Night Training - 2

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="045085a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Golf Mike Bravo going around...</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Golf Mike Bravo going around..."><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Golf Mike Bravo going around..."><U><B><IMG SRC="03b0e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="up" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>   </B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="14"><B>     </B><A HREF="id156.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Night Training 1"><U><B><IMG SRC="02f0e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="previous" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  </B><A HREF="id158.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Touch of HEVN"><U><B><IMG SRC="0300e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="next" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="046d2e83.jpg"> <div> <IMG SRC="75da0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id116.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bembridge"><U>Bembridge</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id117.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Isle of Man"><U>Isle of Man</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id139.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Check outs and Bimbles"><U>Check outs and Bimbles</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id150.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Shobdon"><U>Shobdon</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id151.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="First Passenger"><U>First Passenger</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id154.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Back in the 40"><U>Back in the '40</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id152.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Flyer Magazine Bash"><U>Flyer Magazine Bash</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id153.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Kemble"><U>Kemble</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id155.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Shotteswell and Goodwood"><U>Shotteswell and Goodwood</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id156.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Night Training 1"><U>Night Training - 1</U></A></div> <div> <B>Night Training - 2</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id158.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Touch of HEVN"><U>A Touch of HEVN</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id159.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Night Training 3"><U>Night Training - 3</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id160.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="On to the 10"><U>On to the '10'</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id161.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Getting used to the 10"><U>Getting used to the '10'</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id162.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Abbeville"><U>Abbeville</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id163.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Duxford"><U>Duxford</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id164.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hazy Sunday Afternoon"><U>Hazy Sunday Afternoon</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id165.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Avranches"><U>Avranches</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id166.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A little Jodeling"><U>A little Jodel-ing</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id203.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sywell"><U>Sywell</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id204.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Compton Abbas"><U>Compton Abbas</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id205.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Back to Bembridge"><U>Back to Bembridge</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id206.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Rochester"><U>Rochester</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id207.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sleap"><U>Sleap</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id208.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A look at Leicester, more Jodelling and "><U>A look at Leicester, more Jodelling and back to Sleap!</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id210.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Bonus Bimble"><U>A Bonus Bimble</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#CCCCE4" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Night Training - 2</I></div> <bR> <div> Saturday 17th December, 2005</div> <div> It hardly seems like three weeks since the last session, but thanks to a combination of work and trying to sort out my parents' bungalow, the time has just flown by. Just like last time, I arranged to meet Alistair by the tower at Wellesbourne at 4pm. A bit of traffic on the approaches to the M40 made me a few minutes late, and when I arrived, Alistair was already parked up and chatting to the AFISO in the tower.</div> <bR> <div> Last time we'd upset the AFISO a bit by paying at the end (by the time we'd shut down our engines, it was five past seven, and I was asked to run up to the tower and settle up while Alistair secured the aircraft). Making a controller late for his supper is a very serious offence, so this time I settled up in advance: Two sessions of night circuits at £10 each, plus overnight parking at £5, making a total of £35. Bargain! You can do as many touch and gos as you like within a session, but if you stop to change crew -- for the solo work --  that counts as a separate session.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="75e58c20.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="450" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="0">Official night starts at 16:26 and we wanted to make the most of the time available, so we were in the plane ready to taxi round to the hold bang on time. A light North-Westerly wind meant that once again we were operating from runway 36. The plan was to do a bunch of dual curcuits, starting off normally and then with various "failures" added in. Then we'd stop and I'd do the solo circuits.</div> <bR> <div> Flying the circuit itself was straightforward enough: Cleared 'at our discretion', strobes on, landing light on and lined up on the runway. Taxi light off then apply full power and plenty of right rudder. 65 knots, rotate, and once established in the  climb turn onto 030 for noise abatement (heading bug set to 030 and OBI to 360 for easy reference). At 300 ft, flaps up, throttle back to 27 inches Manifold Pressure and RPM back to 2400, and landing light off. At 1000 ft, level off and trim for straight and level, throttling back to about 19 inches MP. Turn crosswind.... Turn downwind, announce position on the radio, BUMPFITCH checks. On reaching the industrial estate (a good visual reference!), bring the power back to about 12 inches and let the speed bleed off while turning base. First stage flaps as the speed goes through 100 knots and trim for 75. Landing light on. Turn final, the PAPI shows one red, one white - we're on the glideslope. Select landing flaps and prop lever fully forward, retrimming for 65 knots. Call G-DM final" on the radio; the response "G-DM land your discretion, wind 340 at 5". Final checks - reds and blues, and down.</div> <bR> <div> All might have gone to plan if I had been able to get the flare height into my head. "Flare as the edge lights reach your elbow", said Alistair. "Then as they reach your shoulder your wheels should be just touching the ground". Well, elbow and shoulder appear to go together like arse and elbow for all the good that did. "Flare" said Alistair, then, "Now", a bit more urgently, and "More!", "More!", "Hold it right off"... bump. That could have been better. Full trottle, off and try again. And again. And again.</div> <bR> <div> The circuit themselves went well, although there was one time where I was cut up on base by a solo student and at the same time snookered by another aeroplane joining on a straight-in approach. A brisk right-hand turn and application of power produced a rather odd "extended downwind" and I went from number one to number three in the time it took to type this! </div> <bR> <div> Gradually the landings improved, although not entirely consistently. Then on climb out, everything went completely dark. "Electrical failure", announced Alistair, circuit breaker in hand. "Use your torch for essentials, but set the throttle by ear. So, torch wedged between me and the side of the plane throwing a bit of light  on the ASI and AI, we continued around the circuit. Alistair made the downwind call, adding "Please switch off the PAPIs". Okay more problems, and the final approack was made with just the aspect ratio of the runway edge lights for guidance.</div> <bR> <div> Down and up again, the electrics came back on, and we few some more circuits; some good, some less so. One comment made: As you accelerate down the runway after the touch phase, the plane has a tendency to want to "porpoise" in ground effect. Consequently it needs a good positive pull back on the stick to get it off the ground.</div> <bR> <div> Eventually Alistair said "Make this one to land". As we taxied round to the tower, we were debating whether we had enough time to get the solo work in. It would be tight, but if everything went well, it should be achievble.</div> <bR> <div> I taxied round to the hold and did my power checks. Clearance and off. The solo requirements is for five full stop landings, so it's round the circuit and land, braking to a halt. Luckily I was the only person in the circuit, and the AFISO gave me the okay to backtrack down the runway, rather than taxying right the way round. </div> <bR> <div> "G-DM on lining up, Take off your discretion". Number two. This time the landing was complete pants, not flaring soon enough and resulting in a huge bounce... "G-DM going around!" Bugger. Back in the circuit and looking at my watch: 18:40. It was tight before, and the chances of completing this landing and getting in three more before 19:00.... nil. So once on the ground--of course it was a good landing this time--I made the call that I would be taxying back to parking and calling it a night.</div> <bR> <div> Engines off at 18:45, with three more landings to do another time. I could probably have got in another two circuits, but the effort involved in relocating the plane to Wellsesbourne seemed worse for just one circuit than for three!</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>