Almost forgot how fun flying was ...

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luc
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Almost forgot how fun flying was ...

Post by luc » Mon Nov 28, 2011 4:18 pm

Hi Guys,

Just so I share this ... Just started flight training few weeks ago and almost forgot how fun it was. Not always easy, especially in this period of the year with the weather we have, but things are going very well and getting closer and closer to my "Solo" flight.

The bird I'm flying is a Cessna 172 and last weekend I brought my son to see and sit in it ... Geeee he was happy and maybe a future pilot to be, we never know.

Any other pilots on this forum?

Good day,
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Charlie Gulf Uniform Foxtrot Bravo.jpg
C-172 (C-GUFB)
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Mark
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Re: Almost forgot how fun flying was ...

Post by Mark » Mon Nov 28, 2011 7:01 pm

I remember taking flying lessons, a few things kind of funny or interesting I recall. My instructor would sometimes already be in the plane and reading the Bible before taking me up, a religious sort. ha
I remember thinking how when you are on the ground your world seems so paved and up in the air here it looks more like a forest. My instructor taught me how to recover from a spin so we would stall the aircraft raising the nose and then be headed straight down going round and round. The controls at first don't work because you don't have the airspeed. Then I recall you can't pull completely back on the stick or you won't recover I think it was. We did this several times, the stall warning device goes off just like when you are landing at a low speed, it's kind of alarming almost. Another time we took the side window off the plane so I could film some stuff for my filmmaking class. I flew over my house, that was kind of fun and after doing some solo flights I remember driving home thinking how odd it seemed to be flying and then driving a car, the transition somehow seemed peculiar. I never got a permit to take others up with me. Flying is kind of expensive and it's not really as quiet as I would like, but the view is nice and you have that sense of accomplishment. And you have to always be paying attention. You learn some useful stuff in the flight school part, things that might not occur to you or that you have't run across before. And the instructor has some good stories to tell you probably.
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Re: Almost forgot how fun flying was ...

Post by luc » Mon Nov 28, 2011 8:11 pm

Hi Mark,

Did'nt know you took flying lessons.
My instructor would sometimes already be in the plane and reading the Bible before taking me up, a religious sort.
Mine never seems to be scared or nervous. But again and from what he told me last week, "Everything I do is always very safe", and obviously like he pointed out, it seems I have not lost much of what I've learned 30 years ago in my first flight training.
I remember thinking how when you are on the ground your world seems so paved and up in the air here it looks more like a forest.
Personally, my feeling is kinda "Very solid" when on the ground and "Very fluid" once taking Off ... Indeed, a very strange feeling.
My instructor taught me how to recover from a spin so we would stall the aircraft raising the nose and then be headed straight down going round and round. The controls at first don't work because you don't have the airspeed. Then I recall you can't pull completely back on the stick or you won't recover I think it was.
Indeed you're correct. Pulling the stick back is a natural mistake every body does when pluging down to earth. In fact, it's the oposite you have to do (Push the stick) once you have stopped the rotation with your rudder, THEN pull the stick once speed is sufficient and rotation has stopped, and apply power after the plane is in leveled flight.
The stall warning device goes off just like when you are landing at a low speed, it's kind of alarming almost.
Yeappp ... Not a good noise to hear, especially when this buzzer goes On at landing when you have very little speed and the ground is so close ... He he he.
I flew over my house
Something I keep for my solo, for there is a bunch of peoples here that wants to see Luc doing a "Fly By".
I never got a permit to take others up with me.
So you got a "Pleasure" Licence (Just for you to fly)? I'm going for "Private", afterwhat, I will do my "Multi engines" and "Night flying".
and you have that sense of accomplishment
Indeed ... Indeed ...

Last week we got some nice wind here and I said to my self ... "Baaaaaaa ... We won't fly and we will do ground school, the windsock is straight horizontal (Apprx. 20 knots) and across the runway". Surprise, surprise, surprise ... We did go up and excuse was "A Damn good occasion to train your crosswind landings". Damnnnn ... Did I ever swet this one out ... Geeee. But got it after a few hours training.

But the scary ones where when we did the emergency proceedures ... You know ... You're flying, concentrating on your "Touch & go" ... And sudently, the damn instructor goes "ENGINE OUT" , the bastard cuts your engine off and ask you "What do you do now? ... Damnnnnnnnn. I obviously did good since I'm writting here today ... He he he ... ;-) But that was scary too.

You still have your licence and still fly Mark?
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Mark
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Re: Almost forgot how fun flying was ...

Post by Mark » Mon Nov 28, 2011 10:55 pm

I only flew about 15 hours of solo, I never did the night flying or navigation stuff to get a license to take others up. I was going back to college at the time and just figured I wouldn't be flying that much even if I got a license. I would fly around up high and down low and wonder what the heck I was doing up there by myself. Then I would do some takeoffs and landings. That's about it.
I do remember having fun crabbing into the wind though for landings, straightening out at the last minute. My instructor had me pratice crabbing at an unused military runway that had some grass growing up in spots on the field. I would fly very low following the stripe in the runway, flying sideways for the length of the runway in the crosswinds. Crabbing seemed safe for some reason. WIth landings it was fun to calculate the angle and sense the speed you are dropping and where you're going to plop down.
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Re: Almost forgot how fun flying was ...

Post by luc » Tue Nov 29, 2011 1:46 pm

Hi Mark,
Crabbing seemed safe for some reason
In fact, "Crabbing" is the most dangerous of the two types of approach you can do for crosswind landings, for it requires great skills and practice to master this approach. You can damage or even rip-off the main gear If you land while "Crabbing" either sides not being perfectly aligned with the runway's center line.

On our side for crosswind landings we train using a "Sliding" approach which is not as "Skills required" as a crabbing approach, but much more safer. I basically come on with my "Wind side" wing lower to compensate the drifting while applying opposite rudder so the plane stays aligned with the runway, all the way down. Then, I perform my "Flare" while keeping my "Wind side" wing low and rudder to maintain central axis, and land the plane on one wheel (Wind side), drop the second main grear and last the nose wheel. According to the manual, this is the safest and easiest way to land in crosswinds.

So your instructor got you swet this one out, for mastering "Crabbing" requires great skills and especially "Precision".

Personally, I will stick to the "Safe" and "Easier" ... He he he ... ;-)

GD
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Mark
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Re: Almost forgot how fun flying was ...

Post by Mark » Tue Nov 29, 2011 2:38 pm

Well I should clarify when you crab into the wind, (not the landing part) it seems quite peculiar the way you work the controls but that aspect is safe. But yes landing in a non-steady strong crosswind is no picnic. But it is fun on light crosswind days to glide in and fall at a control rate at that strange angle into the wind, almost like parachuting in for a landing in some strange way.
Once on a strong crosswind day my instructor before landing took the controls and even then it was kind of bouncy fighting the wind gusts. Flying in small planes is kind of weird too the way you are constanly correcting your little plane, like a butterfly in the wind if you are not used to the experience.
In that respect it's kind of like heading out for some deep sea fishing at a cruising speed. You try to steer a course using the compass, riding the waves trying to anticipate the next, rocking back and forth with the bow constantly changing the pitch and yaw. If you're in rough seas, it's even more fun. Sometimes you have to really slow down or speed up and figure how you're going to approach the next big wave headed for you.

PS I learned to fly on a grass runway and it was strange the first paved runway I landed on, the wheels grab a lot more whereas you can really land softly on grass, one time it was hardly detectable the exact moment I touched down. That reminds me, we practiced all the flap settings for landings in case they went out I guess. With flaps down you can really float in with a slow speed and headwind. I remember this time we were flying we could hear on the radio this woman exclaiming over and over, "I can't get it down, I can't get it down." I guess she had a strong headwind on her approaches. It was kind of funny in some way. She wasn't exceedingly panicked, just bewildered mostly.
One time my instructor told me he was teaching this woman to fly the same time I was learning and she would shake for some time even after being on the ground. But eventually she got her license he said. Another time I was flying with my instructor and the Blue Angels flew under us at treetop level and then we got a cordial radio call that they were going to be using the airspace for some training and for us to land. But it was very near our grassy airport, not like we were on their turf or prior notice. Often they fly low over my house on Tuesdays. I keep trying to get a good picture of them but I always miss them. I took a few pictures of the planes at an air show here a year or so ago. Yawn.
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Air show.JPG
Planes.JPG
Last edited by Mark on Tue Nov 29, 2011 3:21 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Almost forgot how fun flying was ...

Post by luc » Tue Nov 29, 2011 3:14 pm

Indeed, these langings can sometimes be very "Rock & Roll" "Down & up" all over the place.

You're right about the "Crab" Landing, not to touch the ground while crabbing. In fact, although crabbing is somehow described as "Less safe" then "sliding", crabbing will take much stronger crosswinds that would trow you off track if you slide land. As the C-172 is specified to a limit of 15 knots crosswind landings, sliding offers enough compensation for this kind of crosswind. But we do practice both.

Last week I had to do an emergency landing on an unpaved runway and indeed it was strange, especially that mine was a gravel (Small pebbles) one. This done, I was immediatly instructed to gain speed and climb back up for these little rocks or pebbles are not that good on paint and props.

Back in the air tomorow, I wounder what's on the menu???

Nice picture by the way ... This must have been impressive :o

GD
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Mark
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Re: Almost forgot how fun flying was ...

Post by Mark » Tue Nov 29, 2011 3:35 pm

A few other pictures I took that day on base - my neck of the woods/Gulf of Mexico. Nothing special. I watched some of the show from the lighthouse across the street near the water.
Attachments
Lighthouse area.JPG
On base near lighthouse.JPG
The pass looking out into the Gulf od Mexico.JPG
On base.JPG
Across the street from air show.JPG
Last edited by Mark on Tue Nov 29, 2011 3:57 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Almost forgot how fun flying was ...

Post by luc » Tue Nov 29, 2011 3:52 pm

Thinking of it, have you ever landed on a sandy surface like seen on your picture?

I was told that for such langings, planes requires these baloon type tires. You know, the ones that looks like big loly pops at the end of each gear legs.
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Mark
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Re: Almost forgot how fun flying was ...

Post by Mark » Tue Nov 29, 2011 4:17 pm

No, nothing that exotic.
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Re: Almost forgot how fun flying was ...

Post by luc » Mon Dec 12, 2011 2:20 pm

Hi,

Now up to the "Solo", but can't do it for now since I'm still waiting for M.O.T to send my medical certificate and validate radio communications. Well .... I guess I will have to wait after X-Mass to do it.

Last week was a raugh one, and where I probably got every thing no student pilots wants, such as freezing rain impacts in the windshield and strong winds that nearly flip the plane over on one occasion.

The speed a plane can ice-up at "Best freezing condition" is amazing ... So fast, you don't even have 30 second to react and take immediate actions (i.e : Nose down and straight to warmer level).

Some winds can also be very impressive. I got into a situation taking off doing my first left hand turn and where and wind gust flip the plane's right wing straight up vertical in a split second. Although I was trying to overcome with full opposite control applied, I had to wait that Mr. Wind was done doing is little number before I could see the plane level back although my controls were still in opposite ... That one really surprised and scared the **** out of me.

But like my instructor mentioned, I'm training in the worst period of the year ... Something that will for shure serve me one day.

I like this instructor ... If there's some **** out there, he will shure bring you in it so you know what to do if you ever get into it, and trust me, Canada as plenty of that waether.

GD
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Mark
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Re: Almost forgot how fun flying was ...

Post by Mark » Wed Dec 14, 2011 4:00 pm

Mr. Wind. ha
"I had to wait that Mr. Wind was done doing is little number before I could see the plane level back although my controls were still in opposite ... "

Mr. W
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mTLO2F_ERY
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Re: Almost forgot how fun flying was ...

Post by luc » Wed Dec 14, 2011 4:05 pm

He he he ... Yeaaaaa ... Something like that, but alot more scary I would say ... ;-)

Nice movie Mark ... ;-)

GD
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luc
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Re: Almost forgot how fun flying was ...

Post by luc » Sun Feb 05, 2012 6:49 pm

Heyyy Mark,

Did my Solo yesterday ... :D

A bit of a nerve racking experience I would admit, especially when the instructor leaves the plane and you're still in it with the engine at iddle. I think the worts part was between when the instructor left the plane and the moment I pushed throttle to take-off. Once the plane is rolling and speed-up, you don't really have the time to think about the fact you're alone this time.

Although it was a clear day, I had an 80° / 7 to 10 Kts crosswind and the landing strip was totally covered with ice. So, once I landed I had to be very very gentle on the breaks ... Otherwise it was a little ride in the blueberry field ... :lol:

But it's behind now ... And went perfectly ... :D

Good day,
Luc
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Mark
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Re: Almost forgot how fun flying was ...

Post by Mark » Sun Feb 05, 2012 8:24 pm

I think it takes the most courage your first time. You don't have to be quite as brave once you get familiar with being alone. I remember standing on the edge of some high cliff in Northern California just looking out over the Pacific. Out of nowhere a guy ran right by me and jumped off in his hang glider. I had no idea there was anybody around. He must have known I would be in awe of his stealthy launch for I didn't hear a sound until a second before he jumped.
I was watching George Clooney in an interview and he said the reason people admire actors is that they are willing to risk embarrassing themselves. I suppose flying is in that category too.
Congratulations on your solo flight.
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