the thrill ride.

Next we flew Lazy 8s. These were much more difficult when I started flying them in the 172. The key is to make the control inputs swift and steady -- the airplane will just about fly the maneuver on its own once pointed in the right direction. So same power setting (2300/ 17-18'), straight and level at 120 KIAS, then smooth application of increasing pitch and bank. The key is crisp application of controls to get the airplane into the proper attitude while it still has energy.

Very soon the windscreen fills with sky, then the nose slices through the horizon. I have to consciously release and then push forward some on the yoke to get the dive going, and then coordinated roll in to the next turn.

Both are fun maneuvers that would be good for thrill seeking passengers -- such as my son!

After practicing those for a while and Pete demonstrating a few techniques, we headed over to the new highway for 8s on pylons. The key to these is establishing the pivotal altitude, which is a function of groundspeed. We determined 110 KIAS would be best speed, got set up at a 45, and tried it. It was my first time so I was still getting the connection between yoke and view of the object, but soon had it down. It's a pretty neat maneuver, and would have lots of applicability to CAP flying.

All the swooping and turning worked a number on my insides -- the first time in a long time I've felt even marginally ill in an airplane.

We landed on 14 after I completely misjudged the winds and would not have made it to the runway in a power off landing -- oops. Need to practice that on this runway too.

Overall it was a good flying session -- the airplane flew fine and everything is n order (paperwork, etc).

I have a the practical test scheduled for Monday but the weather looks iffy.

Three Night Stop and Gos in the V (9 JAN 08)

Arrived at the airport just before sunset last night. Nathaniel was going to help me retrieve John's car from the hangar. The wind had died down and after checking on 2714V I did a full preflight and decided we'd take her for a few turns around the airport.

N2714V is serial number D-90, a straight model 35 with the E-185-1 engine and Beech electric prop. The panel needs serious work, and the interior can use a face lift, but overall this is one fun airplane.

I decided to practice short field takeoffs and landings tonight while I tested out the V after a month of hangar sitting. She started on the second turn of the prop, and I sat at 1000 RPM for a while and watched the gauges.

Everything looked good, so we taxied over to 26. The airport was quiet tonight. The only other traffic was a Cessna twin that rolled on behind us and took off for AFJ.

I rolled onto the runway, came to a complete stop, held the brakes, fed in full throttle, and watched the gauges -- all good. Everything sounded right and felt normal, so brakes released and we're rolling.

I've been flying the A36 exclusively the past month, so I wasn't quite prepared for how quickly the V is ready to fly. In no time we were at 70 MPH. Steady pressure back on the yoke and we rotate, there's the briefest of moments in ground effect, and we maintain the 15 degree nose up to maintain 80 MPH (78 is Vx).

We were 100' AGL before the 1500' mark.

I didn't raise the gear as we were staying in the pattern. With the gear down at Vy (100 MPH) we were still climbing in excess of 1200' FPM. Not bad with me (190), Nathaniel (160), and a full load of fuel on board.

At 800' AGL I slowly reduced MP to 20". Since this is an electric prop the RPMs reduced to about 2000 with the MP drop.

A bit of a wind here so I made a 180 to turn onto downwind. The sky was still lit from the sunset -- a beautiful night to fly.

Level off at 2200' and reduce the power to keep level at 95 MPH. Trim and wait for the threshold to slide by. Reduce MP to 15", trim for 80 and drop full flaps. I used to use partial flaps on downwind in this airplane, but since there is no detent it is a pain to hold the switch down and count to 15. Last night I realized that dropping full flaps doesn't result in much pitch change, while making the descent rate predictable all the way around.

Since there is a wind I turn in a bit sooner to base. ASOS is reporting 270 @ 5, but at 1000' AGL it must be closer to 20.

I trim again to maintain 80. I'm still learning the slow flight characteristics of this airplane, so next time I'll try 70 MPH (flaps down stall speed is 47, flaps up is 58, so 1.3 x Vso = 61 with flaps, 76 no flaps), but I didn't want to experiment with a passenger on board.

I needed a touch of power to maintain glide slope on final after reducing power to 13" MP on base. The wind was steady on the nose. I aimed for the numbers and we touched down just beyond them. I avoided the nose high attitude I'd placed the airplane in on previous full flap landings and it worked much better. Forward visibility was more than adequate and controllability perfect. We touched down gently and rolled to the second taxiway exit, which on this airport is 1500' down the runway.

I taxied back, took off again, with near the same results on takeoff. The landing was even better with the power set to 14" MP all the way down base and final.

By the third takeoff it was completely dark. Twilight was past and the winds kicked up some. There was a bit of buffeting about 500' AGL, and then smooth again. The landing was even shorter this time, with no braking required to roll onto the second taxiway.

This is truly an amazing airplane -- 61 years old and still going strong!

Night XC (4 Jan 08)

Today we flew from VVS to MGY (Dayton- Wright Brothers, OH) so Bill could look at an airplane. Pete came along in the right seat so I could log the required 2 hours XC dual towards the Commercial.

The flight to MGY took a while, as we were seeing 40-50 kt headwinds right on the nose. Our ground speed hovered around 115 while we were showing 145 KIAS at 8000.

I used the GPS 20 approach into MGY which added some fun. The headwinds didn't diminish much and with the gear and flaps down it took forever to get to the runway. A nice gentle touchdown despite the strong, gusty winds.


We taxiied to the FBO, shut down, and called ATC to straight out a miscommunication.

After Bill looked at the airplane, we hoped back in and headed east. It was fully dark by then (1900 EST). Cleared Direct to APE, and then to CTW, we flew right over Columbus. The miles ticked by even though I was set to 55% power. We were making 186 kts ground speed while indicating 145 -- not bad for 12 GPH!

Despite the winds, the ride was fairly smooth all the way to Wheeling. We asked for (and received) routing over downtown Pittsburgh for sightseeing at 3000' MSL (about 1500' AGL in this area).

It was a great night for sightseeing -- clear, and the air smooth. We made a few circles around downtown then headed south. The airspace is busy with AGC and PIT nearby, but we stayed at 3000 punched direct VVS into the GPS.

The landing at VVS was smooth, despite some strong winds 1000' AGL (AWOS reported straight down the runway at 5 kts).

One more flight to go over maneuvers and Commercial Practical is next!

Yay!