Scott Lee Posted April 19, 2016 Report Share Posted April 19, 2016 You folks have been so helpful, so I thought I'd let you know. Thanks for all the helpful advice and supportive remarks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coppercity Posted April 19, 2016 Report Share Posted April 19, 2016 That is great news Scott! Congratulations on a job well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azleejay Posted April 19, 2016 Report Share Posted April 19, 2016 Congratulations, let the learning begin!!!!!! It'll be one of those days in your life you'll never forget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted April 19, 2016 Report Share Posted April 19, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastEddieB Posted April 19, 2016 Report Share Posted April 19, 2016 Good job! Thinking about a pirep? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cluemeister Posted April 19, 2016 Report Share Posted April 19, 2016 Well done! Were you nervous? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted April 19, 2016 Report Share Posted April 19, 2016 Excellent. That checkride was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdarza Posted April 19, 2016 Report Share Posted April 19, 2016 Congratulations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtk Posted April 19, 2016 Report Share Posted April 19, 2016 Congratulations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Lee Posted April 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2016 Bill - (WmInce) pls drop me a message with your phone. We have a place in Clearwater and I'd like to meet you next time we are down there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runtoeat Posted April 19, 2016 Report Share Posted April 19, 2016 Congratulations. A recommendation: Find an experienced pilot, if you don't know one already, and go flying with him/her as much as you can while you're learning to fly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralarcon Posted April 19, 2016 Report Share Posted April 19, 2016 Congratulations. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtk Posted April 19, 2016 Report Share Posted April 19, 2016 Congratulations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralarcon Posted April 19, 2016 Report Share Posted April 19, 2016 Bill - (WmInce) pls drop me a message with your phone. We have a place in Clearwater and I'd like to meet you next time we are down there. I'm in Lakeland at KLAL, if you want to fly with me you are welcome. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Lee Posted April 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2016 I'm in Lakeland at KLAL, if you want to fly with me you are welcome. Cheers I'd love to. Please message me with your contact info and I'll call when I'm in the area. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted April 19, 2016 Report Share Posted April 19, 2016 All the best Scott. Be SAFE and enjoy your new privilege. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 Hi Scott, Did you try some different landing techniques? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Lee Posted April 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 Hi Scott, Did you try some different landing techniques? Well this is embarrassing - early on I made a card with the pattern speeds and put it on my dash to improve consistently. It turns out that I had downloaded a CTSW manual, not a CTLS. (Who reads the cover page?!) So the speeds were wrong. Plus Eric's observation that I'm looking at the prop, not at a line straight ahead was true. So I took advice to put a piece of tape on the dash aligned with a taxiway center line. Bingo, my approaches and landings are consistently decent and no problems on my checkride. Only took 120+ hours, almost 90 hours of instruction and 266 tries to get it right! I'm a "quick" learner. The other change I made was to wait longer to round out. When the runway quickly expands and the ground is going by fast it's time to round out, look down the runway and gradually bring the stick back. One of the things I did to prepare for the checkride was to buy the King School Sport Pilot Practical Test video and watch it many times. I did great on the oral portion and at one point the examiner said I answered a question correctly that no one gets right. He was quite pleased. It was a long day. We started at 9 am and finished at 5 pm and I then flew the plane home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 The other change I made was to wait longer to round out. When the runway quickly expands and the ground is going by fast it's time to round out, look down the runway and gradually bring the stick back. Congrats, you figured out what I consider the number one "trick" to landing a CT well. For an embarrassingly long time, my landings were not great in the CTSW; I'd often flare, run out of energy, and "drop it in". Thump -- not smooth. I finally figured out that I was simply flaring too high, and then started consciously bringing it down to just a foot or two over the runway, arresting the descent, then continuing to hold it off until it's ready to land. For a couple of months, when on very short final, I reinforced this by saying to myself out loud "all the way down...bring it all the way down". It worked! The #2 trick is not to put too much speed into the landing. If you have 15° or 30° flaps in, if you are going more than 55-57kt on final you are probably too fast. My short final speed is 52-55kt at 15° flaps and 48-52kt at 30° flaps (use the lower number when solo, the higher number with a passenger), and at those speeds there is no float and still plenty of pitch authority and lift for the flare. You do have to be closer to the runway on the base turn with slower speed though. Slow landings are good landings. Enjoy your new license, and go out and have some fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralarcon Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 I'd love to. Please message me with your contact info and I'll call when I'm in the area. Thanks! You have a message. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbigs Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 Well this is embarrassing - early on I made a card with the pattern speeds and put it on my dash to improve consistently. It doesn't matter what your speed is in the pattern...once mid base set flaps to 15 degrees (first notch) and pull the throttle to idle. Pitch the nose down and maintain 62kts till over the numbers. Once you have the runway made level out and continue slowly pulling the stick back till you touchdown. There really is no such thing as having the nose too high because all that does is increase aerodynamic braking slowing you down faster. If you drop and thump the ground that is a function of leveling out too high not having the nose too high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralarcon Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 "There really is no such thing as having the nose too high because all that does is increase aerodynamic braking slowing you down faster. If you drop and thump the ground that is a function of leveling out too high not having the nose too high." Well, if the nose is "too high" that means you have a higher "angle of attack", which makes you stall and "thump", if you are too high. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Cesnalis Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 I'm seeking critical angle of attack at touch down as are any of us doing full stall landings. I want to raise my nose when lack of energy permits so that my nose wheel is well clear but once I have achieved a nice landing attitude I then want to increase my angle of attack by moving my stick aft all the way to the stop and do that without getting my nose too high. Having my nose too high means I am in a poor kinetic energy state or at the minimum it risks contacting the tail. Raising the nose will increase AOA and moving the stick back will increase AOA. Getting behind the power curve where I can move the stick back without the nose raising is the condition I like to be in just seconds before contact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralarcon Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 I'm seeking critical angle of attack at touch down as are any of us doing full stall landings. I want to raise my nose when lack of energy permits so that my nose wheel is well clear but once I have achieved a nice landing attitude I then want to increase my angle of attack by moving my stick aft all the way to the stop and do that without getting my nose too high. Having my nose too high means I am in a poor kinetic energy state or at the minimum it risks contacting the tail. Raising the nose will increase AOA and moving the stick back will increase AOA. Getting behind the power curve where I can move the stick back without the nose raising is the condition I like to be in just seconds before contact. Yes it is complex, what amazes me is that we learn to do it instinctively, with fraction of a second response and manage to get the plane down without injury or bending or cracking something, most of the time. I find,that I fly, the CTLS to the runway, rather than stall it unto it. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 Pitch the nose down and maintain 62kts till over the numbers. Once you have the runway made level out and continue slowly pulling the stick back till you touchdown. I have the runway made hundreds of feet from the threshold. If I level out there I will either sink into the ground before I get there or float over the runway, depending on my speed and power setting. Maybe you are using "having the runway made" differently? I generally take it to mean "I can maintain this glide slope and power setting and I will contact the runway surface at roughly my intended touchdown point". How do you mean it? I *think* I know what you are saying, but I don't want to presume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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