Learning to Fly

[wedge22]

Good luck mate I envy you.

[TeePee]

First lesson complete!
I'm flying at Crystal River (www.crystalaerogroup.com), on the eastern coast of Florida.
Basically a review of everything I've covered previously. The flying over here is much easier.. The roads below are on a grid system, so it's easy to fly NSEW etc. Lesson started with basics of trim, moved on to steep and shallow turns and stalls, and finished with three touch and go's. The first two went well, with my instructor following through, but the last one ended with a massive balloon before landing squarely on all three wheels. Thats gonna take a lot of practise!

Now I'm off back to my trailer (Yes! I'm staying in a doublewide trailer! With white plastic lawn furnature on the porch! $15 a day doesn't get you much!) for some dinner and to make a start on the ground study.

[slatey]

i had 25 hours at barton aerodrome a couple of years back and if i ever get the chance ill go to the states for some more the weather in the uk is terrible too many missed lessons due to the field being too wet etc.any chance of some piccys? dont forget the beach babes.

[Matt1eD]

Awesome, post some picciesm

Might be something for the gap year.

Are you going to do an instrument rating one afterwards?

[daverobev]

Piccies would be good....Stevie=trailer trash, now there's a thought!

[TeePee]

Lesson 2, just finished.

Starting with the pre-flight briefing, I started to get worried.. My instructor informed me that I would have to make all the radio calls, which rememberin from training in the UK had me very worried! Fortunately on this field, with no ATC I on;y had to make two calls. One notifying traffic of take ff, and the other as we rejoined the pattern.

Started with a climb out, and practised some stalls both on and off power, together with shallow low speed turns. We then practised some side slipping, which is much easier to do here. this is a technique for reducing altitude without increasing speed, something which is very useful on the approach if you find yourself too high. Very simply you use full rudder and opposite aileron to keep yourself straight. Again, it's easy to practise here because you can line yourself up nice and straight on a road.

Then it was back into the pattern for some circuit practise. I'm doing a little better at keeping the nose up in the flare and floating along before coming down on the main gear. There were a few very manky landings though. The worst was turning finals deliberately too high so as to use the practised sideslip on the approach. Too little aileron led to landing at about a 15 degree angle and skdding around.. But I'm pleased to see I'm definitely showing some progress.

I'll get some pics of my trailer tonght to prove my white-trash status!

[daverobev]

How many lessons are you having while you are there?

[Andyr]

It usually takes 45 hours of flight time and about 10 hours of ground school,

[TeePee]

Lessons 3 and 4.. (of 25!)

The program i am doing is a part 141 course (so designated by the FAA). It's a very rigid structure which allows the school to pass pilots with as little as 35 hours, although it normally takes longer. There is also 35 hours of compulsory groundschool. Since I have had previous experience, my instructor hasn't stayed quite so rigid to the syllabus, forutunately, meaning I can get more time practising circuits.

Here also the training differs from training in the UK. When previously I was taught to do circuits, I was taught to do the 'ideal' circuit, with radio calls at specific points, different stages of flap at dfferent points, etc. My instructor (an ex-navy fighter pilot) teaches the 'Navy way', you reach a point on the circuit on the downwind leg (at 800 ft going the reverse direction to how you go down the runway) where you whack the carb heat on, take the throttle all the way off and go from 0 to full flap as you slow down. From the point all you have to do is 'fly the pattern', keeping 65 knots and turning onto base leg and then finals, using a little throttle as necessary to keep on the glide path. This way is much simplar, theres a lot less to remember (although I brought up the different raido procedures with my instructor and today I had to do all of them as if flying in the UK).

I did about 2 hours of circuits and touch and goes, and we also covered engine failures. Basically getting into that same position on the downwind leg of the circuit (of your chosen crasing... forced landing... field), at 800 ft and gliding the rest of the circuit using flap, sideslips and adjusting the pattern as necessary to bring you down at the right point.

[daverobev]

Ah well all that means absolutely nothing to me....but here's the important thing, are you enjoying it?

(If yes, please don't say its the best thing ever, as I have to go to work in the morning and I'll cry )

[slatey]

i think its a good idea that your instructor is making you do some of your training as if in the uk as i believe you will be doing most of your flying over here...

[Stewart]

I'm scared to fly, like a big cry baby.

[daverobev]

How scared scared? I don't "like" it much, especially the landing, but apart from that its ok...I know its safer than driving and all that...and usually when I fly I get free alcohol "Shame" I'm quitting the job where I get to fly every so often (not really, looking forward to doing something else).

Scared like white knuckles the whole time or won't get on at all?

[Stewart]

Scared as in I am 24, and have never been on a plane, or Rollercoaster.

I have been abseiling, so its probably not an all out fear of heights, more the lack of control. When I was abseiling, at any moment, even right at the edge, I could turn back. Once I'm on the plane, or on a coaster, and it starts, there's no turning back.

Deffo got vertigo, but like I say, not chronic.

[TeePee]

Lessons 5 and 6 and more of the same really.. circuits, circuits andmore circuits. And earlier today, my first 'bad' landing. basically bouncing off the nosewheel, going up and back down and up again, which f it had continued would have landed us on the prop. fortnately wacked some power on and broght it to a reasonable end.. I'm told that was supposed to have happened several times over the last couple of days but I was 'too good'... and if you believe that....

Of course, that was one of about 20 landings I'vem done today, and my instructor is maining nitpicking, trying to get me to land exactly on the centreline, etc. going back up in a few minutes!

As for being afraid of flying, how do you know if you don't try? Do you have control when sat in the backseat of a car? TBH theres so much of the world you can't travel to and see without flying, you should be prepared to give it a go!

And Daverobev... Best. Time. Ever!

[TeePee]

And lesson 7 done..

Back out there for more circuits, more of the same really, but with another aircraft in the pattern doing the same thing I was making sure my radio calls were in the right spots, and he picked up on doing the same thing also. Finished the day with a perfect landing, a greaser! The wheels kissed the groud with the slightest of squeaks, main wheels followed by nosewheel. My 41st landing here (I checked!) and the first one I'll keep! I'm hopng I'll be coming on here to report my first solo tomorrow!