2nd 1st Solo

[HardCorePawn]

There is still nothing like your 1st Solo... even the 2nd time around

Its like the first time your dad throws you the car keys and says 'off you go'... only better

Unfortunately, the rest of my dad was not so good... a "forced landing" outside McDonalds on their wet tiles has left me with a grazed hand, a bruised hip/thigh and a busted ($1300) pda smartphone

Fingers crossed they (and/or my insurance) come to the party with regards to my medical bills and smartphone replacement... but given their handling of the incident yesterday and their refusal to give me a copy of the incident report , I'm thinking I could be in for a bit of a battle

[ardypilot]

Congrats on the solo Jared!

That sucks about the phone though, I saw that when you came over the other day- looked pretty neat when it was working

[chopper_nut]

Congrats on the flight mate. Ive seen a few people carry out unsuccesful forced landings outside the golden arches. Those tiles need to be grouted or something.

[pois0n]

Congrats!

Got my first solo coming up soon, instructor said one more hour practicing circuit, doing some more EFATO then I'm off with the B-cat

I think I'm ready, a little scared, but ready


Any tips?

[chopper_nut]

Congrats!

Got my first solo coming up soon, instructor said one more hour practicing circuit, doing some more EFATO then I'm off with the B-cat

I think I'm ready, a little scared, but ready


Any tips?

If your anything like me, you will have been in the circuit long enough that nothing surprises you anymore. The biggest piece of advise that I can give is not to think about it too much. Just do what you have been trained to do and it will all go smoothly. The other thing is that without the instructor in the right hand seat, you will tend to balloon a bit on the landing, if you sail back into the air with no airspeed on, GO AROUND!! dont try and be a hero. I was at home having a beer when the realisation set in after my first solo.

[pois0n]

If your anything like me, you will have been in the circuit long enough that nothing surprises you anymore. The biggest piece of advise that I can give is not to think about it too much. Just do what you have been trained to do and it will all go smoothly. The other thing is that without the instructor in the right hand seat, you will tend to balloon a bit on the landing, if you sail back into the air with no airspeed on, GO AROUND!! dont try and be a hero. I was at home having a beer when the realisation set in after my first solo.

Did you have a few hard landings without the instructor next to you? I think I'm in about the same situation as you, had 6.7 hours of circuit, 13 hours total... I think I'm about ready, but we'll see what mr b-cat says. I gave him quite a shock(although it wasn't my fault ) last time I was up with him before doing circuits, we took off with a tiny tailwind on rwy 02(paved not grass) at NZCH, got a big gust of wind and almost got thrown into a barrel roll ... Oops.

I'm thinking the weight difference is gonna be quite a lot without the instructor, he's a big guy >.<

You do yours in a PA38 too?

[chopper_nut]

If your anything like me, you will have been in the circuit long enough that nothing surprises you anymore. The biggest piece of advise that I can give is not to think about it too much. Just do what you have been trained to do and it will all go smoothly. The other thing is that without the instructor in the right hand seat, you will tend to balloon a bit on the landing, if you sail back into the air with no airspeed on, GO AROUND!! dont try and be a hero. I was at home having a beer when the realisation set in after my first solo.

Did you have a few hard landings without the instructor next to you? I think I'm in about the same situation as you, had 6.7 hours of circuit, 13 hours total... I think I'm about ready, but we'll see what mr b-cat says. I gave him quite a shock(although it wasn't my fault ) last time I was up with him before doing circuits, we took off with a tiny tailwind on rwy 02(paved not grass) at NZCH, got a big gust of wind and almost got thrown into a barrel roll ... Oops.

I'm thinking the weight difference is gonna be quite a lot without the instructor, he's a big guy >.<

You do yours in a PA38 too?

My first solo landing was a bit of a bouncer because of the weight difference. You will notice the difference in the climb and the cruise. Our CFI here is quite a big guy aswell. Dont be disapointed if he doesnt think your ready, I had to go up a few times with the CFI before he sent me solo. Yeah I have done almost all of my flying in PA38s. Interestingly enough, my first flight in a light aircraft was in CUA and as another interesting side note, that was one of the aircraft that my old man learnt to fly on in the 60s.

[kiwiflyboy]

I remember my first solo.......... coming up a year ago soon.... (june i think) had to go around on my first attempt.... not that there is anything wrong with it. Dont be nervous about flying with a "B" I remember i was so nervous thinking that it was like some big formal thing, but once they get in the plane, its like anyother flight.... all they want to know is that you arent going to kill yourself, or anyone below you if something goes wrong... I find i will always leran something new everytime I fly with a B or an A.... Even my PPL flight test, my CPL was a different story, all i learnt about was a few good fishing spots around Waiheke island...

[pois0n]

Awesome! Thanks for the great advice guys



That's one of the things I really love about aviation, there's always advice to be given and had, at any level

[HardCorePawn]

As mentioned before, dont stress... it really is just another flight, but with only 1 POB . If you're looking all nervous and stressed out, chances are the B-Cat will notice and probably think you need some more time...

Also, if you havent done it yet, LEARN YOUR CHECKS! Nothing says "I have no idea what I am doing" more than having to read all your checks from a sheet...

I made up mnemonics for all mine like "Peanut Butter Toast, RuMM TuMM"... makes no sense to anyone else but is my shutdown check for the C-152... I have some others, but this is a family show, so I had better keep them to myself

Also, if you want to take the weight difference without an instructor out of the equation, fill the aircraft up with fuel

Oh... and one last (and really the most important) thing... have fun!

[pois0n]

As mentioned before, dont stress... it really is just another flight, but with only 1 POB .  If you're looking all nervous and stressed out, chances are the B-Cat will notice and probably think you need some more time...

Also, if you havent done it yet, LEARN YOUR CHECKS!  Nothing says "I have no idea what I am doing" more than having to read all your checks from a sheet...

I made up mnemonics for all mine like "Peanut Butter Toast, RuMM TuMM"... makes no sense to anyone else but is my shutdown check for the C-152... I have some others, but this is a family show, so I had better keep them to myself

Also, if you want to take the weight difference without an instructor out of the equation, fill the aircraft up with fuel

Oh... and one last (and really the most important) thing... have fun!

Yeah, feels so dirty reading them off the sheet at this stage Could tell the instructor was getting slightly peeved off at me reading off the checklist >_<

What are your mnemonics? I've been told to think of some up but I can't, apart form the one I was given for pre take off checks, which incidentally I can do in my sleep

Just got back from a flight with my instructor, went pretty good I guess, he had to take over the landing when we got back to NZCH (from west melton) 'cause quite a crosswind picked up... Ended up coming in at a 45° angle which was quite odd. He caught me by suprise a few times, just choked off the power when we were taking off and made me sort it out

Flight with the Bcat on thursday afternoon, got a bit of time to remember my checks and some other things to impress her

[chopper_nut]

Some of my checks are as follows...

BUMPFH = Pre landing

B= Brakes , park brake off, equal and even pressure on toe brakes
U= Undercarrage, obviously not applicable to a PA38
M= Mixture full rich
P= Pitch, again, not applicable to a Tommy
F= Fuel pump on, fullest tank selected
H= Hatches and harnesses secured

HASELLL = Stalling and Low flying

H= Height (sufficient for exercise)
A= Airframe , clean or dirty
S= Security (hatches and harnesses in other words)
E= Engine, Ts and Ps
L= Location, not over built up areas
L= Lights (only really for Low flying)
L= Lookout

My pre take off checks are simply that I start up on the top left hand side of the panel and work my way along the instruments, then down to the switches, then the console for fuel etc. Down between the seats is next for flaps and trim, up on the roof for the locking latch and the belts if I have a passenger (instructor) then finally a control check. In other words, I check everything.

My advise is just to find something that works for you and is logical but if you are about to go solo, you shouldnt be reading the checks.

[ZK-Brock]

The HASELL and BUMPF checks are pretty universal, another pre-landing check I've heard is BUMFISH. Also for the pre-takeoff check I use "The Mad Pilot fought furiously in heavy combat", but I just have the run-up memorised. HCP, could you tell us what the Peanut butter one stands for?

[pois0n]

Sweet, I'm all good with the BUMFHR checks, and the HASELL/HELL. For the pre-takeoff checks I use

To - Trim
Truely - Throttle Friction
Make - Mixture rich
Cr-a-p - Carb heat off
Planes - Pitch
Fly - Flaps one stage
Fast - Fuel CCPPP
I - Instruments
Initiate -Ignition both
Heaps of - Hatches/harnesses
Checks and- Controls
Reviews - Radio

Got that from a part time/one day a week instructor, that guy was cool... They should hire him full time. Now I've gotta go think of a way to remember the run ups and shutdown checks more reliably

[kiwiflyboy]

There are so many different schools of thought, this thread will never end as has been seen on pprune..... The ones I use

Pre-landing:

B - Park brake off, and pedal pressure
U - Undercarriage.....
M - Mixture ruch
F - Fuel, c**k on both, contents sufficient for a G/A
H - Harness' secure

Final/DA

C - Cowl Flaps open
U - Undercarriage, down and 3 green
P - Pitches, fully fine

Pre take off in a steam cockpit,

The Man Came From I H C

T = trims and throttle friction
M = Mixture
C = Carb Heat
F = Fuel, contents, selector etc, and check flaps are not assymetric....
I = Ignition and Instruments (including transponder and radio)
H = hatches and harness'
C = Controls full free and visually checking....

[HardCorePawn]

Ok... you asked for it... but just remember, these are ones I have customised to the C-152, so things like fuel pump etc are not applicable


Pre Start Up:

Hatches and Harnesses - SECURE
Brakes - ON
Controls - Free & Correct
Shut-off Valve - OPEN
Instruments - Left to Right, Top to Bottom, Check
Master Switch - ON
Beacon - ON
Mixture - RICH
Carb Heat - COLD

The mnemonic for this is somewhat offensive... "His Big C**k Shouted, I Might Be Meeting C**t"... but I couldnt think of anything else, and i'm not likely to forget it


Start Up:

Primer - As Required
Throttle - set 1/2 Inch
Lookout - People/Aircraft clear
Magnetos - Start
Throttle - 1000 RPM
Oil Pressure - Rising within 20 secs
Magnetos - Dead Cut Check
Radios - ON & Tuned
Transponder - SET & STDBY

This mnemonic is kinda dumb "PeTaL mmm, TOM, aRTy"... I could not think of anything else, but its in my head now


Taxi:

Left Turn: Compass Decreasing, DI Decreasing, Ball to the right
Right Turn: Compass Increasing, DI Increasing, Ball to the left

No Mnemonic for this one... its pretty easy...


RunUp:

Brakes - ON
T's & P's - GREEN RANGE, monitor during runup
Throttle - 1700 RPM
Magnetos - Check Both Operating, 125 RPM Max Drop, 50 RPM max diff
Carb Heat - Check Operating, ~100 RPM Drop
Suction - GREEN RANGE
Ammeter - Working (usually need to flick the flap lever up and down to see it twitch)
Throttle - IDLE, check engine still running
Throttle - 1000 RPM

Mnemonic here is "British Telecom Think My Cats Sure Are Talky Toasters"... 10 points if you can tell me where the Talky Toaster reference is from...


Pre Take Off:

Trims - Throttle friction set, Elevator Trim in TO position
Mixture - RICH
Carb Heat - COLD
Fuel - Shutoff Valve Open, Contents (state endurance)
Flaps - set to TO Position
Instruments - Left to Right, Top to Bottom, Correct Indication
Hatches/Harnesses - SECURE
Controls - Full, Free and Correct
Lookout - for aircraft on approach

The mnemonic is "The Man Called Fred From IHC Looks-out"...


Lining Up:

Runway - CLEAR
Alignment - DI = Compass = RWY
Transponder - ALT (STDBY if in circuit)
Lights - Landing Light ON

Mnemonic is "RATtLe"...


After TakeOff (300' AGL):

Power - FULL
Mixture - RICH
T's & P's - GREEN RANGE
Flaps - Retracted
Landing Light - OFF (leave ON in circuit)

No real mnemonic... just actions that I do... but to help memorise them I used "PMT?, F**k, lookout!"


Cruise:

Suction - GREEN RANGE
Ammeter - Check
DI - Aligned with Compass
Icing - Cycle Carb Heat
Engine - T's & P's
Fuel - endurance

Mnemonic is good old "SADIE flies"


PreLanding (Downwind):

Fuel - shutoff valve OPEN, Contents
Mixture - RICH
Undercarriage - n/a in the 152
T's & P's - GREEN RANGE
Brakes - Park OFF, check pressure
Security - Hatches/Harnesses
Lights - Landing Light ON

another 'interesting' mnemonic... "F**k Me Up The Bum Son Lightly", this was taught to me by my first instructor... and I have never forgotten it! Cant think why


Finals (300' AGL):

Carb Heat - COLD

some people use things like CUPP, for Carb Heat, Undercarriage, Pitch and Pumps... but the only one needed for the 152 is the Carb Heat.


After Landing:

Clear of Runway - STOP
Transponder - OFF
Flaps - Retracted
Lights - As required

I think this one I thought up was quite clever "creepers, Thankgod, Finally Landed"...


Shutdown:

Park - Into Wind
Brakes - ON
Throttle - 1000 RPM
Radio - Check 121.5, OFF
Magnetos - Live Mag Check
Mixture - ICO
Throttle - CLOSED
Magnetos - OFF
Master Switch - OFF

This is the famous "Peanut Butter Toast, RuMM, TuMM"


Not the best mnemonics etc... but they work for me and my plane Will be interesting to see what happens when I fly something else and I have to change them all around

Also, the best advice I found, was a way to take an A5 piece of paper, and put a cut in one of the long sides, so that you could fold it into 8 sections... see the pics Here and Here.

Basically, I printed them out on the front and back of the same piece of paper (my work has fancy printers that do double side printing ) and cut where it is red, fold where it is blue... Starting at Pre Startup, you follow the arrows and it takes you through the checks in order.

It took me a while to figure out how to make Word do upside-down lettering tho

But in the end, you get a nice little booklet, that flows quite well... I was thinking of laminating it to make it a bit more hardwearing, but then I memorised all the checks... however I might do it with other info, like emergency procedures, useful radio freq's, VOR's etc...

one last thing... go have a look at Whitts Flying for an absolute wealth of info (its where i got the idea about the 'booklet')... they even have some sample checklists for various aircraft.

I would recommend making up a checklist, then going through it with your instructor to ensure that everyone on it is relevant/necessary and that you have not missed anything.

[kiwiflyboy]

For taxi checks, you may want to check that the a/h remains level..... this should no indicate any turn, but the T/C will show a turn, with the ball skidding out

Also for lining up there can be L.T.D checks,

Landing Light
Transponder
DI & compass

[scon]

Wow cool, good work on the first solo

I have about 30hr and im 14 years old working towards my solo

P - Power
C - Carb
M - Mag
T - T's & P's
I - Idle
C- Carb
U - up to 1000rpm

T -Trim
M - Mixture
F -Fule
F - Flaps
I - Instruments
H - Harness
C - Controls



and then

"Ardmore Traffic Foxtrot Victor Romeo is lining up runway 21 "

[HardCorePawn]

30hrs and only 14!!

shame you're not older... you would have been solo already

[kiwiflyboy]

Yeah, you have to be 16 before you can solo, 17 to hold a PPL.