Update: – I’m still in the circuit. I’m still not solo. I’m still ok with that.
I had a break from flying for 2 and a half weeks – mostly due to the combination of both my instructor and me being away (but not coinciding). So I was expecting a terrible flight on Friday. And…. I was wrong.
From the get go – I was comfortable, relaxed and the flying was, well… OK. Not stellar, but not terrible and very definitely safe and to standard. We did 9 circuits and 10 landings.
2 of those landings were 50% flap, 1 with flaps up and one was a simulated engine failure after rotation with adequate runway ahead (which bizarrely, was my best landing of the day). I joked that the instructor should just pull the power over the threshold on every landing and I’d be ok….
We did another EFATO with no runway and managed that OK apart from being distracted so much by the Fault check that I lost about 15kts (should be at 90kts for the SR20 best glide) – so less than ideal but still would have made the field I chose – had a hairy time on the go-around from the option because there was a helicopter that wasn’t supposed to be there – we got to wave at the farmer too….
I’m SLOWLY getting the three phases of the landing right – my approaches are still good – it feels natural to adjust power for rate and pitch for speed and for the most part I’m over the threshold at the height and airspeed I want to be at. Roundout is ok too and I’m able to fly along the runway in ground effect (and for the first time I actually could feel when entering ground effect).
The issue is still in the holding off phase – as power comes off I need to be pulling back gently and it still is a bit jerky – but it is definitely getting there. I need to concentrate on the end of the runway more on the roundout though – I tend to find myself peering over the nose – which isn’t conducive to good attitude flying.
In other news I picked up another exam this week – Principles of Flight. I took the books with on holiday and had every intention of cranking out both Principles and Met while away but only managed to finish Principles. Spent Monday through thursday doing past papers on the Principles and then rushed off on Thursday to do the exam. To be honest, the exam was a bit of a joke – I do them online in a monitored room – 25 multiple choice questions, 30min to complete.
It took me 3m15s. Why? Because they seem to ask the same questions over and over again. So all that is required is to carefully read the question to make sure you aren’t being tricked – and then to select the answer. Got 24/25 right. Apparently there are people who struggle to pass these exams. Go figure. Of course, pride comes before a fall etc so I’m still going to put max effort into the next one which I think will be the R/T theory because it’s similar to Air Law in many respects.
On Friday next week I have another dual check which means that I’m close to 20h (19 to be precise) – I’m hoping that goes well and I get signed off – so we should be solo by month end. Or whenever I’m ready. Whatever, I’m cool…..
(C-17 Globemaster from McGuire AFB – Apparently here supplying the embassy)
Good for you, Mike! It sounds like that you are getting to where you want to be – maybe not as quickly as you would like to, but consistently, at a steady pace and what’s most important – safely. That is perhaps more impressive than you think. Hope to follow in your footsteps in a few weeks or months.