First Solo Go Around

Funkeruski

Funkeruski

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Funkeruski
Did my second cross country solo this afternoon to an uncontrolled airport 62nm away in a 172. Winds at the destination were 080 at 8, and I landed on runway 35. Entered the downwind on the 45, turned base and final and keyed the mic 7 times to get the PAPI lights on. Had full flaps in, and was a little high, so brought the power back to try to get my speed right. As I passed over the threshhold, I know I was too fast. Nor surprisingly, I ballooned, and then got to the point were my speed was so low the bottom was about to drop out. I put in a little power in, and seemed to balloon a little more. I was also moving to the left too much as I didn't get that right wing down to combat the crosswind. At that point I said "eff this" and slammed the power in for a go around. Got some altitude, and then took out my flaps incrementally. Even when they were all out, the plane didn't seem like it was climbing normally, and that got me a little nervous. Made sure the carb heat was in, mixture was rich, and the flaps were out and they were. I was either imagining it because I was flustered from my go around, and it probably wasn't climbing quite as good as I'm used to because I had zero headwind helping me. Finally got her up, turned downwind, and considered taking another shot. But, I was flustered at that point, and took her back home. I pretty much greased the landing at my destination, but had an 8 knot or so wind only 20 degrees of my nose.

I'm guessing it probably would have been wise to extend my downwind to stabilize my approach and get my speed right as I think that excessive speed was my main problem.

As I said, the go around rattled me pretty good to the point that I asked myself what the hell I got myself into. Calmed down pretty quickly and the rest of the flight was fine. Anyone else have a similar experience where their confidence really took a hit? Can someone reinforce the fact that my go-around is a reflection of my mad aviation skillz?
 
Funkeruski said:
As I said, the go around rattled me pretty good to the point that I asked myself what the hell I got myself into.
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It's probably ok. On my first flight after checkride, as a freshly minted Private Pilot, I shot 4 of them in a row and just could not close the deal. It was the only time in my flying when I came close to pranging the airplane, by letting the wind to blow me off the runway and into the houses (it as in an airpark).

Just don't do this kind of training at night and you'll be fine.
 
Nothing to be ashamed of, I have 350 hours and I'm getting very proficient at lousy landings, thanks God that I do more great landings than bad ones.

I have a tendency to come in too fast, all those ntsb reports take a toll on you...lol

The secret to a great landing is a great stable approach...but if you don't like it in the last 5 seconds, overshoot!!!:idea:

It's better being on the downwind planning the approach than in the midle of the runway with a prop strike or another scratch of the asphalt :no:

Always refer to your poh and review what you did right and wrong.
Good luck to you.:D
 
I seem to do OK on landings, except when my CFI is watching. I was landing solo and he was in his plane, going up with another student. I floated half way down the runway, and made a full stop of what supposed to be touch and go. Expected a scolding from CFI, but he said it was a right decision to do a full stop in that case. Thought my landings will suck until I die of old age, but my landing on the leg back was best one I ever done. Go figure.

My first real go-around was due to the traffic on the runway. Me (with CFI) flew to an airport about 56nm away. And in a pattern, there was already another plane. I was groomed for solo at that time, and instructor told me that "imagine that I am not there" and also pulled his headset when I tried to talk to him. So, plane in front of me landed, but for some reason hesitated on the runway. I announced a go-around, and off I went.
 
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star57 said:
Nothing to be ashamed of, I have 350 hours and I'm getting very proficient at lousy landings, thanks God that I do more great landings than bad ones.

I have a tendency to come in too fast, all those ntsb reports take a toll on you...lol

The secret to a great landing is a great stable approach...but if you don't like it in the last 5 seconds, overshoot!!!:idea:

It's better being on the downwind planning the approach than in the midle of the runway with a prop strike or another scratch of the asphalt :no:

Always refer to your poh and review what you did right and wrong.
Good luck to you.:D
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Long runways tend to make us lazy.

Nothing wrong with practicing go around at the last minute. Keeps you oin your toes for the real thing.
 
That's why they require some solo flying in the student pilot phase. Most everyone has issues like that. It's just part of learning. Did you learn from it? If so, then you're progressing normally.
 
I also just realized that the POH for the 172 says that I should have set the flaps to 20 degrees immediately on the go-around. I was so low when I decided on the go around that it seems that reducing the flaps from 30 to 20 degrees immediately could have caused me to settle (probably not the right word here) back to the ground. I actually left the full flaps in for probably 30 seconds or so until I gained some altitude and felt stable enough take the first 10 degrees out.

So, should I have taken the first 10 out immediately? Was it really risky to leave them in for the 30 or so seconds that I did? Feedback appreciated.
 
Funkeruski said:
I also just realized that the POH for the 172 says that I should have set the flaps to 20 degrees immediately on the go-around. I was so low when I decided on the go around that it seems that reducing the flaps from 30 to 20 degrees immediately could have caused me to settle (probably not the right word here) back to the ground. I actually left the full flaps in for probably 30 seconds or so until I gained some altitude and felt stable enough take the first 10 degrees out.

So, should I have taken the first 10 out immediately? Was it really risky to leave them in for the 30 or so seconds that I did? Feedback appreciated.
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I think first 10 should be immediate. With those huge flaps, it would be difficult to gain airspeed. I practiced power off stalls with my instructor in his Warrior, and first 10 were retracted right away.
 
Geico266 said:
Long runways tend to make us lazy.
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This.




When you have 5000' of pavement in front of you, visualize the runway ending by a taxiway while on downwind. Then focus on a landing point just beyond the numbers (first centerline stripe, for example). Don't accept laziness or sloppiness and your flying will progress much faster.
 
Go arounds and deciding not to land at an unfamiliar field due to winds you aren't comfy with is sound decision making.

Since getting my PPL I have done a few go arounds and don't regret any. I have also turned back home after flying an hour to the destination airport and hearing nasty winds on the ATIS (and getting bumped around on the descent).

You have good practice.
 
Sounds like good practice. And yes, we've all had our confidence rattled that way sooner or later.

The go around was the right call. Imagine how rattled your confidence would have been with running off the runway to the left, and a prop strike. ;)

You didn't say which model Skyhawk but if it had electric flaps, the reduction to 20 immediately is because it a) gets rid of the most drag, b) they move relatively slowly.

In theory, you should have enough acceleration at full throttle to at least level off. If you can fly it level in the practice area with full flap, you can do it over the runway too, but you have to pull on the elevator to maintain that as the flaps continue moving up.

Go try it sometime at altitude and get the feel for how much you have to pull while looking at the altimeter when you retract from full to 20. This will help you know exactly how to fly it over a runway.

Now replace altimeter with "scary ground going by outside the window" a few feet below, and go practice rejecting some landings very low. Have a friend along make it random for you. Some you land, some the right seater says "go around" whenever they feel like it.

Also, work on holding the centerline even if crabbed significantly in case of a sink after a low go-around.

People have and will continue to bounce off the runway during low rejected landings. ;)

Sounds like you did the right thing. Don't feel like your confidence is rattled. Every landing is not assured until you choose to land. You chose not to. Good job.

Don't fall into the "I must make this landing" trap unless you're out of gas, have no engine, or you're on fire. Go arounds are part of the normal landing decision-making process.
 
Never hesitate to go around...it is evidence of good judgment. Forcing the airplane onto the runway or landing in the last third (or in the trees) is evidence of bad judgment' yet pilots do it fairly often and pay the price. I used to tell my primary students that every landing was a potential go around and to be mentally and physically prepared to power up and pitch up as soon as it became apparent that things weren't going to work out.

I haven't flown any of the newer 172 models, but back in the day it was possible to get a minimal climb rate with full flaps hanging out...but most of my flying in that kind of single was at relatively field elevations.

Bob Gardner
 
It's a 172P with electric flaps. Field elevation at this airport was is about 100msl, and the temperature was probably 75 or so. I was able to get it to climb with the full flaps, but it wasn't exactly eager to do so.
 
It was good decision making to do a go around.

However, it doesn't count for xc though does it? Don't you have to actually make the landing for it to "count" It's solo time....
 
saracelica said:
It was good decision making to do a go around.

However, it doesn't count for xc though does it? Don't you have to actually make the landing for it to "count" It's solo time....
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No it doesn't.

This same thing happened to me on my first solo XC. Single runway and crosswinds picked up beyond my ability. Saw other pilots landing and figured I'd give it a go. Two laps around the pattern and then back to home plate. Got back home and found similar conditions but had a more favorable runway to land on. CFI was very relieved that I made it back safely after the forecast went south. :)

Couldn't log it as XC that day but I felt good that I'd used good judgement.
 
Climb is good. :)

The generalization in the checklist is written for max gross and hotter/higher than sea level.

It won't climb at full flap under those conditions.

You accept the sink to get back to a configuration where it will actually do the go-around. ;)

It's one of the reasons a C-150/152 is such a marginal training aircraft up here in the summer. Half tanks, two people, full flaps, and a hot day... A go-around might not be possible.

A nose-high bounce off the main gear at full throttle while accelerating might be the only option.

(Better to fly when it's cooler or pick something with more horsepower.)

I mention it more for you to point out that there's some judgement involved.

If you were at max gross, staying at full flaps may also have not been an option.

You kinda just have to feel it in your butt and watch the airspeed.

Reducing the drag significantly as soon as practicable gives you a better shot at getting to a speed where a climb is possible if performance is maxed out. Solo, at 100' MSL you had plenty of margin.

Thus Cessna's blanket "reduce flaps to 20". You lose lots of drag and only some of the lift going from full to 20 in most Cessnas.
 
wow someone finally agreed with me on this board! Thanks redtail! :)
 
saracelica said:
wow someone finally agreed with me on this board! Thanks redtail! :)
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Sure:lol:
It's just funny reading things that you can directly relate to.
Like that time I was doing touch & go's and forgot to raise the flaps:yikes:.
Rotated and the nose pitched up like a bat out of hell! Fortunately I didn't panic and dump them all at once. I remembered what I was taught, got the nose down and slowly removed one notch at a time as my airspeed increased.

ahh my early student days:rofl:
 
Everyone has a "belly flopper" now and then. My biggest problem is removing my crosswind correction at the last minute. I really have to concentrate not to do that.
 
Sounds like you did fine.

Funkeruski said:
Anyone else have a similar experience where their confidence really took a hit? Can someone reinforce the fact that my go-around is a reflection of my mad aviation skillz?
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Ha. Which one in particular do you want? :D

Let's see... on my first flight after being minted a private pilot, I decided to fly to an unfamiliar airport in a hilly terrain. Nothing super challenging except if you're like, really new. Which I was.

The airport was Columbia (O22).

My first approach was high... very very high. But I was bound and determined to get the plane down. I got it down alright, with the mains sorta touching the runway about two thirds of the way through... which is when some sense finally got into me and I took off immediately to give it another go. The second time around I ballooned like a drunken sailor, and again in a momentary fit of inspiration (also known as panic), went for a third time. The third one was just brilliant, within 100ft of the markers, smooth and soft, but my nerves were shot.

At least I was dead on as far as being on the centerline went, in all attempts.

Oh, did I mention I had a pax with me? a non-pilot? she thought I was just having fun. I did not correct that impression. But I did post a picture of that first approach up on my flickr stream.

Oh yes, good ol' confidence took a good ol' beating that day.
 
Big Mustache said:
Everyone has a "belly flopper" now and then. My biggest problem is removing my crosswind correction at the last minute. I really have to concentrate not to do that.
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Hey Big Mustache! Welcome to the board!! I see that your post was post #1! (Ben, are you around? I caught a #1 post before you!). lol

Welcome!
 
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