Emergency landing and inversion 13/06/2022

[RFguy]

I was flying two  x 40min  sessions per day. sometimes three. With 2 hour break between air sessions. and 3 times per week. 

I did that at 50. I am (was !) pretty fit but it was still the hardest thing I have done in my life (from an overall workload) . (ahh maybe apart from the 24hour mountain bike races in my 40s) .

Edited June 19, 2022 by RFguy

[facthunter]

Doing a lot in a short time can have it's own problems. There's a thing called "Consolidation" in this. Essentially where you put into practice what you've just learned to reinforce it in your mind.. Without it some of the learning may be more transient and be lost.. .Nev

[Mike Gearon]

I’ve just come in from 1.4 hours IFR holds to VOR fix and 1.6 hours total.Huge headache during this because of flying instrument stress and late afternoon but couldn’t be helped because of aircraft breakdowns. I’ll always fly morning if possible.

 

I was rock solid on attitude, altitude and headings and wind  corrections in hold with instructor help. Flew that warrior in to a nice landing. I’m pretty happy 64 year old bones held up well. Might complete IFR while here. 

Edited June 19, 2022 by Mike Gearon

[turboplanner]

19 hours ago, RFguy said:

Nev, Turbs, -  I think that the complexity of the flare is an amazing combination of variables and control inputs. 

It takes both experience AND currency to land well .

It does, but before you contemplate landing well, you have to achieve the stage where you can land with your hands on the controls and your judgements without damaging the aircraft.

 

That's best done with an instructor feeling the same aircraft outputs, and experiencing the same environment as you.

 

I've never seen a "How to modulate the brakes in a Car in six easy lessons" because there are thousands of different inputs over time with exeperience and I always get nervouse when one of these "flying by correspondence sessions starts."

 

The best instructor, is one who spends three for four minutes before a lesson, explaining what the bullet points of the lesson will be, and another three or four minutes afterwards grading you, so you know exactly what to study, or look for next time.

 

You can't get this from written discussion; For example "Sometimes you have to do "x".  I'm not picking on anyone for saying this but does it mean:

 

(a) Flights after 2:30 in the day

(b) when the sun is high (or low)

(c) when you are in Queensland

(d) if you forgot to fill in the maintenance release.

 

Better to be in the aicraft with the instructor asking the question.

 

 

[Ironpot]

3 hours ago, Mike Gearon said:

I’ve just come in from 1.4 hours IFR holds to VOR fix and 1.6 hours total.Huge headache during this because of flying instrument stress and late afternoon but couldn’t be helped because of aircraft breakdowns. I’ll always fly morning if possible.

 

I was rock solid on attitude, altitude and headings and wind  corrections in hold with instructor help. Flew that warrior in to a nice landing. I’m pretty happy 64 year old bones held up well. Might complete IFR while here. 

Why didnt you choose to go the PIFR route?

[BrendAn]

I did another hour of circuits today. Learnt to land on my own which is pretty stressful but I am getting it now. The instructor says I am thinking ahead of the plane now which is something I wasn't really doing too well before.  I also got the facts about the approach speed. It is definitely a 70 knts approach over the keys we hold level in ground effect and the planes lands itself at about 55 knts.  The 55 knts part was what I didn't know before because I am looking at a landmark past the runway at that stage. I don't look at the asi until I throttle up again.

[facthunter]

Work closely with your Instructor at this critical  stage. . Nev

[BrendAn]

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

Work closely with your Instructor at this critical  stage. . Nev

well said. thanks

[Mike Gearon]

7 hours ago, Ironpot said:

Why didnt you choose to go the PIFR route?

That’s a good point.
 

1. My situation involves an American wife and a deal to spend time in USA each year. So… while I’d like to be in Australia we have a 98 y.o. American mum and Deb has an operation coming up that has to be in USA. (Long story) what to do in USA? Fly!
 

2. It’s also a little cheaper to fly in USA and huge aviation resources everywhere you go. 
 

3. I’m converting FAA PPL to CASA as well. I’ve been jumping through appropriate hoops including an English language proficiency test. (Yes, it seems crazy but we want to be politically correct)  I’ll bring tail endorsement, night VFR, float plane and hopefully IFR. I’ve asked the question on IFR and can’t see why it won’t convert. It happens all the time for commercial overseas pilots.

 

Glider won’t convert. I know this for a fact. Pity! That was a gruelling 5 hour exam and checkride last year.

 

10 hours ago, turboplanner said:

 

That's best done with an instructor feeling the same aircraft outputs, and experiencing the same environment as you.

 

The best instructor, is one who spends three for four minutes before a lesson, explaining what the bullet points of the lesson will be, and another three or four minutes afterwards grading you, so you know exactly what to study, or look for next time.

 

 

 

Yes, same inputs and in time allowing fairly wide latitude on mistakes. Early in my training with young instructors on their way to the airlines they’d always flair the Cessna. It was so frustrating not getting to feel the inputs. 
 

Re instructor preflight and post briefing. Huge benefit. In training after PPL if I wasn’t provided with this I’d ask for it. “Please brief me and are there any things you expect I’ll do wrong and can we talk about them now?”

 

First IFR training flight in late 2021 I asked this. Instructor refused. We started flying hood on. I’d tried preparing with YouTube’s… I had 3 hours IFR as part of American PPL..Still my corrections were way too big. Incredibly frustrating. A pre flight brief would have helped hugely. Turned out this instructor was notorious for being a dick. Enjoys belittling his students and you can’t get to do that as much if you’ve prepared them. 
 

 

[Mike Gearon]

I think this is worth sharing… just found that my Garmin watch thinks I ran 235km yesterday and shared it with my running group. Only found out when a friend congratulated me on the “run” posted to Strava.

 

Hold racetrack was more impressive in my recollection than the actual ground tracks.

 

 

 

 

[turboplanner]

12 hours ago, Ironpot said:

Why didnt you choose to go the PIFR route?

Two reasons:

1.  There are mandatory IFR training hours per year to maintain your currency. Check out the CASA site and you'll find how many and the frequency, then total up the cost per year.

 

2. I was flying to business meetings; their dates and times were fixed; where I needed IFR was naturally the worst weather to be flying in, and really required currency in that type of weather, so additional time and cost.

 

All up it was cheaper, safer and more productive to go by car and Motel.

 

A commercial pilot doesn't have these problems because he/she is in the environment getting currency on currency and experience on experience every working day.

[Old Koreelah]

19 hours ago, Mike Gearon said:

I’ve just come in from 1.4 hours IFR holds to VOR fix and 1.6 hours total.Huge headache during this...

Mike it’s hard mental work! Last Friday night I had a pretty bad headache after almost four hours bumping around between earth and cloud. Had been so busy I only had one sip of water and no food between breakfast at 0615 and arriving home ten hours later. 

 

Next time I’ll hydrate more regularly and keep a few healthy nibblies handy.

Even better, return the plane to the plurry hangar if I encounter a solid cloud barrier!

[facthunter]

Don't dehydrate to prevent having a pee. You'll go loopy. It's VERY risky. Nev

[Old Koreelah]

Do

7 minutes ago, facthunter said:

Don't dehydrate to prevent having a pee.You'll go loopy. It's VERY risky. Nev

Good advice, Nev. I drink green tea several times per day, but not if I’m going flying- it goes thru you in about twenty minutes!

 

I have a water bottle mounted in a bicycle-type holder near my leg, but got so focussed on the flying that I forgot to drink. 

 

“Don’t go loopy” is good advice for many situations. Our mental fitness is being assaulted from all sides today: the mental fog of long covid, creeping old timers disease, substance abuse and even something as simple as not drinking enough water. Do we need a checklist for that?

[pmccarthy]

There was a story some years ago about someone flying up Cape York who nearly became unconscious due to dehydration. 

[facthunter]

A checklist never does harm. Include it as "NUT holding joystick". Nev

[Mike Gearon]

Hey Brendan. I think we all want to help with new pilots considering the trials we’ve been through ourselves to get to the rewards of solo flight.

 

I’ve posted up here what I’m up to in IFR. It’s like going back to the start. It’s hugely challenging. I had an awful landing then yesterday a good landing. Today I took off once and landed 3 times. The CFI reminded me quite joyfully when filling in the log book 😀 It helps a]to have a great CFI. My 27 y.o. Is very cool.

[facthunter]

Mike those entry to holding pattern procedures and other are cheaper done in a simulator. Crank in a good x wind and get your drift allowances off Pat. You only have track guidance on the VOR inbound (as you know) Are you using a stopwatch? And an expected approach time?   Nev

[Ironpot]

15 hours ago, Mike Gearon said:

That’s a good point.
 

1. My situation involves an American wife and a deal to spend time in USA each year. So… while I’d like to be in Australia we have a 98 y.o. American mum and Deb has an operation coming up that has to be in USA. (Long story) what to do in USA? Fly!

Apologies - I thought you were in Oz

 

Here a PIFR allows you to cherry pick approaches so most people omit VOR/NDB/ILS as most airfields with a published approach will have 2 RNAVs.

Recency requirements and renewals are less onerous too.

[BrendAn]

4 hours ago, Mike Gearon said:

Hey Brendan. I think we all want to help with new pilots considering the trials we’ve been through ourselves to get to the rewards of solo flight.

 

I’ve posted up here what I’m up to in IFR. It’s like going back to the start. It’s hugely challenging. I had an awful landing then yesterday a good landing. Today I took off once and landed 3 times. The CFI reminded me quite joyfully when filling in the log book 😀 It helps a]to have a great CFI. My 27 y.o. Is very cool.

Thanks Mike. I am only at the start of the journey. 10.5 hrs in the air so far. It is a lot to take in that's for sure.  I have a gyro as well and I was supposed to start lessons this month for that licence but I have decided to get the fixed wing finished before I go confusing myself with a different type of aircraft.  I also have a great instructor . Very encouraging and explains everything very well.

 

[Mike Gearon]

12 hours ago, facthunter said:

Mike those entry to holding pattern procedures and other are cheaper done in a simulator. Crank in a good x wind and get your drift allowances off Pat. You only have track guidance on the VOR inbound (as you know) Are you using a stopwatch? And an expected approach time?   Nev

Yes, I’ve thought as well of the reduced stress of a simulator. Hot summer conditions here are playing hell with altitude. 1100ft climb yesterday with thermal and attitude in the between brown and green. 1000ft descent followed  and a learning experience. I pulled up too hard and had the CFI gentle the response. I’ve banked that one for future reference. Without visual clues it’s easy to overdo. On that subject … steep turns under the hood yesterday. That’s a scary experience you’re not going to get in a simulator. 
 

Also, while the USA has great aviation resources Rapid City is very country remote. I’ll ask today if we can cross country to a sim. 5 hours today. We could get somewhere.

 

We are mixing it up. DME say 10 miles out on VOR as fix as example and yes timed or NM let’s Establishing in my head the whole thing is still a little out of reach. Yesterday we were doing TO/ FROM and reverse sensing. I get this. If direction and VOR are opposite it’s reverse sensing and I fly away from the line. Yeah, can do that. Then add a hold fix and I’m totally confused. In a sim I can see it’s easier. Pause and review. 

Edited June 20, 2022 by Mike Gearon

[Mike Gearon]

8 hours ago, Ironpot said:

Apologies - I thought you were in Oz

 

Here a PIFR allows you to cherry pick approaches so most people omit VOR/NDB/ILS as most airfields with a published approach will have 2 RNAVs.

Recency requirements and renewals are less onerous too.

Hey, that’s good info. If I don’t get through this in USA it’s an option. Today is overwhelmed day. Why the hell am I torturing myself? I’ve learned to fly, speak and write Chinese (not perfect by any means, get around Chinese) and learned to play the guitar (inc bends and slides) in recent years.

 

All hard. all rewarding. IFR is harder!

[turboplanner]

And don't forget the one thing that removes solid rock filled clouds; the flight planning for the wide LSALT path.

[Ironpot]

8 hours ago, Mike Gearon said:

Hey, that’s good info. If I don’t get through this in USA it’s an option. Today is overwhelmed day. Why the hell am I torturing myself? I’ve learned to fly, speak and write Chinese (not perfect by any means, get around Chinese) and learned to play the guitar (inc bends and slides) in recent years.

 

All hard. all rewarding. IFR is harder!

Many can’t get past the IREX. I think everybody finds it hard so you’re doing well mate.

[Mike Gearon]

1 hour ago, Ironpot said:

Many can’t get past the IREX. I think everybody finds it hard so you’re doing well mate.

In the USA you have Sheppard IFR as a learning tool for 45 dollars.  It’s the potential FAA 1200 questions and you go through in a sequence. First is with correct answer only. Second time is with all multiple choice. Third time you mark the ones you didn’t get. You go through these and repeat. If you get 90% you’re ready to sit the exam. I’m at 90% for about 400 questions. So, a ways to go. Sounds like this is easier than Australia. I have a very smart friend who’s failed IREX in Oz. I think it was management time on questions and not moving on in their case.

4 hours ago, turboplanner said:

And don't forget the one thing that removes solid rock filled clouds; the flight planning for the wide LSALT path.

I haven’t remembered this yet in order to forget it.