My first ever 'for real' go around

[ragedracer1977]

You'd think in 150 hours of flying, I'd have had at least one landing go pear shaped.  Well, nope, not even in training. All I've ever done were 'planned' or 'practice' go-arounds.  Until today.  

I started training for my instrument rating.  Went and flew for 2 hours with my CFII, under the hood.  It was rough.  Convective SIGMET in the area and the air showed it.  We flew around doing compass turns, partial panel (no DG or AI).  We did a practice approach all the way to landing.  Winds were reported 270/5 (ATIS was 58 minutes old), landing on 25.  I took off the hood at 200 AGL on short final.  

I was on speed, but I felt sloppy.  My brain was still spinning in circles.  I flared a touch high, but nothing really 'bad'.  As the mains touched, stall horn sounding (not a bounce) the plane lifted back off at a very slow speed.  It was not good.  I didn't even think about it, I just smoothly added power while turning off carb heat.  Uneventful go-around and successful landing the 2nd time around.  As we were in the pattern, the tower radioed that winds were now 220 at 14G20.  My best guess is a gust picked us back up.  

If I were a better pilot, I probably could have cleaned it up and set it back down.  With my brain mushed out, I wasn't in the mood to even try.

I very pleased with myself that I didn't even hesitate and just did it as soon as things weren't right.  My CFII commented afterwords that I was very quick to react.  He said we were down, up, next thing he knew we were at full power and gaining speed.  He didn't even have time to think about telling me to go around.  

 

[Hank]

Good job! And good luck with the rest of the training. I did the same in my C, just focus on learning the procedures and doing them right. Don't sweat the hours, keep going until everything is pounded into your head on the ground and correct in the air. It makes the checkride a non-event. And afterwards, it will be your life on the line . . . Sure sounds like you're off to a good start with the "judgement" part.

[ragedracer1977]

I've always taken pride in my judgement and ability to recognize and react to bad situations.  I used to skydive a lot (I'll forever have more takeoffs in a plane than landings ).  On my very first training jump, I had to pull my reserve.  When I landed, my instructor was very unhappy with me.  He didn't understand why I pulled the reserve.  I told him "I deployed the main, there were 3 broken lines, and the slider was jammed up in the broken lines and wouldn't release, and I was starting to spin, so I cut away and deployed the reserve."  

He said there was no way I could have seen all that.  From his perspective falling below me (he was still in freefall), the main came out and about the same time, it streamered off and my reserve deployed.  I swore to him that I was right.  

The guys at the field went out and grabbed the main out of the desert.  Guess what?  3 broken lines and a jammed slider.  Instructor said he never in the world would have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.  Said he couldn't believe it was possible that I could have identified all of that and cut away in the time it took.  

I just hope that ability to react always stays with me.  

[gsxrpilot]

You can do yourself a favor and save one step in the process by leaving the carb heat off. No need for it during landing with our tightly cowled Lycomings.

[ragedracer1977]

9 minutes ago, gsxrpilot said:

You can do yourself a favor and save one step in the process by leaving the carb heat off. No need for it during landing with our tightly cowled Lycomings.

It's habit.  If I don't do it every landing, I wonder if I'll remember when I really need it on.  Or are you saying it's never necessary? Today, I'm sure I didn't need it, with temps in the 100's and dew point around 50f.  

[Skates97]

Well done!

[N6758N]

6 hours ago, ragedracer1977 said:

It's habit.  If I don't do it every landing, I wonder if I'll remember when I really need it on.  Or are you saying it's never necessary? Today, I'm sure I didn't need it, with temps in the 100's and dew point around 50f.  

I have close to 500 hours in a C and have never once needed carb heat. Flown in all kinds of temperatures, both VFR and IFR. If I was in a cloud near freezing temps I might pull it if the engine started acting up, but never in the pattern. 

[Oldguy]

9 hours ago, ragedracer1977 said:

If I were a better pilot, I probably could have cleaned it up and set it back down.  With my brain mushed out, I wasn't in the mood to even try.

No, I think the pilot you are looks to be pretty wise and quick reacting. Don't see any need for improvement in judgement, at least from my perspective.

Good job.

[RobertGary1]

1 hour ago, N6758N said:

I have close to 500 hours in a C and have never once needed carb heat. Flown in all kinds of temperatures, both VFR and IFR. If I was in a cloud near freezing temps I might pull it if the engine started acting up, but never in the pattern. 

Carb icing isn't really a function of OAT freezing as much as moisture. You can get carb ice on a warm day (100F).

https://goo.gl/images/McrFuZ

-Robert

[Yetti]

The phrase is "show me some of that pilot stuff Mav"   Most of it is just flying around airline smooth.  Then sometimes you need to reach into the bag of pilot tricks and pull one out and become an airman.

[RLCarter]

Congrats on starting your IR. after coming out from under the hood (breaking out) it takes a few seconds for your eyes to adjust to distances. 4 real life's for me, 2 for wildlife and 2 for aircraft, I've even been on a SWA flight that did a go around after the mains touched. Enjoy your training

[gsxrpilot]

It's habit.  If I don't do it every landing, I wonder if I'll remember when I really need it on.  Or are you saying it's never necessary? Today, I'm sure I didn't need it, with temps in the 100's and dew point around 50f.  

400 plus hours in a C and never touched the carb heat.
You're not flying a Cessna 152. The Mooney M20C just doesn't make carb ice.

[RLCarter]

Not to go off topic but, Carb ice while Mooney's don't get carb ice very often they are not immune. 

[Mooneymite]

1 hour ago, RLCarter said:

Not to go off topic but, Carb ice while Mooney's don't get carb ice very often they are not immune. 

FWIW the POH agrees with you.  All these guys who swear they've never had carb ice should add the word "yet".  

[co2bruce]

If anything doesn't feel right it isn't! When in doubt go around. Great job recognizing and acting. 

[thinwing]

16 hours ago, ragedracer1977 said:

I've always taken pride in my judgement and ability to recognize and react to bad situations.  I used to skydive a lot (I'll forever have more takeoffs in a plane than landings ).  On my very first training jump, I had to pull my reserve.  When I landed, my instructor was very unhappy with me.  He didn't understand why I pulled the reserve.  I told him "I deployed the main, there were 3 broken lines, and the slider was jammed up in the broken lines and wouldn't release, and I was starting to spin, so I cut away and deployed the reserve."  

He said there was no way I could have seen all that.  From his perspective falling below me (he was still in freefall), the main came out and about the same time, it streamered off and my reserve deployed.  I swore to him that I was right.  

The guys at the field went out and grabbed the main out of the desert.  Guess what?  3 broken lines and a jammed slider.  Instructor said he never in the world would have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.  Said he couldn't believe it was possible that I could have identified all of that and cut away in the time it took.  

I just hope that ability to react always stays with me.  

If he was like my instructor ,he was just mad cause in the excitement of the cutaway ,you flung the Handel and teflon guide wires instead of coolly pocketing them ,than reaching up to unstow the brakes!

 

[thinwing]

Plus reserve re packs cost money!..You should have ridden that snivaler to the ground!

[Seth]

Good job.  Every landing is a go-around - if you land it's a nice surprise.

If it doesn't feel right for whatever the reason, just go around - you are right, you probably could have salvaged it - and if you didn't, and bent some metal, you'd be kicking yourself.  Good call in going around.

 

Separately, isn't it AMAZING how hard you sweat and concentrate during IFR training?  I used to be simply spent of energy by the end of those flights and drenched in sweat.

Good training - as time goes on and you internalize it all, it becomes much more manageable - you get ahead of the airplane and the process.  Take some time off and it's amazing how quickly your IFR skills diminish.  

 

-Seth

[steingar]

I've done a couple go-arounds just turning base to final, I could see I was out of position and fast.  Better to go around than try and stuff it in.  I've had a couple landings look just a little squirrely over the runway, didn't feel completely right.  A little blip of power fixed both, and the runways were plenty long.  Doing a go around just after touchdown makes me nervous due to the huge pitch up forces.  I'm certain it can be mitigated, but I'd rather not.  I've never gone around in the runway environment in 16 years of flying.

[ragedracer1977]

35 minutes ago, steingar said:

I've done a couple go-arounds just turning base to final, I could see I was out of position and fast.  Better to go around than try and stuff it in.  I've had a couple landings look just a little squirrely over the runway, didn't feel completely right.  A little blip of power fixed both, and the runways were plenty long.  Doing a go around just after touchdown makes me nervous due to the huge pitch up forces.  I'm certain it can be mitigated, but I'd rather not.  I've never gone around in the runway environment in 16 years of flying.

Honestly, it was very manageable.  It did require some stiff forward pressure, but nothing difficult.  

[ragedracer1977]

53 minutes ago, Seth said:

Good job.  Every landing is a go-around - if you land it's a nice surprise.

If it doesn't feel right for whatever the reason, just go around - you are right, you probably could have salvaged it - and if you didn't, and bent some metal, you'd be kicking yourself.  Good call in going around.

 

Separately, isn't it AMAZING how hard you sweat and concentrate during IFR training?  I used to be simply spent of energy by the end of those flights and drenched in sweat.

Good training - as time goes on and you internalize it all, it becomes much more manageable - you get ahead of the airplane and the process.  Take some time off and it's amazing how quickly your IFR skills diminish.  

 

-Seth

You're not kidding about the sweat!  I have a B-kool unit and I was still drenched.  My instructor wasn't even damp.  B-kool is AWESOME btw!

This was my 2nd IR training flight other than what we did for the PPL.  I felt better and smoother towards the end, especially when he covered the AI and DG.  Taking those 2 out of my scan, I actually flew better.  But I think a large part of it was realizing, in my head, that if I stopped moving the yoke all over the place, the plane would stop moving all over the place too.  When I fly VFR, the plane just about flies itself.  Very little effort required.  Make it so I can't see outside and I was chasing instruments all over the place.  I just sort of calmed myself down, let go of the death grip on the yoke and started nudging it around instead of yanking it.  Suddenly I could hold altitude and a heading pretty good.  

[ragedracer1977]

1 hour ago, thinwing said:

If he was like my instructor ,he was just mad cause in the excitement of the cutaway ,you flung the Handel and teflon guide wires instead of coolly pocketing them ,than reaching up to unstow the brakes!

 

Ha!  I actually didn't lose the handle.  I stowed it in the jump suit.  It didn't have pockets so I stuffed it down the front.  

[Seth]

I've been thinking for two years of getting  BKool or similar cooling device for summer flying - may have to pull the trigger in 2018 or 2019.

 

-Seth

[DVA]

Almost 40 years ago when I was getting my PP my instructor refused to let me practice landings until I was able to do perfect go around from every conceivable situation. I remember my first landing as a result of his commitment to teaching me the importance of being very good at that maneuver.

I can hear him saying to this very day "a go around is not an emergency procedure - it's a procedure to keep you from having an emergency".

Good times.

[aviatoreb]

I've done go arounds for deer, Canadian geese, and once for a snow plow that decided to pull onto the runway!  On that one I was on 50ft final so it was not problem continuing to fly and not to run into that baby.  Nothing like a snow plow in the windscreen to promote a quick decision.