First greaser!!

[ayavner]

Hey all, OMG what a beautiful day for flying here in Sydney - went out first flight this morning, QNH around 1016, temperature nice n cool, not a cloud in the sky, barely any wind.... Noticed a couple of things -

 

Performance was astonishingly higher in all aspects from take off/climb, speed through the circuit, etc. This makes sense, higher density and lower temp than I am used to. So that was good, as most of my flying has been under higher temperature somewhat hazy conditions. Gives me a good indication of the kind of differences I can expect when I go solo (only will be more-so, I suspect). Stuff happens alot faster...

 

Getting pretty good at lining up, still need to be more purposeful with the rudder and controls in general, but pretty confident regardless that I can bring it down now, even if it isn't always perfect.

 

But - last circuit of the day, called for a full stop, this time switched to the massive 29C centre runway, and something clicked on that one and I pulled off the most fantastic greaser, I didn't even know it was me until my instructor told me - I assumed that he was nudging me along. Far out!!

 

This will be a good one for the psychoanalysts out there, but I think something to do with the size and length of the runway just made me "feel" like I had all the time in the world, and I just relaxed into it. Hoping I can duplicate that feeling next time, now that I have a better sense of how a good one feels vs. "ok" or "bad" ones (a couple of go-arounds too, but that doesn't bother me).

 

Hope everyone is having a great day up there, and won't be reading this till after last light!!

 

adam

 

 

[Neil_S]

Hi Adam,

 

Well done, mate! Those greasers should definitely be relished, as they don't happen that often (not to me, anyway ). And I bet the first law of landings was in effect too - ie there was nobody around to see it, unlike the crappy landings which seem to take place in front of many witnesses!

 

Cheers

 

Neil

 

 

[Louis Moore]

and something clicked on that one and I pulled off the most fantastic greaser, I didn't even know it was me until my instructor told me - I assumed that he was nudging me along. Far out!!

I have been flying for 11 years and am still waiting to pull my first greaser off!!! Well done.

 

 

[facthunter]

Ozzie always says the quality iof the landing is inversely proportional to the number of people watching. ( Or something like that). It's pretty true. I've also found that when it's dead calm (Often at night) and you can cut the air with a knife, it clangs on

 

 

[Tomo]

Great news Adam!!

 

Like they say, it doesn't happen often! so relish it!

 

Ps. Taking passengers... do a bad landing you'll always get a compliment that it was a good landing. Do a greaser and no one says anything...

 

 

[gareth lacey]

Hey guys

 

whats a greaser?

 

cheers gareth

 

 

[Tomo]

When you don't feel the transition from flying to touching the ground...

 

 

[Guest Howard Hughes]

Not a big fan of the greaser myself! Especially when it's raining!

 

 

[ayavner]

Hey guyswhats a greaser?

cheers gareth

Heh, told my wife I did a greaser and she just said "ugh.. .did you light a match at least??"

 

 

[.Evan.]

Good stuff!

 

 

[facthunter]

it's easy when it's wet Howard but that's when you shouldn't do them. You can take a lot of rubber off the tyre if it aquaplanes. Nev

 

 

[ayavner]

The biggest obstacle I have at the moment is handling the aircraft after it is down, rolling to the full stop... always seems to veer back and forth like I am on the rudders, even though I am not. The tyre inflation seemed OK, but i wonder if one of the brakes isn't dragging, or something? Once I get comfortable on how to drive it in a straight line after I land, I'll feel a lot more confident!

 

Touch and go's and go-arounds i seem to have nailed.

 

 

[facthunter]

If it's jab just keep the weight off the nosewheel and it will roll straighter. Nev

 

 

[ayavner]

Oh good point... same principal applies on takeoff... I should have thought of that! Well really FI should have, but I guess that wasn't the point of the exercise at the time so he probably just felt it better to take over at that stage...

 

 

[solomon]

I remember once training with my instructor and i got three greasers in a row and he was very impressed, I only just realised how rare it is to actually pull one off.

 

 

[Guest Howard Hughes]

it's easy when it's wet Howard but that's when you shouldn't do them. You can take a lot of rubber off the tyre if it aquaplanes. Nev

That's my point Nev!

You gotta love flying on wet grass, nobody does a bad landing on wet grass do they?

 

PS: A good landing for me is when the patient doesn't wake up!

 

 

[turboplanner]

Jesus!

 

 

[turboplanner]

The biggest obstacle I have at the moment is handling the aircraft after it is down, rolling to the full stop... always seems to veer back and forth like I am on the rudders, even though I am not. The tyre inflation seemed OK, but i wonder if one of the brakes isn't dragging, or something? Once I get comfortable on how to drive it in a straight line after I land, I'll feel a lot more confident!Touch and go's and go-arounds i seem to have nailed.

When you read the Pilot Notes, a huge number of guys have driven off the runway, often tipping up on one wing as a result of a swerve and resulting correction during the landing.

 

What Nev said is the solution during the early part of the landing roll - land on the mains, nosewheel about 250 mm up, stick back and allow it to slow down and gently settle on the nose wheel. If its swerving around at taxy speed something may need checking, or it may just be a matter of developing your leg steering skills and not over-steering.

 

 

[Tomo]

I've come to the conclusion that if you want to do greaser type landings, fly a Warrior.

 

 

[Clansman]

Nev and Turboplanner have it - keep the nosewheel up, running on the mains, gradually increasing backstick till CoG pulls the nose down. Really just a continuation of your roundout and flair, but grounded.

 

Too many pilots relax the back pressure on the stick as soon as the mains touch. This lets the a/c rotate forwards around the mains banging the nosewheel on when they may still have some rudder left or right, thus having steerable nose wheel left or right as well. Guaranteed to skid you all over the r/w. Thank your lucky stars it's not a tail dragger or you'll be facing the next a/c on final facing the wrong way!

 

Over zealous brake application on the Jab at high ground speed can make it worse because they won't necessarily grab evenly, and your steering on the pedals trying to chase the movement can start up a sway like a hula girl's hips! Better to let the natural steadiness of the CoG in a nosewheel a/c forward of the mains settle her down. It's a bit like chasing a swaying caravan behind your car by braking and oversteering, better to stay off the brakes and let her slow down gradually.

 

The nosewheel is only designed to keep the prop off the ground, not to take heavy duty rotational thumps because you're grateful you're back on terra firma. Good touch and go practice is to run only on your mains, holding your nosewheel off all the way, even playing with your AoA raising and lowering the nose but without touching down with the nosewheel, nor ballooning back into the air till you throttle up for the takeoff. Gives you great sense of control and experimentation with the flight/ ground performance envelope.

 

Your CFI will wonder why the tread on the nosewheel is so good! In any case your landing speed should be verging on the stall with the stick a good way back, giving nice slow touch down speed and less likelihood of the skating left and right sensation caused by the nose coming down too early. Poor aileron control into any crosswind will also exacerbate that skidding as the windward wing and therefore windward main wheel tends to be lifted off. Another lesson altogether!

 

 

[turboplanner]

I've come to the conclusion that if you want to do greaser type landings, fly a Warrior.

They just love to fly don't they. I've never had to do a go round in either a Warrior or a Cherokee 140.

Ground effect helps to provide a cushion, but the aircraft is just so controllable for repeatable spot landings and regular greasers.