My Sport Pilot Training Blog/Thread

[N918KT]

Hello all, I thought I would take the time to make a blog/thread on my progress in pursuing my sport pilot certificate.

Well today, my CFI and I did not go out to the practice area to do emergency/engine out procedures. Instead we decided to stay in the pattern doing takeoffs and landings. There was actually a light crosswind blowing perpendicular to runway 25 at Queen City Airport. For crosswind takeoffs, IIRC, my CFI told me that I don't have to start with full aileron into the wind, just do whatever it is necessary to keep the plane on the centerline. He just told me to use a little more right rudder since the crosswind was blowing from left to right. I believed that I did an okay job doing crosswind takeoffs noticing that I kept the plane straight down the runway for the most part on takeoff roll.

For landings, my CFI told me to look at the airport almost all the time while glancing at the airspeed for a second or two. That way, I can keep an eye on where I am in relation to the runway. He even taught me how to set up for a landing without even looking at the controls I am using like pulling the throttle, pulling carb heat, using flaps and trim (yes he really emphasized on the importance of using trim for just about everything). It was hard to do the pre landing tasks while looking at the runway. On one of the landings in the pattern, I believe when I was supposed to pull carb heat, I accidentally pulled the cold air tab out without even realizing it!

Crosswind landings are a little bit challenging for me. He told me that depending on where the wind is coming from (this was a perpendicular left to right crosswind), I should point my plane to the grass on the side of the runway. As we round out, he told me to add right rudder and left aileron and we touched down on the left main landing gear first. It feels awkward when you touch down with one wheel.

He told me that I am still making progress.

He told me for homework, I should start planning a cross country flight from Queen City Airport to Doylestown Airport to Central Jersey Regional Airport and back to Queen City Airport. We might do a cross country flight to those airports next week. We already flew through controlled airspace to Lancaster and back. This time we will likely fly to those airports maybe next week but this time it will be through mainly uncontrolled airspace/airports. He also told me to start studying for my knowledge exam and take the Gleim online test prep practice exam online first so I can know where I stand on how well I would do for the knowledge exam.

I can't wait for next weekend's flight lessons!!!

 

[AggieMike88]

Like many things, crosswind operations get easier with practice. Keep up the good work.

Will the school allow you to spend some time in the aircraft "chair flying"? If they do, pretend flying while you move the controls can aid in building muscle memory about what to move and when.

 

[VanDy]

Like many things, crosswind operations get easier with practice. Keep up the good work.

Will the school allow you to spend some time in the aircraft "chair flying"? If they do, pretend flying while you move the controls can aid in building muscle memory about what to move and when.

http://www.yourwdwstore.net/Disney-Coffee-Cup-Mug--Finding-Nemo--Mine-Mine-Mine_p_3957.html#

This!


I always enjoy reading about others progress, keep it up!


-VanDy

 

[N918KT]

Like many things, crosswind operations get easier with practice. Keep up the good work.

Will the school allow you to spend some time in the aircraft "chair flying"? If they do, pretend flying while you move the controls can aid in building muscle memory about what to move and when.

Hmm, chair flying in an aircraft? Sounds like a good idea. I think I actually did that a little bit today just before we started the engine and took off.

Oh, and during the flight around the pattern, he told me to lower the throttle down to a certain power setting without looking at the engine power monitor. I think he wants me to listen to the engine and listen to what does a certain rpm setting sounds like.

 

[AggieMike88]

Listening for the aircraft to make a particular set of desired noises at a particular stage of flight is a good tip.

The Skylane I fly now has her version of a landing song. When I hear it, I know I'm at the right power setting for abeam to long final. Then there is a different noise from the wind that tells me I'm at the right airspeed on final.

Keep a few percentage points of your brain listening for the different versus of the song and you'll be joining in on the chorus of a good landing.

 

[Shepherd]

Related to "chair flying", is another skill I have never heard anyone here talk about, but at the risk of seeming "over the top" I'll share it with you.
I never, ever, take a plane out that I haven't sat in long enough that I can touch and identify every important switch and instrument with my eyes closed.
This was something that was taught to me back when I was 12 or 13, and it has stayed with me all these years.
It's a practice that saved my life a couple of times while I was in the Air Force.

Glenn

 

[SportPilotCO]

I don't know if you have ever seen the EAA Sport Pilot training series by Brady Lane? He did a video series from lesson one through his check ride with a good explanation of approach in each lesson. I watched it all before I did my SP training. It is a good reference for you to watch. His instructor was the most recent head of NAFI and a DPE. Lesson 10 he works on crosswind landings.

http://www.eaa.org/apps/blog/learntofly/Default.aspx

Carl

 

[N918KT]

I don't know if you have ever seen the EAA Sport Pilot training series by Brady Lane? He did a video series from lesson one through his check ride with a good explanation of approach in each lesson. I watched it all before I did my SP training. It is a good reference for you to watch. His instructor was the most recent head of NAFI and a DPE. Lesson 10 he works on crosswind landings.

http://www.eaa.org/apps/blog/learntofly/Default.aspx

Carl

Actually, yes I have seen those video blogs by Brady Lane a few years ago. It was actually very interesting to watch!!!

 

[N918KT]

Well my CFI texted me last night and said he have to cancel the flight lessons this weekend because he has to go to Ohio to pick up a plane and fly it back to Allentown, PA for repairs. He still wants me to plan a cross country flight from Queen City to Doylestown, PA to Central Jersey Regional Airport and back to Queen City since we might fly that cross country flight on my next lesson. He also told me last week to start studying for my sport pilot knowledge test so I will be doing that as well.

Another question for you guys. Is it true that you can plan a cross country in advance up to a certain point? What I am trying to ask is that if you plan a cross country flight too far in advance, are the only things you can plan is planning anything that does not involve weather like the winds aloft and direction, etc.? Do the planning involving weather has to be planned a day or two before the departure date?

 

[AuntPeggy]

There is quite a lot of planning you can do in advance.

1. Airports. Read the AFD or use AirNav to get important information about the airports and runways: Name of the airport and the name used on the Radio (ex. "Duchess" not "Poughkeepsie"); Airport frequencies for weather, ground, tower, Unicom, VOR; Runway identifiers, lengths, surface and condition, pattern direction, obstructions, noise abatement; Traffic pattern altitude and airport elevation; Hours of operation and special instructions; Services available; Nearby alternate airports. Get a copy of the airport approach plate or airport diagram. Become familiar with how to land, takeoff, and taxi to and from each runway to your FBO.

2. Direct Flight Path. Draw a line on the sectional for the direct line of flight. widen your view by about an inch on each side. Make a note of all the airspaces you encounter. Will you pass near any MOAs, restricted or other special use airspace. If so, write down the frequency and name of the controlling agency, hours of operation, and limits. Will you come close to any Class D, C, or B airspace? If so, write down the airspace floor and ceiling as well as the radio frequencies for weather, ground, tower or Unicom. Write down any other restrictions you should be aware of. Check out the elevations along your route and determine the minimum and maximum altitudes for the flight. Make a note of the name, frequency, and Morse identifier for each nearby VOR or other navaid. Will you be crossing or flying along Victor airways? Will you be crossing mountainous or otherwise interesting terrain? Will you be near airports where there are special hazards, such as gliders or jumpers or ultra light operations? If so, how will you maintain safety?

3. Proposed Flight Path. Identify a fix within 2 to 3 miles from each airport that can be identified from the air and which is aligned with your intended direction of flight. Google Earth can be used to locate such a landmark. These will be your beginning and ending fixes for each leg of the flight. Next, find a ground-based landmark every 5 to 10 miles and circle it on the sectional, along with an estimate of how far it is between. Once again, Google Earth is your friend. At this point, you might be moving your line of flight to accommodate easier to find fixes or to avoid obstructions or airspace. You own the sectional. Don't be afraid to write on it. Make sure you can read frequencies for every airport you will come near. What are your minimum and maximum altitudes? Which ones do you plan to use in each direction? What are initial no-wind on-course headings?

4. Preview. Imagine deviating to each of the airports within 5 miles of your proposed flight path. Imagine the wind coming from each of the cardinal directions and imagine turning toward it before and after you have passed it. Which runway will you use? How will you approach? How much altitude do you need to lose? How long will that take? Imagine that you are deviating because of an engine failure and imagine you are deviating because of weather or electrical failure. Identify the hazards that you must avoid. Imagine flying your course and dialing in each of the frequencies you will be using. Imagine dialing in the VORs and determining where you are. Imagine yourself 10 miles off-course and figure out how to locate yourself.

5. Fill out the flight plan. Now, get the winds and calculate times, wind correction, and fuel burn.

 

[N918KT]

There is quite a lot of planning you can do in advance.

1. Airports. Read the AFD or use AirNav to get important information about the airports and runways: Name of the airport and the name used on the Radio (ex. "Duchess" not "Poughkeepsie"); Airport frequencies for weather, ground, tower, Unicom, VOR; Runway identifiers, lengths, surface and condition, pattern direction, obstructions, noise abatement; Traffic pattern altitude and airport elevation; Hours of operation and special instructions; Services available; Nearby alternate airports. Get a copy of the airport approach plate or airport diagram. Become familiar with how to land, takeoff, and taxi to and from each runway to your FBO.

2. Direct Flight Path. Draw a line on the sectional for the direct line of flight. widen your view by about an inch on each side. Make a note of all the airspaces you encounter. Will you pass near any MOAs, restricted or other special use airspace. If so, write down the frequency and name of the controlling agency, hours of operation, and limits. Will you come close to any Class D, C, or B airspace? If so, write down the airspace floor and ceiling as well as the radio frequencies for weather, ground, tower or Unicom. Write down any other restrictions you should be aware of. Check out the elevations along your route and determine the minimum and maximum altitudes for the flight. Make a note of the name, frequency, and Morse identifier for each nearby VOR or other navaid. Will you be crossing or flying along Victor airways? Will you be crossing mountainous or otherwise interesting terrain? Will you be near airports where there are special hazards, such as gliders or jumpers or ultra light operations? If so, how will you maintain safety?

3. Proposed Flight Path. Identify a fix within 2 to 3 miles from each airport that can be identified from the air and which is aligned with your intended direction of flight. Google Earth can be used to locate such a landmark. These will be your beginning and ending fixes for each leg of the flight. Next, find a ground-based landmark every 5 to 10 miles and circle it on the sectional, along with an estimate of how far it is between. Once again, Google Earth is your friend. At this point, you might be moving your line of flight to accommodate easier to find fixes or to avoid obstructions or airspace. You own the sectional. Don't be afraid to write on it. Make sure you can read frequencies for every airport you will come near. What are your minimum and maximum altitudes? Which ones do you plan to use in each direction? What are initial no-wind on-course headings?

4. Preview. Imagine deviating to each of the airports within 5 miles of your proposed flight path. Imagine the wind coming from each of the cardinal directions and imagine turning toward it before and after you have passed it. Which runway will you use? How will you approach? How much altitude do you need to lose? How long will that take? Imagine that you are deviating because of an engine failure and imagine you are deviating because of weather or electrical failure. Identify the hazards that you must avoid. Imagine flying your course and dialing in each of the frequencies you will be using. Imagine dialing in the VORs and determining where you are. Imagine yourself 10 miles off-course and figure out how to locate yourself.

5. Fill out the flight plan. Now, get the winds and calculate times, wind correction, and fuel burn.

Thank you Peggy for your suggestion! Actually, I was planning to at least draw the courses for each leg and determine the true and magnetic course and distances for each leg. But I didn't realize that there is much more that I could do than just determining distance, direction, and altitude before finding the winds aloft for magnetic heading, ground speed, and estimated time of arrival.

 

[eetrojan]

Another question for you guys. Is it true that you can plan a cross country in advance up to a certain point? What I am trying to ask is that if you plan a cross country flight too far in advance, are the only things you can plan is planning anything that does not involve weather like the winds aloft and direction, etc.? Do the planning involving weather has to be planned a day or two before the departure date?

Hi KT - I'm a student too. Peggy's post was terrific.

In case it helps, my school requires me to fill out a navigation log and I thought I'd share my thought process on advance planning. After working with the school's nav log for a while, I made my own version so that I could visually separate the the "pre-fill" parts (check points, true courses, distances, altitudes, TAS, frequencies, runway info, airport diagram, circling plan, etc.). In other words, all of the stuff that I could do days in advance and separately from the wind-parts that require "winds aloft" data that is only available a few hours before the flight.

Here's a four-page PDF with: (1) a blank copy of my nav log form (with the "pre-fill" parts in yellow); (2) a "pre-filled" copy I did a few days before my flight; (3) a wind-data copy with the wind and related calculations (in the white areas, although this copy is black and white) filled in a couple of hours before departure; and (4) a post-flight copy showing how it looked after I did the flight, recorded my actual arrival times at each checkpoint, updated my next ETA, etc.

Nav_Log_Samples.pdf

To put my nav logs in context, here's an electronic version of a chart that show my initial planning for the flight, i.e. the route, the altitudes, the visual checkpoints, and the distances between checkpoints.

Flight Plan on Chart

You can do A LOT of pre-planning!

Have fun!

Joe

 

[AuntPeggy]

Hi KT - I'm a student too. Peggy's post was terrific.

In case it helps, my school requires me to fill out a navigation log and I thought I'd share my thought process on advance planning. After working with the school's nav log for a while, I made my own version so that I could visually separate the the "pre-fill" parts (check points, true courses, distances, altitudes, TAS, frequencies, runway info, airport diagram, circling plan, etc.). In other words, all of the stuff that I could do days in advance and separately from the wind-parts that require "winds aloft" data that is only available a few hours before the flight.

Here's a four-page PDF with: (1) a blank copy of my nav log form (with the "pre-fill" parts in yellow); (2) a "pre-filled" copy I did a few days before my flight; (3) a wind-data copy with the wind and related calculations (in the white areas, although this copy is black and white) filled in a couple of hours before departure; and (4) a post-flight copy showing how it looked after I did the flight, recorded my actual arrival times at each checkpoint, updated my next ETA, etc.

Nav_Log_Samples.pdf

To put my nav logs in context, here's an electronic version of a chart that show my initial planning for the flight, i.e. the route, the altitudes, the visual checkpoints, and the distances between checkpoints.

Flight Plan on Chart

You can do A LOT of pre-planning!

Have fun!

Joe

Those PDFs are really good. What software are you using? May I use your examples in my teaching?

 

[eetrojan]

Those PDFs are really good. What software are you using? May I use your examples in my teaching?

Hi Peggy - I use Adobe Illustrator, a drawing program I use for work. And, absolutely you may. Free for the taking! If you want the editable AI file, PM me. Joe

 

[N918KT]

Last night, I took my first sport pilot practice knowledge test using the Gleim Online Personal Classroom, studying only a little bit beforehand, just to see how well I would do before I dove into the lessons. I got an 83% on it.

There were some questions where I already knew the answers to before I started the test.

 

[AggieMike88]

In your estimation, how long before you get to shake the examiner's hand and walk out with the coveted certificate?

 

[N918KT]

In your estimation, how long before you get to shake the examiner's hand and walk out with the coveted certificate?

I hope to have it before the I go back to college in late August although that may be challenging to do.

 

[N918KT]

Update: Tomorrow's flight lesson does not look good at all. Low clouds and rain around Allentown, PA. Outlook looks bad, either IFR or MVFR conditions around the time of my flight lesson. Definitely not looking good at all for the cross country flight mentioned a few weeks ago. Gonna call my CFI tomorrow morning to see whether he would want me to come still, maybe for a ground lesson, or just cancel it.

On the bright side, I have been using the Gleim Online Personal Classroom almost everyday and still am studying for the Sport Pilot Knowledge Test, but I don't know when I will take it. I am just studying about 20 to 30 minutes almost everyday.

 

[AuntPeggy]

Good luck. Sorry about the weather. Waiting for weather is the hardest lesson to learn.

 

[N918KT]

Good luck. Sorry about the weather. Waiting for weather is the hardest lesson to learn.

My CFI cancelled the flight lesson for this morning, most likely because of bad weather. Hopefully tomorrow's weather will be better.

I guess even though I am not flying today, I guess that this cancellation due to weather is a lesson in itself. I am, well actually he is, making the go/no go decision based on a number of factors, and that is a lesson well learned.

 

[N918KT]

Today I had a cross country flight from Queen City Airport to Doylestown and back. Since I have not flown in 2 weeks, I noticed my flying was really rusty and I felt that I had taken a few steps backwards in my training. Pattern work at Doylestown was bad we ballooned on the flare and have to go around. Got it down on second attempt. To be honest, it seems that some of what my CFI taught me a few weeks ago about flying, landing and flying the pattern disappeared. He kept having to remind me to look at the airport almost constantly and glance at the airspeed indicator every 10 seconds. Hopefully I will remember what I have to do when flying the airplane next weekend. I did learn cockpit resource management today such as having my sectional chart and airport info ready when I need it.

Basically at least for this lesson, I thought I lost some confidence in my ability to fly an airplane. I must have a bruised ego. Hopefully next weekend I can get my confidence back.

He did said that I did a good job doing the preflight planning.

CFI and I are planning on going on another cross country flight next weekend from Queen City to Doylestown to Central Jersey Regional back to Queen City.