Back to the Traffic Pattern

Lesson 38
5-1-13
1.0 hours logged
46.3 hours total recorded in logbook

Though a lesson scheduled for yesterday morning had to be scrapped because of thunderstorms in the area, today dawned sunny. The winds were not too strong and the morning air was smooth. Jim went over the plan for the day's flight with me after I'd preflighted the plane then we were climbing in and were soon ready for takeoff at 27. I find the ground handling gets a little easier each time as I continue to readjust to it.



What a VOR indicator looks like

 Once airborne after a smooth takeoff, Jim showed me how to fly the 275 degree radial using the VOR. As I said in my last post, I had an introduction to this instrument at my previous lesson and, though understanding them for the written test gave me fits, I found it to be a relatively straightforward instrument to use. Flying this course soon had us over our destination only about 12 nautical miles outside of OSH--a narrow strip of green scarcely distinguisheable as an airstrip unless you could see the white specks on either end which marked the thresholds or the windsock off to one side. I flew right over it the first time without ever seeing it and only after circling back did I finally make it out.

We flew a few practice patterns around it, first at high alititude. I practiced maintaining speed and alititude with pitch and power adjustments just as we'd done at my last lesson. The only difference was that now we were flying the rectangular course that makes up a standard traffic pattern. After a few of these, Jim had me take it down a few thousand feet where we did the same thing at lower altitude and slower speed but still without descending on the final leg. At last, however, he had me do this too and then had me hold that low altitude over the runway before adding power back in and climbing away.

Now it was time to try it at OSH, the "big" airport. I called the tower and we were given permission to fly a straight-in approach to runway 9. As we neared it, we began a descent for a low pass over the runway. About a wingspan over the runway, I flew most of its length then added the power back in and flew an entire pattern, extending my downwind leg so as not to "catch" another plane that was just turning final for our runway. In the RV-6 it's extremely easy to find yourself suddenly flying a good deal faster than the standard traffic pattern speed of 80 knots if you aren't precise with your control inputs. This particular type of airplane is built for speed and it doesn't want to slow down which can be a good thing. I'm just not used to having

to make a plane slow down. The RV-6 has so much extra speed and power than I'm used to and it requires constant vigilance for me to stay on top of it because it's such a fast airplane! I'm still learning to keep that all under control. It has a tremendous amount of performance when compared to the Cub or even a Cessna 172, a very standard training airplane. Once you finally do get it slowed down however, it makes gorgeous landings as I discovered once again as we touched down and rolled out smoothly. It's really a sweet airplane once you've become aquainted with it. After fueling, we taxied back to Weeks. Another hour, another lesson, another step closer...



My instructor, Jim, and I after the flight

Back to Basics in a Still Unfamiliar Airplane

Lesson 37
4-25-13
1.0 hours logged
45.3 hours total recorded in logbook



Climbing up above the clouds



Per our prior arrangement, I arrived a few minutes before our scheduled flight time to preflight the plane and pull it out of the hangar. Jim arrived and we were soon buckled in and ready for another flight. We taxied out to runway 27 and after being cleared, took off into a slight crosswind from the right. On climbout, we altered our course to the left to allow the jet which took off behind us to pass safely. That's one thing I never had to worry about that down at HXF!



Over Omro



There was a broken layer of clouds at about 2800 feet but we had soon climbed above them and over a sizeable hole, we picked up where we'd left off the day before with practice holding various airspeeds and altitudes using stick (or elevator) to control the former and throttle, the latter. Today we also added in the use of flaps. We were over Omro for a while and it was here we finally descended below the clouds and turned back towards OSH. Now Jim showed me how to use the VOR to navigate back to the airport (even though I knew right where it was). It was exciting to try my hand at this entirely new mode of navigation. The Cubs at CubAir are not even equipped with VOR receivers and so I'd never had opportunity to use one before, though of course I've seen them in other planes. With such an instrument available in most planes, you'd think it would be impossible to get lost!

Over OSH. The tower is at center.

As instructed by the tower, we entered a right downwind for 27 and Jim took over the radio so I could focus on flying. Right up until then, he'd let me handle everything on the radio and I was both surprised and delighted to find that I could actually do it! I do, admittedly, have little faith or confidence in my own abilities at times.



Now descending on final and finding that the wind had picked up considerably since takeoff and had become rather gusty, Jim decided to turn our planned touch-and-go into a low pass over the runway. The plane before us had aborted their landing and opted to switch over to runway 36 so as to be a little more into the wind. We followed them around the pattern for that runway and did another low pass then at last entered yet another pattern, this time for runway 31 (even more into the wind)  where we at last touched down and taxied to the fuel pump. As we climbed out, we found the wind not only strong but quite cold also. I was glad to climb back into the cockpit and get the required taxi clearance back to Weeks.



On final for Runway 31

After cleaning the plane up a bit, filling out paperwork, and a debrief, I was free to go, again with joy in my heart at being able to fly again. I guess I won't take take it for granted quite so easily again. If there's one lesson I learned from that seemingly endless wait, it's simply to appreciate every time I am able to fly as a gift and a blessing.

To Fly...

Lesson 36
4-24-13
1.0 hours logged
44.3 hours total recorded in logbook

In spite of differing forecasts--everything from snow and rain to partly sunny--the day turned out very beautiful indeed--sunshine and blue skies and--yes! oh yes!!!--I flew today! At long last, I flew!!! At ten days shy of five months since my last flight, my long unasked for furlough from flying is at last, it appears, over!

It was a while before I could convince myself to believe that the flight was indeed going to happen but once I was on my way to Oshkosh, I was flying almost before I'd even reached the hangar! In twenty minutes, I was there, had met Jim Kress, and, in short order, we were preflighting and pulling 6YE (the RV-6) out into the sunshine. It was much warmer than last time I flew in it I realized as I noted how easy it was to buckle in over a light jacket rather than the thick winter coat I had worn at my last lesson. Jim climbed in and seated himself beside me and, after a review of the panel, we were ready to go.



Holding short of Runway 27 before takeoff

 I couldn't suppress a smile as I turned the key in the ignition and watched the propeller blades spin individually at first, then become a blur as the engine caught and roared to life. How good it sounded! We listened to the ATIS broadcast--winds 270 at 11 knots gusting to 15--then called ground control and taxied out. Preflight checks and run-up complete, we waited for another plane to takeoff ahead of us then runway 27 was ours! Lined up on the runway, I advanced the throttle to full power and in response to the roar of power, the little plane was soon speeding down the runway and had lifted gracefully into the air. "Airborne!" I heard Jim say and, oh! what a multitude of thoughts went through my head at that moment. To fly! How much is wrapped up in those simple words! It is pure joy and I closed my eyes for a second with a happy sigh and an unspoken prayer of thankfulness that the endless wait was over at last! The thrill of flight! How I've missed it!

 

We climbed out to the west and I was amazed again by the responsiveness of the controls and the terrific speed (even though we were flying into the wind) with which we passed Rush Lake, were parallel with Green Lake and could see Berlin just ahead of us. Yes, those are some of the biggest differences between the Cub and the RV and I am continuing to adjust. The RV-6 simply has a lot more performance--higher horsepower and faster speeds--than I'm used to in the Cub.  

My lesson for today was, inevitably, review--turns, climbs/descents, slow flight. After not having flown for so long this is to be expected though I hated to backtrack, as it seemed. However, I determined to do my best to gain back as quickly as possible anything I had lost. I was also getting used to yet another new instructor, remember, but I found this to be an easy adjustment. Jim did a great job and I was quite comfortable with him. It was actually not the very first time I'd flown with him. It was he who took me up for an introductory flight in his Cessna 150 at Brennand Field on the very first International Learn to Fly Day, May 15, 2010. So to fly with him again was sort of like coming full circle. Who would have thought then that, three years later, I'd be well into my flight training and flying with him as my instructor? Strange how things work out! 

 

Below 4,000 feet it was rather bumpy so we stayed above that altitude most of the time doing a lot of work on slow flight. I had some difficulty staying precise with speed and altitude especially at first but got a little better as we continued. The hour slipped quickly by and soon we headed back toward the airport, entered a right downwind in the pattern and were cleared to land. We were a bit high on approach but flaps and a decrease in power put us where we needed to be on final. The runway came up to meet us and, a few seconds later, I felt the main gear gently contact the surface and the nosewheel follow. We were down. What a beautiful landing! I still can't get over what nice landings the RV-6 makes.

We turned off the runway and taxied to the fuel pump. After filling the tanks I got to call the tower for permission to taxi back to Weeks. Back at the hangar, Jim let me push the plane in then we pulled the great doors closed and my first lesson in months was complete. It was so good to be back at it once again!

The Turning of the Tide

April

The months that passed since I learned of Joe's getting a new job with the consequence that he would no longer be instructing with the EAA Employee Flying Club were slow and difficult. I strove in vain to find an instructor and plane together and at a price within my budget but it was all to no avail. I was getting pretty discouraged. Day after beautiful, sunny day passed in March and I could only experience them from the ground simply because I couldn't find an instructor! It was incredibly frustrating. The flying club does, of course, have other instructors, but none of them were available at the time.

At long last, however, the beginning of April brought the return of the club's main instructor for primary students, Jim Kress, from his winter sojourn in Florida. I had known he would be returning but had hoped I wouldn't have to wait that long to fly again. Well, in God's plan I did have to wait that long for reasons only He, as yet, knows.

As soon as I knew he was back, I contacted Jim but with the end of March there also came an end to the beautiful weather. The whole entire first half of April, the weather was not flyable for the most part so I had to wait a little longer. But I knew the tide had turned. The day was not far off when my wings would be restored. The long wait was almost over. In the meantime, there were a few things that happened which helped to buoy my spirits and which made the long wait seem, perhaps, a little more worthwhile.

One of these was an all-expenses-paid trip to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH (a birthday present from my brother-in-law, Matt, and and my sister, Naomi). We spent most of two days at the museum and could have spent another I'm sure. Below are a few pictures. I didn't include any from inside the museum as I would have had a hard time choosing just a few! I guess you'll just have to go and experience it for yourself which would be much better than looking at pictures anyway as pictures (even the outside ones) can hardly do it justice!

Monuments in the

beautiful memorial gardens

outside the museum.

The museum is immediately adjacent to Wright-Patterson
Air Force Base, the first military base I've ever been on!

The other event was a Launch Party send-off for EAA's WWII-era B-17 bomber in preparation for its leaving on tour as it does each year. Employees in attendance were entered in a drawing to receive a ride in the plane with an extra entry if you dressed up in the style of the era (1940's). Figuring it would be worth the extra entry, I did and (oh joy!) was one of the ten drawn!!! I haven't had my ride yet but it should happen sometime around AirVenture. As part of the festivities, we were allowed to explore the plane at our leisure and sit in the various stations as we chose. Quite amazing to think of spending six hours on a mission in one of these, bundled in heavy flying gear and an oxygen mask! A WWII veteran, Doug Ward, ball turret gunner on a B-17, was there and spoke of his experiences which, alone, was worth coming for! Gives me a whole new appreciation for these brave men.



Here I am in the pilot's seat! Wow!
Is this for real?!



Honored to have my picture taken with Doug Ward,
former B-17 ball turret gunner.

In a way, these two experiences sort of made up for the endless period of no flying, or, as I said before, at least made it seem just a little more worthwhile. Winning that ride was so much more than just luck. I believe it was a special gift from God to me--a sign that my aviation journey is not over yet by any means and will go on, an inspiration of hope for the future and, for that reason, it meant the world to me! Thank you, Lord!