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APRIL 2009 Volume 3, Issue 4 |
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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 we move to the second phase of flight
training - cross-country flying; profile a young
woman whose passion for aviation translated
into a career; catch up with our online student
pilot, and more.
We encourage you
to forward your copy to others. 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...
- Cross-Country Flying - Steve Krog, CFI, Editor
- Update:
Earning My Wings video blog - Brady
Lane, EAA Multimedia Journalist
- What You're
Asking - Questions for your instructor
- A Personal
View - Making Aviation a Career - Alaine
Olthafer
- Aviation
Glossary - Learning the language of
flight
- This
Month's Poll - What's the most difficult
maneuver to learn during flight training?
- Did You
Know? - Facts and information on the
world of flight
Cross-Country Flying
Are
you ready for Phase II flight training?
 By Steve Krog
When
beginning the cross-country flight phase,
student pilots often find it one of the most
exciting parts of their training. Until reaching
the cross-country phase, virtually all flights
take place at or near the home airport. For the
first time, students are able to fly well beyond
the home airport to new and different airports,
initially with the flight instructor and then
solo. Planning the first cross-country flight,
though, can seem overwhelming! Let's examine all
things involved when planning and flying a
cross-country flight.
[ Read
more
]
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Update:
Earning My Wings: A video blog about learning to
fly |
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Brady Lane
Refresher
Lessons
 I
don't recommend taking two months off in
the middle of learning to fly, but it's
not the end of the world if you have to.
Flying isn't quite like riding a bike,
but it does come back to you rather
quickly.
On my
first flight back, I was amazed at how
comfortable I felt behind the controls
practicing ground reference maneuvers.
It felt like I had never taken a day
off. Landing was a different story,
however. The first couple approaches
weren't admirable at all, but after
three or four I started to get the hang
of it again.
In my
most recent lesson, we had a good
crosswind to deal with. Crosswind
landings are a fun challenge - and a
workout. I have never been so exhausted
after a lesson! Watch
the video to see the learning curve
I experienced. Buckle up though - there
are a couple of good bounces.
Be sure
to read the comments on
my latest post. There are some great
suggestions on ways to brush the dust
off when you've been out of the cockpit
for a while. If you have a suggestion,
please share with us!
==============
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: I'm
still struggling to get the needle
centered on VOR training. I tune in the
OBS, turn to an appropriate course
heading and try to fly the needle while
trying to pick points on the horizon as
holding targets. The needle centers,
then the needle swings left or right, I
correct my course heading, towards the
deflection, and work at finding the
sweet spot.
As a
student near completion of training,
it's still very frustrating. Is there a
smarter way to get the needle somewhat
locked in? Thanks for any help.
A:
Your question is a good one, and one
often asked by students. The biggest
mistake I find among students is the
urge to make things happen too quickly.
Here's what I mean.
Flying a
VOR heading or radial is no different
than flying your pencil course line on
the map. Remember calculating the wind
correction angle in order to fly your
desired course line? The same applies to
the VOR, except we're flying an
electronic line rather than a pencil
line. [ Read more ]
[ More
questions ]
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A Personal
View - Making Aviation a Career |
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| By
Steve Krog
 The
"aviation bug" can bite with the
vengeance of a bee sting; it requires immediate
attention. But the aviation bug can also bite
like a gnat. The bite is there but hardly
noticed…until scratched. However, the more
scratched, the more attention required.
Alaine Olthafer's
aviation "bug" began as the latter. As
a little girl, about age 4 or 5, she had her
first opportunity to take an airplane ride
during a Sunday School trip. "My cousin and
I went for a ride. The pilot did some mild
positive and negative g maneuvers. I
remember looking at my cousin and she was really
scared! But I loved it and was so excited to get
the ride. I was having the time
[ Read
more ]
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dimpling
- a
process that is used to indent the hole into
which a flush rivet is to be installed.
fuel
pressure gauge
- a gauge that indicates the pressure at which
fuel is delivered to the carburetor.
jumbo
jets -
the name given to wide bodied airplanes such as
the Boeing 747, 757, McDonald Douglas DC-10,
Lockheed L-1011, and the A-300 Airbus, etc.
blade
angle –
the angle between the plane of propeller
rotation and the face of the
propeller blade.
[ more
glossary terms
]
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Last
month's poll: We
asked, "Do you plan to attend Sun 'n Fun in
Lakeland, Florida, April 21-26?" Most of
you (68 percent) said "No," meaning 32
percent of you will be heading to Lakeland, this
week. Here's hoping for blue skies! (Count me
among the 32% - see you there - SK)
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Did you know .
. .
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The most famous of the
North American P-51 Mustangs was the P-51 "D"
model. That's the airplane most commonly seen at
fly-ins and air shows. A Merlin V-1650-7 engine that was
built by Packard powered the P- 51 D. The engine could
produce 1,695 hp. The P-51 can fly at a speed of 437 mph
at 25,000 feet. The airplane had a 37-foot wingspan and
was 32 feet 3 inches long. It stood 13 feet 8 inches off
the ground. Fuel capacity was 105 gallons, giving it a
range of 950 miles at 362 miles per hour at 25,000 feet.
 Stealth
aircraft use a combination of aircraft shape and radar
absorbent materials to reduce their radar
"signature" (how it appears on radar). The many
different surfaces work to reflect the radar signal in
many different directions, so that very little of the
signal gets back to the radar receiver. Further reduction
in radar signature is gained by coating the aircraft with
materials that absorb rather than reflect a great deal of
the radar energy.
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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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From the book
"Say....." Martin Leeuwis Publications
www.humor.aero
humor@leeuwispubli.nl
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