First Flight

[Skates97]

Hello everyone, I've been wandering around your forums for a bit and registered a short time ago.

First post, first flight. (I have a friend with a 1961 M20B that took me up for a ride with my youngest son a month ago, but I've never actually flown a plane). After a very long time waiting to begin flight training, it began today. It was going to be a "Discovery Flight" from Chino out to Catalina and back, but low clouds over Catalina changed that. Not wanting to wait another day (I've been waiting about 25 years) I asked if we could instead just fly anywhere... I had my wife and oldest son with me, they were coming along because it was again going to be a "Discovery Flight" and the flight school allowed them to ride along the entire time even though it was going to be an actual lesson. Let's say I had the time of my life!

I have been flying flight sims on the computer since the first Microsoft Flight Sim back on a Tandy 1000. I was probably the only 12 year old that was plotting out where I was on a map in the back of the Flight Sim manual by using the VOR's in game while flying from New York to Martha's Vineyard. Anyway, I know computer flight sims aren't the real thing, but I think they helped some.

First, steering with your feet takes some getting used to. (I will say that taxiing back to the hanger was a lot better than taxiing out to the runway.) I got to taxi and take off which was fairly uneventful. My wife was a bit nervous as we bounced around a little climbing out. I tried to prep her by telling her it wasn't going to be like taking off in an airliner, to think of it more that an airliner is the bus driving down the road and this would be more like a four wheel drive on a dirt road with some pot holes... Anyway, we went out over Lake Matthews and then down I-15 to Temecula. Straight and level all good, level turns, descending turns, climbing turns, all good. I felt pretty good after one turn, we were at 3,000' and he asked me to turn 180 staying at the same altitude without any gauges. He put his ipad over the gauges (you can see in one of the pics) and I began my turn. As I was leveling out coming out of the turn he said "You probably gained a little altitude and removed the ipad, I had only picked up about 50' and he said "Wow, that's spot on!" Yes I had a huge grin on my face. The whole time flying around he mostly just had his hands in his lap and telling me that I was going to make his job easy. 

We came back and did two touch and go's and then one more time around the pattern with a landing to a complete stop. The first two landings were pretty good, minimal input from the CFI. The only time I felt squirrely was after touching down, raising the flaps back up and pushing in full throttle. I have to get used to compensating the added power with some rudder (my CFI helped with that). The last landing we were coming in a little faster than we should so went to idle and he helped with bleeding off some speed. Felt pretty good to be told I was only the second student he has let land on their first flight.

Take aways... My brain went backwards a couple times and pushed the throttle in when I was meaning to decrease power. That will come with repetition. Biggest take away... brake pedals are independent... CFI didn't have any brakes on his side, yep I was a little side to side as we slowed down after our last landing. I was not aware that the brake pedals were independent.  I'll make sure I have even pressure on them next time out.

Did I say before that I had the time of my life!? Going back up again Monday afternoon for my second lesson.

 

Edited May 29, 2016 by Skates97

[RLCarter]

Awesome, sounds like you've been bitten by the aviation bug.

 

[Guest]

The only cure for aviation sickness is the regular application of generous amounts of 100LL.  Even then a cure is not guaranteed.

Clarence

[eman1200]

Flying = fun.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hank]

Congratulations, skates! It only gets better . . .

[Bob - S50]

Skates.  Welcome to the forum and have fun flying!

[N201MKTurbo]

Why do you call yourself Skates?

I used to be an inline speed skater, just wondering if I know you.

[Tom]

It begins.....

 

[carusoam]

Welcome aboard, Skates.

You are a Mooney guy!  Combining a discovery flight with a lesson, taking the family along for the ride, and taking your experience from an old MSFS. All that combined in one flight.... Learned at least two things you didn't know before, and got a list of things to work on next.  That is Mooney efficiency!

Thanks for sharing your experience.  

When you get a chance, update your avatar to include the area of the world you are from... 

What's next?

Best regards,

-a-

[Skates97]

16 hours ago, RLCarter said:

Awesome, sounds like you've been bitten by the aviation bug.

 

I have been afflicted with the ailment for probably close to 40 years. Grew up with dad in the Air Force, he was a pilot for many of his 20 years of service. The first symptoms showed up when I was about 5 yo. I was really sick and in an effort to cheer me up dad let me wear his flight helmet while I was lying there in bed. Yep, it put a smile on my face.

Fast forward to when I was 8 yo and dad had been transferred to Elmendorf to fly HC-130's with the Air Rescue Squadron. It was then that my parents must have realized my affliction was terminal. We were staying in the bachelors officers quarters (funny having a family of 8 there) and from the window in one of the rooms I could see portions of the runway between the buildings. I would sit there for hours with a pencil and paper making tally marks to count up the types and numbers of different planes that would take off and land. It wasn't until my oldest sister had 7 boys of her own many years later that she said she finally knew how strange it was for an 8 yo boy to just sit at the window for hours watching planes take off and land. I had plans to go career Air Force but some political changes in the 90's changed my plans, that's a story for a different day.

12 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

Why do you call yourself Skates?

I used to be an inline speed skater, just wondering if I know you.

I played ice hockey as a kid in Alaska and roller hockey as an adult in Arizona, near your neck of the woods, there was a rink off somewhere around McClintock and Broadway if I remember right and one down in Chandler somewhere. Going back to my aviation bug affliction from my early years I have always loved call signs. So, the name Skates came about and the 97 on the end was Roenick's jersey number when he played for the coyotes (maybe my favorite player of all time). Never did inline speed skating but if you played roller hockey between about 1998-2002 there in Tempe we might have played against each other.

10 hours ago, carusoam said:

Welcome aboard, Skates.

You are a Mooney guy!  Combining a discovery flight with a lesson, taking the family along for the ride, and taking your experience from an old MSFS. All that combined in one flight.... Learned at least two things you didn't know before, and got a list of things to work on next.  That is Mooney efficiency!

Thanks for sharing your experience.  

When you get a chance, update your avatar to include the area of the world you are from... 

What's next?

Best regards,

-a-

Hoping to be a Mooney guy in the future here... I didn't know much about the planes until my friend who owns one introduced me. Went up on a flight with him and loved it, the more I read about Mooney's there more I liked them. What's next? Going flying again tomorrow.

The plan is to get my license and then purchase an M20C/E. The typical mission will be my wife and I along with my youngest son going to Phoenix (275nm), Salt Lake (500nm), and Sacramento (340nm) to visit the family we have there. I think those planes would fit the mission well and looking at ones on the market right now would fit into the price range I am looking at. 

Thank you all for the warm welcome,

Richard

Edited May 30, 2016 by Skates97

[N201MKTurbo]

I never played roller hockey, but I know the rink you are talking about, it was just up the street from Big Surf.

[bradp]

On May 29, 2016 at 6:49 AM, M20Doc said:

The only cure for aviation sickness is the regular application of generous amounts of 100LL.  Even then a cure is not guaranteed.

Clarence

We must have gotten lead poisoning along the way.   The condition only worsens with time. 

[steingar]

Mooney is the biggest bang for your buck in certified GA.  And you aren't going to put spouse and spawn in too many expermentals.  Good luck with your training.  My only suggestion would be to leave the family at home while you're learning.  Hard enough without an audience.

[Skates97]

2 minutes ago, steingar said:

Mooney is the biggest bang for your buck in certified GA.  And you aren't going to put spouse and spawn in too many expermentals.  Good luck with your training.  My only suggestion would be to leave the family at home while you're learning.  Hard enough without an audience.

Yes, family was just along for the first flight which was going to be a discovery flight but turned into an actual training flight.

[MooneyPTG]

Got my ticket at 50. Bought a tomahawk to learn on. Sold it for what I paid for it and bought a mooney.

Been the best thing I could have ever done for myself. Flying for me is a very personal experience. I often fly alone

just to unwind. Every time I land I feel great about myself and my life. It is great to be a pilot. It is also a very exclusive club.

welcome aboard.

[Piloto]

Congratulations on your ticket at 50. But the best one comes at 65 were it pays for your gas and health.

José 

[RLCarter]

I trained in a Tomahawk back in 1979, it had less than 20hrs TTAF, great little bird, 2400 TBO, easy to get in and out of, wide cabin and great visibility (which works both ways with the sun) and sips fuel and a lot faster than the 150/152's

[Skates97]

Went back up Monday for my second flight and spent 2 hours working through power-on stalls, power-off stalls, slow flight, 45 degree turns, turns around a point, s-turns, and rectangular course. It was fun to get my feet wet on those different maneuvers. Some felt more natural than others, ie: 45 degrees turning to the left was not a problem but going to the right I kept decreasing the bank in my turn to about 30 degrees. I think it was the positioning of being visually higher up in relation to where I am sitting in the plane (left side higher up in a right hand bank than left hand).

We did two more touch and go's followed by a landing to a complete stop. Much better this time when adding full throttle in the touch and go. I eased it in a little slower and compensated better with the right rudder. I still struggle with my visual reference on when to flare and want to flare too early.  (All things in due time). Those poor landing gear struts on that Cherokee... Oh, and keeping my speed up on final approach.While pointing to my airspeed my instructor said "You might want to watch that so we don't end up in the field instead of on the runway..."

Got my medical certificate today and going back up Saturday. 

[1524J]

1 hour ago, Skates97 said:

 Oh, and keeping my speed up on final approach.While pointing to my airspeed my instructor said "You might want to watch that so we don't end up in the field instead of on the runway..."

Got my medical certificate today and going back up Saturday. 

When you get to fly a Mooney the instructor will be telling you to watch your airspeed so you end up on the runway and not in the field after you touch down.

[Guest]

I sense a contest between the Skater and the Husky .

Clarence

Edited June 2, 2016 by M20Doc

[bonal]

Nice report on your second flight. This is more like the training I remember I'm still scratching my head a bit about Sam Husk's program but am real pleased he made his solo and will be no doubt getting his PPL. Skates you might have days of frustration but take then in stride. I will say in advance some of the worst days will be the ones you learn the most. Enjoy this experience it's a wonderful thing to learn to fly. I bought my 150 and started at 50 years. 

[Skates97]

2 hours ago, Hyett6420 said:

shall we start a post "Will Skate or Husky get their Ticket First?".  We can then bet against it, hedge fund it and earn enough to buy a new Acclaim    

Hmmm... Are we talking by calendar date or hours? He has quite the head start on me.

If we are talking hours I am putting money on myself just because after following his thread I have some advantages where I am learning. I have the advantage of having more VFR days at Chino than he does at Palo Alto. In fact Chino likes to boast they average 345 VFR days a year... Another reason I decided to go to Chino was I looked into all the schools around Orange County and into the Riverside area and the school out there has 4 Cherokee 140's and a 180 available so I can find an available plane just about any time. (Husky has been bumped a few times over plane availability and weather.

Anyway, I'm just going to worry about myself and my progress. I wish him the best of luck and hopefully he will have his PPL sooner than later. If I can get there in fewer hours it just means more money left in the bank to shop for a plane when I am done. 

[Skates97]

Fun times, I had my third flight on Saturday. (Hot, 95 degrees out and the plane climbed like a dog.) I had been listening to ATC at Burbank for a couple days in the office so was feeling pretty comfortable in trying my hand at it. I contacted ground for taxi clearance and then tower for takeoff clearance. During the flight my CFI called out everything over the radio when we were in the practice area but had me contact the tower on the way back in to ask for the clearance to do touch and go's.

In the practice area we went through power on stalls, power off stalls, and steep turns. Much better on the steep turns this time. Next I told him I wanted to work turns around a point and s-turns so we needed to get to a lower altitude. He said, "Let's pretend you have an engine fire and go through those procedures" (ie: the quick way down...) I said "Ok, walk me through it." So we pulled power, put it in a 45 degree bank and pushed over heading down. He was talking me through the whole thing, I picked out a section of field that I thought we would reach and was clear of trees, power lines, etc... He approved so I rolled out lined up and stayed in the descent. He been talking the whole time about how the fire would be progressing and tells me "About now you probably won't be able to use your rudder pedals because if the fire hasn't made it through the firewall the heat has and your feet are going to hurt so bad you won't be able to use them." (I thought "Great...") We were getting close to the ground, I thought too close so started to pull back and he said "nope, not yet." Finally he said "Ok, level out, add the power back and bring us back up." He talked me through the whole thing again and the importance of getting on the ground as fast as possible.

We did turns around a point, better but still needs work, and s-turns, again better but needs work and headed back for some landing practice. Landings were much improved. We did two and then he asked the tower if we could do a short final (I think that was the term). He said when we got even with the end of the runway on our downwind to pull power and I couldn't use it again until we were on the ground. I said "Ok" (and in my mind said "Seriously?") I went into a shallow bank and he had me head at an angle straight for the numbers, watch airspeed, straighten out and line up right at the end and touch down. Good experience. Power back in and up for one more time around the pattern. I put one notch of flaps in like normal at the end of the downwind but as we turned base to final he said "I want you to do this one without any flaps." So, flaps back up and we came in faster than normal but it wasn't bad, I just touched down further down the runway than normal but was still able to turn off onto the taxiway at the same place. 

Got my medical last week and we submitted for my student pilot license. By the time it shows up in the mail I should be ready to solo.

[Skates97]

The runways I landed on Saturday got smaller and smaller. It was overcast and as we had run through all the maneuvers the last two flights my CFI wanted to go visit some other airports. He said that as I get ready to solo he wants to make sure that I am comfortable with other airports in the area in the event that something happens at Chino and the runway is closed while I am flying. If so I would be comfortable diverting to another airport. He also wanted to make sure we hit some non-towered airports to give me time on the radios there and another towered airport to give me experience talking to a different airport.

The ceiling over Ontario to the north was a little low for us so he ruled that out for today. I was okay with that as I was a little nervous about going into a busy airport like Ontario with the jets they have landing there.

Instead, the flight plan was directly south to Corona, KAJO (non-towered), Riverside, KRAL (towered), and then FLABOB, KRIR (non-towered). He said FLABOB, KRIR (non-towered) is his favorite airport to do pattern work and touch and goes at because of the downwind transition to base. As you are flying downwind you are flying directly at Mt. Rubidoux (not really a mountian but more a hill). However you fly right at it and when you make your turn to base you are very close to it.

I mentioned smaller and smaller... I have been landing at Chino, KCNO with two runways to work with, 7000 x 150 and 4848 x 150. Plenty of room for a rookie to feel good about putting the plane down. First we headed to Corona with its runway of 3200 x 60. He had me making the radio calls and getting a good chuckle out of me mixing up the sequence that I was supposed to say things in. It all made sense and the other guy in the Cessna understood what I was saying, but I was obviously a rookie. Its still a good way to learn.

I had landed as a passenger once before taking a ride with my friend in his Mooney, but as the pilot it is a different experience. But, I successfully made three landings there before we took off and headed to Riverside. (No touch and go's, it's not allowed on weekends and there are tall trees off the end of the runway so given my tendency to not put the plane down on the numbers it wouldn't have worked anyway.

I contacted Riverside on our way in and he had me enter on the downwind and report in. We came around for the touch and go's. Riverside is interesting because as you are coming in there is a rise in the ground just before you reach the runway so it looks like the ground is coming up to you suddenly right at the end (it kind of is). KRAL's runway is 5401 x 100 so I was back to a wide runway. We did 5 touch and go's there and spent a few of the following a Cessna in the pattern. Good experience following someone. The first time I was behind her I was coming on the downwind and the tower brought her in on base and told me to follow her in. So I got to call out that I saw her and extended my downwind to come around behind.

We then left Riverside for my CFI's favorite little airport, FLABOB. I mentioned small, well the runway at FLABOB is 3190 x 50. 50' wide does not look very wide when you've been landing on runways that are 150' wide. Sure enough, on the downwind we were pointed right at the mountain. Every time we turned to base we ballooned up a little because the winds pushed up the hill and carried us up a little too. We did three touch and go's there at FLABOB. On the last one we were coming in high so he showed me how to slip the plane to lose the altitude.

We contacted Riverside again to transition through their airspace and then were back headed toward Chino. We had been talking a lot about stalls given some of the recent GA tragedies. He talked about how you can stall a plane out at any airspeed and wanted to show me. So I gave him the controls and he promptly stalled us out at 90 mph, well above our stall speed for clean configuration. That was followed by more discussion about the causes of stalls, warning signs, etc...

We flew back and landed on the nice 150' wide runway at KCNO and the day was done. Another wonderful, fun, educational day up in the air.

(I started up a blog to chronicle my training and future flights. Mainly so family can see what I'm up to but anyone else that's bored with nothing to do can follow along too . The link is in my signature.)

Edited June 13, 2016 by Skates97

[Skates97]

4 hours ago, Hyett6420 said:

Sounds like you are havjng a great time.  Lets hope that next time the cfi doesnt actually set the engine on fire in reality . 

I love your shorter and shorter runways.  I am always amused by comments on here as to what is a short runway.  Mine is typical of the UK and is 2136 feet for landing and a lot less for takeoff.  As the approach is over the trees then the first 300-400 feet are useless oh and it goes uphill with a dip in the middle. .  It is classed as "challenging" apparently.  

Keep up the good work and so lovely to read of another pilot in the making.  

Andrew

I'm having a blast! It wasn't the length of them that made me a little nervous, it was the width. One of the things I liked about learning at the airport I am is the very wide, very long runways. When you are trying to figure it all out it's nice to have the extra room. I just wasn't expecting to try landing on a narrow runway this soon but was able to put it down in the middle. When you've been landing on a 150' wide runway and you turn final and you are only looking at 50' it's a big difference.

Yours sounds "challenging." I think it will be a bit before I would feel comfortable landing at a field like that. My dad has some good stories he tells about when he was flying C-130's and some of the places they put that bird down.