| |
|
|
NOVEMBER 2008 Volume 2, Issue 11 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
 Welcome
to Reach For The Sky, EAA's monthly
e-newsletter written and created for people who
are interested in learning how to fly. This
month Certificated Flight Instructor Steve Krog
walks us through four types of bad landings -
bouncer, porpoise, hard landings, and loss of
directional control - and explains how, like any
exercise in life, the more we practice the
better we become at landings. We also introduce
EAA staffer Brady Lane, who is chronicling his
sport pilot flight training in a new video blog
on the EAA website called Earning My Wings.
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 ...
- Bad
Landings, by Steve Krog, CFI, Editor
- What You're
Asking: Questions for your instructor
- A Personal
View: Earning My Wings: A Video Blog
About Learning to Fly, by Brady Lane
- Aviation
Glossary: Learning the language of
flight
- This
Month's Poll: What would be your
favorite aviation-related holiday gift?
Bad Landings
By Steve Krog
 The
need to discontinue a landing may arise at any
point in the landing process, but the most
critical go-around will usually be one started
when you are very close to the ground. It is
always better to initiate a go-around rather
than touching down while drifting across the
runway or making a hard drop-in landing from a
high flare and roundout, or bounced landing.
Whether you’re
a student pilot or a pro, you won’t always
make perfect approaches and landings.
Occasionally it may be advisable for safety
reasons to discontinue the landing approach and
make another approach under more favorable
conditions. Therefore, it is important that you
know what to do when this situation occurs.
[ Read
more ]
|
Q&A:
What you're asking
|
| Common
questions for the instructor from beginning flight students
Q.
What is the required equipment in a
plane for a private pilot check ride? I
am looking at a Piper PA-20 to learn to
fly in. Is this a good choice?
A. First,
congratulations on making the decision
to learn to fly. You'll find it to be
challenging but positive, and the
enjoyment it will bring you is
incomparable.
The Piper
PA-20 Pacer is a great little airplane.
It is economical to operate and will
carry quite a good load of passengers
and/or gear. As stated in the Federal
Aviation Regulations (FAR's), Part
91.205, for the airplane to first be
legal for VFR flight during the day, it
will require the normal instrumentation
including: airspeed indicator,
altimeter, compass, tachometer, oil
pressure gauge, oil temperature gauge
and fuel gauge(s). For night VFR flight
you will additionally need: approved
position lights, a rotating beacon
(because your airplane was certified
prior to August 11, 1971), and an
adequate source of electrical energy for
all installed electrical and radio
equipment.
To
complete your private pilot flight
training in the PA-20, you will also
need to have instrumentation to be able
to fly solely by instruments. Usually,
your flight examiner will accept having
a turn & bank/turn coordinator to
meet this requirement. Used in
combination with the airspeed indicator
and altimeter, you will be able to meet
this portion of the training and flight
test requirements. Additionally, the
examiner will usually want you to
demonstrate the use of some means of
radio navigation such as a VOR or a GPS.
This is entirely up to the examiner
though, so you and your flight
instructor may want to talk with the
examiner. [ More
questions ]
|
|
|
A Personal
View - Earning My Wings |
|
 Brady
Lane, EAA multimedia journalist, is taking
flight lessons in pursuit of his sport pilot
certificate, and he's sharing the experience in
real time through videos and a blog on EAA's
website. Earning My Wings: A Video Blog About
Learning to Fly will chronicle Lane's journey,
from selecting an instructor to the final
checkride.
"I've always
wanted to learn to fly, but never knew how or
where to begin," Lane said. "I'm
recording each flight and will be posting videos
after every lesson so people can see exactly
what's involved in learning to fly. My hope is
that it will encourage others to pursue their
own dreams of flight."
[ Read
more ]
|
|
|
jet
propulsion
- that form of propulsion produced when a
relatively small mass of air is given a large
amount of acceleration.
landing
roll -
the distance an aircraft travels on the ground
after touchdown to the point it can be stopped
or exits to the taxiway.
major
overhaul
- the complete disassembly, cleaning,
inspection, repair, and reassembly of an
aircraft, engine, or other component of an
aircraft in accordance with the manufacturers
specifications, and which will return the device
to a serviceable condition.
overload
- to apply a load in excess of that for which a
device or structure is designed.
[ more
glossary terms
]
|
|
Last
month's poll: We
asked, "How old were you when you had your
first airplane ride?" Of the 583 total
votes, 42 percent of you responded
"11-20," while 40 percent responded
"1-10." Coming in third with 12
percent of the votes was "21-30." The
remaining 6 percent had their first airplane
ride after the age of 31 or had never flown in
an airplane before.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Did you know .
. .
|
|
The largest seaplane in
history
is the Hughes Flying Boat H-4 Hercules,
nicknamed the Spruce Goose. Although it never went into
production, it was designed to carry 750 troops. For more
information visit: www.sprucegoose.org/aircraft_artifacts/exhibits.html.
The term "glass
cockpit" refers to the instruments in the
cockpit. In a glass cockpit, the instruments are displayed
on a computer screen instead of the traditional steam
gauges - mechanical instruments with mechanical needles.
The displays are in essence a video presentation of the
instruments.
|
Hughes Flying Boat H-4 Hercules,
nicknamed the Spruce Goose. |
|
Back in the 1930s, air
racing was a very popular sport. The outbreak of World
War II interrupted air racing and it never quite recovered
its popularity. However, there are still many air races
today, including the Reno National Air Races, held each
September in Reno, Nevada. It is an amazing sport! Check
it out at www.airrace.org.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|