26 September 2009

QUESTION: WHAT IS AN ARCHER WITH A FLOPPY PROP AND MOVING WHEELS?

The answer - an Arrow, of course. Today was my first time in DQV, the privately owned club Piper Arrow. Having done about 23 hours in the Archers, I thought it about time to have a go in something a bit more complex and try to cope with a constant speed propeller and retractable landing gear - all with the help of CFI, Roger.
The weather didn't look too auspicious. I had the plane booked from 1000-1200 and at 0900 the ATIS indicated a damp runway with showers in the vicinity, cloud base 2000' with scattered cloud at 1100' and a few CBs at 1500'!! From home, about 8 km North(ish) from the airport, it looked a bit clearer so at 9.30 I jumped in the car and drove out there. It was looking very showery all round, but a bit clearer to the North-West so it was no surprise that Roger suggested we head out that way.
The first job was to get the plane out of its hanger which was a new experience for me. Once we got it out, being very careful not to do any damage to the fancy Squirrel helicopter currently sharing the hangar space, Roger took me through the preflight which is almost the same as an Archer - just need to check the locking of the wheels and that the wheel wells are clear and then it was start up and away.
Starting from cold was not much of a problem as I have started fuel injected planes before and it obligingly started on the first few cranks. Oil pressure green, fuel pump off, mags check, radio on and a check of the ATIS was a little encouraging with the cloud base 2500' now and a light northwest wind. We were cleared to hold at "Bravo" for 36R and a city departure. Roger took me through the new part of the engine run-up, "exercising" the propeller using the pitch control to warm up the oil.
No real delays and we were cleared to 2500' or below straight away. Off we went over the city climbing to about 1800' before the cloud stopped us and, once clear of the zone, tried some turns. I didn't really notice the nose-heaviness of the Arrow in normal flight, just a slightly lower nose attitude for straight and level. A 30º left turn was fine but I drifted about 50' up and down during the 45º turn. Never mind, Roger said it was OK and we headed East towards Morrinsville for a few basic and power and flap stalls. The buffet at the stall onset is so very obvious on the Arrow and unmissable. We recovered at the buffet each time and I was surprise how slow the plane would go before stalling with flaps down. Roger demonstrated the override of the gear "fail-safe" system (which lowers the gear if you forget when below a certain speed with the throttle partly closed) so the gear stayed up for the basic stalls and we had the gear down for the landing configuration.
Then it was a couple of forced landing practices. No demonstration first, Rog just asked me to pick a paddock while were climbing and at 2500' closed the throttle. I now noticed what others had told me - the Arrow glides like a brick. Even trimmed for optimal glide at 85 knots we were on our way down at 1000' per minute and once the gear went down this went up to 1200' or so. Roger showed me how to reduce this back to about 1000fpm with a bit of trim back to 80 knots. Still, there was not much time to get the checks done and set up for finals into the paddock. The first one was a rather high and I had rushed the checks a bit but the second was better and we were almost in the field before the go-around was called.
Then it was back to Hamilton for a few circuits. The weather hadn't changed according to the ATIS and we came back over the city on a North arrival, joining downwind for 36R and a full stop and back to Bravo for more circuits. My approach was quite good, remembering to check the three little green lights for the undercarriage on base and finals and set the pitch fine. I was a bit slow over the threshold at 60 knots but the landing wasn't bad in a slight crosswind.
The next circuit was "interesting". Right hand and on downwind were advised wind was now a 5 knot tailwind (and a similar crosswind component from the look of the windsock) - those CBs were closing in and affecting the wind rapidly. A bit challenging in a new type and I needed a little help from the good Roger to get straight and upwind wheel down first.
Last circuit - left hand to start with and then a 180º turn on downwind to change to right hand for 18L. Now about an 8 knot crosswind and my approach was the best so far, speed at 75 knots on final and crabbing in OK. I kept straight but came down a bit hard and the crosswind technique wasn't quite there. It was on the landings that I finally noticed the nose-heaviness - it needs a good strong pull on the yoke to flare. Back to the hanger and we made it back to the club just before the rain.
All in all though, Roger said it was pretty good for a type introduction flight and next time (Thursday if the weather gods are kind) it will be more forced landings and circuits. Can't wait!!

17 September 2009

IT'S A MIRACLE! - ON MY OWN IN THE CIRCUIT!!!

Thursday morning again and time to go flying. I had booked Archer II, "UFS", as I thought it would be good to get some hours in an "older technology" plane having done nearly all my recent flying in the new and "flashy" Archer III, "WIT".
The weather wasn't too flash with a cloud base of 1700'agl so I decided some circuits were in order. In spite of the "official" opening of the new 18L/36R runway yesterday work is still in progress and I was expecting the usual queue. Not to be, however; I could see no-one in the cicuit and, after all the usual checks, I was cleared to not only line up but also to take off! No queue or delay - amazing! I guess the weather was keeping many at home.
I flew six circuits, including three glide approaches and was "number one" on three of them - pretty amazing considering the congestion there has been of late. And it wasn't even first thing in the morning either (1030). I had to do one orbit but that appeared to be for wake turbulence separation more than anything else.
I found adapting "back" to all analogue instruments, older type radios and less automation happened very smoothly and after the first circuit went really well, getting the speeds and height OK on approach, glide approach practice would be good. I was cleared for a glide on the next three circuits and did quite well. The glide speed was right on all three and I made the runway successfully without having to "cheat" with a bit of throttle just to get me there. I did drift a bit to the right on one of them - have to watch that more carefully one the new runway is operational!! My second to last landing was the worst - flared a bit too early and down with a bump; in front of a Beech and our own JGP waiting. That's just typical, the worst in front of an audience!!
Pretty happy at the end of all that and finished after the sixth circuit. Back to the clubhouse where I saw instructor, Marie and asked her thoughts on the prospects for night circuits this evening which looked pretty bleak. She said that I'd get a call if it was on. That looked a remote possibility, so it was much to my very pleasant surprise that I got a call at 7pm to say I was on to go up with Marie at 7.30. Great stuff! So, after a bit of a delay because of congestion we got into the circuit and after three dual, Marie hopped out and I did four laps on my own. ATC were "off watch" by now and there were only two planes in the circuit now so it was pretty relaxed and good fun. By the time I was on the last finals Marie and Loreen were back in the circuit with other "students" so, quite unusually, it was an all "Waikato Aero Club" circuit.
Up twice in one day - FANTASTIC!!

14 September 2009

ANOTHER THURSDAY AND ANOTHER CHANCE TO GET AIRBORNE!!

THURSDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER

Despite the somewhat gloomy weather forecast this morning started favourably for visual flying - cloudbase of 3500', variable 5kt wind and 20+ km visibility. Great! I had booked one of the club Robins(/Alphas) for a couple of hours to do some forced landing practice and perhaps some circuits if it wasn't too crowded (All good practice for the BFR).
So, off I drove to the club to find the plane I had booked still out somewhere but another Robin just back and ready to go. Instructor, Jason, gave me a bit of a briefing once he had learnt what I was going to do and said he would like to hear how I got on when I got back.
It looked quietish in the circuit (like, three on a first count) so I asked and was cleared for circuits first up (and then a Scott departure). After just on circuit, though, things started to get busier. The next circuit was right hand and there seemed to be a few planes heading back in so I wasn't terribly surprised when I was told to extend downwind and follow a couple of twins heading in. Good chance for a flapless approach, then. The tower then (on shortish final) asked if I would take a Scott departure straightaway and, being a nice sort, I said yes and headed out to the Eastern end of Scotsman valley for a bit of forced landing practice.
The only trouble doing this exercise solo is the rule about not going under 500'agl. This means that just as you establish final (or before if you are a bit too low) it is time to go around. Still, I managed to get well established to make the paddock I had chosen on three of my four attempts. At the first attempt I lost sight of my chosen paddock and, if this had been the real thing, would have been forced into a rather boggy looking field a bit short of where I had in tended. Anyhow, I think I would have survived had it been real but may have had to help with doctors/physios/chiropracters profits for a while after!!! The other three went pretty well; I nailed the best glide speed (75kt) quite accurately, went through the checks and radio calls OK, and would have made the chosen paddocks.
So, I was quite happy and finished off with a couple of steep turns, left one near perfect, right one not so good (100' height gain - oops!) and headed back to the very busy Hamilton circuit for a landing. No delay though, overhead the tower and straight onto left hand downwind for 36. Jason did a quick debrief with me (he had just been up in a Cirrus - now that is a fine looking machine - perhaps I should buy a lottery ticket!!!) and seemed pleased with my report. His question was the obvious, "Would you have lived?"
I was also booked for some night flying to keep my rating current the same evening but the forecast came true later in the day with rain and lowering cloud by about 1800 so that killed that idea. Never mind there's always next week and at least I did get to complete a night rating this year.

03 September 2009

A NEW MONTH - AND OFF TO VIEW "THE GREAT LAKE"

After all the c**p weather for the last 10 days or so and two aborted bookings due to lousy conditions my heart leapt a beat when I woke up today to see a beautiful clear morning and not much wind. I had WIT booked for two hours to take up Ray, a friend from church. Ray has an engineering background and I knew would really enjoy a trip "up". I got out of bed straight away and onto the computer to check the weather around likely destinations for an hour and a half or so flight. Clear day - go and see the mountains, I thought, and sorted out a flight plan for Taupo. So, a quick call to Ray to make sure he was still "on" and off to the club. Ray arrived just as I did and I showed him around WIT. He was suitably impressed by the Archer III's "mod-cons". I also saw Roger and congratulated him on his recent A-Cat achievement. Very well done, Rog, if you're reading this. I checked the latest weather which was satisfactory and filed the appropriate flight plan. After taxi and a swamp departure clearance we joined the usual queue behind a CTC Twinstar and Katana. Roll on the end of the runway works is what I say!! Noticed that the new seal has 36L painted on its Southern end now so maybe not long before we have our nice new 18R/36L ready to roll. After a Dash-8 landed the twinstar was allowed to backtrack north of the eastern taxiway and the Katana and I given clearance to line up once the Dash-8 had cleared. Three on the runway became four as a C-172 was cleared to line up behind me as the Katana started to roll. Is this a record??? The Katana was turning right so I was cleared to take off without much delay which made up a bit for the queuing and we were on our way to Taupo. The sky was clear apart from the haze which you get used to in the Waikato and after clearing the zone we climbed up to 3500' and told Christchurch Information our intentions. It was pretty smooth apart from a few bumps around Mangakino and we were approaching Taupo just about on time (about 1 minute late) so that part of the flight plan was good.

VIEW FROM THE RIGHT HAND SEAT APPROACHING MANGAKINO

There was rather more drift to the West than I had originally planned for (the wind was becoming more easterly the further South we went) but that was pretty easily taken care of by map reading and local knowledge.
I had originally planned on a touch and go at Taupo but the delay in the queue at Hamilton and needing to be back in Hamilton by lunchtime prompted a decision to turn back over the boat harbour and head for home. The only traffic around appeared to be over Kinloch where someone looked to be practising some steep turns. No other aircraft about or on the radio and no parachutes visible to the South.

HAZY VIEW OF THE MOUNTAINS


THE SUN OUT OVER TAUPO

Ray had been manning the camera enthusiastically and had filled up my memory card by now (I found this out when I loaded the 84 frames onto my computer) There were some good shots there so thanks for that mate.
We made good time back to Hamiton thanks to a 15 or so knot wind almost on our tail and we tracked up Lake Arapuni, along Karapiro and over Cambridge for a South arrival. The wind had got up a bit - 12 knots gusting 18 - but 180° so straight up/down the runway. It was certainly a bit gusty on finals but the landing was pretty good and straight. After shutting down I checked the fuel. We started with 90 litres in each and ended with 70 in one and 50 in the other (Yes, I know, I was a bit asymmetric with the tank changes!!). 60 litres burnt for 1.5 hours total flight time. That 40 litres an hour for the Archer is about right then!
A very happy passenger and I parted company at the club and I headed home for a spot of lunch and a walk round the lake with the missus.