IFR Lesson 3 - Hold Me Now
11/23/2007 Filed in: Flying
IFR Lesson 3 - Hold Me Now
After a couple of days of expressing my gratitude for all that I have by stuffing my face full of turkey and pie, I'm up for more virtual aviation fun today. But first CFII wants to teach me about holds. Naturally, I read about them when studying for the written. Let's show him how smart I am.
CFII: (drawing a hold) So, what kind of entry would you do?
Me: That's a teardrop.
CFII: Good. (drawing the entry)
Me: Uh... one question.
CFII: Yeah?
Me: How the hell do I fly it?
And there's the rub. Book learnin' is great, but in no way did it prepare me to have to actually fly one of these things. CFII graciously fills my brain with more knowledge on holds than I have any hope of retaining in one sitting, and we go hop in the sim.
After a few holds I'm starting to get it, but for what amounts to flying a Nascar oval at half speed, this is an awfully busy exercise. Time this. Check your heading. Watch your altitude. How long was that inbound course? Adjust your outbound. Intercept that radial. Correct for wind this time. It was ring around the rosy overload!
CFII has not yet let go of the idea that he can perfect the way our sim DA-40 flies. He continues to tweak the settings, each time assuring me that I'm not being charged while he's doing so. One time he forgets to tell me, so out comes the needle.
Me: Hey, I'm not being charged for this am I?!
CFII: (not getting the joke) Oh, no!
*Sigh*. Nobody gets me.
With only a few minutes left, we're trying to figure out what to do next.
CFII: Want to try a DME arc?
Me: Uh.... sure?
I can't even spell VOR DME much less fly it. So he hands me the Shelbyville VOR/DME RWY 18 again and tells me briefly how to fly it. Seems simple enough. Just fly a big circle and turn this little knob every now and again. All too easy.
Again, I manage to fly a reasonable approach, but I'm almost unaware of how much help I'm getting from CFII in the process. Everything is easy if someone knowledgeable is watching over your shoulder telling you how to correct every mistake. Nevertheless, I fly it well, all things considered, and consider the day a success.
By the way, the real DA-40 is still broke. And probably gonna be.
After a couple of days of expressing my gratitude for all that I have by stuffing my face full of turkey and pie, I'm up for more virtual aviation fun today. But first CFII wants to teach me about holds. Naturally, I read about them when studying for the written. Let's show him how smart I am.
CFII: (drawing a hold) So, what kind of entry would you do?
Me: That's a teardrop.
CFII: Good. (drawing the entry)
Me: Uh... one question.
CFII: Yeah?
Me: How the hell do I fly it?
And there's the rub. Book learnin' is great, but in no way did it prepare me to have to actually fly one of these things. CFII graciously fills my brain with more knowledge on holds than I have any hope of retaining in one sitting, and we go hop in the sim.
After a few holds I'm starting to get it, but for what amounts to flying a Nascar oval at half speed, this is an awfully busy exercise. Time this. Check your heading. Watch your altitude. How long was that inbound course? Adjust your outbound. Intercept that radial. Correct for wind this time. It was ring around the rosy overload!
CFII has not yet let go of the idea that he can perfect the way our sim DA-40 flies. He continues to tweak the settings, each time assuring me that I'm not being charged while he's doing so. One time he forgets to tell me, so out comes the needle.
Me: Hey, I'm not being charged for this am I?!
CFII: (not getting the joke) Oh, no!
*Sigh*. Nobody gets me.
With only a few minutes left, we're trying to figure out what to do next.
CFII: Want to try a DME arc?
Me: Uh.... sure?
I can't even spell VOR DME much less fly it. So he hands me the Shelbyville VOR/DME RWY 18 again and tells me briefly how to fly it. Seems simple enough. Just fly a big circle and turn this little knob every now and again. All too easy.
Again, I manage to fly a reasonable approach, but I'm almost unaware of how much help I'm getting from CFII in the process. Everything is easy if someone knowledgeable is watching over your shoulder telling you how to correct every mistake. Nevertheless, I fly it well, all things considered, and consider the day a success.
By the way, the real DA-40 is still broke. And probably gonna be.