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DECEMBER 2008 Volume 2, Issue 12 |
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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. This
month Certificated Flight Instructor Steve Krog
explains how to properly enter and fly the
traffic pattern and emphasizes the importance of
having a plan while approaching the runway
(Hint: Consistency is key).
In this month's "A Personal View,"
private pilot Amy
Gesch explains how believing in her own
abilities as a pilot helped her overcome a new
challenge in an unfamiliar environment, and in
doing so, solidified her love of flying. Also
included is an update of Brady Lane's sport
pilot flight training video blog, which can be
viewed at www.EAA.org/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 ...
- Striving
Towards Perfect Landings, by Steve Krog,
CFI, Editor
- What You're
Asking: Questions for your instructor
- A Personal
View: Keep the Faith, by Amy Gesch
- Aviation
Glossary: Learning the language of
flight
- This
Month's Poll: Weather permitting, how
often do you plan to take flight lessons?
Striving
Towards Perfect 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
]
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Update:
Earning My Wings: A video blog about learning to
fly |
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Brady Lane
 I've
been doing a lot of landings lately.
At first,
the pace of the traffic pattern was
overwhelming. So much was happening so
fast, but eventually I was able to get a
handle on it. I now really enjoy flying
the pattern and the challenge of
bringing the plane back to earth.
Then
crosswinds came. At first these were
also challenging, then I started to get
it, then I felt like I was starting all
over again learning how to land.
On my
most recent flight, I attempted six
landings in a slight crosswind and each
just got worse and worse. It was a
frustrating experience. However, my
instructor, Jason, tells me most student
pilots experience similar learning
plateaus. He said that even though it
didn't feel like it, I was still making
progress.
It was a
trying and frustrating experience, but
at least I know there is hope and that
eventually I'll get it.
==============
Using cockpit cameras, Brady is
recording video of every flight lesson
and posting them at www.EAA.org/wings/.
He encourages you to visit the blog
regularly for updates and invites you to
leave comments and questions.
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Q&A:
What you're asking
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| Common
questions for the instructor from beginning flight students
Q.
This summer I'll be going through my
sport pilot training. With that in mind,
I would like to know the optimal
training schedule that will get me
through training without completely
overloading my brain or having to
remember what I did last. What do you
think? Once a week, three times a week,
etc?
A. The
optimal training schedule is often
dependent on your availability and work
schedule. Depending on where you are
located, weather can also be a factor.
Based on my experience, scheduling
flight lessons three times per week
works best. This will allow you time to
absorb the lesson just completed, as
well as prepare for the next lesson.
Very little flight review time at the
start of each lesson is needed when
flying three times per week.
[ More
questions ]
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A Personal
View - Keeping the faith |
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| By
Amy Gesch
 During
the course of your flying experience, you are
bound to doubt yourself. Many pilots experience
doubt early in their flight training. For me, it
was after solo. I was confident and ecstatic-on
top of the world. Then, suddenly, I couldn't
land worth a bean. I bounced that poor Cub every
which way and became generally frustrated with
myself. After all, I had already mastered this,
right?
Mastery is a
false concept when learning to fly. A pilot's
license is not a certificate of your superior
knowledge so much as it is a federal
acknowledgement that you're safe enough to
continue learning. Pilots have bad days. Every
airline pilot has had a less than perfect
landing, and could very well have one tomorrow. [ Read
more ]
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blade angle
- The angle between the plane of propeller
rotation and the face of the propeller blade.
dial indicator -
A precision linear measuring instrument whose
indication is much amplified and is read on a
circular dial.
heat
load -
the amount of heat that the air conditioner is
required to remove from an airplane cabin in
order to maintain a constant cabin temperature.
pattern -
the flight pattern an aircraft must follow when
approaching the airport for landing and when
leaving the airport after taking off. Aircraft
operating from the airport must follow the same
flight pattern in order to reduce the danger of
an in-flight collision.
undercarriage
- A term used to describe an airplane's entire
landing gear.
[ more
glossary terms
]
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Last
month's poll: We
asked, "What would be your favorite
aviation-related holiday gift?" Of the
1,246 responses, a whopping 83 percent of you
voted for "Flight Lessons." The second
most popular gift was "Tickets to
AirVenture Oshkosh 2009" with 6 percent of
the votes, followed by "A New GPS"
with 5 percent. "Airplane rental" and
"Airline Tickets" tied for last with
only 3 percent of the total votes.
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Did you know .
. .
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The Harrier aircraft is
powered by a jet engine that has movable exhaust
nozzles that can direct the thrust down allowing the
aircraft to hover. By moving the nozzle, the pilot can
change between a hover and regular flight profile. The
Harrier can hover like a helicopter and also fly at nearly
the speed of sound.
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The first living creature
to be launched into space was a dog named LAIKA. On
November 3, 1957, she was sent into space aboard Sputnik 2
by the Soviet Union. As there were no controls for the
spacecraft, remote or otherwise, there was no way to
return Laika to earth. She died in space about a week
after the launch. By the way, the name "Laika"
means "barker" in Russian.
The EAA Young Eagles
program is for people ages 8-17. If you'd like to go
for a flight, visit the Young
Eagles website and find an instructor in your area.
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A moment to
join, a lifetime to fly
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 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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