Yeah that was pretty steep at the end there. I'd been taught to use side slips too in a powered plane as well as flaps. You should warn us about the loud music with the video however.
Same here, and I still fly tight patterns whenever possible, with engine idle from downwind to touchdown. Not much different from a power-off 180, which is in the commercial PTS but all private pilots should learn them too, even though they're not required. It's good practice. In most GA aircraft the ailerons have more authority than rudder, so if you need to land really short you can slip all the way through the turns with full outside rudder while using aileron and pitch to control the turn. Slipping like this is almost like having spoilers.
Yep. Spins are fun, and useful training. Pre-flight planning to ensure intentional spins are approved, configuring the aircraft W&B for "utility category", and good practice for unusual attitude entry & recovery.
Yeah I remember spins. My instructor was retired military, Captain in the Army I think. He was rated for all kinds of acrobatics that few people were licensed to do. On weekends he flew stunts and stuff in a Pitts. He also had license for choppers, but not as an instructor.
Ray: Back in the 70's I was working with a sail plane pilot (in southern Sweden) and was lucky enough to go for a ride in a two seater. Very cool. We both worked in an electronics lab and he had me design a little circuit with like 4 transistors that would sense which wing-tip was warmer than the other. We had remote transistors out on the tip and a couple of LEDs would light showing the direction of the hotter tip. He would then steer in the hotter direction, hoping to catch the thermal. I think it worked pretty well. Is such a gadget used today?
The Seattle area where I live can get quite windy so tell my passengers in advance (before they look out the window and notice for themselves) that the crab angle is perfectly normal; that usually converts fear into "wow this is cool".
As you do this, are you targeting specific airspeeds, like Vldmax (maximum glide distance) between lift areas, Vx (max angle of climb) or Vy (max rate of climb) when in lift?
Yeah, gliders can require thinking about things differently. It seems simple & intuitive to fly at minimum sink (slow) when in lift, and fly at Vldmax (faster) between lift. The doc you provided is interesting, as it explains that this is not true!
Well sorry you have to wait. I took my check ride for a powered plane on a apparently a bad day for the Examiner. I was there ready to go at 1 pm, and he did the oral part. Then said he had some matters to attend to. I ended up doing my check ride that night about 6:30 pm. I was a young impatient fellow then. It didn't help my nerves. But I passed with a perfect score when it was over. And not many people take their check ride at night. I'd have really been bummed out with a multi-week wait.
You got the oral done, which is 1 step closer. You get bonus points for recognizing when not to fly. Now you get to continue to practice flying which is fun.
