40 MAY 2020 ÇPlane&Pilot
it pointed out reinforces your desire to do better.
That said, go flying by yourself as soon as your confi-
dence is reestablished. You can get much more productive
skill-building done when flying solo than with the divided
attention that is unavoidable with a shared cockpit. If you
really want a buddy along, make sure to impose a “sterile
cockpit” no-talking procedure at critical moments during
the flight.
SHARPENING UP
No matter how you decide to get started again after a
lengthy layoff, any flying is better than nothing. Dedication
to improvement is the key to regaining skills, encourag-
ing growth as a pilot. He who stops trying to get better...
soon stops being good. Basic airwork is simply locking
onto the correct relationship of attitude and power to
achieve a goal. During climbout, for instance, try to seek
a nose attitude that will keep the indicated airspeed on
an exact number, not a range of acceptable climb speeds.
Power is already stable at the climb setting, so it’s simply a
matter of trimming to allow a light touch in pitch control.
The goal is to stay on target, not by moving the stick fore
and aft to direct the ASI needle but by adjusting pitch
attitude, so the airspeed rests where it’s desired. Flying
the airspeed reading is inherently frustrating because
there’s always a second of lag between hand movement
and speed change, so you’re always chasing the needle or
tape. Instead, fly by attitude, and simply verify the result
by glancing at the indicated airspeed once in a while.
REAL STRAIGHT AND LEVEL
Level off by leading the climb rate so that the airplane
comes to rest in level flight exactly on the target altitude.
Make no power adjustment until airspeed approaches the
normal cruise number, at which point you can reduce to
cruise power and make the final trim tweak. Do not accept
an approximation of a hard altitude; my criteria is to try
to keep the altitude within 50 feet, because transponders
report altitude to the nearest hundred-foot figure, and
I want to imagine my ATC read-out remaining stable.
Straying over 50 feet up or down clicks the displayed
number to the next higher or lower figure. Once settled
in to level cruise, I may tighten up to 25 feet or less of
tolerance, just for practice.
Does such slavish concentration on perfect perfor-
mance inhibit watching for other airplanes? No, because
our primary references are outside, if in visual conditions;
βǡβ
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seconds. If the air isn’t stable, of course, we have to allow
ourselves brief excursions in up- and down-drafts. Deal
with them in the following sequence: use light stick force
or trim to effectther a slight change in angle of attack for
small corrections, and, then, for larger corrections, adjust
power, if necessary, to assist in moving back to the desired
altitude. Do not allow airspeed to deviate more than 2
or 3 knots without changing power. Lastly, adjust trim
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βǤBASIC MANEUVERS
When practicing simple turns, the objective is to keep a
target airspeed or altitude while holding a constant bank.
Don’t let bank angle wobble; slipping into a steeper-than-
desired bank encourages altitude loss, while shallowing
out produces a climb. After getting the feel of the aircraft
and its level-flight sight picture, make a few circles in a
30-degree bank, then raise the bar by doing some 45-degree
banked turns. In these steeper turns, you may need to add
a little power to overcome the increased wing loading,
unless you can afford to lose airspeed while you’re in the
wind-up period. I like to keep the steep turn going for
two full circles; I might get lucky for one turn in smooth
air, but the second 360 will have to be flown in the first
turn’s turbulence,
presenting an added
challenge. There’s a
certain satisfaction
in feeling the little
bump that comes by
hitting one’s wake at
rollout on the entry
heading, even if we
know the wake does
settle a bit.
Practicing air-
speed changes in
level flight provides
another challenge.
From cruise speed,
slow the aircraft to a target slow-flight speed, perhaps 10
knots above a stall indication. Reduce power sufficiently
to avoid climbing as you slow down, but stay far enough
above idle to keep the rate of deceleration manageable.
As you approach the target speed, anticipate the power
required to hold level flight and spool up the engine a few
knots early. The goal is to be at the same altitude as you were
at the beginning, on the same heading, parked precisely in
slower flight. You’re juggling three balls in the air at once:
airspeed, controlled by pitch changes; altitude, responding
to power adjustment; and heading, using rudder to offset
torque changes during speed and power changes. Nail the
three into immobility. Then, keep using the same control
inputs as you recover into level cruise. To add complexity,
make configuration changes during the slow-down and
speed-up, extending or retracting flaps and gear. That
will require making more attitude and power changes to
maintain stable flight.“THERE’S A CERTAIN
SATISFACTION IN FEELING
THE LITTLE BUMP THAT
COMES BY HITTING ONE’S
WAKE AT ROLLOUT ON THE
ENTRY HEADING, EVEN
IF WE KNOW THE WAKE
DOES SETTLE A BIT.”