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Second Lesson Complete: Landed the airplane!


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Last Saturday I had my second lesson, and the drinking from a firehose sensation was definitely more manageable than the first lesson.

To a point.

Somehow, working the radios while flying the plane was impossible for me.

The lesson began with my CFI informing me that the winds on the ground at our home airport were challenging, but if we flew down to Lumberton, the winds were almost directly up and down the runway, so off we went.  Straight and level flight was easier, level turns were easier as was setting the trim, now that I've established that the plane doesn't fall out of the sky when I momentarily shift my attention here or there.  During the first lesson, I would fixate on one task or gauge, obviously to the detriment of everything else, and so I was actively working to keep my eyes nimble and my attention, agile.

For the most part, I was successful, but increased repetitions will make this more autonomous and less "effortful".

I'd anticipated that landing the plane was going to be very very difficult, in particular, lining up on the runway for the approach turning off the base leg.  I've been reading a lot of training materials and this was a significant negative performance issue, but on this particular day (with the winds and the runway aligned), it wasn't that difficult.  Also, while the runway at 2GC is really narrow, KLBT is very very wide, so I'm not going to get too cocky about a one-time success.

Another point of performance that I need to improve and rapidly is aircraft control on the ground.  I'm garbage.  I need less power and a better perception of the proper amount of brake force.  

Overall, my takeaway from the session is that piloting an aircraft is difficult, but far from impossible, and that's has me enthusiastic about what I'll learn next lesson, which, would have been this weekend, but social obligations, family (and two torn ligaments in my right foot which are REALLY AGITATED right now) have forced me to flex to the right on the calendar.

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Nice. Saturation is normal through most of training. I particularly had issues with the radio. I knew what to say until I keyed the mic, and then I would freeze. I would also miss calls from the tower occasionally in the beginning. With time and practice you eventually wonder why you found it difficult. 

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Sounds about right for the second lesson. The multi-tasking things will become easier as you become more familiar with how things work and become comfortable. Communicating on the radio is one of those tasks that causes many students issues initially. If you have access to a scanner, listening into communications at an airport helps. I also think taxiing can be challenging at first. What other vehicle do you steer with your feet? :) Lots of students will also ride the brakes instead of reducing power. 

It will all come together, just be patient.

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The radio work will come with time. I didn't make any radio calls I think for my first couple of flights. Then my CFI had me talking with Ground and the Tower but he would make all the calls when we were over the practice area. I thought I was doing okay until the first time we went to an un-towered field and I was stepping all over myself trying to make the proper call for what leg I was on and direction I was turning. (You would think that if you were turning left it would be natural to say you were turning left but sometimes the mind just doesn't want to cooperate.)

Something I did to help was listen to the radios. I would just turn on the live ATC feed on my laptop in my office at work and have it running most of the day while I was working. I used Burbank, they are a busy airport and have both Ground and Tower in the same feed. It helped to hear the way transmissions are made and the repetition was great.

https://www.liveatc.net/

https://www.liveatc.net/search/?icao=kbur

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Heck anybody can land an airplane what's the big deal?  Of course if you want to use the plane again that gets a little more difficult.:D

Anyway congratulations on taking the first steps to becoming an aviator.  You will come to understand what is going on more and more.

I remember my first lesson trying to steer the plane with the yoke on the ground and no clue what was going on with the radio, starting the engine any of that.  By the 4th or 5th lesson I was pretty much in control of everything and the instructor was giving verbal guidance only.  I learned at a towered field which I think was good because I was never afraid of the radio and talking to the tower or anyone else.

Power on stalls they were interesting at first I thought the plane was almost on it back though it really wasn't and I thought the plane was not going to stop until it hit the ground.:blink:

 

 

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I remember when I first started training and telling my then girlfriend now wife that I can hardly taxi the damn plane how the hell am I going to ever fly it.  She said just be patient trust your instructor and it will come. She was right.  you will have times of set back and times of great satisfaction as you gain skill.  Remember we learn more from our mistakes than we do from our victories

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while you don't use your feet to steer a track loader you do have to do the bucket with your feet.  And yes the first 5 or so lessons you might as well be a drunk sailor steering the plane.   Flying is easy... landing is hard.   Last night I thanked the united pilot for such a nice landing.   It was  a thing of beauty.   Usually I want to ask if they got the third wire and if they get to count both of them.

 

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Your certainly doing better than my wife.  5+ lessons and she was never able to land the plane.  

I also remember when I was learning to fly.  A narrow runway (2600x30),  a hump in the middle where you could not see the other end which made back taxi interesting,  and trees to disturb the winds as soon as you got close to the runway.    It took a while to learn how to land.  And I can tell you a Cessna 152 can bounce at least 20 feet into the air (or it felt like that).

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3 hours ago, 1964-M20E said:

I remember my first lesson trying to steer the plane with the yoke on the ground and no clue what was going on with the radio, starting the engine any of that.

I think it was after my second cross country solo that I was watching the video from my GoPro and noticed as I exited the runway I was turning the yoke as if it was actually doing anything. After that I if there weren't any winds to worry about (and the Cherokee is pretty tame taxiing in winds) I would put my hands in my lap some of the time while taxiing to force myself not to turn the yoke. Then I added in trying to remember to position the controls for wherever the wind was coming from, even saying out loud to myself what I was supposed to be doing.

I also cropped down the GoPro video so you couldn't see me looking like a fool and trying to steer with the yoke...:lol:

1 hour ago, Yetti said:

And yes the first 5 or so lessons you might as well be a drunk sailor steering the plane.

Fairly accurate description. Who knew it was so hard to go in a straight line...

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My CFI--God bless 'im-- laughed at me because I was so much better in the air than on the ground.

I will sort that out.

In complete candor, the first lesson was cool and exciting and exhausting, but it was SO overwhelming that I wasn't exactly looking forward to the rest of the process, however, I also know that sample size matters, and the first time I took the helm of a US Navy warship, somewhere between working the helm and lee helm ("throttle"), I got way, way WAY off course. The first time I jumped out of an aircraft in flight, I didn't enjoy that sensation much either.  The first time I played live music in front of an audience didn't feel great.

So the second lesson was great in several ways, but the single most important one, at least pertaining to carrying the process through to completion (which is really just the beginning of a lifelong learning process), is that I enjoyed it.  I had fun.  And I had just enough improvement from the first lesson to tell me that it will be very difficult, but not impossible.

Thank you all for your encouragement and experiences!  It's good to know that I'm not the only one who is/was humbled by the process.

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12 minutes ago, supersoldier71 said:

My CFI--God bless 'im-- laughed at me because I was so much better in the air than on the ground.

I will sort that out.

In complete candor, the first lesson was cool and exciting and exhausting, but it was SO overwhelming that I wasn't exactly looking forward to the rest of the process, however, I also know that sample size matters, and the first time I took the helm of a US Navy warship, somewhere between working the helm and lee helm ("throttle"), I got way, way WAY off course. The first time I jumped out of an aircraft in flight, I didn't enjoy that sensation much either.  The first time I played live music in front of an audience didn't feel great.

So the second lesson was great in several ways, but the single most important one, at least pertaining to carrying the process through to completion (which is really just the beginning of a lifelong learning process), is that I enjoyed it.  I had fun.  And I had just enough improvement from the first lesson to tell me that it will be very difficult, but not impossible.

Thank you all for your encouragement and experiences!  It's good to know that I'm not the only one who is/was humbled by the process.

I a still humbled on a fairly regular basis when I fly, there's always something to learn or improve upon.

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2 hours ago, Skates97 said:

I a still humbled on a fairly regular basis when I fly, there's always something to learn or improve upon.

Amen to that! And for the record, I have not called "turning left final" in several years . . . But I do often call "left base" just for clarity, since I used to regularly visit a field with one Left and one Right pattern.

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And speaking of sailors....  when I fly with ex navy CFI.  You will taxi on the line and you will land on the line.  Not two inches left or right... on the line. no if s ands or buts.

 

Find the rivet line on the engine cover or the crack on the dash to help line things up.

 

I used to have dry erase markers and I would draw a line on the wind screen that was straight and level.   I was too tall to use the glare shield.

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Remember on a C172, the nose wheel steering is bungie-corded to the pedals, which means there is a bit of time delay between moving your feet and the nose yawing which will lead to big, slow wandering over the taxiway.  Of course, once you sort that out, then you will find out most other planes have pedals that are rigidly connected to the nose wheel steering.

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On February 18, 2017 at 11:27 AM, Yetti said:

And speaking of sailors....  when I fly with ex navy CFI.  You will taxi on the line and you will land on the line.  Not two inches left or right... on the line. no if s ands or buts.

 

Find the rivet line on the engine cover or the crack on the dash to help line things up.

 

I used to have dry erase markers and I would draw a line on the wind screen that was straight and level.   I was too tall to use the glare shield.

A former instructor I know used to say "if you're not on the line, you're out of control"

Clarence

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For radio practice get on one of the internet networks and practice with a sim at a towered airport.   Then talk to approach for some VFR requests.  The internet networks are Vatsim (www.laartcc.org) forums or on pilotedge (polotedge.net) and practice putting the tasks of aviating, navigating and communicating all together. Both actually have a VFR curriculum that will take you through typical scenarios and communication skills.  They follow standard phraseology.  

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