Improvement...

Lesson 18
8-20-2012
1.0 hours logged
19.6 hours total recorded in logbook

Another flight lesson behind me. Another beautiful day for it--blue skies punctuated here and there with billowing cumulus. Joe and I spent another hour working on  crosswind landings and, I'm happy to say, I did quite a bit better than last time! As I was driving to the airport, I was trying to prepare myself mentally by thinking through several landings (sometimes called "chair flying"). This always seems to help and despite the discouragement of my last lesson, I found myself looking forward to this one with the thought that this may be the lesson where I make my first smooth and beautiful, three-point, crosswind landing!

As if eager to be in the air, the moment the Cubs wheels broke free of the earth on my first takeoff I sensed that it really wanted to climb more so than ever before and it sure did! Even with trim adjustments I felt I really had to hold it down at pattern altitude. If I had let it climb I wonder how high we would've gone? Though I tried my best to keep us at the customary 1800 ft. indicated altitude, there were several times we were caught in updrafts and in only a few seconds had gained several hundred feet of free altitude! Surprisingly, you don't feel this too much--it's not like being in an elevator or anything and the only way I could tell aside from looking at the altimeter, was just by a glance down at the airport which told me it seemed to have gotten smaller.

Because of this climbing tendency today, I had to reduce power much more significantly than usual at initial point (the point where you're directly across from the runway threshold) in order not to come in too high on approach and even so, I was still high most of the time, several times so much so that we had to sideslip down to the runway to get rid of the extra altitude. This was an interesting new technique to try. It's kind of like an exaggerated set up for a crosswind landing. You drop one wing using the stick and at the same time give it lots of opposite rudder. This causes the airplane to slide sideways through the air, descending steeply at the same time. As the runway comes up to meet you, you level off and continue with a normal landing.

So how did the actual landings go? Well I finally feel like I'm getting back to where I was before the break in my lessons. While not all of my landings were the most smooth, some were pretty close and I don't think any of them were quite as bad as last time! The ones that weren't so good were mostly only because I didn't get the stick back quite enough. Unfortunately, that old problem still hangs on. I was beginning to shake it at my lesson on June 15 but it undoubted came back over that extended break. I am learning to overcome it though. And this is still crosswind landings too, keep in mind! I'm pleased there was any improvement! It still feels a little strange to hold the stick to the side as I make my landing but it works I was delighted to discover!

All of our landings today were touch-and-goes and I was encouraged to see improvement in my crosswind takeoffs also even with the awkwardness of holding the stick to the side. We used grass runway 29 (which runs parallel to the concrete) which was a change from what seems to be the customary use of 18. It was good to try landings from this new angle and show myself that I could actually make a fairly good one.

We must've made close to ten landings and throughout the lesson, I kept expecting Joe to say the next would be our last but was glad each time he'd pull the carb heat on rollout, the signal to take it around once again and the chance to try and make the next takoff and landing even better than the last. It didn't always work out that way but overall I was pleased with how the lesson went.

These are some of the, I'm sure, now familiar, backdrops to pictures taken from the ramp at HXF.

Airborne Again--At Last!

Lesson 16
8-6-12
1.2 hours logged
17.8 hours total recorded in logbook

Joanna came along again to watch
 and take pictures--
her favorite part!

Today, at long last, I travelled the familiar road to HXF for my first lesson in more than a month and a half. It was an absolutely beautiful day for it--cooler, with that first touch of fall in the air, but with a cloudless blue sky! So clear in fact, that at altitude, I could just make out the Milwaukee skyline far off on the southeast horizon.


I was concerned about how the long break might affect my performance. Would I remember the things I worked so hard on in May and June? Would I have to do a lot of review to get caught up to where I was? I did the pre-flight and was relieved that I at least remembered how to do that! I could still taxi okay too! Even my first takeoff wasn't too bad considering it was my first one in weeks! As we climbed, I breathed deeply and closed my eyes (only for a few seconds though!). The wind blowing through the open door on my face and in my hair felt sooo good! I knew I was back where I belonged and it was a wonderful place to be.

Just to get the feel for the plane again we climbed to 3,000 feet and away from the airport to try some turns and stalls. It's hard to do a really good stall in a Cub. The nose, rather than flipping down abruptly as it would in many other types of airplanes, only sinks in a Cub--with me in the back seat anyway! After I'd tried a few, Joe took the controls to try one and when he couldn't get it to do much better than I had, he attributed it to the fact that I was in the back seat. "You're too light," he said. "If I were sitting there I could get it to do a good one!" he claimed.

We flew back to the airport descending as we went and set up for the first landing. Down here the wind was quite a bit stronger than it had been up at 3,000 and I had to put in quite a lot of wind correction angle (or crab angle as it is sometimes called) to keep from drifting off course. It was also a slight crosswind to the runway so I had to put in a little right aileron and left rudder making the landing feel rather awkward but it turned out better than I thought it might and I didn't bounce! Nor did I on the next! Just as I was beginning to think I was through with the bounces once and for all, I made my third landing, flared a bit to early, ballooned then sank rather rapidly. It wasn't a bad bounce but I groaned. Oh well, it still happens to even the best of pilots once in a while. Joe showed me how to cushion bounces with a quick burst of throttle. I had the opportunity to try this on my last landing and it does help. Out of the four or five landings we had time for, one bounced one isn't so bad especially in a crosswind. Harder almost than the actual landings today just seemed to be keeping the airplane going straight on the ground. That crosswind really wants to weathervane the plane around! I really had to fight it!


As we taxied up the hangar at the end of the lesson I gave a happy sigh. "It feels so good to be back in the air," I said. "I know the feeling," Joe replied.

Joe, Joanna, and I just happened to be
wearing the same shirt today!

Below is a sequence of pictures from landing to takeoff

On final approach

Seconds before touchdown

Taxiing back for another takeoff

Just after liftoff, ready to go around the pattern once again.

Crosswind Landings--My First Plateau?

Lesson 17
8-15-12
0.8 hours logged
18.6 hours total recorded in logbook

My flying lesson today was certainly not the best I've ever had and frankly, was a bit discouraging. It was another day of perfect weather for it and I was glad to be there as always but, judging by how I did today, it appears crosswind landings may be where I hit my first learning plateau.

I began by making a fairly decent takeoff on the concrete of Runway 29 to start so that's encouraging but this was followed by a landing on grass runway 18 which was far from impressive and that seemed to set tone for the rest of the ones I did that day. All of them were in varying degrees of crosswind. 

The wind really seemed to be doing some strange things today. Or maybe it was just me. Not all of my landings were as bad as the first and one or two were okay but after experiencing what it feels like to make a really good landing, it's incredibly frustrating not to be able to do one even though crosswinds do admittedly make things more difficult. I have to learn how make good crosswind landings and would like to be able to stop thinking of them as being any harder than when the wind is straight down the runway. I know I've got a long ways to go before I'll be at that point. 

There's just so much more to focus on when landing in a crosswind! On final, you must crab the airplane to keep it from drifting off the extended runway centerline then, near the runway threshold, you straighten it out and put in (in today's case) right stick, left rudder. It feels awkward to put the plane in this position with one wing low as you're coming in to land, so much so in fact that I would forget to level and flare or not do it enough or at exactly the right time. Or I would miscalculate how close to the ground I was and would inevitably bounce. I guess this was probably because I was also forgetting to look far down the runway as I landed. So many things to remember! I don't know how I'll ever get it!

I did do better with the crosswind takeoffs and some of those were pretty good but there's always room for improvement there too. After the lesson, Steve gave me a reading assignment from the Student Pilot's Manual (a really great resource) which, I hope, along with just thinking through the landings and visualizing them in my head, will help. In spite of my discouragement, I am eager to prove to myself that this big challenge, like the little ones, is surmountable.

The Month of July--Two Important Aviation Events

Because of various conflicts and scheduling difficulties, it turned out that my lesson on June 15th ended up being my last for over a month and a half. Needless to say, I was disappointed at this long unintended break but between working a lot of hours, a trip out to Utah for a week, both instructors at the flight school being gone for a week, and no instructing being done for the last two weeks of July for reasons you'll see below, there was just no opening in their schedule or mine to get in a lesson. Since it's peak flying season what little time was available was quickly filled. During this break however, I attended two very important aviation events. 


The first was Cubs2Osh, essentially a two day fly-in dedicated to celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Piper Cub beginning on Friday, July 20. I was able to serve as a volunteer registering pilots, collecting dinner tickets, and parking planes. It was a very neat opportunity. There were over 80 Cubs that flew in from as far away as California as well as an assortment of other types of planes. Early Sunday morning, July 22, the field of yellow migrated to Oshkosh in a mass flight of 75 Cubs. I was there to watch them as they flew in one by one in a line that stretched as far as the eye could see. It was a sight not to be missed! Below are links to an article about the fly-in, a couple videos (they could've chosen better music to accompany them but it's really great footage!), and my own album of pictures. Take time to check these out. I think you'll really enjoy them!

http://www.aopa.org/oshkosh/2012/news/120723flight-of-75-cubs-mark-75th.html?WT.mc_id=120720epspec&WT.mc_sect=osh

http://www.eaavideo.org/video.aspx?v=1749857306001

http://www.eaavideo.org/video.aspx?v=1750354188001

https://picasaweb.google.com/116569221621503000402/Cubs2Osh


The second event immediately following this was of course AirVenture Oshkosh 2012--the World's Greatest Aviation Celebration and the one week in the year when Oshkosh is the busiest airport in the world! Attendance was 508,000 people, well over 2,000 international visitors from 71 countries, and more than 10,000 aircraft at Wittman Regional Airport and other airports in east-central Wisconsin! It was a busy but wonderful week--my second year to work during AirVenture as an employee of EAA and I must say it's sort of fun to experience it as an "insider." Even though EAA employees are not allowed to take time off during that week, I was not scheduled to work Saturday so I got to spend one entire day and parts of a couple other days out on the grounds and it was great! Go to www.airventure.org for lots of great pictures, articles and videos. Below is a link to "a few" of the pictures I took during the week. =) Check these out and let me know what you think!

https://picasaweb.google.com/116569221621503000402/AirVenture2012

A Beautiful Landing and My First Radio Communication

Lesson 15
6-15-12
1.1 hours logged
16.6 hours total recorded in logbook

I had another flying lesson today at last--my first in two weeks. It sure was a hot day for it later in the day than usual too. Perfect weather for flying with the door open!

CubAir hangar and office

Having not flown for a couple weeks, I felt a slight bit rusty. "You haven't forgotten how to fly have you?" Steve asked as we taxied out. "I hope not!" I replied thinking, I guess we'll soon find out. At the end of the runway, I taxied right out to the middle and lined up for takeoff totally forgetting to do the pre-takeoff checklist! As soon as Steve asked me what we'd forgotten, I knew! Oh brother! How could I have done that?! "Don't worry, you're not the first it's happened to," Steve told me. Maybe so, but it's still embarassing, I thought as, with a sheepish grin, I taxied us back to the side of the strip to do the run-up, hoping nobody else had noticed.

With that taken care of I taxied us out once again prepared for takeoff but before before beginning the roll Steve pointed out the red button fastened to the stick. I'd seen this when I got in and knew what it was for but certainly didn't expect to be using it. Steve, however, told me simply to push the button and say, "Hartford traffic, Cub one eight six, departing runway one-eight, Hartford." Easy, right? Whoa! Wait a minute! Talk on the radio? "Uh,  I think I'd better practice once with you first!" I said and repeated the words back to him. Okay! I thumbed the button, "Hartford traffic...Cub one eight six...departing runway one-eight...Hartford." It was my first radio transmission! Not as bad as I'd imagined at all! In fact, pretty fun!

I made a decent takeoff and made circuit No. 1 around the pattern. As I made the approach, I remembered what we'd talked about last time. Flare a little sooner, keep those wings level, now eyes down the runway and start that stick coming back smoothly. I felt the plane begin to settle, sinking toward the earth. Steady now, keep that stick coming back. There you go! You've got 'er made now! And just in that instant, I felt all three wheels touch in the most beautiful landing I've ever made! "Sweetness!" Steve enthused while I laughed with sheer delight as I said, "That was a lot better than I was expecting to do especially on my very first one!" We'd drifted a little farther down the runway than I thought I would've liked to but still rolled to a stop before reaching the intersecting runway. As we taxied back, I basked in the glow of accomplishment. That landing felt sooo good!

We made twelve landings total (touch-and-goes actually) at least one more of which was near perfect. I only bounced a few this time--not very bad--and when I did, I stayed right with it and didn't let the plane get ahead of me. I guess if nothing else, one benefit of all those bouncers of the past few lessons is that I've learned to recover from them!

Now I've just got to get that level-off in there a little quicker. Steve told me after we'd taxied back to the hangar at the end of the lesson where half a dozen people sat watching, "You have all the pieces, now it's just a matter of putting them all together and doing it consistently." Again, he assured me it won't be long and I'll be doing it myself. I know he's right. I'm gaining confidence with each lesson and the thought of soloing no longer scares me as it once did.

What a wonderful flight! It was great!

I was very pleased with this lesson. I could sense definite improvment and am really beginning to develop a feel for that perfect landing. I sure surprised myself with that first one today! Add to all of that the gorgeous flying weather and I would say this was one of my best lessons ever!

Once as we flew the pattern Steve asked, "Do you remember when, as a kid, you used to look up when a plane flew over and think, I wonder what it looks like from up there?" "Yeah, I do," I replied smiling. "Me too," Steve echoed. "Ever since I was four or five on." He didn't remark further but the unspoken implication of his words was, "And now look. We both get to experience it for ourselves and it's every bit as wonderful as we always dreamed it would be." As I breathed deeply the fresh air blowing about us and looked down at the patchwork of fields and green woods below, I couldn't have agreed more!

The Perfect Landing? Not Quite!

Lesson 14
6-1-12
1.0 hours logged
15.5 hours total recorded in logbook

Though the day dawned cloudy, the clouds eventually broke up a bit allowing the sun to shine through. A great day to fly so down to Hartford I went for another lesson. Or perhaps I should say Miles Field for that is the real name of the airport. Or I could just call it HXF which is the three letter designation for this airport. For the sake of brevity, I think I'll go with this last one when I'm referring to the airport in future.

Coming in on final approach

I flew with Steve today and worked on--can you guess? Landings! I did ten in one hour and out of those No. 2 was probably the best. "Are you showing off or what?" Steve asked me as we rolled out after the landing.

Seconds before touchdown

Again, though, the moment he let me do one alone without any coaching I really bounced it. I guess I flared a little late. So around we went to try again. As we approached on final, Steve told me, "Okay, just take a deep breath, relax, think ahead of the airplane. Think through your landing before you make it."
I made some really good approaches and just when I thought I had it made, I'd bounce the landing again! Then other times when I could tell I was way too high on final approach and thought I'd never get down, I'd find that by reducing the power significantly, I could still get it down all right.

The view down runway 18

As I flew the pattern for my second to last landing Steve was having a friendly conversation over the radio with another pilot from the airport (obviously someone he knows) who was just taxiing out for a flight. He was waiting off to one side of the runway as I flew my approach. Then Steve told him, "Make sure you keep an eye on the Cub. This young lady is going to make a perfect landing!" I groaned. "Now the pressure's on!" Steve said with mischief in his voice. I had little confidence that the landing would be perfect but went at it, doing everything like he'd told me. "Okay, level the airplane...now work that flare...work it...work it...eyes down the runway as far as you can see." And the Cub settled to the ground with only a slight bump. Not bad! "You only bounced about this much," Steve said indicating about four inches. Well that's good to know, I thought. If I haven't totally eliminated the bounces at least they're getting smaller.

I took off again before the plane had even stopped rolling and around we went once more. I worked on improving takeoffs also by fixing my eyes on a point far down the runway and not letting the airplane stray to the right or left.

It was my last landing of the day and I don't know if I'd quite say I greased it but it was pretty close. Two good landings in a row! Amazing!

View of the CubAir hangar from the runway with
a Hartford water tower  in the background

Back in the office Steve told me "You're so close to
having it. Pretty soon you'll be doing three good landings in a row, then four, then five, then six, then I'm going to get out of the plane and let you do it by yourself 'cause I'll be bored!"

I hit 15.5 hours today and I hope he's right!

Two Planes, Two Runways and Fifteen Landings!

Lessons 12 & 13
5-31-12
1.8 hours logged
14.2 hours total recorded in logbook

Joe promised he'd wear me out today and he was sure right about that! I didn't feel it too much but he said he could tell I was tiring out by the time we made the last few landings. 1.8 hours, 15 landings! That's the most yet!

We started with a takeoff on concrete runway 11 which wasn't the best. I haven't done many takeoffs on concrete and that one showed it. Concrete has a whole different feel. For one thing the tires have better traction and thus the airplane accelerates more quickly and responds immediately to rudder inputs.

We did eight landings in the first lesson. There was definite improvement over last time and throughout the lesson. I made some fairly decent ones this time. I guess having a couple weeks since my last lesson to really let the idea of getting the stick back sink in, paid off.

Downwind leg for 11

Base leg for 11

After a short break to fill out the usual paperwork, we prepared to head out again. The plane we'd used earlier needed an oil change so I pre-flighted the other and we got in. Also we found that the wind had shifted and consequently we'd be using runway 36 instead of 11. New plane, new runway, a whole new setup. I'd flown both planes before, of course, but not both on the same day. Having just flown the other, I could really feel the differences keenly. (See if you can spot the differences--and there are at least a couple--between the two different planes in the pictures. The upper three pictures are taken from the first one, the lower three from the second.)*

Downwind for 36

As for that traffic pattern, it was brand new to me. Much of my pattern work up this point had been done using 18. Joe was right when he told me it's important to always use the runway as your reference point and not other objects on the ground (roads, fields, farms, etc.) when doing pattern work because every time you use a different runway all those reference points change and everything looks a whole lot different!

Preparing to turn to base

Add to all of that my first real crosswind landing experience and it's obvious I had my plate full! It wasn't too much of a crosswind but enough so that dividing my attention between cross controlling for the first time ever (to compensate for the crosswind) and still trying to remember to get that nose up, stick back, made it difficult to make a decent landing. I did maybe one or two but the rest bounced or were wheel landings. Even on the ground I noticed the airplane is more difficult to control in a crosswind as it is continually trying to weathervane into the wind. You must stay right with it at all times or you might find the tail where the nose was a second ago!

Airport at center of picture

Challenges are good--it's good to stretch yourself but I think seven landings for that flight was quite enough. After all, I had to save a little concentration and focus for my harp lesson in a couple hours!

We made the last landing, taxied back, shut down the engine, completed the paperwork and I left with 14. 5 hours in my logbook! You know, soloing doesn't seem quite so far off and frightening anymore. I can do this--I know I can!














*Answers:
1. There is a cover built onto the pitot tube (the little tiny tube sticking forward off the foremost jury strut and easier to see on the lower pictures than the upper) on the first plane.
2. There are numbers on the wing of the second plane, none on the first.

Small Improvements...Simple Joys

Lesson 11

5-18-12

1.4 hours logged

12.7 hours total recorded in logbook

Another ten landings in 1.4 hours! I flew with Steve Krog today for the first time and really like him as an instructor as I do Joe also. He seems to have seen just about every mistake a student pilot can make and remained totally unfazed even when my landings weren't so good--and again many of them weren't.

Steve fuels the Cub before takeoff

My first takeoff and three or four of the others were what I would call (based on Steve's comments) very good. I need to pull the stick back a little more, he said, so the tail doesn't come up quite as much just before liftoff but that's a minor adjustment. Landings? They still have a ways to go, but my confidence was greatly boosted when, on only the second one, Steve asked as we rolled out "Did you do that one or did I?" with obvious approval in his voice. I didn't answer, just laughed an elated laugh. I was afraid to take too much credit for it--Steve talked me through it the whole way.

The real test came when after about five or six landings (I can never keep it straight--they all run together) Steve told me, "Okay, I'm not going to say a word this time--show me a good approach and landing!" My heart leapt into my throat and I caught my breath not sure if I'd heard correctly. On my own?! Only  then did I realize how much I'd relied on Joe and Steve's coaching me verbally through the landings. Well I knew what to do in theory. I did my best--and bounced. When Steve asked me what I would've done differently, I knew right away. "Get the stick back," I said. I was right. That still seems to be my greatest trouble. I just need to keep it coming back smoothly all the way. My tendency now is when it bounces, to let the stick come forward with each bounce so I'm actually subconsciously moving it back and forth. Not such a good idea. Again, I know when I've got it and feeling all three wheels touch together is wonderful but how do I do that consistently?

Well my last landing was another good one and on that note Steve said, "Next time we're going to pick up right where we left off and it's only going to get better form there, right?" It took some prodding but finally I gave him the answer he was looking for: a self-assured "Right!" I didn't feel quite so confident.

My approaches are getting a little better. I can almost always tell if I'm too high, too low, or right on now and I can feel if we're rising or sinking. Today was a good day for that. It being later in the day, I experienced thermals rising off the plowed field on approach as well as bumps caused by the treeline which parallels final to one-eight. "Every approach here is a little different," Steve said, "because the air is constantly changing." I get the idea you have to be prepared for anything. There was already a breeze blowing so the air wasn't as smooth as glass but it worked out okay and I got to practice using a wind correction angle in the pattern. As far as pattern work goes, I noticed even yesterday that now, I am able to do several things at once that, a week ago, were individual steps. For instance, climbing, levelling and making power adjustments while turning. It's good to mark improvement even in little things like that.

We sure had a beautiful day for flying again today despite the extra bumps. It was warm enough to fly with the door open and no jacket on the entire time! How good the wind whipping at your face and clothes feels! Today I had the entire pattern to myself--except for a bird here and there. What a wonder to see a buzzard flying slightly below us just as if we were another bird! That's a birds-eye view if I ever saw one! I like that about my flight training. At every lesson, no matter how tiring it may be there is always something, even if they are little things, to remind me of the joy of flying!

Some aerial shots of the airport and the nearby town of Hartford