What a bummer!

Well – on the basis that I know that I learn more from my mistakes than from what I do well – todays taildragging lesson ranks as one of my most ‘successful’ learning session yet! Yep – what a b*tch of a session!

To be fair(and to make excuses), the weather was not ideal (when is it ever) with the wind at 40 degrees from the runway and varying between 4kts and 16kts in the space of a few seconds – not ideal for taildragging but the sort of experience I need (and yes, I would laugh at such conditions in the Arrow – ‘that’s not a crosswind – it’s just a bit of a giggle!’).

This is now my third instructor (in less than 5 hours) and this time it was the club CFI. He had some quite different ground handling ‘learning points’ for me and my taxy speed was now reduced to a ‘fast crawl’.

On my first circuit, the take-off run wasn’t wonderful, but I managed. I followed the ‘tight and low’ circuit my original instructor had shown me, which was commented on by the CFI saying that I must climb straight ahead to 600’ before turning crosswind, avoid this village etc. to the new 1000’ circuit height. OK – none of this is a problem, but by the time he had finished, I missed my normal turning point and had to extend downwind to avoid overflying a NIMBY village. By the time I had done this I had ‘lost’ the airfield and had to have it gently pointed out to me! The approach was OK but not great and the landing was not great but I made it.

The second take-off was better, but still not good. The circuit was a far more normal ‘spamcan’ circuit which gave me loads more time to settle. The approach was much better, but I obviously mucked up the landing as I bounced it pretty big-time and the CFI initiated a go-around.

Next circuit was the same and the approach was actually very nice. My landing was acceptable and I controlled the run.

The evening gloom was closing in, but time for one more. The take-off was actually quite good this time and I started to settle in, thinking ‘let’s make this a good one’. A nice circuit and a good approach – all the right ingredients. But the landing was horrible as again I bounced it in and the CFI initiated a go-around. This time he flew a low level circuit to land as a few minutes later would mean a night landing on the other runway.

He was very kind and said it was coming (yeah – so’s Christmas!) and I needed more practice and that the crosswind was not particularly easy. All very nice, but it did dent my confidence.

Basically I did not relax into it, was gripping the stick pretty hard on the approach and I think I was trying too hard and not ‘feeling’ the plane. I honest did learn a lot this time. Next time I will forget about trying to impress anyone or whether and if I might get signed-off and simply enjoy it for what it is – oh, and book an earlier slot so I am not trying to land in gloom – so yes, I have booked 16:00 on Friday the 13th October – strangely, not many bookings on that day – wonder why?

I’ll get there, but I have to be far more ‘Zen’ like and ‘feel the force’.

IWM Duxford

Despite missing both my taildragging lesson and work on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday due to a heavy cold / temperature / cough etc., I was confident I would be OK by the weekend and with the Sunday unexpectedly free, I booked it hoping I felt better.

I asked the neighbour, who is a history and military buff, if he fancied a flight to Duxford air museum. He jumped at the chance and I prayed for my health and the weather!

Sunday dawned in bright blue sunny skies for Cheltenham, with some hill fog clearing as the sun raised the temperature, but a dubious forecast for the day. So we set off anyway. At Gloucester, I got a verbal update from Duxford – not good news – 2000m visibility with a 1000’ cloudbase in murk! However, the forecast was for the weather to move east, so I thought I would do a leisurely A-Check, mooch around a bit and give it a go to see what would happen.

We set off about 10:40 and climbed to 3400’ in clear skies and good visibility. Martin handled the aircraft once I got it level and trimmed up. I explained a few more instruments and re-explained some I had gone through before – I’ll make a good ‘Auto-pilot’ of him yet! I routed direct to DTY and changed to Coventry Approach. They were busy as usual, but I got a call in a got FIS with a 0250 skwawk. I routed south of DTY and kept a careful lookout, but no aircraft.

As I switched to Cranfield, Martin remarked on the ‘wall of fog’ we seemed to be heading into. Well it wasn’t, but it certainly looked like a classic inversion layer at 3200’ topped with scattered cumulus – clear above that but very murky underneath. So I set course for Duxford and reduced height to about 1500’ and grovelled along in maybe 4km visibility – flying a mixture of visual with reference to the AI. I gave Duxford a call and as I expected they weren’t rushed off their feet. They gave 3-4km and clouds at 1500’ – so I figured I would give it a go.

I recognised Fowlmere so followed the road in to Duxford for a downwind join for runway 24. I flew a wide circuit to avoid Duxford village and turning base lost the airfield, but as I knew where I was, I picked up the road and the BP roundabout then spotted the runway. I think this taildragging stuff is paying dividends as the landing was again a good one. I rolled to the end and taxied under instructions to a bay next to the one seemingly used by the Sally B. We parked up and shutdown – a good run!

Off we went to pay for the fee at the admissions hall and buy our tickets. To my astonishment, on the way to the American Hangar, I saw a chap with an expensive telephoto lens camera taking pictures of my plane – PICTURES OF A PIPER ARROW WHEN YOU HAVE EVERY CONCEIVABLE WARBIRD AROUND YOU!!! MADNESS!! I really don’t get it – sorry!

So we checked out the hangars from the American hangar working back.



Great they were as always for me, but of course a first time for Martin and his step-son Jackie. I particularly enjoyed looking at the ‘flyers’ – the warbirds that regularly fly – and the Corsair – what a lovely plane!

By nearly 15:00 we had seen all we wanted and headed back. It was now a lovely, warm and sunny day, with vis still not fantastic but certainly several km. We took off and I climbed to 3100’ and gained track for DTY.

Same again in reverse really. Difference was I has Jackie in the front this time and handed the controls to him. However, he is only 12 and I didn’t put booster cushions in so he was struggling to see over the coaming! So he didn’t ‘steer’ for long.



Closing in on DTY and we started to hear about and spot aircraft. Martin spotted one below and to the right which swung around under us to the left the made a wide arc around in front of us, all the time well below, but worth watching in case he thought it would be fun to do a zoom climb! Then Jackie spotted a biplane above us heading across and behind. I didn’t see him emerge the other side, so I can only assume he dropped in behind us following a similar track.

For Jackies benefit, once well clear of the DTY honeypot (probably around Stow on the Wold), I did a steep turn to either side – this is the closest I can get in the Arrow to aerobatics – it seems to impress my young passenger anyway though.

I got the ATIS and called Gloucester. They were quiet, so I asked for and got a straight in approach to final for 22. Got the plane slowed down and the gear down with three miles to run and started a descent and completed the ‘downwind’ checks. The approach was a bit high and I overdid the throttle cut and got a bit slow in flare and as a result bumped it down – I am sure I would have been proud of one like that as a student, but not now – still, you can’t win them all.

Taxi back and shutdown. The plane is running very smoothly and there were no problems. Martin and Jackie seemed to enjoy the trip and it was a fun day out.

Next up, a taildragging lesson on Wednesday.

Taildragging

I had my last taildragging lesson nearly three weeks ago. That was a very good lesson and the instructor wanted me to go up again in a few days for solo consolidation, then some crosswind landing prior to sign-off.

Unfortunately, due to a mix up on bookings and my availability in the evening only, this meant that the earliest next lesson was Wednesday 6th September at 19:00. Also, my normal instructor wasn’t available so I was going up with a South African lady instead. None of which is of course any problem, just a shame about the lay-off.

So I turned up and had a chat. The evening was very nice with a gentle wind straight down runway 24. So we were going to do more stop and gos, followed hopefully by more solo stop and gos.

I got in the plane with my usual ‘origami / yoga’ approach of pulling my legs into weird positions! The instructor was fairly small and light – certainly compared to 6’ 4” James, so I anticipated a slightly more sprightly performance from the Cub!

There were already two in the circuit and I was going to make it number 3. So after start-up and taxy, I waited at the hold for a suitable gap, the started my take-off run. This went well as I held it straight. The tail was up sooner than normal and it was very light, possibly even flying before the ‘hump’ on 24 launched the Cub into the air. I held it low to get the wing working and build speed before starting a climb to clear the trees at the end of the runway (always a bonus!).

I was careful to remember to use co-ordinated stick and rudder – you really do get lazy in the Arrow. The circuit height has increased recently from 800’ to 1000’ due to noise complaints from the local NIMBY’s, so I was climbing until late downwind (which is pretty dumb when you think about it). The approach looked good to me and I think my normal instructor would have been happy, but my new instructor seems to like to keep it higher and steeper. The landing was OK, safe, but nothing to write home about.

Around we went again. Same deal, but this time, I stayed high and slipped some of the height off. However, I didn’t really get the speed under control and as a result came in with too much energy. There was a small balloon, not bad and a bit of a hop on landing. What is it they say? A good landing usually results from a good approach.

Around for a third and better this time. It was however a bit more interesting when the seat started to slide back in the hold-off! Fortunately, I didn't pull the stick with it and told the instructor that my seat was adrift. I still landed it and latched it properly during taxy. Actually, a safe but not great landing.

So around for a fourth with Heather taking over on base leg for a demonstration. She really was quite high and slipped it off with quite a pronounced forward slip before establishing a normal approach at about 100m out. I thought she was a bit fast and so it turned out. She had to hold it in the flare for some time and drifted off the centreline, but it was a good demonstration of hold-off and three point landing.

She asked how I felt about two solo circuit stop and gos and I said I was fine. Out she hopped and off I went. The take-off I have to say was the best I have done so far, it felt very smooth. The circuits was good and as I did the downwind checks, I noted it was now 19:40 and I thought to myself the next circuit might need night-vision goggles – it really was starting to get very gloomy very quickly. The approach was better but not great, still a bit fast and a bit high, so I slipped for bit then re-established the approach and held her in the flare. Still a bit too much energy though, so although no balloon, I had to hold off for some time then bounced a bit then settled.

As I was taxying, I was not surprised to be told to come in on the radio as the light was fading fast.

I got a good de-brief and two instructors aid my solo landing actually looked good and the bounce was only a couple of feet. I guess they are the experts and they know me well enough to know that I don’t need to be humoured.

I am now really quite confident in my ground handling, take-off and general handling. Personally, I think I just need a few more decent stop and gos and I hope to be ready for sign-off. Next lesson is next week and the earlier slot at 17:30, so I will have plenty of light and time. I really look forward to it and I WILL sort a nice stable, steady and slow approach and grease the bugger on!

It really is a good, fun aircraft and I really enjoy it! I am looking forward to my tailwheel sign-off.

Bouncing along to Shobdon

The plane is going in for its annual on Monday 4th, so as maintenance member, I had to bring the logs up to date. So to kill two birds with one stone, I booked the plane on the Sunday afternoon before the annual so I would be the last person to fly.

Brought the logs up to date (except of course for the Sunday flight) and again invited Martin along. I made the mistake of confirming the arrangement on Saturday evening and took a couple of beers over – suffice to say it was gone midnight before I stumbled back to my house, negotiating the tricky 15 metres or so across the drive before collapsing into bed – I could tell the wife was impressed!

Fortunately, by Sunday early afternoon, I was feeling a lot better as I booked us out for a short hop to Shobdon. It was breezy with Gloucester giving 240/15G25. So off we went in the gusts towards Shobdon following a Cessna 182 who was going to the same place about 2 minutes ahead of us, fortunately with his retractable gear, that is pretty much where he stayed – I didn’t fancy trying to spot him to overtake.

The weather turned solid overcast past the Malverns, but still fine at 2600’. I was showing Martin how to follow a course, how to trim and explaining the instruments. We were approaching Shobdon in no time, so I took control and started the descent for a direct left base join for 27. I have been there once before and knew pretty much where it was, but by 5 mile I still hadn’t spotted the airfield, the both Martin and I spotted it at the same time.

Good approach and a nice landing. I was a bit dozy so sailed past the mid-point turn off when I could easily have made it, so probably annoyed people by taxying to the end before vacating the runway. We parked up and sauntered over to the café.

Horror! No toasted bacon sandwiches! They are on a Sunday menu, so can’t use the frying pan but could do grilled sausage sandwich (ever heard of grilled bacon?? No, never mind – sausage sandwich will be fine!). Martin is on a steep learning curve and finds ‘customer service UK style’ hard to understand after Canada!



We sit around watching the world go by. One of the local Cessnas is doing circuits with the pilot flaring and holding off consistently too high in my view, then stalling it on the gear – that has got to hurt! Only she does it time after time. I think she could hold off a good five feet lower. I know everyone is an armchair critic watching landings – maybe mine don’t look so clever either. We also spot an R22 doing hover practice and turning on the spot in the gusty conditions, that must be a hell of a challenge! There is a fair bit of gliding as a tug tows three off while we are there.

We saddle up and move out. I am delayed at the hold waiting for a glider to land on the grass, so I get the camera out and snap a nice photo.



I follow the noise abatement procedure while keeping a close eye on the R22 ahead. I move above him as he continues around in the circuit, then off the Gloucester. On the way, I give Martin control and get him to do a couple of normal VMC turns. He does OK for a first attempt and also learns to trim properly.

I pick up the ATIS around Malvern and give Gloucester a call. They are not busy and eventually I get a right base join for 27. This is Martin’s chance to take some pictures of his office in Cheltenham as we fly over it.

We land on 27 and I taxy in. Quite a nice flight in gusty condition and Martin still seems to love it. I bring the logs up to date and hand them in over the desk at Aeros for maintenance on Monday.

Such a simple couple of hours with a modest landaway, but I am reminded how fortunate I am to be able to do something like this. It really is great fun and very satisfying.

Next up, hopefully more taildragger lessons next week at Sibson.