23 - Back to the Circuit

<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="id84.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="22 Into the Zone"><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="id86.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="24 Another Navex"><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="53da0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <A HREF="id61.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="1 Trial Lesson"><U>1 - Trial Lesson</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2 Effects of Controls"><U>2 - Effects of Controls</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id63.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="3 A trip to Henstridge"><U>3 - A trip to Henstridge</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="4 Straight and Level"><U>4 - Straight and Level</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id65.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="5 Or not!"><U>5 - Or not!</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id67.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="6 Up, down and around"><U>6 - Up, down and around</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id68.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="7 Stalls and Slow Flight"><U>7 - Stalls and Slow Flight</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id69.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="8 More stalls and PFLs"><U>8 - More stalls and PFLs</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id70.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="9 Into the circuit..."><U>9 - Into the circuit...</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id71.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="10 Golf Mike Bravo Going Around. Again!"><U>10 - Golf Mike Bravo Going Around. Again!</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id72.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="11 Circuits and spice (and Things Not N"><U>11 - Circuits and spice (and Things Not Nice)</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id73.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="12 More circuits (and brain fade)"><U>12  - More circuits (and brain fade)</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id74.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="13 Developing a flair for the flare"><U>13 - Developing a flair for the flare</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id75.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="14 Close But No Cigar!"><U>14 - Close But No Cigar!</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id76.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="15 Still no cigar"><U>15 - Still no cigar</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id77.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="16 Solo"><U>16 - Solo</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id78.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="17 Getting the hang of it again"><U>17 - Getting the hang of it again</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id79.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="18 I Follow Railways"><U>18 - I Follow Railways</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id80.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="19 Head in the Clouds"><U>19 - Head in the Clouds</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id81.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="20 Second Solo"><U>20 - Second Solo</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id82.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="21 Reach for the Pie!"><U>21 - Reach for the Pie!</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id84.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="22 Into the Zone"><U>22 - Into the Zone</U></A></div> <div> 23 - Back to the Circuit</div> <div> <A HREF="id86.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="24 Another Navex"><U>24 - Another Navex</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id87.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="25 First Solo Nav: The going gets tough"><U>25 - First Solo Nav: The going gets tough...</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id88.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="26 Divers Diversions"><U>26 - Divers Diversions</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id108.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="27 Diversions, in a roundabout way"><U>27 - Diversions, in a roundabout way</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id109.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="28 Landaways"><U>28 - Landaways</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id110.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="29 Solo Landaway"><U>29 - Solo Landaway</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id111.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="30 QXC"><U>30 - QXC</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id112.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="31 Where do you want to go today?"><U>31 - Where do you want to go today?</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id113.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="32 Revision"><U>32 - Revision</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id114.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="33 Finals"><U>33 - Finals</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id82.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="21 Reach for the Pie!"><U>21 - Reach for the Pie!</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#CCCCE4" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>23 - Back to the Circuit</I></div> <bR> <div> 17th October</div> <div> Today's lesson was back into the circuit. The wind was light at 320/5 and although generally overcast, the cloudbase was reasonably high, with only scattered light showers forecast. As with the last circuits session I was going to be instructed by Ben, and the format largely the same.</div> <bR> <div> On the trip over, at one point Ben asked me to locate Moreton-in-Marsh disused airfield, and I have to admit I had the devil's own time finding it! I could identify where we were on the chart -- just South of Shipston -- and I could locate Moreton-in-Marsh on the chart, and correlate to where that should be out of the window. Bit could I see it? No! Eventually it just popped up out of nowhere -- I'd let the heading drift during my search, and we'd flown pretty much overhead! I guess more practice is needed...</div> <bR> <div> For the first landing at Wellesbourne, Ben popped the flaps breaker and I'm ashamed to say I didn't notice until I was trying to take the second stage flaps and nothing happened. Anyway that threw me enough to throw away that landing. A second flapless approach sorted that out although I landed long. Takeoff from there was fine although Ben was concerned at the amount of runway I'd used up in the landing, and suggested that if I did that solo, taxying back round would be a better option. Next, a normal approach "to land" produced a touchdown that was described as "firm but fair". Both were good approaches though. </div> <bR> <div> On the ground we spent a little time briefing over a glass of water, and while Ben went up to the tower, I went back to the aeroplane. A quick check over to make sure nothing had fallen off, and on to the startup checks. First time, using the book procedure, and the engine didn't start, so straight on to the "alternate" method -- mixture at ICO, full throttle, a couple of seconds of prime -- and the engine splutters into life. You just have to be reasonably quick bringing the mixture back up and closing the throttle! This was my first time taking off from runway 36, and, taxying round to the hold I got a little confused as to where I was, and stopped for the power checks at the hold for 05 rather than 36! A comment from the FISO soon put me straight! </div> <bR> <div> This session solo was to be all 'normal' configuration landings. I still had a bit of a tendancy to turn final too high, then over compensate and drop too low (on the approach to 36 at Wellesbourne if you're low over the trees/hill to the south, the rough air will certainly let you know!). The landings however were all pretty much on the numbers, although not always on the centre line. There were some light showers around just to add to the fun, and on the third approach I spotted a heavier band of showers off to the left, and once I'd turned final announced "Golf Mike Bravo final to land - Change of intentions." </div> <bR> <div> After a coffee and slice of chocolate cake, we went up to the tower just to have a look-see and say hello to Ray, the AFISO. Since the weather was clearing again, we decided to have another session of solo circuits, which would then be enough to start on the solo navexes. We decided to make this session all flapless approaches, basically for the practice. This time I didn't even bother with the "by the book" hot start, and instead went straight for the alternate method, starting first time. I even taxyd to the correct hold for the power checks!</div> <bR> <div> The first approach was very long however (over compensating again for being low over the trees last time!) and I had to taxy back round rather than taking straight off! I got the RT muddled up and announced that I was backtracking (which was not what I meant), but it did illicit a very panicked-sounding "Negative" from the FISO, which I thought quite funny afterwards! Hopefully the fact that I was still heading towards the taxiway at a rate of knots conveyed that I'd just cocked up the RT...  Eventually I got back to the 36 hold and took off for several more flapless approaches, each one improvinbg over the one before, until I did a normal approach to land. I did notice however that the flapless approaches tended to be lower and flatter than the normal ones, which did tend to put you back in the bumpy air over the trees! Ho hum!</div> <bR> <div> By now it was 17:25 and the airport was only licenced for another 5 minutes. Ben came out to meet me on the taxyway just by the emergency vehicle station, and in two minutes flat, we'd done the initial checks and we were taxying to the hold. We got the takeoff clearance at 17:30, just in time to remain legal! The trip back to Enstone had us heading East and an impromptu navex to find our way back to Enstone via Banbury and the Upper Heyford disused airfield. This involved estimating headings and times and spotting and correlating landmarks. As it was getting late in the day, lights were starting to come on and for the first time we had the red/green navigation lights on. Certainly a different perspective! From Upper Heyford we were lined up for a straight-in approach to 26 Grass, and only my second grass landing (first time on squelchy grass!). </div> <bR> <div> Three tiring hours, but well pleased!</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>