From a personal perspective, 2009 was an eventful year in my flying adventure. This was the year where it finally became a reality for me to begin to learn to fly. There were several milestones this year including joining NOASARA and taking a Navigation course in the spring as well as beginning ground school back in the fall that it’s hard to say what was the highlight. But most certainly my first official training flight has to be at the top. I haven’t been able to do any more flying since then but with the new year here and a bit of flexibility in my life right now, I intend to get up on a more regular schedule.

The other major aviation-related highlight has to be Airventure 09. There were many significant things at Oshkosh including seeing the A380 and taking a ride in the B17 Aluminum Overcast. But being able to share that with my dad and my buddy Greg was probably the best part.

I want to say thanks and Happy New Year to everyone who has been so supportive and encouraging.

Stay tuned for more of my adventures of punching holes in the sky in 2010.

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I forgot to take some pictures so I borrowed this from the NOASARA website.  Hopefully nobody minds.

Well the day finally arrived.  Last Monday (Nov 30) Melesa announced to the class that the plane was finished maintenance and she was ready to take bookings for Friday Saturday and Sunday.  I jumped at the chance and booked a flight for Dec 4th at 12:00pm for my first lesson.  It was hard to think about anything else for the rest of the week.  Later on Melesa called and asked if we could move it up to 11:00 so she could take better advantage of the short daylight hours here at this time of year.

I spent the next several days reading the the Flight Training Manual to get ready for what we’d be doing.  The club’s syllabus lists exercises 5-9 for the first lesson which covers: Attitudes and Movements, Straight and Level Flight, Climbing, Descending and Turns.  Reading the book, it didn’t seem too overwhelming.  After all, I’d already covered all of this in Microsoft Flight Simulator.  Everything seemed quite familiar.

On Friday morning, the weather didn’t look promising but a little later on, things started to look better.  Not great, but better.  We still had a low ceiling and not much of a horizon.   I wondered if it would actually happen.

Preparatory Ground Instruction

I showed up for 11:00am and Melesa was getting herself ready for the preparatory ground instruction (PGI) that happens before the flight.  Basically we took about 90 minutes to talk through all the exercises beforehand so it wasn’t all being introduced during the flight.  For each exercise, we covered basic definitions, what to expect it to look like out the window (the sight picture), safety considerations and other details.  It was quite a bit of information, actually.   After each topic she quizzed me to make sure I had a handle on what we were covering.   We finally got through all the material and it was time to go flying.

We bundled up (it was cold) and got ready to go out.  Called for fuel and checked the weather again.  We did the weight and balance and figured out that we were within limits.   We went outside and did the pre-flight inspection of the aircraft – I just followed her around and observed as she explained what she was doing and looking for.  We’ll cover this more in a future flight.  For now our goal was to get up in the air.

Startup

We got in the plane she briefed me and we went through the engine startup checklist.  It’s a lot to take in but I followed along and I think I kept up just fine.  Did I mention it was cold?  We waited a few minutes for the engine to warm up, got the ATIS on 128.8 for the current information.  (For the curious this is what it said: Information Quebec  1738Z  260@6  viz 20 -SN  1400 6800  20000 -8/-11 29.84 IFR  Landing and departing Rwy 25  SFC RWY 25 center 100′ 70% bare and dry 30% trace dry snow remainder 100% snow 1/8")

Next we set the Heading Indicator to the magnetic compass and the Altimiter to 29.84 which we got from the ATIS.  We contacted ground with our intentions and were given instructions to taxi via Delta Alfa Charlie to Hold short of Runway 25 and were told to squawk 0443.  As we taxied to the runway we found that the taxiways were icy.

We get to Charlie and pull aside and orient ourselves into the wind to do the runup.  The runup is just a last check of engine operation and looking for anomalies: we rev the engine to test the brakes, look for temp and pressure, test the magnetos and carb. heat operation.  Pre takeoff checks (seatbelts doors etc.) done.

Takeoff

We contact the tower and get cleared to line up and wait on Runway 25.  The we get clearance to take off.
The next next sequence of events went by really fast.  Trying to follow all the details was challenging.  Melesa advanced the throttle, checked to see that temperature and pressure are green and that airspeed indicator is ‘alive’ and at 55kts we rotate (pull back on the yoke to bring the nose up and lift off).  Off the ground at last.  Melesa said that we want to climb out at 70kts which we had said earlier was approximately our best rate of climb.

Exercises 5-9

We climbed up to our desired altitude Melesa said "You have control"  I took the yoke for the first time and things began in earnest.  First she had me just hold altitude and demonstrate nose down and cruise attitudes. Trying to judge gentle, medium and steep angles was challenging. The sight picture was a bit different than expected. Perhaps my seat was a bit high.
Because of the weather, Melesa asked ATC if we could head to Hazelwood lake area and we continued with practicing various level attitudes. After a bit of this we moved on to turns.  We stayed with gentle and medium banks to the left and then the right. As we banked she explained the need to ‘step on the ball’ meaning apply rudder as indicated by the small ball in the turn coordinator.   I was curious about the rudders so she got me to yaw the plane left and right to get a feel for this action.

Circuits

We didn’t have the altitude for some of the climbing and descending exercises so we went back to the airport to do some circuits which allowed us to practice several manoeuvres we’d already practiced as well as descending on approach and climbing on takeoff.   
Manoeuvring in he circuit was a lot to take in all at once.  Everything happens faster than you think.
On approach she asked me to judge where we would touch down. It will take a bit to get used to all the visuals but playing with flight simulator helped me at least know what I was looking for.  We did a couple of circuits and I had control for most of the time except for the actual landings and when Melesa needed to make some corrections. Since we didn’t get to do climbs and descents first, I was not as good as I might have been with some practice.  Lots of work to do there!   Our first two climbs were at 70 knots.  The usual circuit for Thunder Bay is with right hand turns but on our second circuit we were told to do go left – not sure why (I forgot to ask and missed the the reason if it was given over the radio).  That was good because I got to practice turns in both directions.  

On our last climb out I was asked to do it at 60 knots which is basically the best angle of climb for that aircraft.  It was difficult to hold that attitude.  It feels really slow and you can’t see over the nose at all.

By the end of the last circuit I was feeling a bit mentally stretched.  There are a lot of things to keep in balance – airspeed, pitch, power, altitude, flying a precise path around the airport and monitoring engine systems not to mention handling the communications.  Fortunately Melesa was PIC and I didn’t have to worry about the horrible consequences of being overloaded!

We landed for the last time without flaps and it was a notably shallower approach.

As we taxied back to the hangar, I got to try my hand at steering with my feet (pun intended, sorry).  I find taxiing to be a bit difficult in the flight simulator but its not quite so bad in the real thing.  But I spoke too soon and the plane wasn’t doing quite what I wanted it to do when I realized that I was inadvertently engaging the toe brakes.  If you push on the top part of the rudder pedals they engage the brakes.

When we got back, we pushed the plane back into the hangar and debriefed the flight.   Melesa said I did fine with all things considered.  Because of the weather, we only flew for one hour but it was great to finally have done it.

1.0 hours dual logged.

I am looking forward to the next lesson.  It is Christmas time so time and money are in short supply!  Hopefully I can schedule something before the new year.  I don’t want to leave it too long between lessons so that I can keep advancing instead of spending too much time with review.  All together, I had and awesome time.   And we finished just tin time for me to pick up the kids from school!

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Our class last week made me regret the fact that I didn’t take auto shop in high school or bother to learn much about my car.  We were talking about aero engines, magnetos, fuel systems and oil and all those other mechanical things that help get the airplane off the ground.  I generally have a good handle on what we’re covering in most classes but I am quite behind when it comes to the mechanics of an internal combustion engine.  Sure I understand the principles, but my hands don’t usually get very dirty!  Most of the guys in the class were talking about differences and similarities to cars or equipment they’ve worked on or other such things.  I have some catching up to do.

Understanding these things is pretty important.  Knowing basics and more about the engine can be a life saver when troubleshooting a problem in flight or, perhaps knowing when a flight ought not to occur at all.   Knowing what all the gages are telling you and what potential problems could arise is a useful thing.  I think I’m beginning to develop a greater appreciation for what’s going on under the hood of my Neon.

I’m still a bit reluctant to get my hands dirty, though!

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These three examples are inexcusable as far as I’m concerned.  How does someone get to the point where he would even consider flying after drinking.  Or does flying get so dull that you could become distracted enough in the cockpit to forget basic airmanship?  I really hope not.  I’m going after my dream because I am in love with the idea that flying is an incredible experience.  I hope I never get to the point where I take the miracle of flight for granted!  Now I recognize flying a highly automated airliner on predefined routes could become routine but doesn’t the fact that there are a whole bunch of people depending on you to make wise decisions and apply your training with some sense of responsibility?  These weren’t even remotely excusable.  Equipment didn’t fail, but their judgement did.

There have also recently been a few crashes here in Northwestern Ontario one of which had some fatalities.

I know a number of people who are afraid to fly and spend a lot of time explaining why it’s perfectly safe in an airplane.  Each time something like this happens someone inevitably says, “See?  That’s why I’m afraid to fly.

All of us who are student pilots should commit to really taking our training seriously and become the best and safest pilots we can. 

Pilots and students:  Know the aircraft. Know the weather. Know your personal limitations.  Know the regulations.  Be disciplined about every aspect of your flight.  Don’t compromise.  You must never stop learning.  Seek out training opportunities and resources such as The Finer Points podcast and others.

Safety and eliminating careless mistakes is up to us.

End of rant

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My annual trip to Oshkosh with my dad and a few others has been one of the things that has kept my dream of flight alive.  It is an experience like no other in the aviation world.  In fact, there are few other events to compare with it in any world.  The inspiration that comes from such a concentrated group of people in love with all aspects of flying is incredible.  The EAA has just posted a video that captures the week in time lapse from a camera in the tower.  If you are a pilot or have an interest in aviation, you really need to get to Airventure some time.  It should almost be mandatory for pilots!  My dream is to some day be able to have the skills to fly in to the show.

I wish I could figure out how to embed the video but wordpress won’t seem to let me.

Check it out here

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So I’ve been playing with Google SketchUp and was trying to figure out a project to do so I could learn how it works.  I decided to use my VNC and mark out the airspace around Thunder Bay (CYQT) just for fun.  We haven’t covered all of this but I think I understand how it works.  The blue area is the class D airspace around the airport.  The green is Class E which I think is considered transitional airspace.  I need to clear that up in my own head.    Both the Delta and the Echo airspace in this case need transponders.  In the Class D you must have permission to enter and then maintain contact with ATC.

If you have any further info on this or can clarify how all this works, leave a comment.  As I said, we haven’t covered this in detail so I’m a bit fuzzy on it.  This is a work in progress and just for fun but I’m open to suggestions on improving it.

If you’d like to download the .kmz file and view it in google earth, be my guest.  http://bit.ly/2Ey4OO It’s simply a work in progress and is not super accurate – certainly not for navigation and flight planning.

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What A Drag (sorry)
Actually it’s not really a drag at all.  After a break we finally got to move away from Law and procedures and get into theory of flight.  I’m a physics nut so I love all the talk about opposing forces and people like Bernoulli and Newton.  It’s quite fascinating and, actually quite amazing it works at all!  A couple of weeks ago (okay a month) I posted a link to a video about the aerodynamic differences between a typical GA aircraft and a high performance aircraft like an F-16.  Check it out.

If anybody wants more discussion about aerodynamics and the theory of flight, drop me a line or leave a comment.

On another note, the other missing piece of the puzzle after the PSTAR arrived in the mail this week: My class 3 medical.

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• Emergency Communications (light signals/interceptions)
• Required equipment, maintenance, documents
• Transportation Safety Board (reporting occurrences, accidents and incidents)
• ATS/FSS
• NOTAMS
• VFR Enroute Procedures
• Wake Turbulence

and a bunch of other things.  There’s a lot of information to know as we get closer to the PSTAR test.

We ended up discussing several different things in more depth including Wake Turbulence avoidance and the reporting procedures for accidents/incidents.

One thing I didn’t know was that Transport Canada keeps a database of occurrences that is used to track trends related to safety with anything from an air operator or flight training unit, aerodromes, security (bomb threats or strike actions), environment (fuel spills) or even private aircraft.  The system, called CADORS (Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Reporting System) is designed to collect information and watch for anything out of the ordinary.  It’s not primarily a fault-finding system but more for gathering information to increase safety.   Very cool.   Thanks to Steve in our class for the information.

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In order to get a Student Pilot Permit, there are two main requirements.   You must take and pass the PSTAR test and obtain a Category 1 or 3 medical.  Here’s a link to a chart with comparisons of the categories http://bit.ly/19jBAp More on the PSTAR when we write it.

Since the medical is required, I figured I should get the exam done sooner rather than later so that if I could determine if I qualify or not.  Aside from carrying a bit too much weight,  I couldn’t think of any reason I wouldn’t get the medical but if for some reason I was denied, it would change the kind of license I might pursue.

Only doctors who are certified by Transport Canada can issue or renew an aviation medical – Civil Aviation Medical Examiner.  My family doctor isn’t a CAME so I went to the doctor recommended by our instructor.  He’s an older man.  A former pilot with a waiting room full of old aviation magazines and EAA Sport Aviation journals.  When I asked if he still flew he said that he wouldn’t trust himself anymore.  But with the Pilatus calendar, airplane photos and other decorations (in fact there wasn’t anything but), it was fairly evident that he still loves aviation.

The medical was pretty straightforward:  Questions about general health, personal and family history, eye tests, urine test (he had a propeller propped up outside the bathroom) blood pressure and, because I’m over 40, an ECG.  While he was hooking me up for the ECG, we were chatting and I was telling him how long I’d been waiting for this opportunity and that one of my goals is to one day be confident enough to be able to fly into Oshkosh.  After he ran the ECG machine, he said “That settles it.  You’ve got to fly now”.

Well, I guess that means he didn’t find anything wrong.  One more requirement to go before applying for the Student Pilot Certificate.  And a lot of studying.

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An F-16 is designed differently than a Cessna 172! Great aerodynamics lesson from an Air Force test pilot: http://bit.ly/N2rp3

We haven’t gotten to covering the forces of flight or aerodynamics in ground school yet but I thought this was kind of cool and very educational!

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