Monday, April 28, 2008

Solo Taildragging

With my instructor now off on holiday for three weeks, I decided to keep my hand in and do some solo general handling and a couple of circuits.

The weather was OK, low pressure with cumulus and scattered Cumulo-Nimbus with attendant showers. Needless to say as I was setting off to the airport from work that evening, the mother of all CuNim’s came across – it was huge and looked like something from the film ‘Independence Day’, just at the bit where the mother saucers burst our of the cloud! However, I carried on as it would soon clear.

Checked the aircraft out in the hangar as the showers blew over. The wind was within the limits set for me, so I booked out.

Fuelled up and took off from runway 27 heading IFR (I Follow the River) to the south west. The RV6 was agreeably sprightly with only one person on board and before I knew it I was at 3000’ over the bends in the river. I wrote out a list of things I wanted to do, among them was playing with the avionics. So I tuned the VOR to BCN and tracked in for a bit. Then I played with the GPS and the ‘goto’ function. By this time, I was over Ross on Wye and could see another shower ahead, so I turned and headed towards the Malverns.

The Malverns with me dodging the showers

Around the Malverns, I started with the steep turns. The RV absolutely loves them! Before long, I was poling 70 – 80 degree angles of bank with a couple of G to maintain altitude. The plane really does love it (and so do I!).

The showers seemed to start to close in. It was annoying because I just knew that by sunset, the clouds would disappear for a lovely clear night (exactly what happened), but that is not now. So I decided discretion to be the better part of valour and around Bredon Hill, contacted Gloster Approach for rejoin (I didn’t want to chance gusty and variable direction winds with a limited sign-off on a taildragger.

I was given direct in to final for 22. I had trouble spotting the airfield in all the shadow, although I knew where it was from the surrounding landmarks. I flew through a small shower, just enough to give the canopy a nice ‘power shower’! The wind wasn’t a problem, at about 240/08. My approach was OK (not great, but OK). I rounded out, pulled the power and started to flare. I touched earlier than I wanted (slightly misjudged my height), but very gently and tried to ease back on the stick to bleed the speed off and fly level. But the RV is very sensitive in pitch and I ballooned it a bit. I recovered this, but bounced on the next touch – that’s it, I’m out of here! Power on for a go-around – maybe I could have landed off that, but what’s the hurry and why press the position?

Iron age fort at the southern end of the Malverns

Next approach was better, but I still didn’t get all of the flying out of her before we touched and was punished with another bounce. I recovered this, added a blip of power before touching down again and held her on this time.

Why is it that with the instructor, I can punch the into wind landings out like shelling peas, but by myself it is not so good (could be the lighter weight of course)? Maybe I need a blow up dummy in the right seat, maybe I’ll ask him for a picture – that would work!

She is an absolute pleasure to fly, and I think that solo practice and landing consolidation is called for. I am sure I have got a few lessons ahead on crosswind landings once my instructor returns from holiday in mid-May. No hurry – I’ll get there and undoubtedly be a better pilot for it.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Crosswind Circuits

With a ‘perfect storm’ combination of:

• The aircraft being out of commission (500 hour magneto check and big bill for new magneto distributor disks),
• Really crappy weather,
• Lack of an instructor (he is Saturday and weekday evenings only),
• Personal injury (bruised ribs from a dramatic fall while finding new and exciting ways of not stopping while ice skating),

I have not been flying for five weeks, despite being close to the end of my now very protracted taildragger training.

I have got the general handling and into-wind landings sorted, but really need crosswind landings yet for full sign off. So in hope, I booked Monday evening for both the plane and the instructor.

The previous Saturday and Sunday had been really poor weather. A mixture of poorly defined stratus cloud and mist with some drizzly rain and very poor visibility. Monday dawned little better, but from my office window I seemed to imagine it improving (i.e. getting not as bad) slowly through the day to something that might permit at least circuits from 17:00. The wind was good for crosswind, not too gusty, but a steady 10-15 kts.

By the time I set out for the airfield, I was confident of flying as the cloud had lifted considerably.

I rocked up at 16:30 and started checking the plane out. That complete, Roly turned up and we agreed to meet at the pumps as I wanted a bit more fuel on board.

I started her up working carefully through the checklist. With taxy clearance, I started out for the pumps, being careful to keep the stick position correct for the wind direction. Since my training by Roly, he has reconsidered his advice on stick positions and it now accords with what I had read and have been advised by other group members. It is another thing you have to think carefully about in a taildragger that you pay scant attention to in a tricycle gear plane.

I parked into wind and put about 20 litres in each tank. Then the ‘long march’ to B1 for 04 for a few into wind refresher circuits first (I hadn’t flown to five weeks). Again, I was careful to keep the correct stick position during taxi and keep the speed down (rather than zoom around like a go-kart as you see some of the tricycle gear pilots doing).

Power checks complete, we took off from 04 for left hand circuits. The take off run went well as I got the tail up early, danced on the pedals (although not much dancing was required as the wind was pretty much straight down the runway) and before I knew it she was flying. The RV6 really has bags of power and get airborne very quickly, even close to MAUW.

We climbed away and were careful to turn before Staverton village (noise sensitive area). I did the usual downwind checks and calls – I was the only one in the circuit and I think the Tower could barely conceal their boredom. Turned base and pulled the power back. Maintained height to bleed the speed off to within flap limiting speed and pulled flaps on.

Set up for a reasonable approach to 04, wind sock pointed directly at us, so right down the runway and tower reporting 040/13. The approach was OK as I crossed the numbers and pulled the power. She settled as I started to pull back slowly on the stick and fly level just off the ground. I could just feel the mains just kissing the ground, but continued to pull back, and back until the stall warner chirped and we touched for good. Well, that was a close as I suspect I may ever come to pulling a ‘greaser’ in a taildragger! Roly was pleased as he said ‘they don’t come much better than that’. I was well chuffed as I dropped the flaps and gunned the engine and got airborne again.

The next circuit was again pretty good though I say it myself – not great, but good.

The third was a really great approach - I was feeling terribly pleased with myself for a nice, stable approach where I didn't have to touch the power or muck around with airspeed, while I was congratulating myself, the tower interrupted with a 'clear touch and go' as I was on very short final - nothing odd about that except that I had totally forgotten to call final myself - OOOPPPSSS! (Tower thinking what a numpty I am - pride comes before a fall and all that good stuff - I guess we have all been there!). Mind you, the landing was good as well. All of this surprised me as I was five weeks out of practice and the previous solo effort wasn’t as good.

So we agreed to progress to crosswind circuits. I requested runway 36, with the wind at 050 / 13G17 – not heavy, but plenty sporting enough for my first attempts in a taildragger.

The first one went very well, but that is where it ended. The rest varied from OK to ‘not too good’ – firm but fair, with a bounce or two, but nothing so bad that a go-around was in order.

The bottom line is that I was making the novice error of applying the movements as three separate inputs – rudder / into wind aileron / pull back to fly level - almost like a military drill rather than as fluid, combined movements. However, the last one went reasonably, so I finished on a high note. I did find it fun holding the plane straight along the runway by dancing on the rudder bars as I controlled the landing and subsequent take-off.

So 12 circuits in total that session, three into wind and nine crosswind. I would guess that I will probably need one or two more sessions with Roly on crosswind. Unfortunately, Roly is away on holiday for two weeks, so it will have to wait for his return, probably more evenings as he is block booked well in advance on Saturdays.

He is happy for me to fly solo into a steady wind, so I will do this to get really comfortable until his return from holiday, then launch into crosswind.

I now have about 7.5 hours on the RV since I bought into the group in December. This is dragging on, but I suspect that anyone who has been trying to fly anything VFR since December may have had a pretty torrid time of it.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Bollocks! Bollocks! Bollocks!

Bollocks! Bollocks! Bollocks! Bollocks! Bollocks! Bollocks! Bollocks! Bollocks! Bollocks!

This tailwheel sign-off business is proving to be very frustrating. I have been part of the group since late December and for various reasons, have only managed 6.5 hours flying (and 41 landings mind you!). Combination of weather (mainly), plane going tech, holiday, lack of instructor etc.

For the last three weeks, I have been hoping for evening lessons to do crosswind landings for full sign-off, but the plane has been tech (magneto 500 hour check revealed we needed new distributor disks - no I don't know what these are either!). It is hard looking out of the window at perfect flying weather with no plane.

Magnetos sorted last week and finally got the plane back in commission last Saturday. So booked tonight with the instructor.

Being careful, I checked my voicemail on the mobile about an hour before setting out - great, no messages.

Headed off to the airfield and of course the weather was fine - too fine, only a breath of wind with a pretty weedy crosswind. Never mind, I'll take what I can get.

I get to the club to be intercepted by the efficient administrator at Cotswold who seems upset that I didn't get the message from one of the other owners that when he turned up to fly at lunchtime, the right tyre was completely flat!

Sure enough - flat as a pancake and no one around at this time to look at it.

So another session cancelled.

Well, try again for one or two evening next week, but God! This is an exercise in frustration! Well, wlecome to the joys of aircraft ownership and flying in this country I guess! Still pissed off, but I feel a bit better for this rant!

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Maintenance!

I have been having rotten luck in the last four weeks since my solo circuits. Every time I have booked the plane, the weather was poor or blowing strong gusts - outside the 'limits' set for me on solo circuits until I get full sign off.

Then of course the clocks changed - great I thought - lovely, still evening circuits after work! No - the plane was due a 50 hour check AND a 500 hour magneto check. Then it turned out the magnetos needed two new distributor disks (as if I knew what one of those was!) and of course they had to be ordered. Bottom line was nearly two weeks of ideal evening weather and no plane. So I booked with an instructor for this Saturday, hoping to do my crosswind circuits and hoping the plane would be ready.

It turned out that it needed final checks and the repaired spat and engine cowling put back on, I was hoping it would be a mornings work and OK for a lesson at 13:00. I turned up to lend whatever help I could, givem my complete lack of knowledge about anything to do with mechanics and engines.

Manuel was working away and Lyndon was refitting the spat. I was handing Manuel screws and bits like a nurse in an operating theatre.

'Washer?'
'Washer'

'Crinkly washer?'
Crinkly washer'

'Coffee?'
'OK, I'll go!'

Meanwhile, Lyndon was attaching the now repaired spat (damaged in a disagreement with a rut on a grass runway - not me I hasten to add).

Attaching the newly repaired spat
"How many bloody screws hold this thing on???!!!"

It wasn't looking good for midday and when the instructor appeared he too decided it was no go and took another student up. I could still try for solo circuits later. About 14:00 it was all back together except the cowling as Manuel took it outside for a test run of the engine.

Test running the engine
"I'm sure there was something else I meant to do!"

That worked fine, so back in the hangar for the fiddly process of fitting the cowling with thin wire rods through an array of piano hinges. This was not intuitive stuff.

That complete, Lyndon left and we broke for lunch at the Aviator prior to a test flight. I thought I would salvage something of the day so offered to act as 'self-loading ballast' for the flight.

After lunch we went up, the the ATIS warning of shower, hail, strong winds and plagues of locusts and the black death (OK, maybe not locusts and black death!). It was the classic unstable atmosphere, chunky cumulus with clear bits. Off we went and climbed to about FL90, playing in and around the tops of all but the higher cumulus - needleass to say, I couldn't reach my camera! It was a very enjoyable flight and Manuel was having a good play with some nice steep turns - this plane cries out to be rated as aerobatic (as is now possible in the UK on an aircraft by aircraft basis).

The plane was fine, but the winds were outside the limits I am under, so I decided to try for circuits with the instructor during the week next week in the evenings.

I wandered back into the flying club and grabbed on the new charts and paid my annual subs. I was aware that I was a lot later than my wife expected so headed home thinking she might be starting to get concerned. I arrived back to find he stretched out on the sofa reading her latest book as she registered my appearance with a casual glance up and a 'how was you day' as she looked back at the book before I could reply.

Hmmmm.... maybe not too concerned!


....Oh yes - still waiting for the Canadian licence - two and a half months and counting.