Autumn in the Sierra (Smoke and Fog)

"What we learn to do, we learn by doing." Aristotle

I apologize for not posting in awhile, I know I promised. Many excuses; starting with family in town, sessions with no photos and time spent in practice tests getting ready to take the written. I expect to do well on the written but only need 70% to pass. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. I don't know where I've heard that, but I like it.

Since my glorious solo I've gone out on my own 2 more times. Once to Beckworth where I landed full stop, taxied her to parking and shut her down. Then used the facilities in the beat up and characterized "Pilots Lounge" at Beckworth. Then back in, start up and off back to Truckee.

The briefer let me know that a layer of smoke was in the area on my route and the picture below shows it. It's just hanging there at 8500'. I originally climbed to 8500' out of Truckee and saw it ahead of me over Stampede Reservoir, so I felt it best to descend below it. See Below.

Smoke layer at 8500'

Self portrait. See Ma, no passengers!

The next two training sessions with my CFI were Short and Soft Field take offs and landings. The Short Field maneuvers were techniques to take off in the shortest ground roll possible and to clear a 50' obstacle. Same on the landing; shortest landing roll and clear a 50' obstacle. Short Field maneuvers were more fun. The technique was to keep as much weight off the nose wheel as possible. Holding the nose wheel off the ground as you begin, then taking off in ground effect staying 10' off the runway while your airspeed builds and then letting her climb. That was a cool thing to do! Upon landing keeping the nose wheel off the surface was challenging but not as scary as you may think.

I got rained out the next day, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

Then last Thursday we flew to Reno (RNO). It was my first time into class C airspace to fly with the airliners. 

Truckee was fogged in as I drove past the airport to take Seth to his babysitter and the temperature was right at 32 degrees. The sun was climbing and I knew if the temperature were to go up one degree the fog would burn off quick. I dropped Seth off and headed back to TRK and watched the OAT (Outside Air Temperature guage) in my car go up two degrees to 34 and the sun poke through. By the time I preflighted 68F it was clear enough to take off.

The flying wasn't too difficult as I am gaining much confidence controlling the aircraft, but working with ATC was interesting, difficult and challenging. Many times I looked over at my instructor with a quizzical look on my face as if to say "What did he say?" I missed a few calls and read back a few calls all wrong, but the three touch and goes went smoothly. No loose meat landings. I was happy with that.

On our way back to Truckee we saw that the fog layer hadn't completely dissipated as it was mixed in with some smoke from controlled burns in the area. What we saw was spooky as I it made it difficult to "see and avoid" other traffic.

Turning in towards the Dragon's Breath, TRK is out there somewhere.

Same view without my fat head in the way.

The beard is coming in nice, as it always does.

Stampede Reservoir, water rings and smoke/fog.

More of the same.

We made it back to TRK no problem as the skies were clear over the airport. No traffic and calm winds. Abeam the numbers she tells me engine out and pulls the throttle. This time I got it, and got it good. We landed smooth and withing the first 300' of the runway. Again I was pleased.

This is us coming back from Beckworth the day after my first solo, thus the absence of fog.

Since my CFI endorsed my log book to go back to Reno solo, I'm going to do it tomorrow. I'm a little nervous but I know I'll do fine. There is no better way to learn than to jump right in and start. Just do it!

Solo, Just Me and 68F

"Sometimes I think we're alone. Sometimes I think we're not. In either case, the thought is staggering." R. Buckminster Fuller

At 10:00am, 1800zulu, 11 hours into my training, October 6, 2009, I soloed the airplane for the first time. Two laps around the pattern, 0.5 hours total of pilot in command. Wow!

Yesterday my instructor said I will be soloing this week. After 2 laps around the pattern with her, as we cleared the runway she said, "I have to go to the bathroom, you take her out."

And with a big smile and thumbs up she got out of the airplane and left me with it.

Below are some pictures from Monday and Today's solo. See you later.

This section of Truckee is called Olympic Heights.

Flying over Lake Tahoe, that's Kings Beach/Tahoe Vista in front of my nose, that's where I live. The point above the panel is Crystal Bay point.

Flying over TRK looking West at the Pacific Crest. You can see the ski runs on Lookout Mountain at Northstar on the left.

That's me moments after I brought her back down from my first solo.

The subject of this blog and a proud instructor, with the traditional shirt tail cut off. Thank you AOPA for the free shirt, made and sent just for the purpose.

The Substitute

"Our minds are like our stomachs; they are whetted by the change of their food, and variety supplies both with fresh appetites." Quintilian

This week was marked by the completion of my first 10 hours of flight time. Yeah, for me! I guess I can't claim to be 0 hours to CFI anymore, more like 10 hours to CFI. But that would be dumb, to change the title of this blog after every milestone. So I'll stick with 0 Hours to CFI, for now.

This week was also marked by my primary instructor being out of town on Monday. So I flew with a substitute. My substitute was the owner of 68F, an AP mechanic and all around good Englishmen. But aside from these apparent deficits he turned out to be a good substitute, he knows 68F really well as you would imagine.

After our first go around the pattern and the resultant sloppy landing he said.
"I know what your problem is, you're going to fast."
The next time around he slowed me down on the downwind leg, had me reduce power a bit before "abeam the numbers" and taught me to let the plane find it's own speed after you set flaps.

With these pearls of advice from the man who knows 68F better than any I made a nice smooth landing, touching down on both main gears at the same time. This was to be the only good landing that day. The rest were classic sloppy joe landings. We'll call them loose meat landings form here on out, just for fun, OK?

One of these loose meat landings was with my first forward slip, this could have been the cause. To go from totally uncoordinated flight (in fact a forward slip is not uncoordinated, it just feels like it) to a landing is hard to compute and result in a slick landing. Much more work (read practice) is needed.

Today my lovely primary instructor was back and we had good lesson. The temperature was 30 degrees F when I arrived at the airport, the wind was calm and you couldn't ask for better conditions. She was very excited to introduce me to her new puppy. In my opinion, it is a very cute puppy, but aren't they all?

For the first lap around the pattern I was able to make a decent landing into a touch and go.

The next lap I didn't hear her say "Engine out", so as I saw we were a little low I applied power. Oops! So we practiced a go around.

On the next lap I performed a power on full stop landing. Loose meat.

Back to start at "Go", don't collect $200 and try again. This time around it was another engine out simulation, this time I heard her. I got it this time. Carb heat, pitch for 65 kts and came in nice and high for an engine out loose meat landing. The loosest yet. Looser than any slot machine in this economy in our neighboring state or Nevada. Bounced her, then landed flat and hard on the nose gear. Then in the process of getting her back on the centerline I forgot to pull back on the stick all the way, and just like on our first flight (recall one of my earliest posts) my feet accidentally got on the brakes and set up a pronounced shimmy for the main gear.

In my inexperienced opinion I suggested we stop and inspect. So we did and that was the end of the session. Only .8 hours, but enough to get me at 10 hours and through my first paid 10 hours block of time. As far as we could tell there was nothing wrong with 68F. Just my hard touchdown. Sorry girl, didn't mean to hurt you.

I need to get you some more pictures. Next week my wife is home on October break and I am scheduled to fly five days in a row. Here's hoping the weather holds out for me.