21 August 2011 VH-TAJ
CIRCUITS
It was time to learn how to fly "the circuit" and land the aeroplane. We would be using 35R, which meant right hand circuits, for what was to be the first of many circuit lessons. The winds were light and almost straight
down the runway - another great day for
flying.
A lot of new stuff to learn this lesson, starting with an extra radio call. Because of the volume of training conducted at Moorabbin you need to request, and get approval for, circuits before taxiing.
The circuit can be broken in 7 steps. As with all new lessons Jason demos the 7 parts of the circuit first then it's my turn .
Takeoff. Full power, keep center-line, rotate at 60-65kts.
Upwind. Best rate of climb (80kts), trim, hand on throttle, maintain extended
runway centreline, at 500ft AGL - fuel pump off, landing lights off and turn
onto crosswind leg.
Crosswind. Tracking at 90deg to the runway centreline, continue climb to 1000 ft AGL then level
out, turn onto downwind when at 45deg to the end of the runway.
Downwind. Couple of new items here 1) the downwind radio call and 2) the BUMFOCH
pre landing checklist. Besides that, straight and level at 1000ft AGL,
parallel to the runway, until runway threshold at 4 o'clock position, then turn onto base.
Base leg. Time to get busy. Power back, keep nose up until speed comes back to
80kts, 2 stages of flap once in the white arc (remembering to push toward to
stop the nose coming up), attitude for 80kt - 500ft/min decent, trim, tracking
90deg to the runway (may need to crab depending on the wind), when runway at about
1 o'clock (want to be about 600AGL at this point) turn onto final.
Finial. Almost there. Aiming for numbers, maintain attitude and add power if short aand reduce power if long,
aiming for 70kts, tracking along the extended centreline, at 300 ft AGL time
for go/no go decision, if we are landing - carb heat off, final stage of flap,
aiming for 65kts.
Landing. As we cross the threshold it's time to cut the power (idle), move my
focus form the numbers to the end of the runway (to the right of the nose) and
start the round out. The aim here is to not land but fly the plane just above
the runway until it can't fly any more and lands its self.
Once
landed, it's flaps off, full power and do it all again.
It
looks so easy - but it wasn't!!!
As
soon as I turned on to final I'm overloaded.
I'm so focused on aiming at the numbers that I'm not watching my speed,
forget the last stage of flaps, forget to turn cab heat off, using ailerons
instead of my rudder to maintain the centreline (ailerons become less effective
at low speeds, such as landings). Then to top it off, I start flaring to high.
After a lot of assistance we manage to land.
By the
end of the lesson I knew this is going to be the first real hurdle in my
training. While I felt I was improving, I just can't convince myself to flare
lower. And when I realised I'd flared to high, my immediate reaction is to push
forward to"fix" it (BAD).
I need
to relax and remember the plane wants to land, my job is to try and stop it
just above the ground. Let's try again next week.
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