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SEPTEMBER 2008 Volume 2, Issue 9 |
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 Welcome
to Reach For The Sky, EAA's monthly
e-newsletter written and created for people who
are interested in learning how to fly. Last
month Certificated Flight Instructor Steve Krog
offered us tips on takeoffs, landings, and the
traffic pattern. This month Steve explains how
to perform takeoffs and landings under crosswind
conditions, pointing out that while crosswinds
can be intimidating at first, practicing under
these conditions makes us safer, more confident
pilots. In this month's "A Personal
View," Stephanie Masek describes how her
childhood love for airplanes blossomed into a
career in commercial aviation.
Starting this
month we're adding two new features to the
newsletter: A monthly aviation-related cartoon
and a series of interesting aviation facts that
we're calling "Did You Know?" As
always, feel free to forward your copy to
someone who might like to receive the
newsletter. And remember, you don't need to be
an EAA member to subscribe.
Note: If you're a
pilot just starting out and would like to share
your story, or if you have a question about flight-training,
drop us an e-mail at LearnToFly@eaa.org.
In
this issue ...
- Crosswinds,
Takeoffs and Landings, by Steve Krog,
CFI, Editor
- What You're
Asking: Questions for your instructor
- A Personal
View: What Am I Doing With My Life? by
Stephanie Masek
- Aviation
Glossary: Learning the language of
flight
- This
Month's Poll: What/who influenced your
decision to learn to fly?
Crosswind
Takeoffs and Landings
By Steve Krog
 Mention
crosswind takeoffs and landings at an airport
pilot gathering and watch their expressions
change from fun and frivolity to one of
stern-jawed seriousness. Crosswind operations
need not be feared and, in fact, can be both
quite fun and challenging for the pilot who
strives to be a better pilot.
There will always
be times in your flying career when crosswind
takeoffs and landings must be made. Many times
on windy days I've had students ask me,
"Are we really going to fly today? It is
really windy and there is a nasty crosswind on
every runway. I'd never go out on my own and fly
in these conditions. So why do I have to train
in them?" Read
more
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Q&A:
What you're asking
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| Common
questions for the instructor from beginning flight students
Q:
I am approaching retirement age and will
soon have time to pursue my life long
dream of learning to fly. Do you find
older students harder to train?
A:
First, congratulations on a
successful career and second,
congratulations again on keeping your
passion for flight alive and now acting
on that dream. I have worked with
students that range in age from the
early teens to the late seventies. All
were quite capable of learning to fly.
It really depends on the individual.
Q:
I realize that a student with a sport
pilot student certificate cannot fly
solo in a non-LSA aircraft. Can a sport
pilot student fly a non-LSA aircraft
dual with the flight instructor? Is the
flight instructor not the PIC? Is an LSA
required for dual instruction?
A:
A sport pilot student is allowed to
take and count dual instruction from a
CFI in a non-LSA aircraft. In fact, a
light sport pilot student could take all
dual training in a non-LSA aircraft.
However, the sport pilot student must
complete all solo flight requirements
and take the sport pilot checkride in an
LSA aircraft. The CFI would be the Pilot
in Command (PIC) for any of these
flights.
More
questions
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A Personal
View - “What Am I Doing With My Life?” |
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| By
Stephanie Masek
 I
don’t remember my first airplane flight; I
know it was in my father’s Cessna 180, but it
was probably not too long after I was born. I’ve
been flying all my life but being a girl with a
brother a couple years older, the airport was
always kind of a father/son thing, so I wasn’t
really too involved. I always knew I would be a
pilot, and as a kid, the airline pilot dream was
alive and well, but that was about as far as it
went back then.
Back home in
Ohio, the summer before my last year of college
at Montana State, the whole frightening “what
the heck am I going to do with my life?!”
panic set in. When I told my dad I wanted to
learn how to fly, he said to one of his
corporate pilot friends, “I’d like you guys
to teach Steph how to fly.” I believe the
response was, “We do tailwheel training only
and not primary instruction!” After some
convincing though, Pete and his son, Karl,
became my flight instructor team. Read
more
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bay - Any
specific compartment in the body of the
aircraft. It may also refer to a portion of a
truss, or fuselage, between adjacent bulkheads,
struts or frame positions.
differential pressure - A
difference between two pressures. The
measurement of airspeed is an example of the use
of a differential pressure.
hangar -
A building that is used for the purpose of
housing and maintaining aircraft.
indicated airspeed -
Airspeed as indicated on the airspeed indicator
with no corrections applied.
kreuger flap -
A type of leading edge wing flap hinged at the
bottom side of the airfoil. When it is actuated,
the leading edge bends downward, increasing the
overall wing camber which allows the wing to
develop additional lift at lower airspeeds.
more
glossary terms >>
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Last
month's poll: Last
month's poll: We asked, "What was your
favorite part of AirVenture 2008?" Of the
211 responses, over half (52 percent) of you
said there were too many cool things to single
out. We agree! Coming in second with 13 percent
of the votes was "All those aircraft on the
ground," followed by "Warbirds"
with 11 percent. "AeroShell Square
attractions," "Forums/Workshops,"
"Daily air show," and "Theater in
the Woods/Evening programs" all came in
with under 9 percent of the total votes.
Got an idea for a new
aviation-related poll question? Send an e-mail
to dheimos@eaa.org
and you might see it in an upcoming edition of Reach
for the Sky.
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Did you know .
. .
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Did you know you
can fly an Experimental Amateur-Built (homebuilt) aircraft
as a sport pilot as long as the aircraft meets the
definition of a light-sport aircraft?
Did you know
that approximately 76,000 aircraft depart airports in the
United States every day?
Did you know
the first modern, radio-equipped control tower was
established in 1930 at the Cleveland Municipal Airport in
Cleveland, Ohio?
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A moment to
join, a lifetime to fly
|
 If
you’re preparing to become a pilot, the EAA
community is here for you. Membership gives you
access to the collective passion, knowledge,
experience, and support of 170,000 members
worldwide. You'll get to participate in EAA
events, connect with fellow members, and have
access to the tools and resources to get you
airborne. Join the fun by visiting http://www.eaa.org/membership/benefits.asp
today.
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Reach for the Sky - EAA's Guide to Learning
to Fly and Light-Sport Aircraft
|
 EAA’s
guide to learning to fly and light-sport aircraft
is a resource to help anyone take the first
steps toward becoming a pilot. Whether you want to
have fun in a powered parachute or one day want to
command a Mars mission, Reach for the Sky is a
great place to start. It is
available
as a PDF
that will take a few minutes to download with a
high-speed connection.
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