Flight School: Day 9
Today was tremendously frustrating. I hope today is was the worst day of flight school, including yesterday when I didn't even fly.
I only had one flight today in 8 knots winds with 12 knots gusts, all of which were nearly straight up the runway, meaning it should have been a piece of cake. But it was bumpy, gusty, turbulent, and the thermals were horrible. We stayed in the traffic pattern, which was busier than I've ever seen it. I had to pull a short approach to beat an airliner, make a long approach/short takeoff and landing to avoid another's wake turbulence, and worry about more than a student pilot's share of incoming traffic ATC commands. After 8 landings, only one which was absolutely beautiful (but I was too stressed to enjoy it), my instructor called it quits because I was getting so frustrated. Too many weird noises, uncontrolled bumps, ATC demands, and botched landings got under my skin.
After a few hours to calm down, listen to music, watch three episodes of Boondocks and download a bunch of music off of the free wireless internet that doesn't restrict Morpheus like my worthless apartment ethernet connection does, the winds had gotten stronger, with 12 knots sustained and 17 knot gusts. We decided not to go for the scheduled 4 o'clock flight and I went back to the hotel to call my mom and crawl into the fetal position on my bed. I also experienced my first coin laundromat session. If all the instructions weren't in Spanish it might have been better.
I'd like to take this time to explain my favorite non-aerobatic maneuver. Sure, Immelmanns are cool, loops and barrel rolls are fun, but regular planes can't perform those. My favorite is called a Slip. Basically, you put down full flaps (or don't, your choice), turn your wings to one side like you're doing a turn, but jam full opposite rudder. Because the rudder and ailerons are fighting each other, you don't turn, but you induce a lot of drag. The purpose is to lose altitude and speed in a hurry for short approach and emergency landings. It kinda feels like you're on a linoleum floor with socks and you run and slide on the surface, but instead of slowing down, you just slide really slow past all the hot women on the dance floor without running up, in slow motion. It feels cooler than moon-walking was back in the day.
(Post Script: yes, I realize just 6 days eariler I hated slips. Things change. Instead of feeling out of control, it now feels like drifting in a car. As Bow Wow said in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, "If you ain't out of control, you ain't in control." Word of advice: don't ever quote Bow Wow.)
Tomorrow doesn't look any better for a solo flight. I just hope I can finish without losing my research job.
I only had one flight today in 8 knots winds with 12 knots gusts, all of which were nearly straight up the runway, meaning it should have been a piece of cake. But it was bumpy, gusty, turbulent, and the thermals were horrible. We stayed in the traffic pattern, which was busier than I've ever seen it. I had to pull a short approach to beat an airliner, make a long approach/short takeoff and landing to avoid another's wake turbulence, and worry about more than a student pilot's share of incoming traffic ATC commands. After 8 landings, only one which was absolutely beautiful (but I was too stressed to enjoy it), my instructor called it quits because I was getting so frustrated. Too many weird noises, uncontrolled bumps, ATC demands, and botched landings got under my skin.
After a few hours to calm down, listen to music, watch three episodes of Boondocks and download a bunch of music off of the free wireless internet that doesn't restrict Morpheus like my worthless apartment ethernet connection does, the winds had gotten stronger, with 12 knots sustained and 17 knot gusts. We decided not to go for the scheduled 4 o'clock flight and I went back to the hotel to call my mom and crawl into the fetal position on my bed. I also experienced my first coin laundromat session. If all the instructions weren't in Spanish it might have been better.
I'd like to take this time to explain my favorite non-aerobatic maneuver. Sure, Immelmanns are cool, loops and barrel rolls are fun, but regular planes can't perform those. My favorite is called a Slip. Basically, you put down full flaps (or don't, your choice), turn your wings to one side like you're doing a turn, but jam full opposite rudder. Because the rudder and ailerons are fighting each other, you don't turn, but you induce a lot of drag. The purpose is to lose altitude and speed in a hurry for short approach and emergency landings. It kinda feels like you're on a linoleum floor with socks and you run and slide on the surface, but instead of slowing down, you just slide really slow past all the hot women on the dance floor without running up, in slow motion. It feels cooler than moon-walking was back in the day.
(Post Script: yes, I realize just 6 days eariler I hated slips. Things change. Instead of feeling out of control, it now feels like drifting in a car. As Bow Wow said in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, "If you ain't out of control, you ain't in control." Word of advice: don't ever quote Bow Wow.)
Tomorrow doesn't look any better for a solo flight. I just hope I can finish without losing my research job.
posted by Benacor at 10:53 PM
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