This post is to notify my (probably non-existant) readers that I am defecting to another website which offers more features now I've worked out how to use it.
The link to my new location is here. My blog has also undergone a name-change which may or may not last.
Please come visit my blog at its new home!
Unfortunately for me, I suffer from a bit of 'mic fright'. This is partly because I seem to have an inability to get the headset mic in the right position to consistently pick up my voice - hopefully getting my own headset will cure this problem somewhat!
In an attempt to get over this 'mic fright', I'm going to have a look at radio calls used at a non-towered airfield (such as Lilydale).
All radio calls in CTAF (non-towered) airspace contain the same basic information:
The mission for today was stalls.
We dispensed with the usual briefing since we'd briefed on stalls on Wednesday and it was rightly assumed that I could remember it.
I was sent out to preflight Jab 5231. Happily, it is possible to move the rudder pedals on 5231. I went through the usual checks and Jeremy came out. He was like "do we have an airplane?" and I was like "well we have two wings and a tail so I reckon we're set!"
We got in and I started it. While I was taxiing Jeremy told me I was taxiing a little too fast (perhaps I have a need for speed?) - taxiing is meant to be done at a fast walking speed but nobody is really sure how they work out what a fast walking speed actually is! We did the various checks at the various points and Jeremy did the takeoff.
We went to the training area and climbed to 3500ft. We were just below the cloud here, so we couldn't go up to 4000ft but 3500ft still gave us enough height to recover from the stall by 3000ft.
First we went through the pre-stall checklist - HASELL. Then Jeremy demonstrated several stalls. To be honest, I expected something a little more scary but it was all pretty tame - although still fantastic fun. You reduce the power to idle (1000rpm) and at the same time raise the nose to maintain height. Eventually (with a lot of help) the critical AofA will be reached and the plane will stall. There is a stall warning horn which sounds when the critical AofA is reached. It's not a particularly scary sounding horn, although it might be more scary for people who didn't know what it meant and weren't expecting it (i.e. passengers).
Before entering a stall, it is important to do a clearing turn. This is a 360 degree turn to check that there is nothing around you and, most importantly, below you.
There are a number of steps to a stall.
After having lessons cancelled because of sickness and weather, today I was back for my next lesson.
Today's mission was to be stalls. We went through the theory during the briefing but when we went out to fly the visibility was too poor to actually do stalls.
First we went through what a stall actually is. Contrary to what most people think, stalls in aeroplanes do not have anything to do with the engine (unlike in a car). Stalls occur when the wing's angle of attack goes beyond the critical point.
The angle of attack is the angle between the chord line of the wing (an imaginary line running through the wing from the leading edge to the trailing edge) and the airflow.
The angle is the Angle of Attack (AofA)
Relationship between Lift and Angle of Attack (AofA)
The logbooks are pretty easy to fill in, you just need to put in dates, the type and rego of the plane, the PIC (instructor's name), what we practiced and the time.
Example Logbook page (not mine, clearly)As it says in the blog description, sometimes things other than lessons will find their way into this blog. This post is one of those.
Learning to fly is having an unexpected side-effect on me - I'm learning a lot about myself.
I'm discovering that I have what I can only describe as 'perfectionist tendencies'. I'm not a perfectionist, not by a long shot, I know that, but I've no idea how else to describe how I'm feeling. I have this overwhelming feeling that I should remember everything after hearing it once and get everything right the first time. Thus, I don't ask nearly as many questions as I should be. I just feel that 'clearly' everyone else remembers everything easily and gets everything right straight away. Even though I know this isn't true, and logically can't be true, I still feel like it. So, I feel like, if I ask questions, I'll look like an idiot. And even though I know that learning is more important than looking like an idiot, it's still hard to get over these 'perfectionist tendencies' - that I should be getting everything right the first time.
I think part of the reason I feel like this is that I feel out of my depth when it comes to flying. It's been a long time since I've been a complete novice at something, so I guess I've forgotten what it feels like to only have limited knowledge and experience. Add to that the fact that I'm not mechanically or scientifically minded, yet I'm pursuing a hobby that has strong mechanical/scientific elements, and that just makes my 'out of depth' feeling worse. I guess this is partly the reason I feel I need to get everything right the first time - so I can prove I'm just as 'good' as all the other students (or at least what I imagine the other students to be).
I've also discovered that I'm vague about important things - like the whole handing over/taking over thing. I think that when I was first told to do it, I was thinking of so many other things as well (the whole overwhelming 'first flight' experience) and I didn't realise how serious things could get if that wasn't followed. Add to that my discomfort with the headset mic, and I'm a bit of a hopeless case. I feel I owe Jeremy an apology for my vagueness really...and will probably do so next lesson.
I think the main source of my problems is my insecurity in my own ability. When it comes to things I know, like music, I'm completely confident and in control and know exactly what I'm doing. With flying, I still lack confidence in myself. For example, with the preflight, I do the checks but I have absolutely no confidence in my ability to check and whether or not I'm doing the right thing. I think I need to start approaching it more professionally - I'm not just someone turning up to learn a bit about flying a plane, I am now a STUDENT PILOT and I need to act like one. I need to become more proactive about my learning.
I've decided that I'm going to start asking more questions from next lesson onwards, or at least try to. It is my own learning that is at stake here, and I am paying to be taught and have my questions answered. It will be entirely my own fault if I don't ask the questions and learn what I need to. I need to take control.
Today's mission was Climbing & Descending turns.
Climbing & descending turns involve the same three elements as medium level turns:
After two failed attempts at lessons last week (stupid weather), today I was back for a lesson on Medium Level Turns.
Medium level turns are the most basic and commonly used type of turn.
Elements of a medium level turn:
When in a medium level turn, the lift force is tilted so it is no longer equal to the weight.
When turning, there are three main things to remember:
When entering and during the turn, the work cycle ALAP has to be used:Today I learnt about climbing & descending. When I arrived I found out that Jeremy was doing theory with someone, so today I was going to fly with Murray.
First we went through the theory behind a climb. A climb is, unsurprisingly, when the aircraft climbs up to a higher altitude. To do this, the thrust created by the propellor must exceed the drag created by the rest of the plane.
When entering a climb, first the power must be increased to full, the nose must be raised into a climb altitude, the plane moves into a climb speed (around 75kts) and then the plane must be trimmed. Like last week, we used PAST - power, attitude, speed, trim. When moving from a climb into a straight & level cruise, we use ASPT - attitude, speed, power, trim. The attitude should be around '3 fingers' - 3 fingers between the nose of the plane and the horizon - speed should be around 90kts, power to 2900rpm and then trim the plane.
The most commonly used climb is the 'best rate' climb, which is where the plane moves at the best speed, which is around 75-80kts. The 'cruise climb' is used where the pilot wants to cover a long distance and only gain a small amount of height - the speed for this is about 85kts. The 'best angle' climb is used where the pilot wants to gain a large amount of height over a short distance - such as when there are trees at the end of the runway (for example) - the speed for this is about 70kts.
Descending is, unsurprisingly, basically the opposite of climbing - going down! When descending at 70kts (known as the minimum rate of descent), the aircraft loses less altitude per minute. When descending at 80kts, the aircraft travels further but descends more quickly. When descending and then entering a straight & level flight, we use PAST again. Before reducing power, we put the carb heat on so the engine stays warm. The power is put at 1800-2000rpm. The attitude is '4 fingers' - 4 fingers between nose and horizon. The speed is 75kts. When moving into a straight & level cruise, the power is put up to 3000rpm, the speed is 90kts and the attitude is '3 fingers'.
We then headed out to the plane and this time I started learning how to physically check the plane before flight. Before flight, you do a walk around to check that all the parts are there and that there are no dings. Important parts to have - wings (2), wheels (3), tail (1), rudder (1), elevator (1), ailerons (2), flaps (2) and a prop. When doing the walk around, you check that all the moving parts are mvoing property and that all the important bolts are there. The fuel and brakes also need to be checked.
Getting in, I got to go through the checklist to start the plane. I managed to find pretty much all the switches and get through it, so I guess I can say I started the plane today!
Take off was the first time I noticed a large difference between Murray's teaching style and Jeremy's. Murray insisted that I keep my hands and feet on the controls at all times, even when he was in control. It was actually good to get an idea about how the controls feel during takeoff, which will make it a lot easier when it comes from me to learn to take off.
During the flight we went through climbing & descending at different speeds. When I fly with Jeremy, he does a full demonstration of what to do and then I take control and try. I like that approach because it gives me a full picture of what I'm trying to acheive and what effect it will have on the plane. Today, I didn't get a demonstration, instead I was given each command separately ('increase the power to 3000rpm', 'raise the nose') and it was a lot harder to work out what I was trying to do because I didn't have the overall picture. Also, by having a demonstration beforehand I can get an idea of attitudes, and where the horizon should be on the windscreen before I have to try. Today I didn't have that idea, so it seemed like I spent a lot of the time guessing about what the attitude of the nose should be.
I seemed to spend a lot more time looking at the instruments today. I don't know if that is just an element of climbing & descending or a different teaching style, but it felt like I was spending too much time looking at the instruments and not enought time looking outside the plane.
Also, during the flight, Murray talked a lot more than Jeremy which was hard to get used to. He spent a lot of time pointing out landmarks around the airfield, which is good because I need to learn about that, but also annoying because I was trying to concentrate on what I should be doing with the plane.
The main thing that irritated me today was, when I was doing something wrong, instead of telling me how to correct it, he would reach over and move the controls himself. It made it feel less like I was actually flying the plane myself. I mean, it wouldn't have been that hard for him to say 'move the stick left to make the wings level' instead of reaching over and pushing it himself
I also had my hands on the controls during the landing. Like take off, it is handy that I've experienced what it feels like before I do it myself.
Overall, I'm a bit disappointed in this lesson. I don't think I learnt as much as usual, mianly because I didn't have an idea of what effect what I was doing was going to have. I mean, I knew we were going to climb but knowing that, and having seen it done and seen the effects, is different. I'm not saying Murray is a bad instructor, and if I'd had him as my instructor from the start I probably wouldn't notice the difference, but having had Jeremy as an instructor as well I can see the differences in their teaching styles and see which one suits me better. I am considering though, depending on how the next few lessons go, asking for another lesson on climbing & descending with Jeremy.
I've got two lessons next week, with Jeremy again. Next lesson is going to be turning which should be fun. I also need to remember to ask whether I need to get some sort of student licence, as the temporary RA-Aus membership I have should have run out by now. Overall, I'd say that today was a good learning experience, if only to give me a better understanding of my own learning style.
A few of my friends have been complaining that my blog is too long and too detailed. Well, as the blog's primary purpose is my education, the detail is going to stay. However, I'm going to make a small glossary of terms I've been using to make it easier...here we go.
This is the Throttle. Pushing it in increases the power, pulling it out decreases the power.
This is the turn indicator. The goal is to keep the ball between the two lines. When the ball is between the lines, the aircraft is in balance.
This is the tacheometer. It is used to measure Power (in rpm). Normal cruise power is 3000rpm, Fast cruise is 3200rpm and Slow cruise is 2400rpm.
This is the Altimeter. It is used to measure altitude (height) above sea level (in feet). At Lilydale, it needs to be preset to 250ft as Lilydale is already 250ft above sea level.
This is the Airspeed indicator. It is, unsurprisingly, used to measure airspeed (in knots). The white area (80kts and under) is where flaps can safely be used.
After two weeks of study/exams (ew) I was back to Lilydale for my next lesson... Today the topic was 'straight and level flying'.
First there was the usual briefing where we discussed what we were going to try today. First we talked about what straight and level flying actually is.
Elements of straight and level flying:
Today I was back to Lilydale for my first official lesson - but really, I suppose, my second lesson. After spending the week counting down to the lesson, I can safely say that I made the right choice in choosing to continue learning to fly - it appears to be addictive.
We started with a briefing again, again using a cute model plane although this time we had to use our imaginations somewhat, as the only model around had two wing engines rather than the single nose engine. Jeremy quizzed me on what I remembered from last time about the primary/secondary effects of the different controls. I remembered nearly all of them, except for a (soon corrected) slip about the secondary effect of the Rudder - I said it was airspeed instead of roll.
We then went over what we were going to work on today. Luckily, before we started Jeremy warned me that most of the stuff we did today really wouldn't make much sense at the moment. Since I'm pretty vague on it all already, I'm pretty glad he said that! Today we looked at the effects of airspeed on the controls, slipstream, use of flaps, trim and something else that Jeremy wrote on the board (he's a lefty!) that I've completely forgotten atm.
Now, let's see what I can remember. Slipstream is the flow of air down the fuselage of the plane caused by the propellor.
The slipstream flow of air has the effect of pushing on the left side of the Rudder/vertical fin which pushes the nose of the plane slightly to the left. Slipstream also has the effect of making the rear controls, the Rudder and Elevator, more responsive.
Airspeed also has an effect on the controls. Slower airspeeds, such as when climbing, mean that the Ailerons are less responsive as there is less air passing over them. The Rudder and Elevators are still responsive (or more responsive) because more air is passing over them because of the slipstream.
When lowered, the flaps cause the back of the wing to bend downwards, which means the air flows over the back of the wing is a more downward direction. Wow this sounds confused. Basically, they increase lift by increasing the strength of the upward force under the wing and increase drag which slows the plane.
Today, I decided to finally start on my dream of learning to fly a light aircraft.
I've wanted to learn for years now and I figured it was time to take the plunge. Interestingly, this desire to learn began from flying commercially on holidays - I've always had this weird, unexplainable fear of oxygen masks on planes and I figured that light aircraft was a way to fly without having to worry about the oxygen masks. Now, a fair few years down the line, I just want to learn to fly for the challenge of it.
I did some research on flying schools in Melbourne and realised that it is far, far cheaper to learn at a little airport on the outside of the city than at one of the inner city airports like Moorabbin or Essendon. Luckily for me, Lilydale happens to be closer to my house anyway.
So today, having booked my flight last Monday, I headed off to Lilydale Airport. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I expected something different to a small building in the middle of a field surrounded by little planes. I didn't expect much, but I did expect a paved runway at least... Still, I figured they knew what they were doing!
I went in and met my 'pilot' for the day - now my instructor. His name (which I promptly forgot at the time but was reminded of later) is Jeremy.
First there was a briefing where Jeremy explained the basic physics of how a plane flies - using a rather cute model plane. The main parts of the plane we discussed that day were the Ailerons (flaps on the wings), the Elevator (horizontal flap on the back) and the Rudder (vertical flap attached to the vertical stabilizer - the tail). Each of these flaps has a primary and secondary characteristic. Jeremy asked if I knew that 'each action has an opposite and equal reaction'. I promptly replied that I failed physics at school (yay for Year 7 science!) and he said that he nearly did too. After my initial thought of 'well we're a good team', I figured that gave me hope since, in general, I'm pretty hopeless at physics. The primary effect of the Ailerons is to roll the plane to the side, the secondary effect is to yaw the nose down slightly and to the side. The primary effect of the Elevator is to control the pitch of the plane (move the nose up and down) with the secondary effect of raising or lowering the airspeed. The primary effect of the Rudder is to yaw the plane to the left/right with the secondary effect of rolling the plane.
With that sorted, we headed out to the plane, a Jabiru. My first reaction was 'wow it's small'.
Photo copyright Andrei Bezmylov
