How accurate should my flying be??

[Ballpoint 246niner]

Ok so you've got a shiny ticket now with more than just a few letters on it and the logbook doesn't look like it just came off the printer. You fly generally each month and more when normal life doesn't get in the way.....

 

So how much have you really improved your flying since the instructor got out? Can you hold a level turn within 100', maintain a glide at say 500fpm to a target point, see every aircraft you hear in the vicinity, nail the piano keys, fly at nominated airspeed without grinding your eyes at the ASI????

 

Let's share some experience about how much you are a self aware learning being, constantly aiming to be better- remember the old saying" If you're not going forwards then you are condemned to go backwards...."

 

 

[flyerme]

I love learning and as they say "you never stop"true ..........I feel I have continued to learn since gaining that ticket ..I have the luxury of my own strip in the back yard so get to fly most days.I practice honeing my skills and have achieved a lot on my lonesome. eg "bump tolorence" "turbulance"its all good with a CFI next to you but get out in your own plane solo and its a different storey.(as I descovered early in my bunyip-refer to genral discussion post).. what was that?Is that normal? some of you may remember my fog over?,you don,t come across that in training , what to do? DEAL with it and take head of the lessons learnt.Always learning... well hopfully learning?

 

 

[M61A1]

Currency is a big issue for me, I am hopefull that this will improve significantly when I get one of these a/c in the air again.

 

I think attitude plays a large part, I have seen many people (not just in aviation) that are content to barely maintain a minimum standard, personally, everything I do is a competition with myself to it better than I did last time. Mind you, I'm not always successful. It helps, if you can objectively evaluate your own performance and learn to recognise the shortcomings.

 

 

[ayavner]

I can do go-arounds pretty well now....

 

 

[rgmwa]

That's a good question. The weeks seem to fly past, and I may go anywhere between 2 to 6 or 7 weeks between flights. When I do fly it's almost always to practise basic stick and rudder skills - circuits, PFL's, stalls, steep turns, slow flight etc. I will be flying a lot more once my plane is finished, but just now the best I could claim is that I'm hopefully maintaining an acceptable level of competency. My navigation skills definitely need tuning up as well. Nevertheless, I try to get the most out of each flight and figure that if I'm just flying straight and level, I'm not learning anything. I also spend a lot of time reading aviation related stuff, so that probably helps to keep the brain focussed. My first AFR is coming up next month, so that will be the real test!

 

rgmwa

 

 

[JimG]

Great topic BP2469er, initially I didn't trust myself so I made it my own rule, or standard, that I'd fly with a CFI every 5 hours and invite them to challenge me with something different for the first 50 or so hours. Needless to say i had the power pulled on me plenty of times. Then I work my way though all the RAA endorsements and I absolutely loved the challenges especially the LL endorsement.....what a blast.

 

cheers

 

JimG

 

 

[turboplanner]

Ok so you've got a shiny ticket now with more than just a few letters on it and the logbook doesn't look like it just came off the printer. You fly generally each month and more when normal life doesn't get in the way.....So how much have you really improved your flying since the instructor got out? Can you hold a level turn within 100', maintain a glide at say 500fpm to a target point, see every aircraft you hear in the vicinity, nail the piano keys, fly at nominated airspeed without grinding your eyes at the ASI????

 

Let's share some experience about how much you are a self aware learning being, constantly aiming to be better- remember the old saying" If you're not going forwards then you are condemned to go backwards...."

And you asked that question HERE!

 

I found I could carve round corners, the aircraft would still fly above 45 deg, land anywhere without checking for ground obstacles, change flight plan midstream to look at an interesting lake etc from 100 feet, rips through the checks without actually identifying what the gauges were saying, and generally fly much more casually than when restrained by a CFI looking over my shoulder.

 

I didn't get a scare, but reading about a Lancair falling out of the sky with, from memory, a 2,000 hour pilot when all he was doing was turning final to land got me thinking about how dangerous I'd become, and I managed to self correct and get back to a more careful behaviour.

 

 

[facthunter]

Good comment turbo. Anyone can lapse into complacency. I have always believed we should have a self evaluating "test" with a few challenging sequences in it.

 

Just pulling off greasy landings into wind is not enough to call yourself a "proficient' pilot.

 

Landing on a spot contests produce some interesting situations. If you do any manoeuvers anywhere, "clear" the sky with a 360 turn to look for other aircraft first and have a fair amount of height, but I would suggest figure 8's with 45 degree bank, steep gliding turns. stall in turn with power assisted (min height loss) recovery, various forced landings and some limiting crosswind landings would be a start. Nev

 

 

[68volksy]

Nice topic. For me it always seem to be constantly evolving. Had landings down spot on then for some reason found myself having to relearn a new technique entirely to keep the plane in one piece. I think it was either eyesight changing or reflexes fading that caused the change.

 

The concentration's the hardest thing to maintain now the whole adrenalin-rush at getting airborne is slowly fading. I still remember when circuits seemed to flash by in the blink of an eye, now I find myself enjoying the scenery on downwind...

 

 

[facthunter]

There's a swimming pool there, isn't there? Nev

 

 

[Guest Howard Hughes]

but I would suggest figure 8's

In the US, these are actually part of the CPL flight test, along with 'lazy eights' & 'chandelles', all are very challenging.

 

 

[mAgNeToDrOp]

You could also do the Advanced pilot rating ( or whatever it is called)

 

 

[Guest Howard Hughes]

You could also do the Advanced pilot rating ( or whatever it is called)

ATPL?

 

[petetheprinta]

I have a 100 hours flying experience? since I got my ticket. I often feel it's the same hour done 100 times. IMHO, at my flying club at least, there has to be more work done on improving/furthering the skills/experience of people like me other than letting them fend for themselves. "Why don't you do it yourself?" I hear you ask I would love to know how I could accomplish that without killing myself. I read a lot about all matters flying, but putting it into practise without someone with experience sitting in the right hand seat is nigh on impossible.

 

 

[Yenn]

If you just keep trying to see what your deficiencies are and then correct them you will get better all the time. Just try to keep heading and altitude as close as you can, keep the ball in the centre and practice as often as you can. Concentrate on those things you feel least proficient with, but whatever you do, enjoy it.

 

 

[facthunter]

RAAus have an Advanced Pilot something or other classification. You don't need something on your certificate . You need it in your head. If you intend to be an instructor these sort of things may be helpfull to have.

 

Unusual attitude training done right is the best thing to do. ( Must be done in an aerobatic plane, but it doesn't have to include aerobatics per se). I'm not sorry for repeating this. It costs but all good things cost. It could easily save your and your passengers life. IF you are an instructor and haven't done it, you just cannot be capable of doing everything possible to recover from situations you may get into with a pupil ..Nev

 

 

[Ballpoint 246niner]

I can do go-arounds pretty well now....

 

 

[Ballpoint 246niner]

Good thoughts from everyone, and glad to hear that there's a fair amount of committment to continued learning. I recall in the 70's the typical aero club, at least the one I flew at, used to have flower bombing, streamer cutting, spot landing and of course aerobatics as part of the monthly club barbie w'end.

 

Now with the rules that we all fly under, particularly in RA -Aus it has very restricted practices on these sort of things, and that's Ok... but because of this it's very easy to become "pot bound"( excuse the anology- No drug testing required!!), and the "sharpening of the saw" is harder to achieve.

 

I do a lot of BFR's and am amazed when I ask for a HASSELL check to be done, the creative answers I get, and comments like "it's been a long time since I've done one of these...." and so on.

 

Our Aeroclub past president has just written an excellent article in the newsletter on EFIC procedures, which we and all schools, I'm sure teach thoroughly, but when was the last time you actually forced yourself to glide from somewhere in cct other than when it's a shoe in on base?

 

The RA-Aus website has a comprehensive breakdown on current accident trends and the news is not great- anything we can do ourselves to increase our skills and therefore our chances has to be good....

 

Keep the conversation coming.

 

 

[Ballpoint 246niner]

And you asked that question HERE!Not sure what you mean????

[Gnarly Gnu]

I do a lot of BFR's and am amazed when I ask for a HASSELL check to be done, the creative answers I get, and comments like "it's been a long time since I've done one of these...." and so on.

I'd be confused too - what's a HASSELL check?

 

Still working on getting my turns balanced better without having to keep checking mid turn.

 

 

[M61A1]

Before carrying out manouvres, stalls, turns etc,

 

Height

 

Airframe

 

Security

 

Safety

 

Engine

 

Location

 

Lookout

 

 

[Ballpoint 246niner]

Gnarly its a "pre- unusual attitude check- get your instructor to run through it...

 

Height- sufficent for intended manouvre

 

Airframe- flap setting, trim, expected load for manouvre,cowl flaps( if fitted).

 

Security- Harness's, hatches, Loose objects

 

Switches- Fuel pump/Lights on as required

 

Engine- ops normal Ts& Ps

 

Location- not over settled area,airspace, safe glide option

 

Lookout- full clearing turns.

 

On the turns, learn the attitude reference for left and right, theyre different as you are either high/low side of the longitudinal as you roll- always focus in front, the rate of movement around the horizon is the cue for balance as well- use the horizon( worlds biggest instrument- I call it!!).

 

Cheers.

 

 

[Gnarly Gnu]

OK that's a slight variation to me, hadn't heard the double S before. There is another acronym for forced landings, probably be down before I remembered how many S's in that one.

 

 

[rgmwa]

OK that's a slight variation to me, hadn't heard the double S before. There is another acronym for forced landings, probably be down before I remembered how many S's in that one.

Size

Slope

 

Surface

 

Surrounds

 

Situation

 

rgmwa

 

 

[Ballpoint 246niner]

SizeSlope

Surface

 

Surrounds

 

Situation

 

rgmwa

and I add

 

Safe glide- can I make it to there safely, glide angle/wind

 

Services- is help available there if it goes pear shaped

 

Surface/stock- sheep, horses, cows and all that stuff- horses are worst!

 

Good one.....