Lesson #3

Time flown today: 0h 55m
Time flown so far: 2h 45m

I had my third lesson booked for 13:00 today.

I've arrived to the club 15 minutes before and found Pete chatting to Chris and Mark; I later found out both have recently passed their skills test and were preparing for their first trip to France, which they would commence as soon as I bring G-BTNH back; this is exactly the sort of stuff I'm doing my license for!



A few moments later we were doing the pre-flight briefing - it seems we will re-look at straight and level we've done last week, this time attempting to stay straight and level whilst increasing and then reducing speed, and then again whilst opening flaps; if we'll have time we would also look at climbs and gliding decends.



Briefing over Pete book the plane out and we're out to do the pre-flight checks; Pete goes over with me again over the walk around, and once we climb in he hands me his check list (I should buy now at this point, I guess) and I'm doing the pre-flight checks for the first time on my own - nothing too difficult, just need to keep track of the steps and follow the text in the list; even I can do it!



I guess at this point I'm quite slow at it, but that would improve over time, I'm sure - better be careful than quick, that's for sure.



Engine started, Pete calls tower - runway 24 in use again and he rolls us out; Pete takes care of getting off the grass, but it's all me taxiing from there - controlling both the rudder and the throttle (which is the new thing); needs a lot more fiddling with than expected (it's probably just me, though), and I don't seem to be finding the right way to handle the rudder peddals, can't get comfortable control over these things, and I will have to sort this out soon!



We reaching holding point B1, turn into the wind and I go through the power checks.



That done, Pete calls tower - there's no-one around and we're ready to "take off at own discretion".



Pete takes it from here and lines us up on the runway, but asks me to carefully follow through with the controls, probably so I can try the takeoff next time, I was thinking to myself.



I keep a watchful eye on his rudder work and I think I finally figured out what I'm doing wrong - I try too hard to not move the top portion of the pedal - the brake, which makes an awkward movement, when it appears I really should just maintain pushing forward the whole rudder, but make sure to use the middle of the feel for the movement and not the top; I shall have to try this next time around.



Ligned up on runway 24 I confirm the heading indication is aligned with the compass when Pete surprisngly says it's all mine - "keep us aligned with the centre line and throttle fully open"; I did not expect that.



I do a reasonable job at keeping us aligned and at 60 knots I pull the yoke, we takeoff; my first time.



Trying to hit 80 knots for climb the angle seems very steep initially, but then I have to push the nose down to avoid slowing too much and it turns out the angle is really quite shallow; given this I wonder whether I started to steeply to begin with or whether it was correct to start steep and then reduce the nose, I need to remember to ask next time.



Very quickly we reach 500' and Pete takes control, he turns us south towards Woking town centre and switches over to Farnborough radar.



We keep on the heading for a while, but shortly after Woking Pete hands me control and I practice keeping straight and Level; he then takes control again and demonstrates the exercise - he opens the throttle, speed builds up and he counteracts with the yoke to maintain altitude and, once the speed settles he trims; he then brings the throttle back to crusing level (around 2300 rpm, but really by ear), again compensating with the yoke to maintain level and trims.



It is now my turn and it all goes fairly smooth; I'm certainly not accurate enough with the throttle yet, I insist on doing either too small or too big movements, but I think that's reasonable for a first time; I think I'm doing a reasonable job at keeping straight and level though.



We've done fast and are now slow and so the next exercise is to open the flaps; I reach to the lever, which - when closed - is way too far on the floor for my arm length... and start to open it - stage 1, compensate by lower the nose, stage 2, compensate some more, done. I'm straight. that wasn't bad at all!



Now closing the flaps - stage 1...oops! closed both stages at the same time; the nose drops quite sharply, but - gladly - I don't get overly excited and bring it back to level.



Lost a fair bit of hight in this exercies though so it's only fitting that we look at climbs - need to remember entering climb uses 'PAT' - Power, Atitude, Trim

I increase the power to full, and shorlty after start pulling the yoke to raise the nose; we enter a climb and I look for 80 knots; the horison disappears infront of me, which unerves me for a second, as I wasn't expecting that, soon enough we approach the 2000' we're targetting for and, 50' before I start to level; exiting climb using the same 'PAT' I reduce the power, lower the nose and, once the speed's built up, trim back; apparently I've been to aggressive with the nose lowering thing as we end up closer to 1900'; something to work at I guess.



It's time to start heading out, and I handle all the turns to get us back towards Guildford and then straight over Woking town centre.

Pete calls Fairoaks and it looks like we're the only ones there so we're going to join into the [left] downwind; Pete points out the path we're going to take and I'm still handling the turns, which I find very exciting; we're slowly descending to the 1100' circuit height at fairoaks.



We're parallel to the runway, Pete quickly goes through the downwind checks (I have no idea what there are yet!) as I do my best to keep straight and level but only do a reasonable job; having to correct a bit to the right we quickly reach the point to turn base (identified by the chruch spire between the trees); I execute the turn and manage not to lose any height, which I'm please with, and shortly after I'm asked to turn us onto finals, I certainly expected Pete to take control by now and am extremely excited (yet very composed!), final it is and the turn, guided a bit by Pete hands looks reasonable if not smooth.



I'm now trying to keep the nose pointing at the numbers (as Pete keep telling me) but it takes me a while to understand what that means exactly; the windscreen is relatively big, even in a warrior; eventually I get it I think, and although I know Pete was guiding the yoke with me I'd like to think I did a reasonable job at getting us to the numbers; Pete guides me through the flare and we touch down; not the smoothest of landings, for sure, but pretty good; he's a good instructor.



There's very little to taxi from the end of 24 and LTFC, and Pete parks us on the grass. end of lesson 3 and I'm delighted.



Apart from doing most of the flying today I think much of my excitement came from the fact that I was very comfortable in the air; all the nervousness I experienced in the first lesson, and to a large extent again in the second was completely gone; didn't seem to care the small torbulances we've hit here and there, the thermals that pushed as up over the hills north of Haslemere or any other bit that was, quick literally, thrown at us; I was very comfortable and confident and was happy to look around during the turns and the climbs.



Not overly confident, which is obviosuly important, at any level - certainly mine - but confident enough to be able to enjoy it, and focus on all the other bits; and there's a lot to focus on.



As before I used My Tracks on my G1 to track the flight, you can find it here