IFR Lesson 6 - Mama I'm Coming Home
11/29/2007 Filed in: Flying
IFR Lesson 6 - Mama I'm Coming Home (aka ATC and
"Your Mama" jokes)
First lesson out of the sim! The DA40 at our school has been broken for *checks watch*... ever. My last five lessons have been in the full-motion MOTUS simulator at the school. Having fully mastered the art of IFR flying on the contraption, I put in a request to CFII that we train in the DA20 until such time as the 40 decides to depart its current state of depression.
Our timing is perfect as I have a helluva good reason to fly on an XC today: I have a demo in an A36 in Paducah. I mean, yeah, I might learn a thing or two about IFR flying on the way, ya killjoy! But in case you missed it, I get to fly a Bo for the first time today, so pretty much everything else is secondary.
The flight is only 130nm, and the weather is severe VFR. Pretty sure there was an SIGMET for extreme visibility. As an IFR student, I might find that annoying except that we can't take the DA20 into IMC. Well, OK, we could but then I couldn't very well write about it here :)
CFII and I whip up a quick flight plan and I dispatch it to our friendly neighborhood FSS. One preflight and some schoolgirlish giggling later and we're airborne.
Flying out of Smyrna to the west we immediately enter Nashville (BNA) airspace. They're giving me the usual instructions like fly heading so and so, and climb and maintain this and that, but I know they don't really mean it. Besides, I'm still just a VFR pilot... none of that really applies to me. So I fly their instructions with my usual delta of 30% and somehow manage not to plow headlong into a heavy.
Apparently CFII is in a good mood today, too. He let me climb a good 20 feet above the runway before handing me the foggles. But what really gave it away is the following quip during our jaunt through BNA's class C.
Flight Check: Nashville Approach, Flight Check 7, we'd like 4000 to take some pictures.
BNA: Flight Check 7, where will you be taking pictures?
CFII: At your mama's.
Me: (nearly wrecking the plane) Bwahahaha!!
Moreover, he let me take a quick peek at the Nashville skyline. Now, I've flown over it enough times now that it doesn't move me like the first time. However, I must say, I've never seen it this clearly before. The visibility was spectacular. It was as if they broadcast the skyline in 1080i.
So we're riding merrily along after that when CFII dips into his usual bag of tricks. Naturally, in deference to his continued job security, I pretend not to notice the alternator warning light. Yeah, that's the ticket. I was pretendin'. Like Morgan Fairchild. Whom I've seen naked...
CFII: Ok, so here's the thing... you're IFR, but you still have to watch all the other stuff.
Me: Um, how long has that been on?
CFII: About 3 minutes.
I had mentally put the over/under at seven, so three wasn't so bad. Still, if he does that during a real busy time like an approach, I know I've got no shot at noticing. Perhaps my mental capacity will allow me to incorporate that in my scan at a later date.
We request vectors from Memphis center for the ILS 22 into Paducah. I could have sworn I heard them groan. I half-expected them to reply "N223NH, you are cleared for the really, super, insanely, uber-visual instead, ya jagoff." Instead, they were more accommodating than CFII, who made me fly the approach down to minimums.
In retaliation, I treated him to a healthy dose of S-turns around a localizer, and managed to keep the glideslope within an order of magitude past full deflection. Cuz that's how I roll. Into a mountain.
After lunch with a friend of mine, we joined up with the broker for our demo. Turns out he had to fly about 30 miles over to Missouri so that'd be our demo flight. Works for me! Wait, one more thing, can't let you fly left seat for insurance reasons. Boo!! Hiss!! Ok, well, I actually have a little flight time from the right seat, so maybe I won't embarrass myself too badly.
The most immediate thing that hit me was the sheer power of that engine and how just idling it lifts the rear of the airplane up several degrees. After takeoff, I took the controls and futzed and fumbled around while climbing 1000 fpm at something like 115 kts with four grown men in the airplane. I'm thinking to myself all the while, "Man that ride home in the katana is going to suck!"
I also made a point to play around with the ailerons to see what the fuss was about on the Bonanza roll feel. Ok, I get it now. Nuff said.
The broker landed us in MO, I swapped seats with CFII and sat in the back for the ride to Paducah. He got a chance to play as well, and then the broker set up the autopilot to fly the ILS back in. Maybe he saw my approach earlier and thought I'd really need that functionality. I don't disagree.
After the demo, CFII and I reluctantly and dejectedly climb back into the katana. It is precisely my anticipation of this moment that caused me to leave my checkbook at home.
The flight back was uneventful. I flew a VOR DME arc into Shelbyville for practice then ILS 32 into Smyrna. The DME arc was pretty good. The ILS, not so much. However, while I hate to jinx myself here, I have to admit my landings lately in the katana have been pretty damn good. This one in particular fit that mold.
Me: (touchdown and roll)
CFII: Uh, have we landed yet?
He was exaggerating, it wasn't one of the mythical can't-feel-it landings, but it was nice. Hey, it was good to get something right after that approach, so I don't feel like I totally suck. Like your mama.
Oh man, I kill me...
First lesson out of the sim! The DA40 at our school has been broken for *checks watch*... ever. My last five lessons have been in the full-motion MOTUS simulator at the school. Having fully mastered the art of IFR flying on the contraption, I put in a request to CFII that we train in the DA20 until such time as the 40 decides to depart its current state of depression.
Our timing is perfect as I have a helluva good reason to fly on an XC today: I have a demo in an A36 in Paducah. I mean, yeah, I might learn a thing or two about IFR flying on the way, ya killjoy! But in case you missed it, I get to fly a Bo for the first time today, so pretty much everything else is secondary.
The flight is only 130nm, and the weather is severe VFR. Pretty sure there was an SIGMET for extreme visibility. As an IFR student, I might find that annoying except that we can't take the DA20 into IMC. Well, OK, we could but then I couldn't very well write about it here :)
CFII and I whip up a quick flight plan and I dispatch it to our friendly neighborhood FSS. One preflight and some schoolgirlish giggling later and we're airborne.
Flying out of Smyrna to the west we immediately enter Nashville (BNA) airspace. They're giving me the usual instructions like fly heading so and so, and climb and maintain this and that, but I know they don't really mean it. Besides, I'm still just a VFR pilot... none of that really applies to me. So I fly their instructions with my usual delta of 30% and somehow manage not to plow headlong into a heavy.
Apparently CFII is in a good mood today, too. He let me climb a good 20 feet above the runway before handing me the foggles. But what really gave it away is the following quip during our jaunt through BNA's class C.
Flight Check: Nashville Approach, Flight Check 7, we'd like 4000 to take some pictures.
BNA: Flight Check 7, where will you be taking pictures?
CFII: At your mama's.
Me: (nearly wrecking the plane) Bwahahaha!!
Moreover, he let me take a quick peek at the Nashville skyline. Now, I've flown over it enough times now that it doesn't move me like the first time. However, I must say, I've never seen it this clearly before. The visibility was spectacular. It was as if they broadcast the skyline in 1080i.
So we're riding merrily along after that when CFII dips into his usual bag of tricks. Naturally, in deference to his continued job security, I pretend not to notice the alternator warning light. Yeah, that's the ticket. I was pretendin'. Like Morgan Fairchild. Whom I've seen naked...
CFII: Ok, so here's the thing... you're IFR, but you still have to watch all the other stuff.
Me: Um, how long has that been on?
CFII: About 3 minutes.
I had mentally put the over/under at seven, so three wasn't so bad. Still, if he does that during a real busy time like an approach, I know I've got no shot at noticing. Perhaps my mental capacity will allow me to incorporate that in my scan at a later date.
We request vectors from Memphis center for the ILS 22 into Paducah. I could have sworn I heard them groan. I half-expected them to reply "N223NH, you are cleared for the really, super, insanely, uber-visual instead, ya jagoff." Instead, they were more accommodating than CFII, who made me fly the approach down to minimums.
In retaliation, I treated him to a healthy dose of S-turns around a localizer, and managed to keep the glideslope within an order of magitude past full deflection. Cuz that's how I roll. Into a mountain.
After lunch with a friend of mine, we joined up with the broker for our demo. Turns out he had to fly about 30 miles over to Missouri so that'd be our demo flight. Works for me! Wait, one more thing, can't let you fly left seat for insurance reasons. Boo!! Hiss!! Ok, well, I actually have a little flight time from the right seat, so maybe I won't embarrass myself too badly.
The most immediate thing that hit me was the sheer power of that engine and how just idling it lifts the rear of the airplane up several degrees. After takeoff, I took the controls and futzed and fumbled around while climbing 1000 fpm at something like 115 kts with four grown men in the airplane. I'm thinking to myself all the while, "Man that ride home in the katana is going to suck!"
I also made a point to play around with the ailerons to see what the fuss was about on the Bonanza roll feel. Ok, I get it now. Nuff said.
The broker landed us in MO, I swapped seats with CFII and sat in the back for the ride to Paducah. He got a chance to play as well, and then the broker set up the autopilot to fly the ILS back in. Maybe he saw my approach earlier and thought I'd really need that functionality. I don't disagree.
After the demo, CFII and I reluctantly and dejectedly climb back into the katana. It is precisely my anticipation of this moment that caused me to leave my checkbook at home.
The flight back was uneventful. I flew a VOR DME arc into Shelbyville for practice then ILS 32 into Smyrna. The DME arc was pretty good. The ILS, not so much. However, while I hate to jinx myself here, I have to admit my landings lately in the katana have been pretty damn good. This one in particular fit that mold.
Me: (touchdown and roll)
CFII: Uh, have we landed yet?
He was exaggerating, it wasn't one of the mythical can't-feel-it landings, but it was nice. Hey, it was good to get something right after that approach, so I don't feel like I totally suck. Like your mama.
Oh man, I kill me...