Lesson 30 - Solo circuits (4)

18 March 2012

VH-TAJ

Moorabbin (YMMB),  Runway 13L

Weather : QNH 1024, 21C, Sunny, SE 11-13kts (19kt gusts) max 10kt crosswind.

I normally fly at 8:30 in the morning, that way I can be home to play with the kids by 10:30.  However today I've got a 3 o'clock lesson so the family decides to drop me off and do some shopping at the DFO across the road. 

We arrive 15 minutes early, so sit at the end of the runway and watch the planes land.  This brings back fond memories of going early to pick up people from the airport in christchurch and sitting at the end of the runway to watch their plane arrive.

I'm hoping to do some more solo circuits and I'm in luck. When I walk into the school I find out Jason is still off on a cross country and has arranged for Fenella to send me out solo. This is the first time I've started up and taxied off without an instructor sitting next to me, and it seems a bit strange. (The possibility of 10kt crosswind is also making me a bit nervous)

The run-up checks go fine, i make my taxi call, take a deep breath to relax and make sure I haven't forgotten anything, then taxi over to 13L.

Soon I pushing the throttle forward and I'm off down the runway. The first touch and go is a bit rough but acceptable. The next time around the plane in front of me does a full stop and seems to take its time getting off the runway. At about 150ft is still don't have a landing clearance so decide to go around. Just after I "firewall" the throttle the tower gives me my landing clearance however I'm already committed to going around so let them know what I'm doing (besides never hurts to practice a go around)

On reflection there a few important lesson to remember.

1. Aviate, navigate, communicate. I didn't communicate with the tower until I had established a positive rate of climb and moved to the left of the runway (normally it would be the right).
2. I made my decision to go around early. I realised I was focusing on the other plane exiting the runway and not my landing. This was one of the main reasons I decided to go around and I feel it was a good one.
3. Once I made the decision, I stuck to it. I could have closed the throttle and tried to make a landing when I got the landing clearance, but at my current level of experience that would have been a recipe to disaster.

The next few touch and goes we're a mixed bag, ballooned a couple but remembered to just let it settle onto the runway, bounced one but remembered to get the nose up, and let it settle back down the 2nd time, drift off the centreline a few times because I'm still not using enough rudder, but also managed a couple of good landings as well.

Another great 1.4 hour as pilot in command. 

 VH-TAJ Piper Warrior III  -"Solo Circuits" - 1.4Hrs (Solo), (3.3hr Solo, 0.5hrs IF, Total 33.5 hrs)