Wednesday, June 22, 2005
right rudder, right rudder, RIGHT RUDDER!!!!!!!!
"Flying is the second greatest thrill known to man. Landing is the first" - Unknown
I didn't really get the humor in this until having attempted a few landings myself. I keep getting better at them, but every time I do it I get a new challenge thrown at me.
Nothing in aviation is as easy as they make it seem in the movies. The controls don't move like you think they do and an act as simple as turning left involves seven guages and thirteen steps. (A bit of hyperbole there, just trying to illustrate how frustrating it can be.) Landing is no exception. There are many steps and many pitfalls. Your little plane is floating above the runway, susceptible to many forces acting upon it, and you have to guide it in such a manner that it hits the runway smoothly traveling at about 50 miles per hour.
The first time I tried this, I was not nearly experienced enough and I came in too high and too fast. The second time I failed to compensate for the left turning tendancy of the plane with enough right rudder. The title is a quote from my flight instructor, Kristen. That woman has nerves of steel. The third time I tried it, everything went perfectly until it was time to pull back and let the plane settle on the runway. The quote that time was "backpressure, backpressure, BACKPRESSURE!!!!!!" Poor guy. After that flight, Kurt found out that I was now his student. A mix up earlier had made me Kristen's student, I was always supposed to be with Kurt.
My latest landing was ooooogly. I have never done a crosswind landing and we were landing with a 10knot crosswind gusting to 15 knots. Not easy. I had everything lined up, we were coming in at an angle, but down the center of the runway. Ten seconds before touchdown the wind let up and the nose of the plane was pitched hard to the left. No big deal, I fixed it. The wind started to push me right, away from the center of the runway. Now this is a problem, I don't know how to fix this. My instructor jumped in with some advice, but I didn't understand what he was saying. We hit the runway with sidways momentum and at an angle, so it shot us left. Then we hit facing the other way so we shot right. Now our wheels are on the deck and we have to do something, lifting off is not really an option at this point. I don't know what he did, but my instructor straightened it out with a few quick steering inputs and we were straight. The tower called over the radio that we were cleared to taxi off the runway and back to the aero club, adding "nice save 01 (our callsign)," a bit of a stab at my shitty landing, but I can take it. One of my fellow students saw our landing and said he was about to get the crash fire rescue guys going. Oh well, at least we can all share a laugh about it.
The upside is that I'm not really worried about landing. I don't expect to get it right the first time every time, and I've had a lot of shit thrown at me so far, it can only get better from here!
I didn't really get the humor in this until having attempted a few landings myself. I keep getting better at them, but every time I do it I get a new challenge thrown at me.
Nothing in aviation is as easy as they make it seem in the movies. The controls don't move like you think they do and an act as simple as turning left involves seven guages and thirteen steps. (A bit of hyperbole there, just trying to illustrate how frustrating it can be.) Landing is no exception. There are many steps and many pitfalls. Your little plane is floating above the runway, susceptible to many forces acting upon it, and you have to guide it in such a manner that it hits the runway smoothly traveling at about 50 miles per hour.
The first time I tried this, I was not nearly experienced enough and I came in too high and too fast. The second time I failed to compensate for the left turning tendancy of the plane with enough right rudder. The title is a quote from my flight instructor, Kristen. That woman has nerves of steel. The third time I tried it, everything went perfectly until it was time to pull back and let the plane settle on the runway. The quote that time was "backpressure, backpressure, BACKPRESSURE!!!!!!" Poor guy. After that flight, Kurt found out that I was now his student. A mix up earlier had made me Kristen's student, I was always supposed to be with Kurt.
My latest landing was ooooogly. I have never done a crosswind landing and we were landing with a 10knot crosswind gusting to 15 knots. Not easy. I had everything lined up, we were coming in at an angle, but down the center of the runway. Ten seconds before touchdown the wind let up and the nose of the plane was pitched hard to the left. No big deal, I fixed it. The wind started to push me right, away from the center of the runway. Now this is a problem, I don't know how to fix this. My instructor jumped in with some advice, but I didn't understand what he was saying. We hit the runway with sidways momentum and at an angle, so it shot us left. Then we hit facing the other way so we shot right. Now our wheels are on the deck and we have to do something, lifting off is not really an option at this point. I don't know what he did, but my instructor straightened it out with a few quick steering inputs and we were straight. The tower called over the radio that we were cleared to taxi off the runway and back to the aero club, adding "nice save 01 (our callsign)," a bit of a stab at my shitty landing, but I can take it. One of my fellow students saw our landing and said he was about to get the crash fire rescue guys going. Oh well, at least we can all share a laugh about it.
The upside is that I'm not really worried about landing. I don't expect to get it right the first time every time, and I've had a lot of shit thrown at me so far, it can only get better from here!
// posted by Josh @ 6/22/2005 10:21:00 PM 
Comments:
<< Home
Just dropping you a comment to let you know I am checking up on ya!
Good to know you are doing well...Some of these "classes" sound fun! Some sound like a hash just minus the beer...
Are you hashing up in Quantico? I met a couple of hashers from that area, Dinkey Magoo & Wicked Felina, I will be seeing them this weekend at TITS..
On-On
Post a Comment
Good to know you are doing well...Some of these "classes" sound fun! Some sound like a hash just minus the beer...
Are you hashing up in Quantico? I met a couple of hashers from that area, Dinkey Magoo & Wicked Felina, I will be seeing them this weekend at TITS..
On-On
<< Home
