Circuits Pt. II & The Art of Landing

Image taken from: http://cessnawarbirds.files.wordpress.com

Well, I started out down a dirty road
Started out all alone
And the sun went down as I crossed the hill
And the town lit up, the world got still

I'm learning to fly but I ain't got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing
Well, the good ol' days may not return
And the rocks might melt and the sea may burn

I'm learning to fly but I ain't got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing

Well, some say life will beat you down
Break your heart, steal your crown
So I've started out for God knows where
I guess I'll know when I get there

I'm learning to fly around the clouds
But what goes up must come down

I'm learning to fly but I ain't got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing
I'm learning to fly around the clouds
But what goes up must come down
Songwriters: Petty, Tom; Lynne, Jeff;

"Coming down is the hardest thing." - That's how I feel this morning. Fear not though. While I'm not sure exactly what Tom Petty had in mind (or in his brain) when he wrote this song - I certainly had some wings this morning.

We worked on some more circuits today. Today felt like a bit of a frustrating lesson. Out of the six or so landings I performed, I think about two or three were as smooth as I would have liked. The others, I was disappointing with. My instructor said that all of my landings are safe, but they're not as smooth as they should be.

By the end of the lesson, the last circuit or so, I think I figured out the problem(s). I think what happens is that I start the flare (pulling up on the control column to raise the nose, which in turn slows the airplane down and gently slides the airplane on the runway, if done right) too soon, too high up. The ground seemed to be coming up too fast, so I pull up too soon. The last time around, on my last landing attempt, I made a concerted effort to let the plane get closer to the ground before I pull up, and it worked better.

I also tended to come in a bit fast, speed-wise. I need to try and keep the airspeed steady at 60Knots on final and decreasing on flare. Anyway, I'll get it right, I have no doubt. Today was just a little frustrating in that way. After every bumpy landing I felt like I let myself and Eric down. He's good though. Very patient and supportive, a good teacher.

Apart from that, I do everything else involved in the circuit pretty well. The first time around today, I had to re-familiarize myself with all of the procedures in the circuit, which I covered a bit in this post. But after that I got a good handle on everything. My radio communications are getting more solid. I'm actually starting to sound like a pilot. It sounds pretty cool... at least to me.

Coming up in the next couple of lessons are more circuits - circuits with engine failure, circuits with cross-landings, and that's about it. After that, as Eric the instructor said to me today "you'll be doing all that stuff without my fat ass in the airplane." I responded to him with a forced smile and a nod.

I'm both very excited and very anxious for my first solo. As well I should be. Every pilot I've spoken to say that I'll never forget my first solo. I'm up to about 16.1 hours of flight time now. I'll be doing my first solo within the next few hours. Eric says that it normally takes pilots-in-training around thirty hours before they fly solo. I'll be doing mine well before that number, it seems. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I trust Eric's judgement, as well as my own resolve.

One thing I need to mention is something about the reality of flying. Today, as I woke up to CBC Radio 1 News, half asleep, I heard the news that a small four-seater Seneca airplane crashed in a field around Pickering, killing all three people aboard. Pickering is near our practice-area, and Seneca flies out of Buttonville, so I connected the dots. That airplane resided in Buttonville, as did those people in that ill-fated airplane. In the airplane was an instructor and two students. They were all young people. The cause is not yet clear. The case is being investigated.

I've gotta tell you though, that wasn't a pleasant thing for anyone to hear while waking up. It made it a bit harder for me to wake up and go flying this morning. As I spoke with one of the instructors at the dispatch desk, the one thing he said to me that sums it all up: "It's just the nature of the industry".

My thoughts go out to the families and friends of the people who died. May they rest in peace.

------

I'll quickly take this opportunity to remind you that it's still the glorious month of Movebmer. My mustache is making great strides. I'm so proud of it, it's grown so fast. I remember when it was just a stubbly mess. Today the full-fledged rat on my face garners me a whole lot of unwanted attention. I'm doing it all to raise awareness and money towards research for prostate cancer. Please donate as little or as much as you can, your money will in no doubt save lives in the future. You can donate HERE.

Thank you.