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.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
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!
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!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
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!
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!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
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.
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.
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