Third Complex Flight

Yesterday was another very cold but clear day. The Cutlass had flown earlier so it was outside rather than in the nice warm hanger. Pete and I cooperated to do a complete but quick preflight then got inside the airplane and out of the cold wind. I gave the engine two shots of primer, pumped the throttle twice and it started right up. We taxied to runway 23, did our run-up and departed to the practice area west of the airport.

After a couple climbs and descents to review those important procedures, Pete started giving me emergency situation and had me run through the appropriate checklists for each. We went through engine fires, electrical system failure, engine out and gear retraction failure. Finally, Pete pulled the gear pump circuit breaker to off and had me go through an emergency landing gear extension. The manual gear extension lever is located between the seats. I pulled the handle forward and pumped it until the green light came on and the main wheels were visible out the windows. It takes a lot of pumping to get the gear down. I didn't count but, the POH says about 35 strokes. The comforting things is just how well manual extension works.

By now, we were pointed back toward the airport. I got the ATIS, called the tower and entered the right downwind for runway 23. My landings were much better on this flight, I am getting adjusted to the extra speed and being more patience letting the airplane slow down and settle. No ballooning this time. We did three landings, two go-arounds and then our final landing. The go-arounds went very well. The steps are to add full power, set carb heat off, retract flaps to 20 degrees and watch for a positive rate of climb. Once we are climbing, raise the gear and bring the rest of the flaps in 10 degrees at a time. From there, the power comes back to 25 inches for a normal climb to pattern altitude.

I am now almost half way through the clubs complex aircraft experience requirements. I have 4.6 hours out of 10 required, 11 out of 25 landings and 2 out of 5 go-arounds. I probably need four more flights to finish but, I am already feeling fairly comfortable with the more complex systems.

Second Complex Flight

We finally got a decent flying day yesterday and made another flight in the Cutlass.  It was cold but the skies were clear and the winds light.

This flight was pretty much a repeat of the first complex session.  I did more climbs and descents to practice setting up the power, propeller, mixture and cowl flaps.  Those are the four things that have to be managed at every configuration change.  Pete also had me do some transitions to approach configuration which includes the four items listed plus managing the landing gear, flaps and carb heat.  I felt more comfortable with the added workload this time.  Not as rushed as I was on the first flight.

A new task for this flight was very slow flight in landing configuration with the stall horn blaring.  After a few minutes of that, Pete had me pull the power back and bring the nose up into a stall.  Recovery is pretty much what I am used to except remembering to set the carb heat off and to push the power in more gradually than I would in a fixed pitch airplane.  After the air work, we headed back to the airport for some landings.

Runway 32 was in use and I hadn't landed on it in a long time.  This is Waukegan's shorter runway at 3700 feet.  I remember back to my private training when I would use the whole runway and need brakes to make the turn off at the end.  Yesterday, I was only using the first half and making the turn off at the mid point (C2 in the picture) with no effort.  Strange how what used to seem like a short runway now seems so long.

We did four landings with two good and the other two just fair.  I ballooned a little on both of those.  I need more practice handling the extra speed of the Cutlass I guess.

From now on, we will be concentrating more on the pattern work to get those 25 landings and 5 go-arounds the insurance company requires done.

No Surprise - The Weather Stinks Again

One more complex lesson canceled by IMC. I booked again for next Monday and I am looking for a good time to book later this week too. The long range forecast isn't encouraging. I might have to wait for a decent weather day and jump in at the last minute.

Foiled Again

KUGN 041452Z 29007KT 4SM BR OVC007 01/00 A2992 RMK AO2 CIG 005V010 SLP143 T00110000 53032

Four mile visibility would have allowed us to do pattern work but, a 700 foot ceiling just wont cut it. Pattern altitude at Waukegan is 1500 feet MSL and the filed elevation is 727. To keep the legal cloud clearance of 500 feet below, we want to have a 1300 foot ceiling. That isn't going to happen this morning.

Georgia broke her foot on Christmas day and is having surgery tomorrow to repair it. Once I know when her follow up appointments will be I will get on the flight schedule again.

Happy New Year!

Another new year is here. It seems they just keep coming faster and faster. I didn't do as much flying as I would have liked in 2008 but, Georgia and I did do more traveling than most years. The Baltic cruise was a memorable experience and the Caribbean trip was a nice winter break. AirVenture at Oshkosh was our big aviation related get away. We also made a few long weekend trips to see family and friends - most happy but one sad.

So far, the only travel plans we have for this year are a Hawaiian cruise in April and a return to AirVenture in July. I'm sure others short trips will come up as the year goes by and hopefully we can make some of them by light airplane. My other flying plans are to get the complex endorsement done and then move on to instrument training.

I hope all of you had a wonderful 2008 and will have an even better 2009. Happy New Year!