Chris_327 42 Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Hi Guys, So I've just got back from my first lesson, and cannot describe just how awesome it was. It's been about 5 years since I last had the controls of an aircraft (aerobatics in air cadets!), and it felt soo good to get back in the cockpit! We had a pretty bumpy takeoff - wind was 21kts but was straight down the runway, and at about 1000ft my instructor gave me control and it stayed that way until turning finals! I've gotta say now that FSX definately has played a pretty significant part in how I managed today, as soon as I got in the cockpit, I was instantly familiar with the instruments (ok, so they're laid out differently in the Tomahawk compared to the Katana!) and I felt right at home. The only thing I found largely different to FSX was the amount of input needed for straight and level flight. I'm so used to being able to set the Katana up at 95 kts, trimming her, and then being able to almost leave the controls completely. Obviously this was very different to how I found it today, but I suppose that was partly due to the conditions. So, onto the actual point, does anyone here have any tips that they've picked up along the way? I read a comment from snave a while back in the katana forum, about his technique for adjusting rpm by using thumb and two fingers either side of the control, and this came in very handy today, as the travel in the throttle between 1800-2200rpm was pretty small. It's probably little tips like these that you guys who already fly don't even think about, but could be pretty helpful to anyone in my position. Well anyway, after my lesson, I had a quick tour around the hanger. This had a couple of cracking aircraft in it which I have to say I did not expect to see; Hawker 750 with only 10 flight hours, Super King Air with a similar amount, Bae Strikemaster and an L-39 Albatross! I also got to watch the Beluga load up a couple of wings and takeoff, and then got stopped at the barrier to get out of the airfield, because the road was blocked by an A380 wing being taken down to the river! Just to cap the day off, my instructor said to me that he doesn't know what we're going to do for 45 hours; as he reckons I could probably pass in half the time! Sorry I've waffled on a bit, I just had a great time today, and just wanted to share it! If any of you do have any tips, or little things you do in the cockpit to make life a bit easier, it would be great to hear about them! Cheers Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaders 97 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Hi Chris, Good luck with the PPL. The most useful bit of advice I can give is to look out the window!! Might sound obvious but when instructing I could always tell the simmers because they were concentrating on the panel instead of flying the correct attitude by looking out of the aircraft. It's quite common and I did exactly the same when I got back into an aircraft after years of simming. Your instructor will drum into you the importance of Lookout all the way through the course as your eye's are the most important device in stopping you running into someone. The other bit of advice for you is to prepare for every flight so you're not wasting flying time sat on the ground. Enjoy the PPL and keep us all updated!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_327 42 Posted June 10, 2011 Author Share Posted June 10, 2011 Thanks Chaders, its funny you should mention this, as this is one of the things that my instructor told me that I should be doing. It's like trying to unlearn a bad habit that I've picked up through FS! As for preparing before the flight, my lessons include a useful pre-brief and de-brief with an instructor which is quite nice in addition to any preparation that I will be doing at home. Thanks again, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limp 29 Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Well I wish you good luck, I have my practical exam next saturday, can't wait after a year of theory classes and flying it's awesome to finally be at the end and hopefully succeed Keep us posted on your progress My next step is transition from the Tecnam to a DA40 and aerobatics on a Cap10 as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snave 466 Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 The secret to PPL is practice, practice and more practice/ You have to learn the elements and the best way is muscle memory. Then the next best thing is to learn `places`, not numbers. As my old instructor suggested when I first started trying to dial in 24" as opposed to 23 or 25 - Nothing in aviation is ever exact. So what you learn is how things look on dials, gauges and panel lights. And out the window. It isn't a substitute for reading actual numbers, it simply alerts you to something that seems out of place - which you then focus in on. And you learn that through training the subconscious. What this does is free up the mental capacity to concentrate on other things. The other thing you can do to earn a PPL in the minimum of cost is... learn to ride a motorcycle! Many of the skills translate straight across, and it's massively cheaper to get a bike license than a pilots licence, and you can offset the cost of the bike license in the number of hours saved in the air. After that, I'd add simming to the list. Too much simming can teach you bad habits, but for basic knowledge it's cheaper, realistic enough - and if you make a mistake it doesn't kill you and you can pick up where you left off so you can do the thing again and again until it's second nature. One of the most important skills is timing the turn to crosswind and short finals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_327 42 Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 Thanks Guys much appreciated, I have my practical exam next saturday Good luck for your exam limp, hope it all goes well. Aerobatics training sounds great; something I'd love to have another go at one day As my old instructor suggested when I first started trying to dial in 24" as opposed to 23 or 25 - Nothing in aviation is ever exact. Thanks for the tips Snave, the highlighted comment in particular is quite helpful; I've been concentrating quite hard for example on setting the correct 2200rpm after leveling out. In doing so however, it distracts me slightly from the actual aim of flying! My instructor told me that once you get familiar with the aircraft you tend to rely less on getting the instruments exact, as you have said, and for example you're able to set rpm effectively just by listening to the engine itself. Obviously you wouldn't rely on this entirely, but it would undoubtly serve to lessen to focus on the instruments themselves. I'm curious to know how a motocycle license would help with my PPL, is this more from the technical side i.e. engine similarity as with the Katana? Anyway, thanks for the help, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaders 97 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Thanks for the tips Snave, the highlighted comment in particular is quite helpful; I've been concentrating quite hard for example on setting the correct 2200rpm after leveling out. In doing so however, it distracts me slightly from the actual aim of flying! My instructor told me that once you get familiar with the aircraft you tend to rely less on getting the instruments exact, as you have said, and for example you're able to set rpm effectively just by listening to the engine itself. Obviously you wouldn't rely on this entirely, but it would undoubtly serve to lessen to focus on the instruments themselves. This is a great point. I'm sure you've heard from your instructor about setting the power using "Sound and Feel" the look at the RPM gauge should be just a glance to let you see if you're in the right ball park. This will become a lot easier with practice and will be drummed into you in Ex6 part 2 (Straight and level 2) where you'll be accelerating and decelerating whilst maintaining straight and level flight. This and the climbing and descending exersises are trickier than they sound so don't try to rush through them. These build the foundations that the rest of your flying will be built around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_327 42 Posted June 22, 2011 Author Share Posted June 22, 2011 Thanks again Chaders, all these tips are definately helping! Had my 3rd lesson today and covered stalling which made for a fun hour. Flying again on friday and I should be getting into the circuit then if all goes to plan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_327 42 Posted July 28, 2011 Author Share Posted July 28, 2011 Just a little update, I just completed my first solo! I was mid-way through a standard lesson and my instructor leans over and says "tell you what, we'll do a glide to land, and then you can take her up yourself". Needless to say, my next radio call was: "Golf Delta Papa, request a new change of underwear please!". Ok, kidding obviously! Still, it was one of the best experiences I've ever had, and I'm quite pleased with myself as I went solo at 10 hours; something I think FS has definately had a hand in. Now it's just completing the first 3 hours of solo flying before I can move onto nav and cross country flying! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaders 97 Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Just a little update, I just completed my first solo! I was mid-way through a standard lesson and my instructor leans over and says "tell you what, we'll do a glide to land, and then you can take her up yourself". Needless to say, my next radio call was: "Golf Delta Papa, request a new change of underwear please!". Ok, kidding obviously! Still, it was one of the best experiences I've ever had, and I'm quite pleased with myself as I went solo at 10 hours; something I think FS has definately had a hand in. Now it's just completing the first 3 hours of solo flying before I can move onto nav and cross country flying! Nice work mate!! You're making good progress! The smile from your first solo will take sometime to fade but the memories never do Good luck with the solo consolidation and enjoy the NAV!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aerosoft Aerosoft Team [Inactive Account] 51558 Posted August 2, 2011 Aerosoft Share Posted August 2, 2011 Just a little update, I just completed my first solo! I was mid-way through a standard lesson and my instructor leans over and says "tell you what, we'll do a glide to land, and then you can take her up yourself". Needless to say, my next radio call was: "Golf Delta Papa, request a new change of underwear please!". Ok, kidding obviously! Still, it was one of the best experiences I've ever had, and I'm quite pleased with myself as I went solo at 10 hours; something I think FS has definately had a hand in. Now it's just completing the first 3 hours of solo flying before I can move onto nav and cross country flying! 10 hours.... that's pretty good, I enjoy reading you experiences here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_327 42 Posted September 7, 2011 Author Share Posted September 7, 2011 Weird to think that it's been a month since my last post! Anyway I've now completed my solo consolidation, which was fantastic. Next up is moving onto nav, and so far I've done a couple of flights away from the airfield, one with a land away at Sleap (nice cafe if you're interested, had my first "£300 cup of tea"!). What with it now being September, I'm also now discovering the bane of the VFR pilot, the great British weather! Having been to Sleap, I was wondering if anyone has any airfields they've flown to that they liked, or were interesting? My schools regulars seem to be: (aside from Sleap) Caernarfon, Wolverhampton and Tatenhill. I quite fancy going to Welshpool, as from google maps it looks a bit like the Innsbruck of Britain! Ideally, I'd like them to be within about an hour (~100nm) of EGNR to keep the cost down a bit, but if you have any ideas, it'd be nice to hear them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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