Climbing & Descending

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.

Handy Dandy Glossary for certain readers

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, give or take a bit, is what I see. This is the instrument panel.

These are some of the main crontrols:

This is the Control Column (aka 'the stick'). The red thing behind it is the brake.

This is the Throttle. Pushing it in increases the power, pulling it out decreases the power.

These are some of the main instruments:

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.

Some other terms:

Roll: Also known as Bank. This is when the aircraft rolls/tilts to the side. This is controlled by the Ailerons.

Pitch: This is controlled by the Elevator. It is the angle of the nose of the plane.

Yaw: The turn of the nose to the side. The secondary effect of Ailerons is yaw.

I may add some more terms if I think of them. Hopefully this helps some people!

Straight and Level Flying

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:

• Constant heading (flying in a straight line)
  
• Constant attitude
  
• Constant speed
• Constant height
• Balance (wings level)

Next we went over the different cruise types of the plane. There are three main types of cruise - normal cruise, fast cruise and slow cruise. Each one requires different power levels and a different nose attitude.

There's a formula for this: Power (rpm) + Attitude = Performance

We used Jeremy's perception of attitude since I hadn't tried it yet, but kept in mind that mine would be rather different since I'm about a foot shorter. Basically, attitude is the perception of where the nose is in relation to the horizon. For example, at normal cruise speed, the horizon for Jeremy is about 1/2 way up the windscreen.

Power is measured by the revs of the engine. The revs change at different cruise speeds. Jeremy asked me 'When moving to a slow cruise, do the revs go up or down?'. Bemused I replied 'down'. He was like 'You'd be surprised how many people get that wrong'. I was like 'You're kidding'. I mean, really, to go slower the engine goes slower and has less revs. That's obvious. Who, exactly, are these people who get confused and what are they thinking at the time?

Power for different cruise speeds:

• Normal - 3000rpm
• Fast - 3200rpm
• Slow - 2400rpm

However, as with most things it seems, the difference on the Jabiru is mainly comparative, but the differences become more obvious on other planes.

Then we went over the first 'sequence' (can't remember the proper word) to remember and go through when flying - ALAP.

A - Attitude
L - Lookout
A - Attitude
P - Performance

Basically, when flying (especially when starting new maneuvres like turns) you should go through this sequence. First, Attitude (where the nose is in relation to the horizon), then Lookout (look left, centre, then right looking for other planes, mountains, various other things to crash into), Attitude again, and Performance (airspeed, power (rpms) and balance).

Then it was time to head out to the plane. This time, we started going through the checklists for flight. First was the pre-start up checklist. This involved moving different switches for fuel pumps etc. Jeremy said that before starting the prop, the pilot has to yell 'clear prop' to warn others that the prop is about to start. He tells me this, then turns to the door and says (barely louder than normal conversational level) 'Clear prop!'. I was like 'nice yell :P'. I got to taxi to the runway again, then we went through the pre-takeoff checklist which involves checking the controls and the flaps etc. Then, takeoff.

We got to a cruising altitude of about 2000ft then I was given a few minutes to get used to the controls again. I'm definitely getting more confident with them which is nice!

First we tried straight and level flight at normal cruise. When doing this, you have to keep the wings level (balance), a constant airspeed and constant attitude. I discovered that, for me, the horizon is about 1/3 of the way up the windscreen when at a normal cruise At a normal cruise, the airspeed should be around 100kts (knots). After Jeremy's demonstration, I got to try and it was definitely harder than it looked. There's a lot of things to remember at the same time and it took a fair bit of concentration. I was definitely getting the hang of it though.

Then Jeremy demonstrated the transition from normal cruise to slow cruise. This introduced another sequence to remember - PAST.

P - Power
A - Attitude
S - Speed
T - Trim

First, the pilot needs to change the power of the plane (in this case, lessening the power from 3000rpm to 2400rpm. This is done by pulling the throttle out). Next is checking (and changing) attitude. When moving to a slow cruise, the nose needs to raise as the airspeed is less and therefore the wings are creating less lift. To compensate for this, the nose attitude needs to be changed which changes the angle at which the wings meet the air (also known as the Angle of Attack). Then the airspeed needs to be checked - at slow cruise, it should be around 75-80kts. Finally, the pilot needs to trim the elevator as they will be pulling it back quite far to raise the nose to the required level.

At slow cruise, for me, the nose is just above the level of the horizon. First I had to take it from a normal cruise to a slow cruise following PAST. It wasn't too difficult, I'm getting better at controlling the throttle. Then I had to try flying straight and level at a slow cruise. It's important to remember, that at a slow cruise, the angle of bank (roll of the plane) has to be less. It was definitely more challenging to keep it straight and level at a slow cruise, it has a tendency to roll and move a little more than at a normal cruise.

Then we took it up to a fast cruise, following PAST again. At a fast cruise, the horizon is about halfway up the windscreen. When moving into a fast cruise, the pilot has to push the elevator forward to lower the nose, and this needs to be adjusted with the trim lever. At a fast cruise, the airspeed should be around 110kts. It is far more challenging to keep it straight and level at a fast cruise as, at faster speeds, there is more turbulence and the plane bounces far more. I also found it harder to keep a constant altitude, it seemed to me that we were flying level, but according to the altimeter we were actually climbing a bit.

We then had to head back to the airport. I got to fly most of the way back, but had to give up the controls for the landing. I can't wait until I get to do the take offs and landings, although I'll probably be terrified when it actually comes!

Unfortunately it's another two weeks before my next lesson, since I have an internship during the week and Jeremy was booked up next weekend. I'm pretty disappointed because I had an absolute blast today!

Next lesson, depending on weather is either Turning (if it's cloudy) or Climbing and Descending (if it's a nice day).

Random things I learnt today:

• I'm actually managing to get the hang of the throttle
• It's a lot easier to fly with a cushion (sigh)
  
• The yell of Clear Prop doesn't actually have to be a yell