Peter's Flight Log

Hour 33 was the second flight of the day. In the morning flight, Hour 32, I practiced advanced stalls, and it was a lot of fun. In Hour 33 was planned to be another circuits solo check, but Davide promised to spice it up a bit with random emergencies and, perhaps, a landing on the grass runway at Camden. He was not joking around. Before we even climbed in the cockpit, Davide attempted to pull one of the circuit breakers out to see if I would notice it during the pre-start checks.

Weather

The weather remained perfect, as it was this morning.

Here's what BOM shows for the day:

For this midday flight, ATIS reported this:

Information Charlie, RW 06, Wind Var 5 kt, CAVOK, 29°C, QNH 1019.

Short-field take off

A short-field takeoff is a technique used by pilots to safely lift off from a runway that is shorter than usual or when obstacles near the end of the runway must be cleared. This technique is essential for ensuring that the aircraft can achieve the necessary altitude in the shortest possible distance while maintaining a margin of safety.

In a Cessna 172, for example, a short-field takeoff involves several specific steps:

1. Pre-takeoff Preparation: Before attempting a short-field takeoff, the pilot should perform a thorough pre-flight check, ensuring that the aircraft's flaps are set according to the manufacturer's recommendations for a short-field takeoff. This often involves setting the flaps to 10 degrees, but it's crucial to consult the aircraft's pilot operating handbook (POH) for the exact setting.
2. Brake Use: The pilot holds the brakes while advancing the throttle to full power. This action allows the engine to develop maximum takeoff power before the aircraft starts to roll, which is crucial for achieving the shortest ground roll.
3. Engine Power and Control Check: While the brakes are held, and the throttle is at full power, the pilot checks engine instruments for proper operation and ensures that control surfaces are functioning correctly.
4. Release Brakes: After verifying that all systems are go, the pilot releases the brakes, allowing the aircraft to start its takeoff roll.
5. Liftoff and Climb: The pilot lifts off at the aircraft's recommended short-field takeoff speed and then climbs out at a slightly higher angle than usual to clear any obstacles. The climb-out speed is also specified in the aircraft's POH and is usually higher than the standard takeoff speed to ensure obstacle clearance.
6. Flap Retraction: Once the aircraft has cleared any obstacles and is safely climbing, the pilot retracts the flaps as recommended in the POH, usually at a safe altitude where the aircraft can maintain climb without the assistance of flaps.
7. Transition to Normal Climb: After retracting the flaps and ensuring that all obstacles have been cleared, the pilot transitions to a normal climb speed and attitude as per the aircraft's standard operating procedures.

In today's flight I executed a short-field touch and go, because I used up too much runway on Runway 28. See below my log segment for Circuit 3.

Pre-flight briefing

This flight would serve as circuits practice and a solo circuits check-ride. If I do well, then I would be cleared to fly solo next week, assuming the weather was compatible. 

I would practice normal and flapless approaches, plus as many emergencies as Davide could throw in: engine failure downwind, upwind, base.

I was ready for everything (including landing on grass, which I didn't know would be a possibility before setting out).

The flight

I said: "Camden Ground, AHH, downwind for touch and go". I should have said simply "AHH, downwind for touch and go", since Tower already monitors me at that point.

I realised immediately, and the Tower controller cleared me for touch and go, and also reminded me that he's "tower".

BUMFISH was good, and I setup the plan on a good profile for the touch and go. Speed, altitude, decent rate, all within tolerances for RPL. Late final was good flying on the extended centerline (00:28:34), and I managed a good landing on the centerline.

In circuit 2, my radio call was correct, and I did a good flapless touch and go (00:33:47).

In circuit 3, Davide requested clearance to do a right turn to join downwind for RW 28 followed by left turn to join downwind for RW06  (00:34:23). In plain English, this meant that we were asking to turn right (instead of left) on upwind. This would put us on the downwind leg for the RW 28 circuit. Runway 28 is the gass runway at Camden, which I had never landed before! After the right turn to join the RW28 downind, I would do another right turn to join base.

At that point, Davide simulated engine failure by setting throttle to idle (00:35:45), so now I had to glide and land on RW 28.I trimmed for best glide speed quickly and looked for the runway.

I had a little trouble spotting the runway since it is grass withint a big grass area, marked by small white conical markers, but eventually I spotted it. I was late with deploying flaps, so I ended up high (00:37:03). Devide suggested flying in an "S" pattern to help loose altitude, which I did, and it helped. Still, I had a bit of speed, and with the ground effect the plane floated over the grass. Runway 28 is around half the length of Runway 06, so after managing to touch the grass, Davide set flap to 10°, I set throttle to full, and executed a short-field take off immediately. If this was a real emergency and was unable to take off again I would likely had hit the fence at the end of RW 28.

I did a second glide approach and landing in the last circuit (circuit 6), and, again, I was too high. The problem in both cases was that I was too conservative with the deployment of flaps. I am still getting used to how the Cessna 172 glides, and tend to wait until I am closer to the runway to be 100% sure that I can make it before deploying flaps. In hour 30, I had the opposite problem. I was attempting to do a glide approach in strong headwind, and deployed flaps too early, causing me to barely make it to the runway (00:52:09).

Circuit 4 was an extension of circuit 3. After the circuit 3 touch-and-go, I joined downwind of Runway 06 (00:38:23). From there I started did a flapless approach which then changed to normal (00:40:15).

On the upwding leg of circuit 5, we simulated engine failure (00:41:34), and did another engine failure simulation on the crosswind (00:42:27).

Davide requested Tower to initiate a go around on final (00:44:44) which tower ackwoleged with two taps on the radio. At late final, Tower radiod for go-around (00:46:13), which I did. I climbed back to circuit altitude for circuit 6.

At mid-downwind, we simulated engine failure (00:48:38), and I glided back to the runway for a full-stop landing. Again, a little high, so took more runway than necessary. This is something to fix in future training sessions.

Hour 33 instructor review

Here is Davide's review (Hour 33):

TBA