Monday, 20 May 2013

The loneliness of the long distance final

The video of my latest solo flight is on YouTube. Actually this represents the only solo flight I’ve managed to capture on video for various reasons. I thought it might be a bit of a laugh to provide you with a bit of a running commentary as to what I was thinking at various points or what I think now, looking back on it all:

00:18 – JES is requesting that you get that Porter out of my way before you let me go anywhere
00:50 – OK lets go, please don’t run over me Mr. Porter, sir

00:59 – Giving way, with pleasure!
01:18     Cool, he’s waving at me!

04:33 – Ok corner, I don’t like you and you don’t like me. Let’s see if I can get somewhere close to where I’m meant to stick this thing
04:55 – I’m not convinced I haven’t taken a little off tarmac jaunt here, Oh Crap! Hello Mr. other Porter. Did anyone order a WMAP sandwich?

05:16 – looking back I’m particularly proud (NOT!) of the barely concealed level of rising panic in my voice here
06:10 – no way out now, let’s do this thing

06:16 – ready may not be the right word here
06:44 – Full throttle and away she goes

07:13 – that seemingly unproved display of profanity is purely due to the fact that I realise I’ve reached the point of no return; the only way out now is to land this thing. Eek!
07:38 – Fairly certain that instruction was meant for me, but I’m just going to be very quiet.

07:40 – yep I was right
09:48 – Ok let’s turn behind the traffic I was following , set up for a nice base turn. ATC is busy can’t get my call in

10:03 – I can’t continue in a downwind that I’m not in. I’m on base whatcha want me to do?
10:10 – OK new one on me, I guess I’m heading back downwind then. For some reason I decide to bring the flaps back up and set cruise power again. This probably takes me a little too far downwind. To compensate for being out over the water I climb a little

11:00 – Finally, set up for approach and landing
11:30 – I’m not sure I’ve ever been on a 2.5 mile final before. This is going to be a long one

12:20 – That’s ok. I know what to do here. I want to land so I’ll request a stop and go. Only fair to mention that I’ll need the backtrack as well.
12:30 – Ok, no big deal. Looking back I should have realised that there was traffic behind me and requested the full field circuit. At this moment I have enough situational awareness to understand what is going on in front of me but not behind. That’ll come in time

13:15 – what I really mean is why is this taking so long? I have failed to account for the fact that my groundspeed is considerably reduced by the strong headwind. It is taking forever to get anywhere. I could have carried just a little more speed on the long final and then retrimmed at my “normal” final turn point.
14:33 – Did I do something wrong here? He sounds a bit p!ssed off. No time to think, make the turn and set back up again

15:20 – Ok there’s some funky stuff going on here, I think I’m going to be ahead of UOB. I’ll just carry on this heading at the moment but he’ll probably get me to join an extended downwind
15:29 – hello? I hope he remembers I’m here I do not want a trip out over the lake.

15:45 – thank you!
16:38 – please let me land this time

17:08 – Its 10:50. I only have the plane until 11:00. Time to get this girl on the ground
18:08 YAY!!!

18:33 – Find that centre line
19:40 – Actually that wasn’t too bad. Massive sigh of relief

19:46 – Don’t exit onto 33 if he doesn’t tell you. At this point I realise he’s busy with other radio traffic so I’ll be exiting at Foxtrot.
20:00 – And off I go, slow her down a bit, no high speed cornering!

20:15 DO NOT take it on the grass!
20:44 – I think I say all that needs to be said on the video. I leaned back the mixture a little too much. The engine quit on me

20:47 – Stupid, stupid, stupid! What are you going to do?
20:48 – Ok quick start procedure; ICO, throttle set 1/16th inch , mags to “start”, advance mixture

20:57 – THANK YOU!!!
21:11 – I wanna come home now

22:00 – Do not hit anything
22:15 – Normally I’d stick it right outside that hanger, what to do?

22:22 – Ah big shiny arrow painted on ground, that’ll do.
22:56 – that sweet sound of nothing as the engine is shut down. I’m done and we both survived!

 

2 comments:

  1. Just watched your trip. My notes:

    Good pretakeoff checks
    Good comms - you sound very assured (even if you don't feel it)
    That airspace is far busier than where I fly. I would struggle to maintain situational awareness (and sanity) if I was to take the same trip.
    Nice landing! Don't stress about the centre line, it will come eventually.

    As for your struggle with the long final, have you done straight in approaches yet? They are a different beast with quite different problems to consider as opposed to the usual circuit.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the kind words!

      Takeoff checks are fine, I just feel a little rushed sometimes when I'm sandwiched between the commercial traffic like that!

      Comms - I'm much happier with this now. I think the trick is to sound 100% like you know what you are doing even if you don't. And if you don't know what you are meant to be doing then it is ATCs fault for not being clearer!

      Busy airspace - yup , it gets stupid out there, my situational awareness is improving but as evidenced in the video I can keep track of what is going on in front of me but I forget about the guys behind.

      I was quite pleased with the landing. Bob and I have really been working on them

      I've done straight in approaches before , usually on 26 when we return from the practice area. I always struggle with them , I either loose too much height or not enough. This time my approach angle was fine but I trimmed for approach spped waaaay too soon.
      I was obsessed with hitting that magic 65, any higher and thats when captain kangaroo comes to visit!

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