Lesson 12 - Circuits
So after a very
unsmooth and bumpy ride last week, I recovered (a little) today.
Progress, if any for me I'm finding, is painfully slow. I think
mostly because I'm still overwhelmed about the amount of information
and physical checks I have to remember and do. As my instructor
confirms, I'm doing too many things at once and that's my downfall.
Funny as that's exactly the opposite of what I have to do at work!
In fact my work title should be changed to “Multitasking
administrator”!
 |
So excuses aside, today
was a practise in joining circuits. So joining circuits I've come to
gather is getting ready to land, but you have to join the airspace
with other air crafts in order that there is a “queueing system”
if you like, to land. In a small private airport traffic is usually
quite quiet so its a good place to practise without having time
restrictions and pressures of everyone else around you. Of course
this doesn't go all too well when Scotland decides to have a rare
“extremely great weather” day, that's when you see all types of
aircrafts out – micro, gliders, helicopters etc.
So my first on my own
take off today also, and actually it's much easier than I thought it
would be. Of course having such a small aircraft, once you reach
that max RPM (speed) and momentum on the runway your aircraft
naturally wants to leave the ground anyway so really all you have to
do after that is apply a little back pressure on your steering column
and your up up and away! Once your in the air is when everything
becomes chaotic again with the checking and the planning etc.
 |
| Beautiful day so many aircrafts parked on the airfield |
Staying at 1,000ft (or
for me just under or above 1,000ft as I clearly have yet to master
flying straight and level!!!) I did a 90degree, 90 degree and a final
90degree turn to line the aircraft back up with the runway at Perth
airport. And this is where being able to fly straight makes all the
difference as I descend for the runway swaying like a clock pendulum!
If I was anything but the pilot I think I'd be a bit sick by now
from all the swaying upwards, downwards and sideways from my as far
opposite as you can imagine, smooth flying.
The first attempt was
ok, hit the runways with a hard thunk but it landed, max speed again
and I'm in the air again. Second attempt was even shakier than the
first as I was starting to over think and remember things. Landing
surprisingly was a lot smoother. Third landing I shaved the grass at
the beginning of the runway as I essentially “missed” (or
undershot) the runway. Ack, someone needed to mow the lawn anyways.
By the eighth landing I was pretty frazzled and it was only a 40mins
flight/lesson. Disorientated and stressed I was more than ready to
call it a day.
Thankfully the
following week I was more confident, managed to orientate myself
meaning, I knew where (directional) the runway was each time. My
flying however remains like the ocean waves, something I definitely
need to work on.
