Friday, October 26, 2007 - 20:05:23 ET

Multi-Engine Resources

I've been reading up on Multi-Engine flying. I'm now familiar with terms like critical engine, p-factor, and asymmetrical thrust.

I'm looking for more detailed information. My normal web resources have come up short. Admititly I haven't looked at any resources at Transport Canada yet.

Does anyone have any good (free) resources that contain information about flying complex aircraft and IFR related info. I already have a copy of the Instrument Procedures Handbook.

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Wednesday, October 24, 2007 - 09:31:32 ET

Night Rating Complete

I completed my last 0.8 hours in the circuit. It was a bumpy ride with winds gusting to 17 knots. Even at circuit altitude the winds were probably 25-30 knots which made for a little more concentration in the circuit.

There was a lot of jet and IFR traffic that night landing on 15, while I was landing on 21. The controller would broadcast wind checks every few minuites or so as the traffic on 15 was landing in a gusty crosswind.

I adjusted my approach speed to be 5KT higher than normal due to the gusting winds and 20° of flaps only.

So what's next? My FI suggested that I start on my Muli-IFR training right away. It's a shame that I will have to get a new instructor as I really like this one. I'm also excited to get on the Piper Seminole and start flying a "real" plane.

In the meantime I've been keeping my head down in the books to prep for not only the CPL written exam but also getting prepped for the IFR training.

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Thursday, October 18, 2007 - 20:36:47 ET

What's In Your Flight Bag?

I've been spending the past week looking around on online stores for a decently priced flight bag. The one I have now is too small. It's a small bag that I got as work swag.

It has no issues holding all of the items I use (or don't) on a typical flight. I am going to be adding quite a bit more weight to it now that I'm going to be starting my Multi-IFR training soon.

• Headset. To talk to people (especially ATC)
• CFS. Because it's the law (and it's nice to know stuff about where you're landing)
• Maps. See above.
• Handheld GPS. I use it mostly for x-country trips for aircraft that don't have a GPS unit. It is pre-loaded with most of the navaids, airports, and reporting points in Ontario.
• Calculator. For when my brain fails
• Paper towel. Checking oil, wiping things down, cleaning up passengers lunch.
• Work Gloves. So my hands don't smell like grease, fuel, etc..
• A broken protractor. I have no idea why that's there
• E6B. For when my brain and my calculator fail.
• Kneeboard. Makes it easy to write things on paper.
• Extra pencil. In case my main one breaks (I dont like using pen)
• Licenses. Because its the law
• Fuel tester. Make sure the right fuel is in the tanks
• Flashlight. Because it's the law (especially at night)
• POH. Because it's the law (not shown)

I'm curious to know what's in your flight bag! Feel free to blog about what tools you use for your flights and why.

As well, does anyone have any recommendations for a particular brand/type and a place to buy one?

Comments (5) | Permalink | Category: Training

Tuesday, October 16, 2007 - 22:52:06 ET

Archer, Circuits, and City Tours

My flight on Friday went well. Got checked out in the Piper Archer which involves doing some upper airwork (including my first emergency decent), different landings etc.. We also did some instrument work in order to get the necessary time for my Night Rating. Flew up to Simcoe VOR then to Oshawa and back to Buttonville. All in all, a 1.4 hour flight in a new plane I never flown before.

Damn! These things are so much easier to land than the 172s. I really, really, really like the Warrior/Archer better.

We had to extend our downwind leg pretty far, I turned base at about 3.5DME from the airport and was number 5.

Because I got the needed instrument time on this flight, there was no need to book my instructor on Sunday for a flight. So I decided to ditch her and bring my girlfriend up. The weather was kinda crappy, low overcast ceiling. It was still high enough, however, to do a tour of the city.

We departed and headed south. There was another '72 behind me doing the same thing. City centre assigned me 2000' and the other guy 2200'. I asked if they had a preference for right hand or left hand orbits around the CN Tower - they didn't care.

Melissa really didn't like me doing right hand turns: "Don't make the wing go down on my side!" she would say.

I was impressed at her ability to pick out landmarks from the air. I just told her were University Ave. was and she was able to pick out where she worked, and all the other hospitals near by. This was the first time that I actually noticed the heli-pads on top of the hospitals.

We did two turns around the CN Tower and departed to the east to Bluffers Park, then headed north east to scoot around Buttonvilles control zone then entered in from the east over the Markham water tower (a VFR reporting point).

On Monday night, I was able to get 1.2 of the needed 2.0 hours for my night rating. It was all done doing circuits, again, because of the weather. Man was it busy! Most of my downwinds were extended. At one point there was 4 to land on 33, and number 5 was a medevac chopper landing on 03.

I was able to keep separated from the other traffic in the circuit. I found it a bit tricky to measure distances when all you're looking at is a bunch of flashing lights in front of you. At one point I was caught in the planes wake turbulence (or prop wash, or slipstream - whatever you want to call the turbulence a 172 makes) while on downwind. I at that point I decided to slow down a bit for spacing.

It's amazing how easy everything is when the winds are calm. Everyone behaved well in the circuit, and even though it was busy (a few overshoots by other planes), and the controller was stressed, it was still a lot of fun.

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Tuesday, October 9, 2007 - 18:00:56 ET

What Kind Of Plane You Fly?

I get asked this question quite often. Usually when I reply with "Cessna 172" most people know what I'm talking about. The next question usually is "how many people does it hold", to which I reply "A pilot plus three".

That answer is going to change after Friday. I'm getting checked out in a Piper Archer. The exact model is a PA28-181, which is a four seater like the 172. It has fixed gear and a fixed pitch prop, also like the 172.

The main difference between the 172 and the warrior is that it is a low wing aircraft, whereas the 172 is a high wing. It pretty much uses the same type of engine and horsepower (however the Archer has 20 more horse power than the Warrior).

My FI suggested that I get checked out in the Archer, because you are automatically allowed to fly the Warriors if you're checked out on the Archer.

The reason why I'm moving from the 172 to the Warrior is because it's almost impossible to get a 172 without booking almost a month in advance. Plus, most people I've talked to say the Pipers are nicer to fly.

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Monday, October 1, 2007 - 09:47:50 ET

Grounded due to Acute Viral Aasopharyngitis

... Also known as the "common cold".

I was supposed to go flying yesterday, but I couldn't go due to my plugged up sinuses.

I did learn an interesting fact though: Anti-bacterial soaps have no effect on the cold virus — it is the mechanical action of hand washing that removes the virus particles (thanks Health Canada!)

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