Solo taildragger circuits

After trying to fly every weekend since being given 'partial sign-off', althought eh forecast was for solid rain, the morning looked OK, murky, but little wind and easily 1000' cloudbase. Plus I had an email from one of the other group members who said he would probably finish earlier than his booking.

So I set off for the airfield hoping for at least a session of solo circuits.

As it turned out, the other member was out of currency according to group rules and was having a refresher session with 'my' instructor. I had a quick chat as they shut down. Roly confirmed it was good enough for me for circuits, so off I went. For once there was also plenty of fuel.

However, the wind was 130/9kts on runway 09, so some crosswind, but it was a steady wind. But runway 09 meant the 'long march of death' around to C1 for 09 - the other side of the airfield. So I carefully taxied around, taking care to keep the stick in the right position for the wind as I navigated the taxiways.

Line up and start the take off run. Allow into wind aileron and remember that I am lighter than I have ever been, so the plane will be a lot more sprightly. It was and the tail came up quickly, but I caught it in time and got enough rudder in to stop the swing. Before I knew it we were up and flying - you really don't rotate in the RV6, it tells you when it wants to fly and you'd better go along with it!

I am now getting used to the rapid rate of climb and we quickly gained the 1000' circuit height as I swung around crosswind for 09 with left hand circuits. I was behind one of the flight schools PA28's so held the revs back to somethin like 1700 rpm to keep a nice sedate circuit speed so I didn't chew his tail off in front.



I though about what I needed to do and did the downwind checks. Power right back and allow the aircraft to slow so I can get flaps on. Two stages in and 80 kts IAS on final. Let the speed bleed back, a bit high, less power, speed maybe 70-75 - damn, I wanted 65. Plane pointed a bit right to allow for the crosswind. Over the hedge. I was a bit fast and left the power on a bit too long. Round out, kick straight, feels like I am level, 3-point position and we touch - not hard, but a bit of a 'Spitfire bounce', control it and down again, bigger bounce this time - I don't like this - rather than risk a third and even bigger bounce, I push the throttle and the RV responds immediately as I do a go-around.

As I climb out I call 'go around' and clean up. Climbing out to circuit height, I figure what went wrong. Too much energy - a bit too fast, left the throttle on too long and didn't fly level long enough (or at all really?) to bleed the surplus off. OK, lesson learned, truy again.

Next time, better approach and speed, but again a bounce, and another, not as bad and probably could have controlled the third one, but decided to power up and 'get out of Dodge' again.

OK, getting boring now! Analyse what yiou are doing wrong and deal with it - you know what to do, why aren't you doing it? Tried not to beat myself up and vowed to make this a good one. Just get the airspeed right, fly level and the plane will settle itself - you know how to do this!

Third approach was better and speed was good. Fly level and hold off, hold off, three point attitude and we touch. She doesn't bounce this time, but I feel the tail wheel starting to bounce - damn, c'mon Steve, anchor the stick back in your nuts - you know better than to let the tail flap like that. I get it back in my nuts and sure enough, the tail stays stuck! Clean up and off we go again.

This time, the tower issues a general broadcast as the clag closes in even more and light rain starts to spatter the canopy. This isn't a passing cloud, this is the steady claggy rain that was predicted. I am very keen to get a few circuits in now no that I have cleared the cobwebs. I debate about a couple more circuits but decide against it and tell Gloucester on the downwind that this will be to land as I am starting to get wet up here. The last thing I want is to worry about the weather, crosswinds and landing - too many risk factors at this stage.

I set up for landing and manage another good one (not great, but good). I roll all the way to the end and vacate at A2.

What a bummer, I was just getting into that.

Once again, I realise just how important it is to consolidate your learning with solo flying as you don't realise just how much feedback you are getting from your instructor even when he is saying and doing nothing - that in itself is of course feedback!!! Of course what I must develop is my own internal voice advising me.

All in all a good session and I learned a lot. I think I will need at least two more serious solo sessions in suitable weather and wind to really nail simple landings and get the consistent and develop my own internal voice, before going back to Roly for 'the crosswind challenge'!

Weather rant and big trip plannng

Taildragging

Having now received ‘limited sign-off’ for the taildragger, my instructor wanted me to ‘do a few hours’ by myself to get comfortable with the RV6, then go back to him for some ‘serious crosswind training and full sign-off’. By limited, he means winds 10 kts or less and no more than 30 degrees off the runway heading.

So of course I booked a slot for the very next weekend. At the appointed time, the weather looks good, but the winds are well outside the prescribed limit. I didn’t even have to look them up on the METAR’s, just looking out of my bedroom window said 15G25!

So of course I booked a slot for the very next weekend. At the appointed time ……… well, you get the picture!

I have now booked a slot for this coming Saturday. I am praying to the weather goods for their favour. This will be the Saturday that all the Irish will be heading home from the Cheltenham Gold Cup, so it might be a bit busy with Biz Jets!

Not that the weather was particularly bad. Had I been flying a nosewheel aircraft, I would certainly have flown and not been worried about it at all. To be fair, once I have been fully signed-off and have confidence in crosswind landings, I would also ‘probably’ have flown the RV, especially as Gloucester airport has three runways and the wind cannot be more than 30 degrees off the runway heading anyway. But I can see that wind is a far bigger factor with tailwheel aircraft than with nosewheel and I will have to think quite carefully about wind at some of the large, single runway French airports (and particularly about alternates with more favourably aligned runways).

Planning for the Big Flying Trip 2008

On another subject, I have been planning and thinking through the ‘Big Flying Trip’ I am planning for August 2008. Actually, not a very ‘big’ trip at all due to serious constraints on holiday this year (just changed jobs, lower year 1 entitlement etc.).

I am planning a visit to see my buddy in Ottawa, then hire a C172 and fly for a four day tour to New York City then back via NY low level city tour, Niagara Falls and Toronto City Airport.

As I am not a hairy-ars*d sky god who thinks that planning is for students or low hour clear-sky-only wimps or who cares what Jeremy Clarkson thinks - I have been getting all the maps and AFD’s together and planning the routes and airfields etc. Yes, I know it’s in August and ages away, but for me the planning is fun and adds to the anticipation and makes sure I don’t miss out on anything.

Although I have flown in the USA, that was mainly training and I have not done any touring as such. So although I have read-up on radio procedures and flight services, I have not actually used the likes of Flight Following – so this will be something of another first for me. I have asked a few detailed questions of my American brother-in-law’s brother, who is an FAA instructor.

One thing I have noticed is how much clearer the UK maps are than the FAA ones and how much better the UK internet airfield facility is than the AFD paper books you have to buy. I know that there is an element of ‘what you are used to’, but even so! The Canadian and USA maps are a bit like Jeppesen VFR maps, the land is always tinted green or other colours to indicate relief.



UK maps have land below 500’ as white and only tint for land above that altitude or for forests etc. (of course tinting for forests in Canada and USA would lead to maps almost entirely green anyway!). Its just that I find it a bit harder to mark up my track – I have taken to using pencil and marking the track with four parallel lines on the US maps, otherwise the track isn’t immediately obvious – for CAA maps, I use a medium ‘permanent’ marker in black and it stands out a treat.



I also like to mark ‘balloons’ on the map to indicate actions I need to take at various points along the track, like altitude changes, who to speak to on the radio etc. In this way, I really don’t need a PLOG at all (although I usually do one, I find I rarely refer to it). The only way I have found of making this work on the US charts with sufficient clarity is to cut out the sticky part of post-it notes and stick that on the maps at the appropriate point. It works fine, it’s just a bit more fiddly, that’s all. I suppose on the upside, US maps cost a fraction of the UK ones.

Anyway, the planning is going well and I have all the routes and airports planned, marked up, printed out and in a folder etc. Flyer Forum has again been a wonderful source of information and I never cease to be amazed at where the forum members have flown – I swear if I planned to fly around Tibet, there would be a person on the forum who has already done so and is willing to provide valuable tips!

What I will do now is to double check everything, programme the waypoints in on my backup Garmin Pilot 3 backup GPS and start to figure out what happens after I shutdown with transport, hotels and the like.

And yes – I am already thinking about 2009! Maybe a trip around southern USA, or maybe the Baltic countries.