Flying the Circuit

When I arrived at the airfield on Sunday everyone was in a very friendly Christmas mood, mince pies and chocolates galore! Not so good on the flying front though, what had been clear in the morning had turned into a solid layer of grey cloud down at 1000 feet. It wasn't looking good until Stu suggested we try my hand at flying the circuit, meaning we would fly just below the cloud. An extensive brief followed, with detailed intructions for flying from runway 26 and into a left hand circuit. This was a familiar approach for me since we've always used 26. A shame then when we came to take-off we were instructed to use runway 08 and fly the circuit on the opposite side! Stu let me handle the take-off - I really shouldn't stamp on those peddles so hard though. I also did one of the touches - again too hard!

So the briefing went a bit like this. Stu said he'd handle most of the RT and the checks, so all I had to do was fly. I have to say it was probably my favourite lesson so far!

From flyian

• RT - “Kemble Information. Golf-Bravo-November-November-Tango”
• RT - “G-BNNT. Pass your message.”
• RT - “G-NT, PA28, tower apron, two POB, flying the circuit, request airfield information and taxi”
• RT - “X” (hold at Bravo 1)
• RT - “G-NT Alpha-1 ready for departure”
• Runway checks, transponder to ALT / DI and compass / T’s & P’s / check heading matches runway.
• RT - “G-NT Hold” / “Line up and wait” / “take off at your discretion”
• RT - “G-NT taking off”
• Full power
• Instrument check / power 2000/2500 airspeed increasing
• Centre line, choosing aiming point off runway
• 60 knots & rotate
• Nose to horizon giving 75 knots in PA28
• At 300ft AGL after take-off checks – T’s & P’s, flaps clean, (gear up), trim 75kts
• Bank 15˚, climbing turn, look right in LH circuit first
• Select aiming point.
• Wind from right
• Turn (30˚?) and new aiming point – Ashton Keynes lakes
• At 950ft start to level (10% of rate of climb)
• RT - “G-NT downwind for touch and go” or “to land”
• RT - or “G-NT downwind for late touch and go” if radio busy
• Downwind checks BUM FFI LCHH which should memorise [B.U.M.F.F.I.C.H.L. - Brakes, Undcrge, Mxtr, Fuel, Flaps, Instmnts, Carb heat, Hrness, Lights]
• Wingtip on the runway for correct 1-1.5 mile gap
• 45˚ from threshold, thinking about turning
• Descent called Base Descent
• Power 1700 RPM / Carb heat on / nose up / trim 75kts /
• Reduce speed to Vfe / 2 stages of flap
• 500ft/min descent rate ideal – manage height to be on glide path
• Turn final
• Centre line with rudder, aileron & wings level
• 3 stage flaps / 65kts
• RT - “G-NT final for touch and go” or “final to land”
• Runway number as aiming point
• Judge the flare

Foggy November Morning

To get back into the swing of things I thought I'd book a lesson this weekend. I'd been watching the weather forecast all week and it really didn't look good. This morning was as promised - as foggy as you like. I drove over to Kemble anyway - just to say hello, check the journey from the new house and persuade myself to get on with flying. I met up with Stu who filled my in on all of the gossip. We chatted for while with Tom who had come to replace brake disks and pads on one of the club's leased PA28s - interesting chap. A splendid bacon sandwich in AV8 (thanks mate!) and a view of the club's Granville trip DVD and I was on my way home. Another lesson booked for two weekends time.

Rainy Weekend Stalls

Well much to my surprise conditions were good enough on Sunday to fly. The pressure had been rising all day, the cloud lifted until we had over 2000ft to play with. This Sunday I was learning slow flight, including standard stall recovery.

I should really have written this up straight away. Damn my shabby memory.

Every manoeuvre seems to have its own work process acronym - this one was no different. HASELL stands for

H - height. Do we have enough for this? 3000ft is the recommendation.
A - aircraft. This is our plane. Is it configured, in trim, straight and level.
S - security. Physical security for passengers, pilot and loose articles.
E - engine. Temperatures and pressures.
L - location. Are we in a suitable place. ABCCCD (Airfields, built up areas, crowd, cloud, controlled airspace, danger areas)
L - lookout. Is the airspace clear and safe. We should include some turns to clear.

On subsequent trys we can reduce this to HELL.

We start with

P - power - 1500 RPM and in balence
A - attitude - > 60kts, 2000 RPM
T - trim

Standard Stall recovery (At Last)

So the aircraft stalls when the angle of attack is around 15˚ - not very steep. This is known as the critical angle. To recover:-

Pitch forward
Apply full power
Balance

I felt okay doing the stall recovery - seemed fairly sensible. However I didn't get to see what happens if one wing drops - one should keep the ailerons straight. Doing otherwise makes things worse - spinny spinny! Stu demonstrated a spin recovery which once again had my stomach in my mouth.

Kemble Information

Well things looked good this weekend when I left home, but as I got closer to Kemble the cloud gathered. When I entered the club house (in their own words) six grown men were gathered looking at the sky. One of them was my instructor Stuart who sadly told me the cloud was too low and too solid to do slow flight and stalls for which we needed plenty of altitude. I hung around for a little while to see what would happen - the weather was right on the edge of clearing up, but I was to have no flying today.

So Stu took me for a tour of Kemble Operations and the Control Tower. Glenn was running things in the tower and it was fascinating to see how things worked from this side. Each aircraft has a card and plastic holder which Glenn was putting in different places on a special rack to indicate where it was - on the runway, taxiing, circuits, flying in the local area or passing through. Things looked quite complicated and he was only looking after six aircraft. One cheery thing though was just how many people got RT stuff wrong - there's hope for me yet. The aviation world was firmly divided into newbies getting RT wrong and sounding nervous and those real old hands who confidently got things wrong or were simply unclear. Stu explained the importance of keeping the messages short and accurate - the tower has a lot of people to deal with and one shouldn't hog air time.

I was happy to see the return of Zulu Whiskey to the club after weeks being away for repair. She'd only arrived the day before and apparently Zoe was seen to do a little dance. Zulu Whiskey has been away for months for service and was waiting for parts from the States. It was also nice to see one of the Piper Cubs I'd seen at Duxford in July at Kemble today. She was refueling while we were in the tower but sadly I missed the takeoff. All of this just serves to fire my enthusiasm and I just want to fly. I'm sitting here with rain lashing against the window yet again this summer.

Lookout!

I picked an early morning lesson this week - the weather forecast wasn't so good later in the day. In the briefing and cup of tea beforehand we discussed the previous lesson (climbing and descending) along with today's lesson 9a - medium level turns. Stuart touched on Ve and Vne which are rapid descents used in an emergency for cabin and engine fires respectively. Medium level turns covered turning at 30º. The workflow for this was lookout, attitude, instruments. Lookout is a big lookout from tail to tail - all the way round. Attitude includes keeping the nose up since the tendency is to descend and to keep the turn angle consistent. For instuments we cycle through the artificial horizon, altimeter, balence ball, directional indicator and vertical speed indicator.

Stu got me to A-Check my PA28 G-PSRT. For some reason I have a soft spot for Romeo Tango and was happy to. I must get a better handle on this long check though!

The flight itself was fantastic! A very clear day with a few blobs of cloud at around 3000ft. Stuart demonstrated the Vne descent - OMG! Definately the most dramatic ride I've ever had in an aircraft. The idea is to blow out any engine fire and we decended 2000 feet in what felt like 10 seconds with sideslip and nose down. Stu then asked me if I wanted to try the manouver - I think we'll leave that until I have a little more confidence.

Next came mid level turns. I wasn't too bad, a bit slow leaving the turn. The target should be 15º before the target and as usual so much to think about. Several times though I missed the Lookout at the start of the manouver. Most important considering the crash at Coventry this week.

Finally we flew back to Kemble. I flew the approach, final turn and Stu made the landing. It was a shame the lesson seemed so short!

Lots of radio work for me this week, including various acknowledgements repeating the airport information back to the control tower.

Still so much to learn!

Sunny Weekend

Well another fine British summer weekend meant no flying this weekend. So I thought I'd post a few pix from my trip to the aviation museum at Duxford in July. I wish I'd had more time to watch everything that was going on, I'll just have to go back. Here are one or two of my absolute favourites. I'd love to fly any of these!

Duxford

Climbing, Descending, Descending and Climbing

British summer must be over. I had two lessons this weekend making four in seven days without bad weather. This week's lessons were both in PA28s. G-AXZF is a PA28-180E and G-BFDK is a PA28-161. The flying club's C152's are still unavailable, but I'm liking the PA28s more and more.





Saturday started cloudy but cleared to scattered cloud by the time my lesson came. I taxied and did the takeoff which I think was worse than my first. The lesson covered climbing and descending. Climbing is once again Power, Attitude and Trim as with increasing power in straight and level flight, but today we have Stuart's own acronym - DABLE that is Direction, Attitude, Balance, Lookout and Engine. Direction - are we heading for our reference point; Attitude - does the aircraft have the right attitude and therefore speed; Balance - is the aircraft yawing; Lookout - are we away from trouble. Remembering of course that we use full power for the climb and set carburettor heat to cold. Every 500ft or so we check for other aircraft by making clearing turns. Finally we anticipate reaching our chosen altitude by 10% of the climb rate and level off with APT. So much to remember.

Then we set about the gliding descent. Once again we see PAT in action. This involves reducing the power to the engine, setting the correct pitch to glide and trimming out the forces. Carburettor heat is of course hot for this and we warmed the engine every thousand feet.

Golf Zulu Foxtrot is a PA28-180E - by far the most powerful aircraft I've flown. I really noticed just how quickly we arrived at my normal reference points and just how quickly we got back to Kemble! It may have been a function of the head winds, but we were climbing at over a hundred knots.

Sunday's weather looked more shaky. The day got cloudier and darker. Zoe from the flying club called - there was an opportunity to have an earlier lesson since Stu had had some cancellations. Dashing to the airfield the weather picked up as I got closer - all was well! A couple of botched radio calls for me, followed by a heavy footed take-off left me feeling a bit low.

We ran over yesterday's lesson quickly. Then on to climbing with flaps, descending with flaps and we touched on side slipping with crossed controls to descend more quickly. Flaps are used in a climb to increase lift and usually used to shorten take-off though we forgot to deploy this time!

More complicated was the gliding descent with flaps. This is used on final approach and landing. The flaps increase drag, slowing us down and provide more lift which allows us to floy more slowly. We did some practice aiming for fields to demonstrate approach angles and heights. I think I see my own landings in the distant future! I was rather heavy handed with the controls today - another habit to break. The important lesson, Stuart tells me, is that power controls ascent and attitude controls speed.

I'm not sure I enjoyed these lessons quite so much. I seemed to be a bit poor on everything I tried - possibly because I was feeling a bit under the weather. I really hope for some improvement next week.

A Busy Weekend with Golf Romeo Tango

At last some actual flying! A mid week telephone conversation during the week told me my usual Cessna 152 G-BSZW wasn't available, she was out for an extended service and would I like to fly a PA28? Well I've been very keen to fly everything so I agreed. I had two lessons booked for the weekend and the weather looked somewhat questionable. My fingers were crossed - I surely deserve a break after all of this bad weather. Actually I say Zulu Whiskey is my usual, but I have only flown her twice.

The weather held on Saturday very still, humid and sunny. I arrived at Kemble to see a row of three Piper PA28s sitting in the sun - mine must be one of those. Delta Jets were flying a Hawker Hunter and as I watched a De-Haviland Vampire arrived. I love these old planes.

My instructor arrived back from his previous class at exactly 16:30 in yet another PA28, the one I'd be flying G-PSRT. Looks like the flying club have four.



Stuart asked me to check over the aircraft, we checked the fuel and after an abortive re-fuel attempt (queue at the pump!) we started. Once again I did the initial call to the tower. With a bit of guidance from Stuart I taxied along taxi way golf (G for grass I'm told...) to runway A1-26. A got to do a second call to the tower which must have been asking for permission to take off - but I'm having trouble remembering what was said. I must write that down.

Today's lesson was Straight and Level Flight part 1. We covered the previous lesson Effects of Controls quickly - it has been seven weeks since I last flew and a little refresher is very useful. Straight and Level isn't as easy as it sounds - keeping a fixed heading, altitude with gentle but firm control. The hour passed very quickly and in no time were were back.

Sunday was another good day on the face of it, sunny, humid and still. Delta Jets were in action again celebrating a wedding at AV8. I tried to snap a picture of a Hunter doing a very low fast pass over the runway but to no avail - it was a blurry dot before I knew it. Better camera required for that sort of nonsense I think.

Stuart once again got me to do the transit checks on Golf Romeo Tango, this time I managed to examine the fuel and oil myself. I like the PA28 - the controls seem so much more obvious than the Cessna 152 - a large throttle handle, distinctly different mixture control, bigger rudder and brake pedals and a kind of hand brake for raising and lowering flaps. Even the parking brake works properly. Though I don't have my own door, just a tiny little window flap.

We talked about the two air pressure readings, QnH and Qfe. QnH is the air pressure at sea level and when set on the altimeter shows us the height above sea level we are. Qfe is the air pressure at the airport and would show us the height above the airfield we are.

Once again I made the first call to the tower but Stuart was keen for me to do more - its a whole new language within a language. Some stumbling later...

"Kemble Information, Golf Papa Sierra Romeo Tango."
"Golf Papa Sierra Romeo Tango pass your message."
"PA28, two POB, request taxi for a VFR flight to the west". Dammit forgot to say we were at Woodside. Must do better.
Gasp for air... Then Kemble Information saying something like
"Golf Romeo Tango, use taxiway golf, hold at alpha one, runway two six"

After that it was all a bit of a whirl. They must have given the wind and air pressure (QnH - the altimeter shows our height at 430 feet or so) which Stuart noted. With barely a moment to think I was taxiing to A1-26, turned Romeo Tango into the wind, well what little there was, and we ran through the final checks. Unlike yesterday I taxied onto the runway and we just carried on. "You can take off" he said. He talked me through the take-off, full throttle, keep her straight on the white line, sixty five knots, pull back on the controls and we were up! No time for jumping up and down with joy though. A steady climb to around two thousand feet. Time to begin the lesson. Begin! Blimey.

Photo out towards the River Severn showing just how hazy it was.


We did a little repeat of straight and level part one and then on to straight and level part two, flying increasing and decreasing speed. I had a few practices of flying at 115 knots and 80 knots. Keeping the nose down when were had lots of power and pulling the nose up to change the attitude when we used less. Changes in power required a bit of thinking about carburettor heat. A nice straightforward rule, below 2000 RPM carb heat on, above 2000 carb heat off. As the book says this lesson was Power - Attitude - Trim.

Today things were more difficult with a fair bit or turbulence from the heat, bumping around every time we flew over high ground. The horizon and navigation references were a nightmare - the horizon just faded out in many directions. There was quite a bit of traffic over the western training area we normally use, a familiarisation flight for someone new to the club and a great deal of glider activity at Aston Down. We even heard a call from the local air ambulance flying through the north of Kemble's area. We hurried back to Kemble before the Kemble Operations closed at 18:00. A swift landing and quick dash off the runway let our club-mates land close behind us.

All in all a marvellous weekend of flying. More radio work, a take-off, some aerial photography and some insight into the life of a flying instructor.

I now have more flying hours in a PA28 than in my 'usual' C152. I think I will be sticking with the C152 for the time being on two scores. Firstly it is slightly cheaper and secondly it is a very cute little aircraft with bags of character. The PA28 was good though...

I have two lessons booked next weekend as well. Fingers still firmly crossed.

Some more photos, this one towards Badminton (see the parallel lines of trees?)


Westonbirt Arboretum under the wing (had to use Google Maps to confirm this one!)


Kemble Airfield from the ground

Another weekend another disappointment

Ah the British summer! Low visibility, rain and borderline winds on Saturday followed by stormy winds on Sunday meant I didn't fly this weekend. The best bit is the weather is absolutely perfect today. I won't be flying for a couple of weeks - next weekend the club is off to France and I find myself in a brewery the weekend after.

I miss being up there!

Effects of Controls

Phew! I've finally had another lesson! My second lesson was Effects of Controls Part 2. A late start with Zulu Whiskey out on a navigation flight meant a long briefing with a review of stuff I'd already done, along with new territory - I really should read further ahead in the books!

As part of the wait, Stuart sent me out to check over one of the club's PA28s G-BNNT which he knew had a fault. I spotted oil on the grass, albeit in a place I couldn't see where it had come from. It turns out the nose wheel suspension was somewhat suspect and the aircraft had been grounded. The oil was leaking hydraulic fluid.



We just managed to take off before Kemble closed at 18:00. Covering spiral dive recovery, flaps, power changes, trimming and slipstream. They all seem quite sensible but I think more time to practice would be nice. I'll get the art of trimming eventually. There is such a lot to remember. Once I actually get up there it would be nice to stay there!

Back at the flying club a visiting instructor said she could tell I'd been flying because I couldn't stop smiling. I hadn't realised it but she was right.

Looking forward to two lessons this weekend! We'll be doing Straight and Level Flight which I already realise won't be easy.

Mental note - much more reading required, my instructor mentioned now is a good time to start reading up on air law.

Another fine Bank Holiday

No. I don't think so. My plan had been to book two lessons at the weekend, but British Bank Holiday weather got in the way. So no flying this weekend either. I'm going to have forgotten that little I know. Hmmm, I wonder if I should stop posting when the weather fails me...

Flying Golf Zulu Whiskey

"Kemble information, Golf Bravo Sierra Zulu Whiskey..."

My first words over the radio to the control tower! I feel all pilot like now.

Finally yesterday the weather was right. My call to the Flying Club must have seemed a bit redundant, but when they said the weather was perfect I was a relieved and very happy man.

A quick photo from my phone as I arrived - Zulu Whiskey is the Cessna sitting in the middle with the covers on.



So I was straight in with lesson 4a - Effects of Controls. This as all Pilots Under Tuition know demonstrates the relationship between the ailerons, rudder and elevators and their effects on the aircraft - pitch, roll and yaw. Things I also had some fun with included recovering from spiral dives exercise, viewing Wootton-Under-Edge (and not Wootton Bassett) and learning the way home.

Kemble doesn't have a license for night use and Kemble Flight Information Service closes at 18:00 so we had to dash back to land in time.

Getting back I also has a chance to have an up close look at a glass cockpit Cirrus (SR20 or 22) - very nice!

Getting Silly Now...

Now I know that flying, at least at the beginning, is very subject to the whims of the weather. Once again we've had another no-fly day, this time citing lack of visibility of the horizon! I think its time to book a bunch of lessons together. Sunday had poor visibility but Monday (which turned out to be fully booked) looked good.

The worst thing about this is hearing yet another light aircraft fly overhead on a beautiful sunny work day.

Sigh

Here's to next Sunday.

Not The Big Day

So it is a slightly disappointed Ian that reports that Saturday's lesson didn't happen. The crosswinds in the afternoon were too high for the poor little Cessna 152 which is rated for 12 knots. Winds on the day must have been around 15 knots - the windsock was pretty full and the Piper PA-28's were still flying (rated for 17 knots).

Happily I went though the pre-flight talk with my instructor Stuart. By far the best explanation of how a wing/tailplane works I've heard! We then ran through the A checks for the 152 and he talked a great deal about them. So many types of locking nut! He even took time to check my headset with the tower - marvellous, my e-Bay purchase wasn't wasted!

During the checks and my time on the airfield we saw a Hawker Hunter from Delta Jets going through its paces - an amazing display of 1950's air power. It's vertical climb right above us was stunning!

It turns out my aircraft wasn't G-BRUM as I thought. It looks like they've got themselves a new 152 G-BSZW which after a bit of a dig seems to have arrived in March.

I've booked another lesson for next Sunday and several Sundays to come so I really hope I can fly next weekend!

Flying Tonight

At last our hero actually books a flying lesson at Kemble. I don't really know why I was delaying, fear of the telephone; Aero School Kemble website vanishing; general apathy? I don't know. I'm always encouraged when a company has a decent web site and I'm heartened by their new one www.theflyingclubkemble.com. Or should I say our new one? So the 26th April is my day. Since I have a soft spot for Cessna, my aircraft is their Cessna 152 G-BRUM. I'm hoping for good weather and some splendid views and oh so much!