First passenger

1-30-05 M and I went up for a flight, a nice clear day with light breezes and 625 lift forecast. No one seemed to be staying up long so I opted for a 4000’ AGL tow. She was OK with the flying around, but got sick after just a few circles (and my banks weren’t very steep). After throwing up she was better, so when I found some lift we worked it back up to 3500’ AGL and then gently flew around. I think the lift was a shear line because it was very spread out.

We saw a hawk at about 2500’ AGL.

I flew to the north end of R canyon and then when I got there started hitting some sink. Nothing too hard, but it made me really nervous about getting back to the field. I ended up at the IP with about 300’ to spare, but that’s closer than I would have liked – much more sink and we would have been sunk.

Notes:

1. I can’t fully engage the flaps from the rear seat – it’s too stiff.

2. Remember to think more about wind on base and final. There wasn’t any, but I didn’t check to see.

3. Remember to keep the airbrakes on all the way to the ground, don’t let go of them to pull the wheel brake until firmly down. I think I ballooned just a bit.

First passenger with PPG - NOT!

1-23-05 Daughter M wants to be my first passenger, so I plan to fly after church. But she's sick and doesn't want to go.

MK wants to, so we head off to the field... a bit later in the day than optimal. J reports 6kt lift! Then after Preflighting we find MK is just too tall to fit and still give me full control movement. Bummer!

I fly anyway. Right after release, I get 6 kt all right - DOWN! I lose almost all my altitude and have to settle for zero sink at the IP. I float in zero for about half an hour, ending up with a 39 minute flight. VERY smooth precision landing - 45 kts feels a lot slower than 50 kt.

So... still have not taken a passenger.

Practical test - third time's a charm!

1-19-05 Oral & Practical test day. I get there about 8:45, they arrive at 10:00. Perfectly clear weather, warm and unfortunately stable. The instructor candidate, G, does the papers and the oral test - VERY SLOWLY and fumblingly. This takes forever! R sometimes has to correct him and make him ask coherent questions. I miss some stuff, especially airspaces and light guns. This and the cross-country flight plan take FOUR HOURS! Then I fly with R. He's patient and fair and smart. All three flights go great! Not perfect, but very well.

1. To 4000', very smooth tow. On takeoff I hear a bang from the back seat. I think he tried to fool me into thinking a rope break had occurred, but I saw no change in the rope so I did not react. Box the wake is OK - rounded out the lower left a bit. Tried to get slack twice, got just a little. Steered the towplane to the left. A couple of not-so-steep turns, a round out to a compass heading. Straight stalls go fine. Turning, he doesn't want a stall, just the recognition. Slow flight - he wants me to slow down to find the stall speed. We find no lift but simulate thermaling. That's pretty much it for high airwork, so he has me demo slips to lose altitude. On the 45, I extend the landing gear and have trouble getting it to lock in place. Flying with my left hand, I'm a bit distracted and get out of attitude a bit, but I recover without it becoming a problem. (Maybe this counts for a distraction, because he didn't create any others as I expected.) Very nice landing, maybe a slight bounce. This one has to be a precision landing (in the box) and I nail it! Well, except for nosing up a bit at the very end.

2. Ostensibly to 2000', but he pulls the rope around 250-300'. I nose over - my speed is about 60 kt due to tow, so I don't have to wait to pick up speed, so I turn right away. No big deal - later I don't even remember looking down at the ground. With no wind, I don't get pushed deep into the field. I land with just spoilers - I don't think I had to slip. I land smoothly and nicely centered, maybe even a little short because the ground is rough and we don't roll even close to the taxiway. (Later he says that's my best landing of the day.) It's a LONG push back with just two of us.

3. Now to 2000' to do the no-drag approach, spoilers allowed on final. Off tow, he says this is also to simulate an off-field landing where I do not know the ground altitude, so he has me crank the altimeter out of usefulness! This is a big surprise! I've never landed without reference to the altimeter. So... I do it. I fly around and slip down until I think I'm about 1000' at the IP and then do the no-flap approach. It all goes well, I use spoilers only in the second half of final, and I nail another precision landing - and this time it was not required!

After debrief, he gives me my temporary cert - I've passed! There are some things I should study, but they pass me. Later I ask R how he thinks I did, and he said it went very well. By the time they leave and I put it all away, it's about 5:30 p.m. and I'm tired and have a stomach ache. But I've got my cert!!

Still practicing

1-15-05 3 flights with B.

First is to 3000, general airwork. I'm in the back, so this is my rear-seat checkout. Landed just a bit short.

Later, two pattern tows from the front seat. First flight, he has me land on the runway to save time - perfect.

Third, I do the no-flaps slip to landing, which goes fine except that I land short AGAIN. Just about 5 feet, but still... He says I'm flaring too early and trying to use ground effect too long. I hope I don't do this on the test!

15 requirements - who'da thunk it

1-7-05 I have all the paperwork I need, and make a list of 15 documents and endorsements! Wow! I faxed them all to R and he said all is OK... but I still need instructor currency. The weather better clear up!

Jeopardy

1-1-05 is New Year's Day. 1-2 is too windy to fly. 1-8 and 1-15 are rained out. I still don't have current instructor flights so my test date is in jeopardy!