Nothing But Snow

It's been snowing off and on since December 15th and I'd say we've had at least two feet of snow in the Snoqualmie area over that time. There was a break in the snow this morning, so I was able to get a training flight in. Today's flight was all about practicing commercial maneuvers. After my instructor dug out the plane (from the snow) and we had it de-iced, we headed East for some steep turns, stalls, lazy 8's, 8's on pylons, and chandelles. Still a little week on lazy 8's, but they are improving. About an hour into the flight, the afternoon snow started to fall and we headed back to KBFI for some short field landings and power off 180 degree accuracy landings. Only one runway was open (the other was covered in snow), so during each downwind leg we had to do a 360 degree turn for wake turbulence spacing for each jet that was departing between our landings.

After the flight we had a ground session discussing what the areas of emphasis will be for the practical exam. The local FSDO had sent out a letter listing some of the common failure reasons and indicated that the failure rate was abnormally high. So, more to learn (or memorize) over the next few weeks.

Ground Briefs Completed

Presented my last two ground briefs this week. Finished up with the 172RG hydraulic system and airworthiness/documents. That's 24 ground briefs given. I still need to re-visit a few and make some updates and present a couple of the weaker ones as I get closer to the check ride.

I had flights planned for today and tomorrow but the first winter storm has arrived and that pretty much nixes any flying since there is nothing but rain/snow in the forecast for the next three days. I'm going to take the remaining days until Christmas to get my CFI written out of the way and then do some intensive training starting after Christmas since I have 11 days off from work.

80% of CFI Training Completed

My CFI training is coming together and am getting closer to setting a date for the check ride. There are a few new things still to cover and some refinement required for some of the manuevers, but completion is on the horizon. Chandelles and lazy eights are taking a little longer to master than I'd like but they'll eventually be standards.

This week consisted of two training flights and a ground brief. New for these flights was learning to demonstrate accelerated maneuver stalls, secondary stalls, trim tab stalls, and crossed-control stalls. Getting exeperience in these types of stalls exposes the CFI to more forms of inadvertant flight situations that a student can put you in. The interesting thing is that when demonstrating these stalls (or any stall) is that you can put yourself and the airplane in an inadvertant situation. This was just the case when I did my first trim tab stall, and as the airplane approached the stall, there was a little bit of yaw present and with a high pitch attitude, the airplane flipped over and entered the first stage of a spin.

I found myself pointing straight down and starting to rotate. It was interesting how my previous training helped me instinctively recognize the spin and recover (though a little shocked). So the take away is to make sure that you stall gracefully when demonstrating stalls.

For the ground brief this week, we went over log book endorsements and started looking at airworthiness requirements.

Fog

I had planned to get out in the 182 today, but the fog just wouldn't go away. The entire Puget Sound was blanketed by fog the whole day.

KRNT 301453Z 00000KT 2SM BR OVC002 12/11
KRNT 301753Z 35003KT 1/2SM FG BKN001 11/11
KRNT 302253Z 30007KT 4SM BR OVC003

(For the non-pilots, the above numbers are from a weather reporting machine and 2SM BR OVC002 means that the visibility is 2 statute miles with mist and the ceiling is 200 feet.)

Lite Training Week

With the Thanksgiving break and all, I had one training flight scheduled but that got scrubbed due to mechanical issues. Instead, I gave a ground brief on the electrical system.

Next week, the plan is to get in a couple of flights and give a brief on the hydraulic system/landing gear.

Two More Flights and a Ground Brief

This week I presented the propeller portion of the systems ground brief. The PTS says:
"To determine that the applicant exhibits instructional knowledge of the elements related to the operation of systems, as applicable to the airplane used for the practical test, by describing the following systems..."

I originally took the approach that just describing the components and controls involved for a particular system were sufficient. My instructor pointed out that I should know what happens when a lever or switch is moved in the cockpit. As an example, when the propeller knob is pulled out, what happens? It's easy enough to say that the propeller blades rotate to a higher pitch (more course position). But what really happens? Here's a more thorough explanation:

Pulling the prop control lever, causes the linkage to release pressure on the speeder spring, which causes the flyweights to extend out. This opens the pilot valve which sends pressurized oil to the propeller hub, which causes the piston in the hub to move, which rotates the propeller blades to a higher pitch setting.

http://www.mccauley.textron.com/pro-sup/prosupframeset.html

The idea of describing systems in a more micro level starts to lay the foundation for piloting more advanced aircraft where knowledge of systems is much more important.

I flew twice this week, the first flight was with my instructor and we worked on refining my commercial maneuvers. I flew a second time solo to work on more of the same.

IFR Fly-in to KHQM

The place where I'm training organizes various fly-in events to destinations around the Seattle area and today's was an IFR fly-in to Hoquiam. It was a beautiful day with high ceilings so no actual IFR, but since I had a safety pilot aboard I was able to log two approaches while under the hood. My safety pilot was also a CFII and he helped me refine a few things with my approach technique. Plus the milkshakes ($100 milkshakes) at Lana's are always worth the trip to KHQM.

Another Week of Flying

This week I continued with the systems gound brief and made one training flight in the 172RG. The ground brief was a continuation of systems and the flight mostly consisted of chandelles and lazy eights. Did a few steep turns, but they weren't going that well so we moved on to other manuevers. Also had the emergency simulation of all simulations. We started with a simulated engine fire and after the simulated fire was out there was a simulated electrical failure. This involved a manual gear extension at about 3000' while trying to select a good field to land in. Surprisingly I knew most of the emergency items from memory and used the checklists to hit the items that I couldn't remember. I did miss turning the master off step after an engine fire, so I think I'll memorize all of the emergency procedures so that this excercise goes a little smoother the next time.

More CFI Training

This week was a productive week with a ground brief on systems and a training flight in the 172RG. The systems brief is quite extensive so we only got through the power plant section. This week we'll tackle the rest of the systems subject areas starting with electrical.

Had to cancel one flight due to weather but was able to fly yesterday. This flight started with lazy eights and chandelle's and this was the first time that I've tried these maneuvers from the right seat. We finished the flight with a short field landing and power off 180 landing. I also got to experience a simulated engine failure after takeoff. I hadn't done one of these in a while and I knew something was up when my instructor requested an "option takeoff" with the tower. At about 100', the power got pulled. I landed ok, but should have pitched down a little more to establish best glide.

CFI Training Flight #6

N52907, 1.5 hrs - Back in the right seat after 10 days off. Before we got in the air, I wanted to get the power settings down for setting up/executing maneuvers. Doing the same thing everytime, makes flying (and teaching) and setting up so much easier

1. MP 19"/2300 RPM, clearing turns. This gets things stable at maneuvering speed and from this speed we can do steep turns, chandelles, lazy eights, etc.
2. For slow flight, power off stalls, continue slowing with 14" MP, flaps, gear, flaps, flaps

For this flight, I was the instructor demonstrating maneuvers beginning with the takeoff. I started with a soft field takeoff demonstration and then we flew out to the practice area. I climbed to 2500' and did some clearing turns and then setup for slowflight. After that did power-on stalls, departure stalls, and steep turns. Then headed over to KPAE for some landings (short, soft). After that it was back to KBFI for a no flap landing.

Lunch at KHQM

Loaded up the family plane and flew West to the coast where we had lunch at Lana's Cafe at the Hoquiam airport.

No Right Seat Flying This Week

My instructor was out of town this weekend and next week he has part 135 training, so I'm spending my time prepping for the CFI written and preparing more ground briefs. Have a ground session and flight on the schedule for this week. Next up will be a brief on Navigation and Flight Planning.

More Right Seat Time

N6141R 1.4 hrs -I flew another training flight today in the 172RG. I "taught" about wind correction on the taxi out to the run-up area and then talked my "student" through a soft field take off. After departing the area I was once again the student and had to demonstrate slow flight, stalls, and step turns. On the way back to KBFI, went through the steps of dealing with an engine failure and landed demonstrating short field technique (I actually landed a little long, so it wasn't that great of a short field landing).

More CFI Ground Briefs

I had a flight planned today, but after arriving at the flight school, the airplane was down for maintenance. This is a sore point with me and this particular flight school in that I'm rarely notified when the airplane that I have scheduled isn't available for a flight. It seems like an easy enough problem to solve but they just don't get it. I would also think that as an instructor, one would check that the equipment for your students is actually available and then inform your students or make equipment changes as appropriate. Enough ranting for now.

Plan-B was to give a ground brief, so I had 8's on pylons already prepared and taught my instructor all about the manuever. This one went well and I now have 19 of 24 briefs done. Earlier in the week I gave briefs on Chandelles, Lazy Eights, and weather information. All of the flight maneuver ground briefs are complete, so we're shifting to doing more flying than ground instruction.

Instrument Currency

My instrument approach opportunity this summer has been few and far between. With the airplane being down for major engine work for almost two months and working on my CFI, I havn't had much opportunity to keep instrument current by flying six approaches in six months.

So today I went out in the 182 with my regular CFII and executed some instrument approaches. My plan was to fly a couple of ILS's at KPWT and then do the published missed approach hold just to make sure I knew how to use the Garmin for just such an occasion. Typically missed approach instructions are given by ATC, so flying the missed approach as published is something that needs revisiting once and a while. After KPWT I planned to fly the GPS 23 approach at KSHN since ceilings were reported as 700' and I could get some actual instrument time.

Turned out that KPWT was also IFR, and there were several other airplanes holding and waiting for their turn to fly approaches. We ended up going to KTIW and I shot the ILS 17 approach a couple of times following by the published missed, which is a hold over the outer marker. Runway 17 was the opposite direction of landing traffic so I experienced some localizer/glideslope interference as other airplanes briefly blocked the ILS signal. This was really noticable when trying to fly one of the approaches coupled to the auto pilot and the auto pilot wouldn't track the localizer accurately. It finally clicked with me as to why the ILS critical areas are there.

After KTIW, we headed over to KSHN for the GPS 23 approach and then ended up holding while waiting for another airplane to complete their approach. After that, headed back to KRNT for one more GPS approach.

Spin, Spin, Spin

N561UA 0.9 hrs - Today I got my spin endorsement which is a requirement for the CFI rating. I had already presented my ground brief on spins so after a safety briefing we launched in the C-152 Aerobat. We wanted to start at 5500' for spin practice over the Carnation valley, so we got a clearance to climb through class Bravo airspace shortly after takeoff from Boeing field. First, my instructor had me do a few 60 degree turns just to get the feel of 2G's of load, since that is close to the G forces encountered on the pull-out from a spin recovery. Next I practiced putting the airplane into a stall and mainting directional control with rudder/aileron. Suprisingly, the Aerobat will fly with full back elevator.

Next my instructor had me try and spin the airplane by doing "stupid" things that one of my future students may do at some point and its amazing how docile the Cessna's are, and with crazy control inputs they still remain stable.

After that is was showtime, and we reviewed what is required for a spin to occur (stall and yawing) and the recovery procedure (power idle, aileron neutral, full rudder opposite direction of spin/elevator briskly forward to break the stall, neutralize rudder when spinning stops, recover from the dive).

I started with a spin to the left, by reducing power to 1800 RPM, slowing to stall speed, and then full back elevator, full left rudder and full left aileron (basically doing a roll to force the wing over). The incipient stage lasted about 1 1/2 turns then the full spin developed and we corkscrewed for another 3 turns before recovering. I was supprised how my hands and feet just went through the recovery procedure without me having to think about it. I actually applied too much forward elevator to break the stall and pulled some -G's on the subsequent dive. The accelerometer showed +2.5G and -1.0 on the recovery.

I did a few more spins to the left and to the right with my instructor demontrating a few in between. We headed back to KBFI where I proceded to make a squeeker landing in the 152 (this was my first time ever in a C-152).

Observation Flight

I had a chance to sit in the backseat and observe another CFI candidate get some training. Its interesting to see how someone else "teaches" and how their methods differ from mine. I learned a few things and noticed some similiarities in how I teach at this stage of training. This flight helped me "get" some of the things that an instructor must do to be an effective teacher. One thing that will help all CFI students is to start talking outloud whenever you are doing something with your hands. This will make it much easier to "teach" a maneuver if you are in the habbit of talking through it. Also, I noted a few other things:

• Give students specifics, like turn left to a heading, with 20 degrees of bank. (don't just say, turn left)
• Give specific power inputs, like 2000 RPM, not reduce/increase power a little
• Etc.

Also this week, I presented the basic instrument maneuvers ground brief, so thats one more out of the way. Next week I'm presenting the weather ground brief and then flying again in the 172RG.

Cancelled Training Flight Today

Had a flight in the 172RG scheduled this afternoon but Fall has arrived in the Pacific Northwest and that means cancelled flights. Today was rainy and a "little" breezy as the last few hours of METARS show:

KBFI 042353Z 19014G29KT 10SM FEW025 BKN110 14/09 A2960 RMK AO2 PK WND 17035/2300 SLP022 60006 T01390089
KBFI 042305Z 19020G35KT 10SM BKN025 14/09 A2956 RMK AO2 PK WND 17035/2300
KBFI 042253Z 18016G29KT 10SM SCT023 14/09 A2955 RMK AO2 PK WND 18034/2232 RAE2155 SLP007 P0000 T01390094
KBFI 042213Z 19017G31KT 10SM SCT025 BKN033 14/10 A2953 RMK AO2 PK WND 18031/2208 RAE2155 P0000
KBFI 042200Z 19016G24KT 10SM BKN025 BKN032 OVC050 14/11 A2952 RMK AO2 RAE2155 P0000
KBFI 042153Z 18012G28KT 10SM -RA SCT023 BKN030 OVC050 14/11 A2952 RMK AO2 PK WND 19029/2115 RAB29 SLP995
KBFI 042150Z 18014G28KT 10SM -RA SCT022 BKN030 OVC050 14/11 A2951 RMK AO2 PK WND 19029/2115 RAB29 P0000

Was at least able to get a few ground briefs in this week:
- Spins
- Short Field Approach and Landing
- Flight Instructor Professionalism and Characteristics

CFI Training Flight #4

N5252V 1.2 hrs - Started flying the "vintage" 172RG again. Today was just a get aquainted from the right seat flight, since the last time I flew the RG was in May from the left seat. We went up to KPAE for some landings and I got in a normal and short field landing, plus a soft and short field takeoff. This airport was way to busy today, so we bailed and went back to KBFI. Made a no-flap landing on the short runway (13L) with plenty of runway to spare.

Lunch at KSPB

Flew my friend David down to Scapoose, OR. for lunch. He is leaving Washington in a couple of days to begin flight training at Flight Safety in Vero Beach, FL. At least for the next few years, this will be his last flight in the Pacific Northwest (and probably the last in my 182). Was also able to put 2.3 hrs on the 182 towards the breakin of the new cylinders.

I'd been to KSPB a few times, but wasn't aware of the restaurant just across the street from the NW end of the airport http://www.scappoosecreekinn.com/.

CFI Ground Training

The majority of the CFI training is learning to teach and being able to present a topic both in the air and on the ground. For my training, I'm doing full ground briefs for each topic/maneuver and this involves reading each relevant section of the Airplane Flying Handbook, Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, etc., and then preparing a lecture type presentation.

Briefs completed so far (8/19/2008 - 9/22/2008):

• Principals of Flight
• Fundamentals of Flight
• Normal and X-wind Takeoff and Climb
• Manuevering During Slow Flight
• Power Off Stalls
• Steep Turns
• Traffics Patterns
• Normal and X-wind Approach and Landing
• Turns Around a Point
• Soft Field Takeoff and Climb

CFI Training Flight #3

N493GW 1.1 hrs - Pretty crappy weather day with light rain and 2500' ceilings and 1000' scattered layer at KBFI. More right seat training and I talked my CFI ("student") through the run-up and takeoff. I was responsible for the radio and cloud clearance for the flight. We headed out over Lake Sammamish and setup for slow flight and power off stalls. I had to take the controls for the first time as my instructor put the airplane in an intentional unusual attitude.

After that I was the student again, and had a simulated engine failure. I'm getting more comfortable with these and the secret is to spiral down over your intended landing site and roll out on the downwind at pattern altitude. After going around over the cows, we headed back to KBFI for a short field landing.

Next week I'm moving back into the 172RG.

CFI Training Flight #2

N493GW 1.7 hrs- Second CFI training flight and I had to teach takeoffs, steep turns, slow flight and power on/off stalls. Next, I was student again and had to show that I could handle a simulated engine failure. I flailed through it and not sure if we would have actually landed safely in the field that I picked. It's always best to remember "aviate, navigate, communicate". Learned some useful things from my instructor for handling engine out emergencies, so these will get easier with the more simulated engine failures that I do.

CFI Training Flight #1

N493GW 1.5 hrs - First time back in this plane since my instrument training days. Today I had to demontrate (and talk through) starting, taxiing and takeoff. After departing KBFI, my instructor became the student and I talked him through straight and level flight, climbs, descents, and turns. After that I demonstrated slow flight and we returned to KBFI.

Commercial Checkride

N6141R 172RG 1.4 hrs, 1.5 hrs oral - The oral portion was essentially a discussion of all of the things that might apply to a commercial pilot for a hypothetical flight. I had planned a flight from KBFI (Boeing Field) to KSUN (Hailey Idaho) with full fuel and 3 pax. We talked about what documents would be required, what inspections/equipment would be needed to legally make the flight, etc. I was quized on commercial pilot priveledges and what "holding out" was. There was some discussion of airspaces and sectional chart symbols that would be encountered along our hypothetical flight. Also had some discussions about the 172RG's systems, like landing gear, electrical, and static system.

Headed out for the flight portion of the practical and had to fly the first two checkpoints of my planned flight to KSUN. This include timing each leg and proving that my flight plan was acurate. Then was given a diversion destination and had to estimate how long and what heading to fly in order to get there.

Next we did maneuvers, starting with steep turns, then slow flight, power on/off stalls. Next had my choice of chandelles or lazy eights (chose the lazy eights). After that I had a simulated emergency and proved that I could make the field that I selected. Lastly before heading back for some landings, did steep spirals and eights on pylons.

Went to KRNT for landings/stop & goes, did short field, soft field, no flap landing, slips and power off 180 accuracy. Returned to KBFI for one last landing and taxied back to the FBO. All of the DE's that I've had seem to like to withhold your pass/fail until the very last minute. After engine shutdown, I got the proverbial "congratulations". I guess that the check ride isn't over until the plane is tied down, since I've heard of people failing because they forgot to do an after landing checklist.

The post brief was informative and it turned out that my chandelles were the weakest and my eights on pylons were the best.