Lesson 4 - 14th September 2019
Exercise 8 - Advanced Climbing and Descending
In this lesson we continued with Climbing and Descending but looked at more advanced features. This included the Effects of Flaps on descent/glide, a Cruise/Powered Descent and Side Slipping.
But first .......
'Gurgling' The Engine
I was first to fly G-CVKG so it needed to be removed from the hanger and have a pre-flight check completed. As part of this, I was also asked to 'gurgle' the engine. I had not done this before, so waited for my instructor to show me and walk me though it. This is an important process when the engine is cold and it is the first start of the day. The engine is not like a conventional car engine in that it doesn't have a sump where the oil is stored. It operates a dry sump with a remote reservoir, which is something used in performance engines where oil surge is not a good thing. After running the previous day, the oil remains in the engine and it needs to be pumped back in to the remote reservoir.
To do this, make sure the master switch is off (take the key out) and that the magnetos are off (Warning: the engine could still fire with the keys out and the magnetos on!). Open the oil cap and check the oil level. It will most likely be below the marker levels of the dipstick. Then, slowly, turn the prop in an anti clockwise direction. Move it blade by blade, probably around 10 to 12 movements until you hear a 'gurgling' sound. Now check the oil again. The oil level should be halfway between the maximum and minimum levels. If it still doesn't register, try 'gurgling' again, before considering adding oil. It won't take much to top it up, possibly only a couple of hundred millilitres. If this is the case, refer to the mechanic or the operator for them to check and verify. Too much oil can be fatal to the engine.
On to the lesson....
With the start up procedures complete, I was talked through the first part of RT, to get a radio check. This is a simple request:
"GOLF CHARLIE VICTOR KILO GOLF radio check"- I managed to miss the VICTOR part out!! Not a good start!
The response will be a strength reading from 1 to 5
(Taken from sf09801.html Study Guide for the Restricted Operator Certificate)
The response was:
"GOLF KILO GOLF radio strength 5" - It is normal to shorten the aircraft call sign once the initial call has been made as long as there is not another aircraft also called GOLF KILO GOLF (more of this in the RT course later).
I can't remember what I was told to respond, but I didn't and responded with some nonsense and finished with "thank you" which you just don't do. Oh well, something else to learn!!
I taxied to the runway crossing point to do the engine run ups. This is becoming a bit more familiar, which is to be expected. Once complete, I taxied to back track to the end of runway 15 where Martin, my instructor today, took over for the take off as I am not ready for that yet. This will be exercise 12 and 13 in the book. I have seen people doing take off and landings early in the training, but this is on a tarmac runway with lots of space and Clench Common is all grass, and not an easy place to fly from due to restricted areas. It will all come in time. I must learn to walk before I run, or fly before I take off!!
Once away from the airfield, and at a safe height, we move on to .....
Advanced Climbing
This refers to the Best Angle of Climb. This means putting the engine to full power with 1 stage of flaps and climbing at a rate of about 400/450 feet per minute and over a shorter distance. This means the climb is steeper and slower.
To enter a Best Angle of Climb you do the following:
1. Lookout and check the airspace
2. P - Power - Apply full power watching for the turn slip indicator to keep it central using the rudder
3. A - Attitude - Set the attitude of the aircraft, nose up, to maintain a speed of around 45 knots
4. F - At this point, apply the first stage of flaps
5. T - Trim - Use the trim control so you don't have to apply any back pressure on the stick.
During the climb, check the T&P's to make sure the reduced airflow over the engine doesn't cause the engine to overheat. Also keep a good look out and keep the wings level. Pick an object in the distance as an aiming point to make sure you stay on course. To check you are still on course, lower the nose briefly to have a look. This also allows you to look for any other aircraft that may have appeared.
Once you are about 50 feet from the desired altitude, get ready to level off. This is a similar approach to entering the climb, but steps 1 and 2 happen together:
1. A - Attitude - select the correct level flight attitude
2. P - Power - set the throttle back to around 3800rpm (best rpm for level flight at 65 knots for this C42)
3. F - Flaps - retract the flaps
4. T - Trim - Set the trim back so that you can fly hands off.
Advanced Descending
As with Advanced Climbing, this process uses the flaps to help speed up the descent.
To enter the best descent, do the following:
1. Lookout and check the airspace
2. P - Power - close the throttle to idle
3. A- Attitude - Set the attitude of the aircraft to maintain a speed of around 45 knots
4. F - Flap - Set 1st stage of flaps
4. T - Trim - Use the trim control so you don't have to apply any forward pressure on the stick.
During the descent, keep a look out at the T&P's to make sure the engine doesn't cool too much or it may cause icing problems. To overcome this, run the engine up to 3000 rpm for a couple of seconds before returning to idle and do this every 500 feet of the decent. This keeps the engine warm.
Once you are about 50 feet from the desired altitude, get ready to level off. This is a similar approach to entering the descent but steps 1 and 2 happen together:
1. A - Attitude - select the correct level flight attitude
2. P - Power - set the throttle back to around 3800rpm (best rpm for level flight at 65 knots for this C42)
3. F - Flaps - retract the flaps
4. T - Trim - Set the trim back so that you can fly hands off.
Airmanship
Engine Management. As mentioned above, it is important to make sure the engine doesn't overheat on the climb and also to make sure it doesn't cool off too much on the descent.
General Observations
The taxi was just about OK, but still needs work. As mentioned above, I was asked to do some basic radio calls and these were very ropey. I even said 'thank you' after the radio check. I really think I need to do the RT course to get the hang of this side of things.
I also was using the club headset and they are not very good. It is another reason to purchase a set of my own with ANR. It didn't help that Dublin International are also on the same radio frequency as Clench Common so we got a lot of their radio to confuse things.
Purchases this post
Flight - £151.66
Totals
Total Costs = £1329.05
Total Hours PA-28 = 1.05
Total Hours Icarus C42 = 5:15 hours
In this lesson we continued with Climbing and Descending but looked at more advanced features. This included the Effects of Flaps on descent/glide, a Cruise/Powered Descent and Side Slipping.
But first .......
'Gurgling' The Engine
I was first to fly G-CVKG so it needed to be removed from the hanger and have a pre-flight check completed. As part of this, I was also asked to 'gurgle' the engine. I had not done this before, so waited for my instructor to show me and walk me though it. This is an important process when the engine is cold and it is the first start of the day. The engine is not like a conventional car engine in that it doesn't have a sump where the oil is stored. It operates a dry sump with a remote reservoir, which is something used in performance engines where oil surge is not a good thing. After running the previous day, the oil remains in the engine and it needs to be pumped back in to the remote reservoir.
To do this, make sure the master switch is off (take the key out) and that the magnetos are off (Warning: the engine could still fire with the keys out and the magnetos on!). Open the oil cap and check the oil level. It will most likely be below the marker levels of the dipstick. Then, slowly, turn the prop in an anti clockwise direction. Move it blade by blade, probably around 10 to 12 movements until you hear a 'gurgling' sound. Now check the oil again. The oil level should be halfway between the maximum and minimum levels. If it still doesn't register, try 'gurgling' again, before considering adding oil. It won't take much to top it up, possibly only a couple of hundred millilitres. If this is the case, refer to the mechanic or the operator for them to check and verify. Too much oil can be fatal to the engine.
On to the lesson....
With the start up procedures complete, I was talked through the first part of RT, to get a radio check. This is a simple request:
"GOLF CHARLIE VICTOR KILO GOLF radio check"- I managed to miss the VICTOR part out!! Not a good start!
The response will be a strength reading from 1 to 5
- Bad (unreadable)
- Poor (readable now and then)
- Fair (readable but with difficulty)
- Good (readable)
- Excellent (perfectly readable)
(Taken from sf09801.html Study Guide for the Restricted Operator Certificate)
The response was:
"GOLF KILO GOLF radio strength 5" - It is normal to shorten the aircraft call sign once the initial call has been made as long as there is not another aircraft also called GOLF KILO GOLF (more of this in the RT course later).
I can't remember what I was told to respond, but I didn't and responded with some nonsense and finished with "thank you" which you just don't do. Oh well, something else to learn!!
I taxied to the runway crossing point to do the engine run ups. This is becoming a bit more familiar, which is to be expected. Once complete, I taxied to back track to the end of runway 15 where Martin, my instructor today, took over for the take off as I am not ready for that yet. This will be exercise 12 and 13 in the book. I have seen people doing take off and landings early in the training, but this is on a tarmac runway with lots of space and Clench Common is all grass, and not an easy place to fly from due to restricted areas. It will all come in time. I must learn to walk before I run, or fly before I take off!!
Once away from the airfield, and at a safe height, we move on to .....
Advanced Climbing
This refers to the Best Angle of Climb. This means putting the engine to full power with 1 stage of flaps and climbing at a rate of about 400/450 feet per minute and over a shorter distance. This means the climb is steeper and slower.
To enter a Best Angle of Climb you do the following:
1. Lookout and check the airspace
2. P - Power - Apply full power watching for the turn slip indicator to keep it central using the rudder
3. A - Attitude - Set the attitude of the aircraft, nose up, to maintain a speed of around 45 knots
4. F - At this point, apply the first stage of flaps
5. T - Trim - Use the trim control so you don't have to apply any back pressure on the stick.
During the climb, check the T&P's to make sure the reduced airflow over the engine doesn't cause the engine to overheat. Also keep a good look out and keep the wings level. Pick an object in the distance as an aiming point to make sure you stay on course. To check you are still on course, lower the nose briefly to have a look. This also allows you to look for any other aircraft that may have appeared.
Once you are about 50 feet from the desired altitude, get ready to level off. This is a similar approach to entering the climb, but steps 1 and 2 happen together:
1. A - Attitude - select the correct level flight attitude
2. P - Power - set the throttle back to around 3800rpm (best rpm for level flight at 65 knots for this C42)
3. F - Flaps - retract the flaps
4. T - Trim - Set the trim back so that you can fly hands off.
Advanced Descending
As with Advanced Climbing, this process uses the flaps to help speed up the descent.
To enter the best descent, do the following:
1. Lookout and check the airspace
2. P - Power - close the throttle to idle
3. A- Attitude - Set the attitude of the aircraft to maintain a speed of around 45 knots
4. F - Flap - Set 1st stage of flaps
4. T - Trim - Use the trim control so you don't have to apply any forward pressure on the stick.
During the descent, keep a look out at the T&P's to make sure the engine doesn't cool too much or it may cause icing problems. To overcome this, run the engine up to 3000 rpm for a couple of seconds before returning to idle and do this every 500 feet of the decent. This keeps the engine warm.
Once you are about 50 feet from the desired altitude, get ready to level off. This is a similar approach to entering the descent but steps 1 and 2 happen together:
1. A - Attitude - select the correct level flight attitude
2. P - Power - set the throttle back to around 3800rpm (best rpm for level flight at 65 knots for this C42)
3. F - Flaps - retract the flaps
4. T - Trim - Set the trim back so that you can fly hands off.
Side slipping
Side slipping is a technique used int he glide descent to increase the descent rate without increasing speed.
A side slip is where rudder and aileron are applied in opposite directions so that the aircraft flies slightly sideways in relation to the airflow and direction, thereby producing more drag.
For example: Right aileron will bank the aircraft to the right and then left rudder will yaw the right wing forward, thus increasing the drag on that wing surface.
My instructor demonstrated this and I gave it a try but it will definitely need more practice. You should maintain the same direction when side slipping and not go off course, like I did!
Exercise 9A - Medium Level Turns
The aim of this exercise is to enter and maintain a medium level turn, up to 30 degrees of bank, whilst maintaining level flight and then return to straight and level flight on a different heading.
To achieve this you do the following:
1. Lookout - Have a good look around for other aircraft
2. Aileron - apply left or right aileron as appropriate
3. Elevator - apply a small amount of back pressure on the stick to prevent the nose dropping
4. Rudder - a small amount of rudder may be required
5. Speed - From a 65 knot cruise, the speed should come down to about 60 knots.
The 'picture' you see will be different depending on the turn. A turn to the left will keep the nose on the horizon as you are lower down in the cockpit due to sitting on the left. A turn to the right will have the nose below the horizon as you are now sitting higher up due to sitting on the left. If you were flying a Piper Cub with a tandem seating arrangement, this would not be the case, as yo would be sat in the middle.
We proceeded to practice some turns and looked at the method of picking aiming points when completing 90 degree, 180 degree, 270 degree and 360 degree turns.
Engine Management. As mentioned above, it is important to make sure the engine doesn't overheat on the climb and also to make sure it doesn't cool off too much on the descent.
The taxi was just about OK, but still needs work. As mentioned above, I was asked to do some basic radio calls and these were very ropey. I even said 'thank you' after the radio check. I really think I need to do the RT course to get the hang of this side of things.
I also was using the club headset and they are not very good. It is another reason to purchase a set of my own with ANR. It didn't help that Dublin International are also on the same radio frequency as Clench Common so we got a lot of their radio to confuse things.
Purchases this post
Flight - £151.66
Totals
Total Costs = £1329.05
Total Hours PA-28 = 1.05
Total Hours Icarus C42 = 5:15 hours
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