|
Yay new thread! By the end of the LAST thread, I wanted to be PPL, but stupid MX issues caused the a/c to be down for nearly six months. As far as podcasts, I like atccommunication.com. It's how ATC works, from the very new/training VFR pilot perspective. The guy published a book Radio Mastery for VFR Pilots, and it's really good. He's also got a good sense of humor, and engaging tone. I hear it's available on iTunes, but I get the email subscription. babyeatingpsychopath fucked around with this message at 04:52 on Apr 1, 2013 |
#
¿
Apr 1, 2013 04:49
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 20:53 |
|
|
The Slaughter posted:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFdH4zvO9Oo all i can think of is this video now with apollo glaring "give me the controls". it's even in a cirrus Crappy music on the intercom and everything. This video is perfect.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 10, 2013 16:35
|
|
|
Well, the stars aligned and I got another flight. Last flight was November, and boy was I rusty. The fact that the airfield went from dead calm 20nm to 15G25 3nm in less than an hour had me spooked a bit, and that didn't help any. Solid layer of dust up to about 4kAGL made visibility right at VFR minimums. But it's seat time, which I need. Once I'm comfortable in the a/c again, I get my solo endorsement back, then it's just hours until checkride! WOOO!
|
|
#
¿
Apr 15, 2013 04:07
|
|
|
Animal posted:DC passives are great in that they are built like tanks. My DC is over 20 years old at this point, and it operates flawlessly. I found it lying on the ground, and nobody wanted to claim it. I wanted to find some new gel ear seals because it looked like the ones I had were kinda beat up. DC said my headseat hadn't been made in a while, but they'd send me a new set free if I sent my old set in. Nothing was broken, so I didn't send anything in. That was five years ago. No leaks, no problems, no complaints. For what I've paid ($0), I don't really feel like spending any more money on a headset. Even after very long days, I don't notice the weight.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 18, 2013 09:25
|
|
|
A few big, puffy white clouds dot the skyscape a few thousand feet overhead. Light breeze, gently swirling. Clear blue sky otherwise. Great day for your first flight! Not so much. Light + swirling + puffy clouds = TURBULANCE. Those light puffy clouds are where the super-heavy thermals have managed to get enough humidity punched through the terrible inversion layer to create clouds, but everywhere else above the surface, crap is churning. It's chunky, thumpy, and inconsistent. Swirling winds on the ground SUCK for takeoffs, and they're gonna change every hundred or so feet until you're above those puffy clouds, which, now that you're at their level, you can figure reach to like ten thousand feet up. Don't puke, this is what your whole summer is gonna be like, unless you decide you like getting to the airport at Civil Twilight and starting your flights around then (give-or-take sunrise), when the katabatic winds haven't had their chance to get anything moving, and the ground-level heating hasn't been able to cause any horrible spot thermals. Disregard all of this if you're flying gliders. The above is a PERFECT DAY, and bring your oxygen, you'll be seeing the world from FL140, and it's fun.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 25, 2013 06:24
|
|
|
azflyboy posted:I have to wonder if Obama isn't going to use this to push the FAA for a user fee scheme. You think gun owners are scary? He's seen what people with planes can do to infrastructure. Joking aside, a usage fee will be denied by congress, again.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 27, 2013 23:16
|
|
|
Well, I went to take the Private Pilot written test today, and the proctor had to cancel. Oh well. My CFI forgot to endorse my logbook anyway, and had to fax the endorsement over. Now I get the endorsement in the logbook. I'm 5.1 hours short of my checkride, so he's just going to let me take the plane down to the testing center. Some part of me thinks it's badass to fly into a place to take the FAA pilot exam. So close now! Two months of flying three or four times a week, four months of maintenance downing the aircraft, three weeks of twice a week, and I'll be a pilot! If those four months hadn't gotten in the way.... edit: I fly out of an Air Force Base through their Aero Club, and tower LOVES putting us on 7-mile straight-ins. A 7-mile final in a C-172 takes a long, boring time.
|
|
#
¿
May 5, 2013 06:16
|
|
|
Tommy 2.0 posted:Where at? Definitely doesn't sound like what I did with our aero club guys that would get in the way during wing flying. Holloman AFB. KHMN. We do our patterns out at KALM. If you don't turn final for 21 at KALM, you're 7 miles out for 25 at KHMN. At pattern altitude. So they just tell us to "establish 7-mile final" which is just "turn to 250, make sure you see a runway in front of you." When we report established, they say report 2-mile, and just do whatever else they want with other traffic. There are three ~10,000ft runways there, and if we land on 25, we can do a 180 and exit at the numbers, or exit on any of a few taxiways before the first intersection. The best part is the military is all UHF comms, and the tower is simulcasting VHF and UHF, so we only hear half of tower conversations. "Roger XXX, cleared inbound 16." "Affirmitive XXX, traffic inbound to 25 at five miles." "White Cessna, 100kts ground speed, affirmitive." Then we see some F-22s blow in, do an overhead approach to a touch-and-go, then leave. We're down to three miles now....
|
|
#
¿
May 7, 2013 02:56
|
|
|
Well, according to the proctor of my FAA test, I studied "way too hard." 87% on Private Pilot (Airplane). Anything over a 70% means I did too much work. I'm glad I didn't go to their ground school.
|
|
#
¿
May 10, 2013 20:19
|
|
|
MrChips posted:Again, I'm ignorant to pretty much anything firearms-related beyond basic care and operation, but I heard a number of years ago that some manufacturer made a handgun that could easily pass through metal detectors. I don't know I would stand up to the slightly higher level of scrutiny today, or whether it was true or not in the first place, but it would seem to me that the whole "it can get through security!" argument is kind of stupid. Especially when you consider what's been/being smuggled through in recent years. Well, if a manufacturer made an undetectable pistol, then they didn't legally sell it in the US, as all pistols sold here must pass a test that says they're at least as detectable as the steel brick pseudo-gun target. And yes, 3d printing is overhyped. For every gun people make, there are two other people making artificial limbs for the disabled, or printing out new bones or organs. In other news, I hit 40.0TT and got my endorsements for checkride! I then found out I'd forgotten to put a flight in my logbook (don't be lazy with paperwork, folks), so I actually have 42.9TT. Oh well, at least flight time is cheap. Checkride Sunday. I'm stupidly excited. I've almost gotten myself into a hobby that's more expensive per-minute than just calling phone sex numbers.
|
|
#
¿
May 17, 2013 16:29
|
|
|
Ferris Bueller posted:That's how I read it. These rest rules make me tired thinking of all the BS minutia and minutes I'm going to to have to keep track of. After glancing through it doesn't seem to have any improvement over the current set other then amount of words, though I think as I go back through several times it will start to gel and maybe make more sense. It reads like the rules from an obscure d20 system. Rolling 168-hour windows, conditional -.5hr based on local/home/acclimation time vs time on duty, what class rest facility your aircraft has and how that affects duty period. Even has tables! All I know is that this is the PERFECT place for a smartphone app. Get to airport, press "ON DUTY" button. A counter starts. If your flight time > that counter, you = illegal. Start clicking the "mitigating actions" checkboxes on the side to see if you can get your time up to legal. If not, you don't fly.
|
|
#
¿
May 18, 2013 23:51
|
|
|
hobbesmaster posted:I'm confused, is the extra time a will or fortitude save? Reading the rules, it's CHA opposed by the FAA's INT.
|
|
#
¿
May 19, 2013 00:28
|
|
|
I passed my checkride! ASEL certificate in hand! Choppy, bumpy, thermals, crappy weather. I flew the best I could, made the proper decisions, and was within standards. 12kt direct crosswind and 65mph approach speed does definitely demonstrate forward slip to landing.
|
|
#
¿
May 19, 2013 22:02
|
|
|
The Ferret King posted:Go to the bar and drink. 8 hours from bottle to throttle sounds like some kind of challenge to me. What I've done is written scripts to web-scrape webcomics, then read those. Making the program takes a bit, getting it to throttle itself under the alarm limit of the wifi takes some time, then you've got ten years of webcomics to read through. It's a good diversion.
|
|
#
¿
May 20, 2013 22:07
|
|
|
Captain Apollo posted:Brushing up on my VFR Sectional Chart Skills. I knew I remembered one. It's off the end of the runway at Edwards AFB: Bicycle Lake AAF (BYS). The ones I remember from back in the day are off the charts, now. The Shuttle landing strips at White Sands don't even make it, even though they're visible from a LONG way away. Some of the NOLFs used for training were just flat one-mile cleared circles with a wind sock on them; they're now marked "U" or have a single paved strip. babyeatingpsychopath fucked around with this message at 19:43 on May 29, 2013 |
|
#
¿
May 29, 2013 19:39
|
|
|
The Ferret King posted:Well, the wind is variable because the direction isn't consistent and the average wind during the period of the observation was 6kts or less. "Winds calm, gusting to 24" is also a good one. I saw a wind sock point straight up. Could someone refresh me on how to take off out of an untowered airport inside the mode C veil but outside the class C? If that field doesn't work out, I'll be taking off from an untowered airport inside class C. Do I still contact clearance delivery? Or just approach/departure once I'm airborne?
|
|
#
¿
Jun 1, 2013 03:10
|
|
|
The Ferret King posted:Why does the Class C have a Mode C veil? Where is this? Charlotte area. The mode C veil goes out to 30nm (duh) but the class B only goes out to 25nm on my end of town (where I think I found a guy with a plane for $45/hr). edit: class B. Hurrrr. babyeatingpsychopath fucked around with this message at 03:54 on Jun 1, 2013 |
|
#
¿
Jun 1, 2013 03:50
|
|
|
The Ferret King posted:What Animal said still holds true, just make sure you stay outside the Bravo unless you receive an explicit clearance to enter it. The mode C veil isn't really relevant as long as your aircraft has mode C or it's otherwise exempt. The veil doesn't affect your interaction with ATC or the Bravo airspace. Ok. So under the B, take off, talk to approach, get a squawk. Follow one of the VFR flyways out of the B, go on my merry way?
|
|
#
¿
Jun 1, 2013 05:22
|
|
|
Dominoes posted:I'm working on a program that downloads approach plates. Ideally, it makes downloading new versions each month hassle free - open program, press Download, print a single PDF. Allows you to save selections, and avoid navigating the FAA's site. Checks latest plate version automatically. This is pretty sweet. I use fltplan.com's mobile app, but this lets me pre-load stuff instead of using their somewhat confusing interface.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 4, 2013 03:10
|
|
|
KodiakRS posted:One of the most enlightening things about spin training was when my instructor had me do a simulated base-final overshoot with a sloppy increase in bank and increase in back pressure to compensate. It was a pretty dramatic demonstration of how quickly things can get out of hand and just how much altitude you'd lose in the recovery. I think every student pilot should have the opportunity to go through that just to see what it's like and how quickly you run out of AOA in a 45+ degree turn at low speed. Yup. My simulated was an overshoot, straight out. We entered the stall so gently, we were 20 nose up, 1500fpm descent, no buffeting, and no loss of aileron authority. Nose down, full power, wait for positive rate, flaps up. Only 200' loss, but if that had happened on climbout, there only would have been 200'. Positive rate would have been racing with terrain; hopefully we can react to REAL EPs as fast as we did during checkrides.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 14, 2013 03:26
|
|
|
Richlove posted:I am currently learning to fly the pattern at my training airport in a 172 and am having trouble staying on the centerline during my landing approaches, especially with a crosswind. Often I am coming in too high and too fast. My CFI says I am coming along nicely and just need more practice but I am getting a bit frustrated with myself. Is this skill something that will just "click" with time and practice? I have a yoke and rudder pedals for FSX however my CFI told me this will likely not help me specifically with landing. I'm not sure where you're at in training, but I made a post VERY similar to yours after having flown for about a month. My CFI said I was doing well, but I also had problems, also with high and fast, and somewhat with centerline. I got some advice from Ferris Bueller that really, really, really helped. Do everything by the numbers. Figure out what your instructor wants to see, when. Once your pattern gets spot-on vertically, you can concentrate on getting on the centerline. As far as centerline control goes, my CFI did something super useful. We did an approach, but instead of flaring, we put a little bit of power in, so we rode in ground effect all the way down the runway. Just flying straight down the middle of the runway controlling the airplane low to the ground where rudder is ONLY for getting the heading correct and ailerons are ONLY for correcting drift really helped with the muscle memory. Thirdly, x-plane hurt me for landings. The muscle memory I had developed was based on the feedback from my rudder pedals and yoke, and not an aircraft. The sim was great for patterns and approaches, but crappy for actual landings.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 27, 2013 12:00
|
|
|
ProFootballGuy posted:True. So far, fear hasn't entered my mind when flying. I've been a lifelong aviation nut and only now at age 29 do I have the money to pursue becoming a pilot. I love taking everything in, learning how to react to situations, and executing. I was in the same boat. I was in the plane with the instructor at night and we hit a patch of wind shear at 300'AGL. I kept adding power, got into max climb, and just waited to get out of it. After we landed, the instructor said "good job. Good decision on the power and not freaking out about the sink rate." I asked what would have happened if we hadn't left the wind shear in time. "Well, with the airplane in that configuration, we would have hit the ground as softly as we were able, which is the best you can hope for when you're not trying for it." So yeah. Airmanship and good training for good reflexes and you'll always do the right thing, even when that thing is crash.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 14, 2013 02:59
|
|
|
ProFootballGuy posted:I'm up to 10 hours in my PPL training, and we've been doing pattern work and landings for a couple lessons. I'm pretty comfortable with patterns, descents, flaps, slow flight, etc, but my landings are a little rough (still developing the feel for when to pull back and what ground effect is doing). Some people are ground-shy, I guess I'm ground-gregarious because I'm tending to thump it down hard. I did the same thing. Ask your instructor if you can do one day of just patterns. I have a logbook entry for 13/13 0.8. Thirteen patterns with landings to full stop in 40 minutes. Basically, you don't know where the ground is yet and don't have a feel for what ground effect is like yet. Do them OVER AND OVER AND OVER and it'll click. I had my CFI do one after about 6. Really, really pay attention to that one. My instructor called all the numbers, all the settings, and all the things to look at. On my next landing, I tried the same thing, and found out where I was screwing up. Two landings later, it just clicked, then I had four perfect landings. Next flight for me was the solo, and it went just like that. Out to the pattern, do a couple, then the instructor says "let's give these guys some room, taxi off over there. Ok. Those two patterns went great. I'm gonna sit here, you do two more." Bam, out of the plane, and I'm on my own. Call the numbers, do it just like the other twenty times you've done it in the past two weeks, and don't even think about the fact that the only one you hear on the intercom is yourself.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 28, 2013 11:32
|
|
|
hayden. posted:I actually found a really nice guy flying out of a very close airport and I have my first meeting/flying this coming Thursday. 14 CFR 61.55 doesn't say anything about physical logbooks; just "acceptable to the Administrator." That said, as a student, you have to have signoffs in your logbook by your instructors when you solo. It's tricky to sign an app or spreadsheet, so physical logbooks are probably necessary for that. After that, I don't see any reason you can't do everything in a spreadsheet, but I would still keep a dead tree copy, because the FAA is 1970s vintage, and really love looking at real things.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 21, 2013 02:37
|
|
|
bunnyofdoom posted:Since I'm only a month into my training and all that, and ahve only done sim time, please be nice to this stupid question. How do I calculate how much time it will take me to fly a certain distance, and if I'd need to land to refuel along the way? Skip ahead in your textbooks to the chapter about planning a cross-country flight. Break out your flight computer! The Whiz Wheel makes these calculations a breeze! And you thought learning to use a slide rule was for dummies! Basically, look in your POH for the performance charts. Find your climb-to-altitude fuel-burn table, then your cruise fuel burn table. Go with something pessimistic; it's good for planning to think you don't have as much gas as you do. Like, if your chart says "100% power 11.5gal/hr" and "80% power 5.5gal/hr" then estimate that you'll cruise somewhere on the high side of that. Call it 10gal/hr to make the math easy! Figure out how long you can be in the air. If your (climb fuel [climb distance]) + ((cruise fuel + 30 more minutes of cruise fuel) * cruise speed) < distance you need to fly, then you make it in one hop! Good job. If not, you get to figure out where you can land to get gas. Ugh. It sounds so difficult and complicated when you break it down into small steps like this, but it's really not. Cross-country planning is very simple. For a simple flight example, assume you burn 4 gallons of gas to get off the runway, and 8 more gallons to get up to altitude. So now you're down 12gal. If you've got 40 gal of usable fuel, and burn 8gal/hr, 40-12=38. 38/8=3.5hrs. Your cruise is (say) 120kt, and you need .5hr reserve fuel, so you have 360nmi of flight per leg. Run your winds to modify your 360nmi to traversed distance over ground (tailwinds add distance, headwinds decrease). If you plug the numbers from your POH in, you very quickly get an idea of how far (long) you can fly. Try to game the charts. Sometimes 80% power is way more fuel efficient (in miles/gallon) than 100% or 60%. You can also find a favorable wind layer at some other altitude to stretch your legs somewhat, but you have to take into account the extra gas getting up to that altitude (if significant).
|
|
#
¿
Oct 6, 2013 02:40
|
|
|
The Slaughter posted:Anyone done underwater emergency egress training where they dunk you? What was it like? Our aircrew does these, and they say it's no biggie. You do it once above the water. The divers watch you hand-over-hand out of the thing. Then they dunk you slowly, without a flip, with a breathing device, with the lights on, and you hand-over-hand out. You do a total of five dunks, each one removing one of the earlier devices in the order listed. So the last dunk is fast, with a flip, no devices, in the dark. By that time, you're cold, tired, sore, and wet, so it's a fairly decent representation of what a crash would be like, stress-wise. The divers are there the whole time, and will rescue you after you pass out. Apparently the worst part is the "three-two-one-ready" and then some random length of time between 0 and 15 seconds before the thing falls. Keep your wits about you and realize that you can't actually die doing this and you'll be fine.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 12, 2013 20:07
|
|
|
Is there a comprehensive guide to buying an airplane for people in the US? Insurance/maintenance calculators and stuff? For example, I see ads for C-172, 9950TT 1950SMOH, $15,000. That makes me think there's like $X,000 worth of work due on it RIGHT NOW, but I don't really have any way to figure out what X might be (or if it's XX [or XXX, really]).
|
|
#
¿
Aug 25, 2014 16:18
|
|
|
The Ferret King posted:Most graphs I've seen indicate that you need to fly about 100-120 hours per year to break even on small GA prop planes. 10 hours a MONTH? That's way WAY less than I was expecting. I need to find some actual owners of airplanes in this size range and start talking hard numbers.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 25, 2014 21:50
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 20:53 |
|
|
Rickety Cricket posted:You might want to look through this, could be some good stuff. http://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/pl1ab/is_aircraft_ownership_in_your_future_things_to/ This is good stuff. Bottom line: Estimating high, $20k/yr to operate something in the C-172 class, flying about 200hrs/yr. It costs more to operate a car if you drive "standard" mileage. So my second vehicle is gonna be a plane! Yay.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 28, 2014 17:13
|
|