Not so good solo

[BrendAn]

Well I did my second solo today and I just couldn't get my head in the game. I think it was a combination of not keeping hydrated. It was hot in the aircraft today.the other was fatigue.  I should have made the decision to stay on the ground but I learnt the hard way. Took  4 attempts to get on the ground.  A big bounce on one attempt. As soon as the instructor got out I just seemed to forget stuff.  The CFI talked me down on the last go , although I had already regained my composure and set up properly for the landing.  But knowing he was there made a huge difference to my mental state.  Anyway just putting it out there. I ignored human factors and it bit me.  I think it's just as important to post the bad experiences as the good ones.

 

[turboplanner]

What were you flying?

[BrendAn]

Tecnam p92

[turboplanner]

4 minutes ago, BrendAn said:

Tecnam p92

Thought it might have been lighter.

Around solo time everyone has good and bad days because it’s still coming together. Some have a as day on first solo.  I’ve seen others do a perfect first solo and then stuff up third solo, then it all comes together.

[pluessy]

With P92, trim for about 55kts on final and use the throttle to control the descent. The when you come close to the threshold, very gently pull back to reduce the sink rate and just let her settle down. I usually pull a little bit more back just before the wheels get on the ground and pull the power at the same time. The keep pulling back to keep the nose wheel just off the ground till that settles as well.

Trimming for the correct speed takes one variable out.

 

304 landings and only one bent gear leg🙂 (2 up, spot landing comp👎)

[BrendAn]

14 minutes ago, pluessy said:

With P92, trim for about 55kts on final and use the throttle to control the descent. The when you come close to the threshold, very gently pull back to reduce the sink rate and just let her settle down. I usually pull a little bit more back just before the wheels get on the ground and pull the power at the same time. The keep pulling back to keep the nose wheel just off the ground till that settles as well.

Trimming for the correct speed takes one variable out.

 

304 landings and only one bent gear leg🙂 (2 up, spot landing comp👎)

Exactly what I have been taught. Good post.

 I just couldn't get it together today.

[Blueadventures]

How were your base legs; speed on the numbers.

 

Sounds like you have a good instructor he will work on things for you.  Hydration and fatigue are a big thing to keep in check.  If you don't feel 100% don't continue with flying or circuits;  have a break and if good to go fly.  Cheers.

[RFguy]

On the first big bounce, I gather that triggered a go around ?  If so, that is good ....  Make your go-around decisions early.  6 minutes of fuel is cheaper than a bent airplane. 

Edited February 3 by RFguy

[3rd harmonic]

Well done for having the balls to post up something that's wasn't so easy!!

I ended up going solo after a very limited 9h (although some flying 20yrs previous when I was in air cadets at Camden helped alot)

The solo went OK, but the next session of circuits after 1st solo was a shocker and I didn't fly solo again for another hour.

The point is that as your training progresses, hopefully? It's your worst performances that will improve not necessarily your best.

THAT is actually way more important in developing your piloting skill - In other words can you make good choices and still get it down acceptably when the conditions aren't going your way?

Circuits are bloody hard work in summer when it's +30deg. As someone who is reasonably fit in the sports star with a bubble canopy an hour is about all I could handle and would be drenched in sweat and have to down 2l of Powerade afterwards to recover.

Don't let it get you down

Paradoxically EXPERIENCE is what you get AFTER you needed it!?

There's no short circuiting that learning process...

Edited February 4 by 3rd harmonic
grammar

[facthunter]

Your Instructor is the person to  sort this out. That task falls to them all the time.. the RED BARON wrote off  few planes when training..  Nev

[facthunter]

The Plane you are flying is easier than a Fokker triplane with a blip throttle.   Nev

[IBob]

I doubt there's a pilot here who hasn't had his moments.

Learn what you can from it.

Then put it behind you and push on, I say.

[BrendAn]

4 hours ago, RFguy said:

On the first big bounce, I gather that triggered a go around ?  If so, that is good ....  Make your go-around decisions early.  6 minutes of fuel is cheaper than a bent airplane. 

Yes Glen. 1 bounce and straight to full throttle. An instructor told me a while back if you bounce once go around. He said the second or third bounce will wreck the undercarriage or the aircraft.

[kgwilson]

Why do you need throttle at all on very short final. Keeping some on right till almost touchdown must increase your landing speed. You should be fully stalled at touchdown

Edited February 4 by kgwilson

[BrendAn]

3 hours ago, facthunter said:

Your Instructor is the person to  sort this out. That task falls to them all the time.. the RED BARON wrote off  few planes when training..  Nev

The CFI is going to go with me tomorrow for an hour to see if he can help with anything. I still think I just made the wrong choice. I wasn't up to flying but did it anyway.

[RFguy]

4 minutes ago, kgwilson said:

Why do you need throttle at all on very short final. Keeping some one right till almost touchdown must increase your landing speed. You should be fully stalled at touchdown

KG he meant he went to full throttle on the go around.  I would not  be advocating to a student what you are at this point,, I think advice for the young lad is best come from the instructor at this point. 
 

@Brendan . did the nose pitch up when you applied full throttle ? How'd did you go managing putting the flaps away etc on the go around ! there is alot to do. flying the plane comes first.

good work.

 

 

Edited February 4 by RFguy

[kgwilson]

1 minute ago, RFguy said:

KG he meant he went to full throttle on the go around. 
 

@Brendan . did the nose pitch up when you applied full throttle ? How's did you go managing putting the flaps away etc on the go around ! there is alot to do. flying the plane comes first.

good work.

 

 

This was in response to Pleuseys post & Bredan said this is how he has been taught too.

 

16 hours ago, BrendAn said:

With P92, trim for about 55kts on final and use the throttle to control the descent. The when you come close to the threshold, very gently pull back to reduce the sink rate and just let her settle down. I usually pull a little bit more back just before the wheels get on the ground and pull the power at the same time.

 

[BrendAn]

2 minutes ago, RFguy said:

KG he meant he went to full throttle on the go around.  I would not  be advocating to a student what you are at this point,, I think advice for the young lad is best come from the instructor at this point. 
 

@Brendan . did the nose pitch up when you applied full throttle ? How's did you go managing putting the flaps away etc on the go around ! there is alot to do. flying the plane comes first.

good work.

 

 

I put forward pressure on the stick to hold the nose down while I went to full throttle.with the flaps out on the tecnam you need a pretty shallow climb out. It takes a while to build up air speed again . It's a lot to do in seconds though.

[BrendAn]

4 minutes ago, kgwilson said:

This was in response to Pleuseys post & Bredan said this is how he has been taught too.

 

 

Yes kg, what pluessey posted was exactly what I have been taught . You are at idle except if you need a couple of blips on the throttle to maintain correct height. 

[facthunter]

KG, coming in using a bit if throttle occasionally doesn't mean you land faster. It will make the approach angle a little shallower than it otherwise would but you get back to normal glideslope angle. (That's what it's called regardless of the power used) when there's a headwind.) Nev

[jackc]

The Jabiru electric flap system scares me IF I need a go around as I have to hold flap switch up to raise flaps and use left hand reaching across stick while watching indicator at extreme right of cabin, it’s a horrible system.

[facthunter]

Brendan If you were dehydrated YOU can be suffering some VERY severe symptoms. Some older blokes on motorcycle rally's have shown these and I even sent one to Hospital to check he hadn't had a stroke. Older blokes don't drink enough water as they are scared they might need to pee.. Nev

[facthunter]

Jack why have powered flaps in a little plane that has NO system to control differential flap and the Physical effort is well within everybody's normal capacity. Nev

[jackc]

Hydrolyte is my favourite, drinks heaps before I fly. Cost a lot of money but worth it and works for me.

[jackc]

3 minutes ago, facthunter said:

Jack why have powered flaps in a little plane that has NO system to control differential flap and the Physical effort is well within everybody's normal capacity. Nev

Nev, it’s a 24 reg Jabiru plane and we can’t change it, I want a panel rotary switch with 0, 10, 20 deg flap settings so I can select what  settings I need and just fly the plane.  The existing system as fitted from the factory is dangerous in my opinion. 
Manual flaps would be OK too, but because of stupid rules and Jabiru won’t approve a change, I am stuck 🤢 IF I was 19 reg, it would have been the first mod I would do, along with an increase in main wheel size.