Pilots are trained to prepare for emergencies. Engine failures, fires, electrical problems, radio failures, forced landings, control failures, and even hijackings are discussed and reviewed by every pilot even in their most embryonic stages. All of this is done with the hope that you never have to call upon the training. You will never react better than you have prepared. I found this out this past weekend.
I departed TF Green on a south easterly heading towards the Newport practice area. I was set to practice intermediate figures. I reached 3000 feet and configured the airplane for the cruise out to the practice area. ATC cleared me on course after keeping on a specified heading for several miles. Had I turned direct to the practice area I would have been flying out over the middle of Narragansett Bay. I elected to fly tight along the shore of Bristol should I need to make an emergency landing. This is something I do regularly. A good pilot is always, without question, eyeing the ground for a potential landing spot.
A few minutes into the cruise the engine hiccupped loud. The airplane shook momentarily and the engine sounded like it was not getting fuel or not firing on one cylinder. The whole event only lasted a few seconds but in all my years of flying I had never experienced such shaking. The engine smoothed itself out and ran normally after only 5 seconds but that was enough for me. I pushed my mixture control forward, checked for oil pressure and temperature, both of which were normal.
At this point, the airplane is flying, I have altitude, I have airspeed, and I have power from the engine. I turned towards back PVD and then announced I was coming back in. They asked why and I told them I had an engine warble but that it was not an emergency. Had the engine continued to run rough I would not have hesitated to declare an emergency and get on the ground. Even still, I wanted to be on the ground and fast. I stayed at 3000 feet until I was back over land. I made a diving approach back towards the airport, keeping my energy state high until I knew I could reach the airport should my engine fail. My touchdown was smooth as butter.
The whole thing took 9 minutes from the engine warble to my touchdown. I felt great that I did everything right. Looking at the engine, we (me plus mechanics) determined that it was water in the fuel as we could not find any evidence of a bad spark plug or other likely culprits. I’ll be back in the air as soon as work and weather allow.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Multi Camera Editing
I have one camera. I have one camera mount. That doesnt make for a very interesting flick. I took the D out a few weeks ago and tried different camera positions. By splicing together the footage I shot, I thought I was able to make a convincing video that makes it look like I am dealing with a larger set up than I really do.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
The Move
In the middle of my bedroom stand four boxes. Books, movies, a P-51, and a Christen Eagle and Cessna 170 are all in boxes with “AVIALL” written in blue italics. FRAGILE is scrawled across the box with the Eagle and Cessna to remind myself of how angry I’ll be if, upon unpacking, the biplane is no longer a biplane and the Cessna became the world’s first retractable gear antique Cessna model. I’m moving. I’m not happy.
I once read that moving is the most traumatic experience a person can go through next to the death of a loved one and a divorce. Seeing as how all my closest friends and relatives maintain their pulses and I am as of not yet wed, this is the worst thing that I can do to myself. So why go through with it? The simple, irrefutable argument to move is that it is time. When I moved to Rhode Island a smidge over four years ago I took a significant paycut while assuming a 100% increase in my total student loan debt. I could not afford rent. I continued to not be able to afford rent for the next four years.
I should be happy but as I said 129 words ago, I’m not. In addition to realizing how pointless it is to own books and movies, I now have to pay the previously unpayable apartment rent. This would once more be fine if I did not have ambition. If you have been reading this blog for more than 30 seconds you will know that somewhere in me lies a substantial amount of ambition. Trying to maintain this ambition while also dealing with a growing sense of reality makes for an uncomfortable existence, like eating a king size Charlestown Chew in front of your dentist.
I could be pouring a ton of money into my flying instead of moving out. I’m 29 years old. I remember being in my early 20’s looking at people that were 29 that still lived at home and thinking “oh please don’t let that be me.” Fast forward a few years and bam, here I am. But, its time to go. I found a place that doesn’t kill my flying budget while still satisfying my need to be on my own…with a roommate. My friend Mark was about to lose his roommate. The price is right, the roommate is right, and the timing was right. Yes, was. Why only was? I realize I ask lots of these questions when I write but if you can show me a better segue I will give you $0.01. It was good timing until Sunday night when I realized that I will have student loan payments until 2024. I will be 43 years old and still paying off student loan debt. My kids had better be amazingly smart or be able to throw a baseball 115mph or dance a mean ballet.
Once I move, I’m not moving back home ever. Not unless I get into some terrible accident that leaves me in a constant vegetative state (for the record, pull the plug on me. I’ll come back as a bird or a falcon or something cool.) This means that starting next month I will forever and forever have a housing payment and a student loan payment. I am suffocated, drowning in my own personal finances. How can a dream that I’ve had since I was 10 be shoved into a corner like this? For awhile the answer was blissful ignorance but I cannot hide behind that anymore. Nobody puts baby in the corner and we sure as hell don’t put flying in the corner either. I’m not about to start making excuses for myself. I will have to work harder and smarter in this pursuit from here on out.
Until I figure out how to do that, I will continue to bathe in stress. No joke, between work, moving, and money stuff I am a walking bag of nerves. Has anyone ever got so stressed out that their face starts twitching? No? Just me? GREAT. It is only temporary of course so we will be back to normal in a week or two. Until next time folks, keep the dirty side up, hug the people you love and eat plenty of chocolate.
(See? Even writing this made me a feel a bit better.)
I once read that moving is the most traumatic experience a person can go through next to the death of a loved one and a divorce. Seeing as how all my closest friends and relatives maintain their pulses and I am as of not yet wed, this is the worst thing that I can do to myself. So why go through with it? The simple, irrefutable argument to move is that it is time. When I moved to Rhode Island a smidge over four years ago I took a significant paycut while assuming a 100% increase in my total student loan debt. I could not afford rent. I continued to not be able to afford rent for the next four years.
I should be happy but as I said 129 words ago, I’m not. In addition to realizing how pointless it is to own books and movies, I now have to pay the previously unpayable apartment rent. This would once more be fine if I did not have ambition. If you have been reading this blog for more than 30 seconds you will know that somewhere in me lies a substantial amount of ambition. Trying to maintain this ambition while also dealing with a growing sense of reality makes for an uncomfortable existence, like eating a king size Charlestown Chew in front of your dentist.
I could be pouring a ton of money into my flying instead of moving out. I’m 29 years old. I remember being in my early 20’s looking at people that were 29 that still lived at home and thinking “oh please don’t let that be me.” Fast forward a few years and bam, here I am. But, its time to go. I found a place that doesn’t kill my flying budget while still satisfying my need to be on my own…with a roommate. My friend Mark was about to lose his roommate. The price is right, the roommate is right, and the timing was right. Yes, was. Why only was? I realize I ask lots of these questions when I write but if you can show me a better segue I will give you $0.01. It was good timing until Sunday night when I realized that I will have student loan payments until 2024. I will be 43 years old and still paying off student loan debt. My kids had better be amazingly smart or be able to throw a baseball 115mph or dance a mean ballet.
Once I move, I’m not moving back home ever. Not unless I get into some terrible accident that leaves me in a constant vegetative state (for the record, pull the plug on me. I’ll come back as a bird or a falcon or something cool.) This means that starting next month I will forever and forever have a housing payment and a student loan payment. I am suffocated, drowning in my own personal finances. How can a dream that I’ve had since I was 10 be shoved into a corner like this? For awhile the answer was blissful ignorance but I cannot hide behind that anymore. Nobody puts baby in the corner and we sure as hell don’t put flying in the corner either. I’m not about to start making excuses for myself. I will have to work harder and smarter in this pursuit from here on out.
Until I figure out how to do that, I will continue to bathe in stress. No joke, between work, moving, and money stuff I am a walking bag of nerves. Has anyone ever got so stressed out that their face starts twitching? No? Just me? GREAT. It is only temporary of course so we will be back to normal in a week or two. Until next time folks, keep the dirty side up, hug the people you love and eat plenty of chocolate.
(See? Even writing this made me a feel a bit better.)
Monday, September 20, 2010
Intermediate Flying in a Super Decathlon
Sunday morning I took the D out to take a glance at the intermediate figures would feel like. Looking over the sequence card, the routine should be flyable in a Super Decathlon…in the hands of someone that knows what they’re doing.
I have been flying Sportsman sequences for the past few years. Loops, rolls, spins, rolls on lines, hammerheads, and any combination thereof are found at this level of competition. You will not see any negative g pushes, snap rolls, or many hesitation rolls until you get to the intermediate. This is exactly what I was looking at when I headed out to the practice area. I wanted to look at a P-loop, vertical upline with a push to level, and a pull-push-pull humpty with a quarter roll on the downline.
First up, the P-loop. Draw the letter “P”. Imagine you are the airplane and you starting from left to right at the base of the looping portion of the P. Simple as that. It is a loop with a vertical downline on the back of the loop. On the sequence card they have a snap put at the top of the loop but seeing as how I have yet to snap the Decathlon I just wanted to fly the loop and see what my energy state (altitude, airspeed) would be coming out of it. The figure is easy to fly (without the snap mind you) and I moved on quickly.
Figure 2 is a vertical upline with a push to level flight. From straight and level you pull vigorously up so that you are going straight up. Wait a second or two and then push the nose back down so that it is level with the horizon again. It sounds simple but keep in mind that your airspeed is bleeding off faster than you can blink when you are going straight up. You have to have enough airspeed after the push to fly away from the figure without descending. I knew my airspeed would be low but I wasn’t prepared to see the airspeed indicator all the way at 0 mph after I pushed level. The first challenge presents itself. The D is so draggy that even with an entry of 150mph, I had bled off all my airspeed after only a short vertical line. The problem is that you need to fly away from the figure. The next figure is a spin which is a great combo, but you cant go right from the push to the spin. This would score horribly with the judges, most likely a 0. I’ll need to enter the figure faster.
The last item up for viewing was the pull-push-pull humpty with a quarter roll on the downline. From level, pull up to vertical, count a few seconds and then push the nose over in a half loop all the way until you are pointing straight down. Before pulling out of the dive, roll the airplane 90 degrees. Congrats. Figure flown. These are fun (see previous post about trying this out a few months ago) so I was comfortable trying it out. The pull out was pretty hefty. I was watching my airspeed during the pull out and it was climbing fast. If you pull hard enough, you can control your airspeed. I pulled hard enough so that I arrested the airspeed at a safe amount. Once I was level again I was stunned to see I had pulled 5.1g. That is way more than I ever pulled in this plane before. It felt fine on me or the airplane. I shouldn’t need to pull that much. I should be able to manage my energy better so I can keep the G down below 4.5.
What have I learned? Everything in the intermediate sequence is faster, harder and requires a refined touch to make it work. If I can pull this off in the Decathlon it will be a huge personal achievement. I like the challenge and I cant wait to take this further.
(Yeah I know this post is not my normal style of writing. I had to post quickly. I'm packing my stuff to move in a few weeks and time is valuable. A post will follow about this little change o' scenery)
I have been flying Sportsman sequences for the past few years. Loops, rolls, spins, rolls on lines, hammerheads, and any combination thereof are found at this level of competition. You will not see any negative g pushes, snap rolls, or many hesitation rolls until you get to the intermediate. This is exactly what I was looking at when I headed out to the practice area. I wanted to look at a P-loop, vertical upline with a push to level, and a pull-push-pull humpty with a quarter roll on the downline.
First up, the P-loop. Draw the letter “P”. Imagine you are the airplane and you starting from left to right at the base of the looping portion of the P. Simple as that. It is a loop with a vertical downline on the back of the loop. On the sequence card they have a snap put at the top of the loop but seeing as how I have yet to snap the Decathlon I just wanted to fly the loop and see what my energy state (altitude, airspeed) would be coming out of it. The figure is easy to fly (without the snap mind you) and I moved on quickly.
Figure 2 is a vertical upline with a push to level flight. From straight and level you pull vigorously up so that you are going straight up. Wait a second or two and then push the nose back down so that it is level with the horizon again. It sounds simple but keep in mind that your airspeed is bleeding off faster than you can blink when you are going straight up. You have to have enough airspeed after the push to fly away from the figure without descending. I knew my airspeed would be low but I wasn’t prepared to see the airspeed indicator all the way at 0 mph after I pushed level. The first challenge presents itself. The D is so draggy that even with an entry of 150mph, I had bled off all my airspeed after only a short vertical line. The problem is that you need to fly away from the figure. The next figure is a spin which is a great combo, but you cant go right from the push to the spin. This would score horribly with the judges, most likely a 0. I’ll need to enter the figure faster.
The last item up for viewing was the pull-push-pull humpty with a quarter roll on the downline. From level, pull up to vertical, count a few seconds and then push the nose over in a half loop all the way until you are pointing straight down. Before pulling out of the dive, roll the airplane 90 degrees. Congrats. Figure flown. These are fun (see previous post about trying this out a few months ago) so I was comfortable trying it out. The pull out was pretty hefty. I was watching my airspeed during the pull out and it was climbing fast. If you pull hard enough, you can control your airspeed. I pulled hard enough so that I arrested the airspeed at a safe amount. Once I was level again I was stunned to see I had pulled 5.1g. That is way more than I ever pulled in this plane before. It felt fine on me or the airplane. I shouldn’t need to pull that much. I should be able to manage my energy better so I can keep the G down below 4.5.
What have I learned? Everything in the intermediate sequence is faster, harder and requires a refined touch to make it work. If I can pull this off in the Decathlon it will be a huge personal achievement. I like the challenge and I cant wait to take this further.
(Yeah I know this post is not my normal style of writing. I had to post quickly. I'm packing my stuff to move in a few weeks and time is valuable. A post will follow about this little change o' scenery)
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Aerobatic Purgatory
Since the contest I’ve been in an aerobatic purgatory. The season was over. There wasn’t anything new to practice. Was that it? Had I satisfied my aerobatic labido after just one contest? I was fearing the worst until this morning.
Sequence proposals for next years contest season have been posted by the IAC. I got the news this morning in my email inbox via an email list I am on. There were already a few people supplying some commentary before I even had a chance to look over the sequence. The most common gripe (most comments are gripes) was that the intermediate sequence is too easy.
I was thinking of moving up to intermediate before I even competed. After flying the KJC reality took over and changed my view on this.
Old Self: I want to move up!
Newer Self: Dude, you’re not ready.
Old Self: Waaaahhhhhhhhhh
New Self: Shut up. Go do well at a contest first then we can talk.
Then of course this intermediate sequence pops up and its just sitting there with open arms WAITING to be flown by me. It would be easy if you have been flying at this level for awhile. If you were thinking of moving up it is a prime opportunity to up the ante a little bit. I have to at least try it. There is a snap roll, and some vertical rolls that will be a challenge in the D but other than that….why not? Next time I fly I might just give it a go.
Sequence proposals for next years contest season have been posted by the IAC. I got the news this morning in my email inbox via an email list I am on. There were already a few people supplying some commentary before I even had a chance to look over the sequence. The most common gripe (most comments are gripes) was that the intermediate sequence is too easy.
I was thinking of moving up to intermediate before I even competed. After flying the KJC reality took over and changed my view on this.
Old Self: I want to move up!
Newer Self: Dude, you’re not ready.
Old Self: Waaaahhhhhhhhhh
New Self: Shut up. Go do well at a contest first then we can talk.
Then of course this intermediate sequence pops up and its just sitting there with open arms WAITING to be flown by me. It would be easy if you have been flying at this level for awhile. If you were thinking of moving up it is a prime opportunity to up the ante a little bit. I have to at least try it. There is a snap roll, and some vertical rolls that will be a challenge in the D but other than that….why not? Next time I fly I might just give it a go.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Roll Rate Upgrade
I love the Decathlon. I really do. It makes any Cessna feel like its stuck in cement (and I love me some Cessna’s too.) Flying the other Decathlon at the contest was a revelation. That airplane had twice the roll rate of ours.
While I was at the contest I took some photos of the aileron (flippy doo thingys on the wings that make the airplane roll) deflection using my hand as a measurement. I wanted to compare the photos with the aileron deflection of 317SD back at PVD. The pictures tell the story. I was missing some deflection!
After a call to American Champion Aircraft we learned that the ailerons should deflect to 19 degrees positive and negative. When we measured ours we were under deflected by…a lot. I’ve basically been flying acro with an airplane that was set up not to roll like it should. No wonder all my rolls have been really difficult!
The culprit was found in the left aileron gap seal. There is a little bit of room between the leading edge of the aileron and the aileron bay of the wing. If air can pass through that area it creates a lot of drag and reduces performance. To combat that, ACA glues a strip of fabric from the aileron to the aileron bay, creating a seal of the gap (hence calling it a gap seal.) When our airplane was assembled back so many years ago the strip of fabric was glued in improperly, restricting the aileron from extending to its full 19 degrees. The simple fix was merely to undue the gap seal and reseat it at the appropriate point. Vwallah! Instant increase of roll rate.
I cant wait to try this out. I am expecting a few “wows” and ‘holy craps” on my next flight. Now I just need to wait for the glue to dry and the winds to stop blowing a gale. Probably wont be flying until next weekend.
While I was at the contest I took some photos of the aileron (flippy doo thingys on the wings that make the airplane roll) deflection using my hand as a measurement. I wanted to compare the photos with the aileron deflection of 317SD back at PVD. The pictures tell the story. I was missing some deflection!
After a call to American Champion Aircraft we learned that the ailerons should deflect to 19 degrees positive and negative. When we measured ours we were under deflected by…a lot. I’ve basically been flying acro with an airplane that was set up not to roll like it should. No wonder all my rolls have been really difficult!
The culprit was found in the left aileron gap seal. There is a little bit of room between the leading edge of the aileron and the aileron bay of the wing. If air can pass through that area it creates a lot of drag and reduces performance. To combat that, ACA glues a strip of fabric from the aileron to the aileron bay, creating a seal of the gap (hence calling it a gap seal.) When our airplane was assembled back so many years ago the strip of fabric was glued in improperly, restricting the aileron from extending to its full 19 degrees. The simple fix was merely to undue the gap seal and reseat it at the appropriate point. Vwallah! Instant increase of roll rate.
I cant wait to try this out. I am expecting a few “wows” and ‘holy craps” on my next flight. Now I just need to wait for the glue to dry and the winds to stop blowing a gale. Probably wont be flying until next weekend.
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