Lesson 20 - Q&A with Traffic Pattern
December 04, 2022
“I’m very happy with what’s going on. You’re doing really good with the question and answer multiple choice things, on what to do, when to do it. I am really happy with that.”
-Drew on today’s lesson.
Finally after a month long wait, all the stars and planets aligned and I was able to get up in the air. Today was another traffic pattern day. There was a bit of crosswind and I was curious to find out how I was going to do with my landings, since that has been my focus lately.
A lot changed since my last lesson. The weather got much cooler, and that affected the airplane performance significantly. In winter, the air gets cooler, and cooler air is much denser than warmer air. Denser air allows engine to use a greater mass of air/ fuel mixture. In a single propeller engine, denser air allows propeller to thrust greater mass of air backwards. This improves airplane's performance significantly, and from behind the yoke, this changes a few things. I will cover that in due course of today's lesson.
I did 7 traffic patterns today. Overall, all of them were satisfactory considering a month-long gap. I am at such a crucial stage in my training, that more reps is the only thing I need to get better, especially with flair during landing. Ideally I should aim for at least one or two lessons in a week, until I solo. But it is what it is. After a month's gap I am going to be a bit rusty. All I can do is remember my training and knock that rust as soon as possible.
Today's lesson was all about asking the right questions, finding the right answers, and adjust. As the reps continued, the weather changed a bit, crosswind got a bit stronger, and as variables changed, the answers changed. At some point, even new questions arised. For example, in almost every single traffic pattern, I asked (of) myself:
Q: After take-off, I have the nose on the horizon. Usually I get to Vy (the best rate of climb airspeed) with this setting and site picture. Today I am way over Vy, why?
A: Well, it's winter time. Air is much cooler and dense. Airplane is going to perform better.
Q: How do I adjust it then? just shoot for Vy?
A: Yes.
Adjust for the situation.
Once I reached 1700 feet, I started my crosswind turn. Wow, this “improved performance” is changing all my site picture references - I thought to myself. Everything is so out of whack, I wondered. I continued into the downwind and at Traffice Pattern Altitude of 2200 feet, I leveled off, and reduced the throttle.
Something was still not right. I looked at airspeed indicator, it was showing almost 100 knots. In spite of reduced throttle down to 2000 RPM, the plane picked up a lot of speed. I reduced the throttle a bit more, and simultaneously increased back pressure on the yoke. Slowly the speed got down to in 80s, but by that time I was way past my abeam point. Hurriedly I put the first notch of flaps and started to look out for my base turn reference. In all this rush I realized that I had lost a hundred feet or so. I thought to myself - keep in mind you are at about 2000 feet. Do not descent so quickly.
But acting as a mechanical idiot, I started my base turn with the descent. I turned a bit too much and started desending with more than 500 feet per minute. I glanced at my airspeed indicator - it wat at 85 knots, barely in the flaps range. I glanced at my Vertical Speed Indicator - it was around 700 feet per minute and increasing. By the time I got to the base I was at 1680 feet, which was way low. I thought to myself, that I needed to adjust. I needed to get up to 1750 feet and maintain until I intercept the glide slope on the Final. I swiftly increased the back-pressure on the yoke, put some throttle in and climbed slowly up to1750 feet.
In all these adjustment, I blew past my extended centerline for the Final. By the time I turned on the Final, I was on the opposite side of the runway, but I was on glide path. I told Drew -
Me: I am on glide path, I am going to land the plane.
Drew: I don't see why not.
That was certainly encouraging. I brought the plane back on the centerline. I was already on the glide slope, so continued my descent. I had ample of airspeed, so I pulled the throttle all the way out to idle, and using rudders, tried to keep the plane on the centerline. I had those captains bars in the center of my windshield. Soon, I was only a few feet above the runway, that’s when I slowly started to flair. Now it was all about the waiting game. I needed to refrain myself from doing ANY, ANY direct action that was going to mess up my landing. Soon, I was on the ground - safe and sound. I was happy and feeling little bit proud, when I heard Drew say -
Very good, Do it again.
And I did it all over again, asking questions and finding answers.
It was a good session after a month long break. The most positive learning for me was that I was authoritative in my actions, without much of Drew's input. I asked the questions, and depending on the situation, I went about answering them. I showed that I was comfortable and confident in taking those actions. That was HUGE, and I was very happy with it.
Hopefully my next lesson will not take another month long break, or may be it will. We will only know when weather and schedules work out in upcoming holiday season. I will see you then.