Lesson 18 - Time of our lives...
October 29, 2022
This lesson was divided into two parts. One hour of flight time on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, and one hour of flight time on Saturday, October 29, 2022. This lesson imparted two things - the importance of repeatation and the importance of stacking up back-to-back hours to build the muscle memory. We had to break it in two parts because, on Tuesday, I sucked. I was completely out of co-ordination in my traffic patterns, and all my actions (and inactions) had compounded effect by the time I reached the final leg.
On the second part of the lesson that we did on Saturday, October 29th, I was almost flawless. I turned the tables completely and I landed the plane not once, not twice, but FIVE times, successfully. All my landing were solid, and not at all sketchy.
Both days combined, I did about 14 landings, and a lot of it was repeatation. Let me pick the worst and the best of the traffic pattern for you and try to pick it apart.
Tuesday, October 25, 2022
Out of Nine traffic patterns I performed on Tuesday, none were at par with my own expectations, but one in particular was extremely disappointing. At the same time it gave Drew opportunity to demonstrate forward slip for me.
After I took off from the Runway 26, I turned into the crosswind leg at 1700 ft. altitude, and kept climbing to 2200 ft. of Traffic Pattern Altitude (TPA). As I approached that I started leveling off the plane, but in that process, I ended up gaining about 80 to 100 feet of extra altitude. Little I knew, how much that would screw up my final approach. By the time I got on the Final leg, the site picture was different. I was way too high and relatively slow. So I lowered the nose and tried to maintain the glide speed of 70 knots, but that correction did not help me. That additional 80 to 100 feet altitude gain was apparent, and by the time I neared the runway, I was way over the glide slope. I didn't really know what else to do at that point besides go around.
Drew apparently had different plans. He took controls and put the ailerons on one side and pressed the opposite rudder pedal. That was the forward slip. It is similar to how racing cars drag on the track to gain the maximum rotation without losing speed, just up in the air. While performing forward slip, he descended that 80 to 100 feet altitude within a fraction of a second and in the few seconds we were on the ground - safe and sound.
There were a few positive things though - like my take-off roll. I am now very comfortable taking off and staying on-course on the upwind leg. The rudder input discovery has proven to be that differentiating factor. My final approach was not on the point, but the difference since the last few lessons was that I was in the control of my actions. With each repeation, I was learning a new way about my control inputs and potential of those actions in messing up my final approach.
Another positive thing was Drew’s demonstration of forward slip - which is a maneuver, to steepen the descent angle - usually to clear the obstacle on the Final. So basically think of it as losing the altitude quickly, to get on a glide path on your final approach.
Saturday, October 29, 2022
After the disastrous performance on Tuesday, I was a little skeptical about Saturday's lesson. I knew that there is a pattern (no pun intended) in my learning. I tested the extremes on both good and bad sides of my controls before getting my act together. I knew that I had performed each leg, including the final approach well at some point, so I just needed to put all those individual pieces together.
Boy, I did exactly that.
I crawled out of my own head and I flipped the script, completely. It was not an accident because I did it, not just once, not twice, but FIVE times. I landed the plane FIVE times. It’s all about making mistakes and learning from them, and then making smaller adjustments.
The day was exceptionally beautiful as Fall season in Pittsrbugh was in full swing, so the drive to the airfield was very refreshing. In addition to that there was fog on the river, and from 2000 feet altitude, it looked simply stunning.
Saturday’s best landing was the one with the crosswind correction, and in that landing, towards the end, I put the ailerons into the wind for crosswind correction.
On that last traffic pattern I took off from runway 26, and climbed up to 1700 feet before turning onto the crosswind leg. I continued the climb through the downwind till I reached TPA of 2200 feet. As soon as I reached TPA:
First throttle reduction to 2200 RPM.
Carb heat ON
In a few seconds I reached the abeam point - which was my touchdown point. As I was abeam with it:
Throttle reduction to 1700 RPM.
Put first notch of flaps - 10 degrees
As I reached my base corner:
Started my coordinated descending base turn
Put second notch of flaps - 20 degrees
Another throttle reduction
Maintained my descent rate at 500 feet/minute.
As I reached about 1700 feet, I started my final turn. Once I was on the final leg:
Reduced more throttle
Put third notch of flaps - 30 degrees
Found that extended center line of the runway 26, and now came the most challenging part,
HOLD THAT CENTER LINE.
There was some turbulence, which was pushing me around but using appropriate rudder and aileron input, I fought hard to hold onto that center line. As I neared the runway, I was about 10 to 15 feet high above the runway and I felt the plane banking on my left. For the first time ever, I reacted, and put the ailerons into the wind. I saw the plane levelling itself parallel to the ground. Now all I had to do is to -
HOLD IT AND NOT TO DO ANYTHING STUPID
I let the plane slowly fly to the ground, and it touched down. That was my best landing. Of course the job isn't done there, but I wished that would be it. As I pulled the yoke back and applied the breaks, I slowly brought the plane to taxi speed and then slowly exited the runway.
That was great. I finally overcome my plateau and now this has to be my new normal. Now I have new fight - to not slip below this standard for normal landings.
If I were to pick best takeaways from that day, I would say:
I showed significant improvement in my anticipation of what to come.
My touchdowns were really really solid.
My job doesn't end at touchdown. I still have to make sure the plane is safe and taxi it clear of the active runway, which I did, but it has to become more natural.
Since then I keep humming the verses of Paul Van Dyk’s song - Time of Our Lives
There's a time for us to let go There's a time for holding on A time to speak, a time to listen There's a time for us to grow There's a time for laying low down There's a time for getting high A time for peace, a time for fighting A time to live, a time to die Oh, this is the time of our lives