Runway 06R

This was my final area solo as part of the training syllabus, because my last solo’s were adhoc in the fact that I flew them at varying time intervals my final amount of time was a very small window. If you go past your amount of time and you are still in the air you get into a bit of trouble as its really illigal to fly solo beyond the amount specified, which I think its about 4 hours.

So if all goes well thats enough time to get up fly around and come home, not much can be done in that time span but you have to do it in order to continue.

Now when I got to the airport the fuel dipstick was missing, this is a stick with notches indication how full the fuel tank is. You “dip the tanks” to confirm how much fuel you need to add, the plans have fuel gauges but we dip the tanks as a safety procedure, the fuel gauges might not be working after all.

Anyway the fuel dip sticks are specific to each aircraft, even if you have two Cessna planes with the same model you might find one has been modified, you never know without looking it up. Anyway spent over an hour looking for it but yeh invisible. I had a sneaky suspicion it was on the runway but then again someone should have already reported it.

Because my flight was only short we consulted some paperwork and made a temporary dipstick from an old axe handle and I did the deed and filled her up, you can never be too careful. The owner of the flying school was a little annoyed about the fact that it was missing and that the previous instructor and student left without finding it, understandable.

So did my checks started her up and taxied out, sure enough I saw the dip stick on the ground at a siding close to where the grass meets the taxiway on the tar. I radioed the tower and the conversation went something like this:

Me: Jandakot Tower, Sighted fuel dipstick on taxiway, Missing from Air Australia Cessna 152, Alpha Oscar Hotel

Tower: Alpha Oscar Hotel please confirm if this obstical presents any danger to ground traffic.

Me: No risk to traffic Alpha Oscar Hotel

Tower: Alpha Oscar Hotel

I went up did my fly around to the training area then noticed my time was almost done, full throttle back to the airport and landed with not much to spare. When I got back they had already retrieved the dip stick and all was well. Next will be my check flight and then its time for the GFPT!!!

A quick check with my instructor and after listening to the weather I got my approval to fly out, a little amount of crosswind taking off from 24 Right but I was pretty confidant. Filled up with 20 liters of AVGAS totalling 80, 40 in each wing giving me roughly 3 hours of flight time with enough reserve to get me out of trouble.

I am really trying to build up hours here however I was looking at an hour trip as I started late and my rating requires that I be safely on the ground 10 min prior to sun down. After PPL I will do the Night VFR rating as its handy to have as if you misjudge and in a plane that is not equipped for night flight, without practice/training you might as well put on a blindfold and hope for the best.

Initial checks, run up checks then after obtaining take off clearance I was up in the sky heading for the training area. After entering the training area I took a quick low altitude fly over the prison, I then imagined a forced landing scenario and thinking the prison might not be a bad place to ditch in an emergency, however scene flashes of “Big Stan” put that idea out of my head real quick.

My instructor was going to be out in the training area with another student so he told me to listen out for his radio call. Sure enough over perth radar frequency (135.25) I heard “Alpha Oscar Hotel switch over to company frequency” then after a bit of chit chat, hows the weather, done your hasel checks etc etc we parted radio company and I switched back over to perth radar.

After conducting HASEL checks I then did a series of stall maneuvers, first non powered stall, carb heat hot, throttle idle and hold the nose steady increasing back pressure on the control column until the aircraft reached its stall angel, at the stall horn warning a slight bit more back pressure and felt the aircraft drop nose first. Carb heat cold, full throttle, rudder control to level the plane then back pressure to re-gain height, completed that with less then 100 feet of height loss.

After that did a powered stall @ 1500 RPM, then a 20 degree flap stall and a few others all with varying degrees of nose drop. I have done a few stalls where instead of looking out the front and seeing the horizon you look out the front and see the ground, its an adrenalin kick for sure.

After that I did some 45 degree steep turns while maintaining height which suprisingly is not an easy feet as you either pitch too far up and climb or worst case scenario you enter a spiral downward descent, not fun but easy enough to get out of, well lets just say getting out of a spin is fairly important.

Now the return was interesting, at the 6 South contolled area entry point I made my inbound radio call then noticed another radio call right after identical to mine. I looked behind and below looking for the other aircraft then over to my right and above I saw a cessna 172 on a converging heading to my own.

I knew from his radio call that him and I were going to meet up eventually at the same point and he was getting rather close. Now him being on my right I was required to give way, yet he was higher and me being the lower and slower aircraft he really should have given way.

I radioed tower “Alpha Oscar Hotel, Traffic sighted Cessna 172 at one o’clock high on converging approach above Forrestdale Lake” to which the tower replied “Alpha Oscar Hotel” which more or less means ” I hear you”. We were getting pretty close so I set carb heat to hot and reduced throttle to 1800 RPM, as the other aircraft was faster he quickly overtook me above which was strange as I was flying at max height allowed, he would have been at least 200 feet above me.

At that point the tower came on with “Alpha Oscar Hotel follow Cessna in front overfly at 1500 and join circuit late downwind” I then repeated the instruction and proceeded normally. Landing was typical crosswind, one wheel down then the other then the nose wheel. I kind of miss doing circuits, will do some of those shortly, other then that I had a really great time.

So I haven’t lost my love of flying just the last two flights were fairly nondescript. Standard practice forced landings and other things like powered stalls, powered without flap stalls and a few other stall derivatives with the object being landing technique at 3500 feet. After all landing is simply a controlled stall, by the way I spent about an hour or more doing circuits recently, upwind, crosswind, base and final (land) then power on and take off again, over and over and over and over and over and over again.

That being said my landings are pretty well nailed, to the point that its becoming a little boring and I actually look forward to crosswind landings. Which is more or less landing sideways the right before round out (aircraft pitch from descending to level flight right above the runway) apply rudder to manoeuvre the plane from sideways to straight. Then you land right wheel then left (or visa versa depending on wind direction) then hold back on the stick and let the nose wheel drop down smoothly.

Anyhow today I did a training area solo where i took the plane out to the training area and did a bit of navigational work prior to getting really serious about finding my way around.

Standard checks before fueling the aircraft making sure I had 40 litres on each side, burning 23 litres per hour that gave me plenty of fuel with 45 min reserve. Fuel check, aircraft check (amongst other checks) I was ready to kick it over. Engine start was sluggish but within a few seconds she kicked over and was spinning nicely.

A few more checks then breaks off and giving it a little RPM started taxing out of the holding area. Noticed another 152 on its way in off the siding so swung around ready to give way. It must have been a fairly new student as he was traveling PAINFULLY slow, however I was entering so I was giving way, after that taxied out to 24R holding position for engine checks.

Went through those everything checked out, oil and temps green, RPM nice, throttle idle still good. Taxied out, made my radio call and received the line up instruction followed by “cleared for take off”, full throttle and at the required speed pulled back and we lifted off nicely, tracked for 1000 feet to the exit point and out into the training area.

It was a great day, followed the freeway to Mandurah then headed across to the edge of the hills near serpentine dam,great view from the sky and I was able to get some photos. Apart from some sights I did want to get a better feel for forced landings, circled a field we typically use and ran through the procedures in my head imagining the flight path, checking my high key point, low key point or my 1000 foot level then base and final.

Hugged the limits of the training area and headed for six south entry point back to the airport. Cruise descent went well, made it to six south did my radio call and was given clearance to enter the airspace. One odd thing was that I heard over the radio that another plane was entering the same entry point behind me, strange that as I hadn’t noticed any other planes in the training area. Tower informed me of a plane behind me I responded with “traffic not sighted”, tower then proceeded to explain where the plain was however given that it was a ways behind it wasn’t that important.

Entered the holding pattern at 1000 feet and completed late downwind, sharp turn to base and an even sharper turn to final which I wasn’t happy that I had to do but I corrected myself nicely on final and with careful management of flaps and power settled nicely then had a slight balloon which I managed to bring down softly still, so much that I am still not sure if I ballooned or not I think simply because I held the stick back I never actually landed the front wheel till much later then I anticipated, which is not a bad thing.

I know some pilots who wheelie down the runway upon landing and give the plane ages to allow for the nose to drop down of its own accord, technique technique technique.

Parked the plane did all the after landing checks and packed it up for the evening. Upon seeing me my flight instructor responded with “your alive”. You kinda get worried when you have an instructor who is surprised you are alive after a solo, all good fun.

Originally I had IGX booked for 3:00pm however when I called and confirmed my instructor that I typically go out with when I do duel training was sick. So I got given another instructor and since the sky was pretty light with traffic I moved it to 2:00pm.

The wind sock was howling the opposite way so instead of 06L for training area departures 24R was active, this allows us to take off into the wind. After a pre-flight brief I towed the aircraft out of the holding area and into the pre-start check area. Dipped the tanks and with 35 on the left and 20 on the right I figured I’d fill em both up to 40 liters each side for better balance.

Me: “Air BP Air BP India Golf X-ray”
Air BP: “Air BP India Golf X-ray”
Me: “India Golf X-ray Cessna 152 Air Australia request 25 liters of AVgas, 5 liters right tank 20 liters left tank”
Air BP: “India Golf X-Ray, Be with you shortly”
Me: “Air BP”

Shortly they arrived and fueled the tanks, after a thorough pre-flight we were taxiing out to 24R, after run up checks permission to line up was granted followed by permission to take off. A wobbly start due to crosswinds which I corrected, flying out of Jandakot airport was straightforward as the runway is facing the exit point. After tracking to 500 feet and performing after take off checks I turned the aircraft south.

Holding above the exit lakes at 1000 ft I switched over to Perth radar and began a normal climb for 1500 feet then 2500 feet and after entering the training area climbed to 3500 feet. The weather was interesting with low cloud (4000 Feet) and a definite amount of rain which I was keen to avoid, nobody likes to get wet.

With a new instructor you more or less have to adapt to his/her style of instruction as the result is the same but the method might differ from instructor to instructor, I don’t mind switching instructors as it gives me a chance to see different ways of doing things, frustrating but good experience.

The first attempt at practice forced landings involved a bit of input from my instructor, I don’t think my style was flawed by nature it was simply that my plan for getting us both on the ground might not have been the safest, and I suppose that is the end result of a forced landing.

The second attempt was good fun, I reckon I would have rode a few cows down in the process but I would rather get nice and cosy with a cow then say power lines or a row of trees.

The third attempt I had to cut a corner to reduce time in the air and change my plan halfway through but I got a commendation for a successful forced landing so that was good. After that I climbed to 1500 feet and turned 180 degrees to Forrestdale lake for joining circuits.

Joining circuits involves returning to the airport but requesting permission to join the touch and go circuits where you fly crosswind, downwind, base and final then as you touch down you go full flaps up and full throttle for an immediate take off run, then all over again, landing practice really – in rapid succession.

So we got permission and I more or less nailed 3 crosswind circuits, which is where I do my final at 65 kts and come in at an angle using rudder control and a bit of aileron, touch down is on the left wheel the right wheel then hold back on the stick as power is reduced. More or less doing a wheelie down the runway with front wheel in the wind, gradually as speed is decreased that wheel comes down nice and smooth.

The instructor was happy, which is always a good thing. Taxied to holding point and after permission was granted to cross an active runway we were back at the club performing shutdown checks and more or less putting the plane to bed for the night.

All in all the flight was good, I’ll do some more circuit solos then I’ll do an area solo then I think I will be ready for the GFPT which then allows me to fly with passengers in circuits and throughout the training area, good fun.

Note to self: Learn the bloody forced landing checklist inside and out!!!!!!

I scheduled a flight in AOH (Cessna 152) for two hours from 10:00am – 12:00pm, this includes pre-flight checks and a brief. Though I solo circuits my next challenge is the area solo check flight, this is where I am assessed for solos outside of Jandakot Airport controlled airspace. Student Pilots are permitted to fly in the training area which is a huge space of sky south of Perth.

In this area a student pilot can practice all things flying, including turns, steep turns, rates of climb and descent among other things and acquiring training in this area on my own I believe is essential to building up experience.

Its been about 2 months since I have flown in the training area and so it can get a little daunting considering runways change direction and certain runways have certain specific uses and the last thing I want is an angry controller having a go at me.

After pre-flight checks and a call to Air BP for 10 liters of AVgas to the right wing, my flight instructor checked the fuel and oil levels and we were ready to go. As we were flying directly to the training area there was no need for a start check call to ground. After going through start up procedures we had the engine firing after a “clear prop” call.

After clearance was given I taxied briskly on to Runway 06L and after aligning myself on the center line applied full throttle. At 55 – 60 Kts we were airborne and I took off using rudder control to correct for crosswind. At 400 feet my instructor reached for the throttle and set the engine to idle (emergency landing after takeoff check), at that point I lowered the nose for the glide and set my aim point to 30 degrees left side of center line and selected a sandy mound to crash into. instructor was satisfied (more or less) and I applied full throttle and proceeded to 500 ft then on to 1000 ft for finishing up the curcuit.

Breaking out of the circuit and heading to the controlled zone exit point was a breeze, considering we fly only 500 ft below inbound aircraft, straying out of our permitted ceiling height can be disastrous. The role of my instructor was to observe my flying and as such he wasn’t coaching. I flew over the lakes and at the far end of the final lake started my cruise climb to 1500 and beyond as we had reached the limits of the controlled area. I then switched the radio over to Perth Radar (135.25).

In the training area we did several types of aircraft stalls, all of which after the plane dives I have about 300 ft max to recover and resume steady full powered climb back to original height. First time entering and climbing above clouds today which was fantastic, normally I have been steering clear of clouds for obvious reasons. I then did two forced landings in which the first on I selected a ridiculously small field (bad judgment) with the second one being a bit better, found the largest paddock around and with exception of a few scattered cows grazing about the place I reckon I could have avoided them .

We then climbed from 500 ft back up to 1500ft and proceeded to 6 south for entry back into Jandakot Airport Airspace. At 6 South the radio call is something like:

Alpha Oscar Hotel, Cessna 152
Six South at one thousand five hundred
received information Bravo, inbound.

To which the tower responds with: Alpha Oscar Hotel

We then proceed to Forrestdale lake and after another radio call we are given instruction for entering the controlled airspace and joining a circuit pattern in preparation for landing. This particular entry was unfamiliar to me so I got carried away with completing the circuit correctly and had to put a bit more effort into slowing the plane down on final. A slight balloon on landing but I didn’t feel the need for a go around, even though my instructor thought my landing was a little “messy”.

I thought the flight went well, during the 5 min debrief we went over entering the circuit pattern , my next theory test is the area solo exam, 20 questions or more of this that and the other, will see how we go.