slipstreamsurfr (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
slipstreamsurfr) wrote2006-09-03 07:47 pm
slipstreamsurfr) wrote2006-09-03 07:47 pm
Entry tags:
152/solo still heavy - lesson 36
So this afternoon I was back home and scheduled the 152 for some solo time. I wanted to take it up, take it out to the practice area, do some steep turns, some stalls. Just get a feel for how it handles differently than the 172. Time to get a little more comfortable with it before next saturdays long solo cross country.
I arrive at the airport and wait for David to bring back the 152 and Mischa to come back in 508 with Kathy. When Mischa signed me off to solo in the 152, he neglected to make the other part of the entry that would allow me to go off and land at the other airports.
My thought was to take off from GKY, shoot a landing with the tower, just to remind myself I can land the 152. Then head west and south out from under the class B and climb to 3000 or 3500 and do some steep turns and stalls. Then, because I'd be just next door, hop over to Midway (JWY) and shoot some landings there. Sounds good right?
So David brings back 712 and it's got maybe 1/4 tanks left in it. I figure that I'll be up sometime between an hour and two so I call for them to refuel her to full tanks. I'm flying solo today, so weight isn't an issue. We'll be heavy, but under gross for my flight. I get Mischa to make the appropriate entries and now I'm legal for my plan. A good catch Mischa says on the endorsements.
I'm out the door and preflighting the airplane. Sure enough, the tanks are now full, in fact, when I step on the strut to check the fuel caps I compress the nose strut (it really needs more nitrogen) and fuel weeps out the vent under the wing. They certainly topped her off. I don't think she can hold any more fuel than she has in her right now.
I strap myself into, or is that I strap the plane onto me. It's hard to call it in a 152. It's really small to me after flying the 172's so much. I cast about and finally locate the checklist, someone stuck it under the seat. I start the plane and tune in ground. Then I stare at the mike button again. Mike fright again. Stupid thing. I sit there a minute or two more, then manage to thumb the button and call "Arlington Ground, Cessna 67712 ready to taxi from Katie Hawk ramp". They clear me to the run up area for 34 and I'm off and going. That wasn't so hard. I've got to figure out how to not be so hesitant to make the initial call.
I do the run ups and everything is fine. Leaning for maximum power and I'm ready. I taxi to the hold short line, change the frequency to the tower and call "Arlington Tower, Cessna 67712 ready for takeoff 34." I'm cleared to take off and I'm rolling out on to the runway. Line things up and I'm off. Power going in, rudder, weaving a little to hold the centerline. The 152 really seems to be very rudder sensitive compared to the 172's. Rotation, keep the nose a little down, build some speed and then fly it out in the climb. Holding 70 knots. Climb performance is better today than when I flew it with Mischa, but still not great. Full fuel added in a bit more weight, so it's not exactly like leaving my CFI behind, but it is better. Plus it's cooler. I tell the tower I'd like to stay in the pattern and he clears me for right close pattern. No problem, I turn to crosswind, downwind, have finally made my altitude and I've heard the tower talking to a travel air but haven't seen him. I ask the tower if I'm cleared to turn base as I don't have the travel air in sight. He tells me to turn base now and he'll sequence the other plane behind me. I drop 10 degrees of flaps, turn base another 10, then final, flaps roll in 30, and everything moves into slow motion. The tower requests I keep my time on the runway at a minimum because he's got the Travel air behind me. I tell him I will comply. I flare, ease it down, a bit of a crosswind, and the 152 reacts to it quicker than the 172 ever did, overcorrect, back it out and I'm straight and rolling the mains. Flaps back up, carb heat in, power up, right rudder and I'm rolling and off again.
Not bad I think. On my climb out from the runway I request departure from the pattern to the west. The tower clears me for my turn out to the left, have a good day. I turn left, still climbing, I want to be above pattern altitude before I head south. I fly till past cooper and turn south, watching the airport on my left now. I've still got their tower up, but no chatter, nobody else is flying this afternoon. I climb to 2500 feet and then once clear of the ring climb to 3000 feet. I briefly consider trying for 3500 but the haze is bad today, and the clouds, there are some not that far above me, scattered, but not ones I want to deal with today. I clear the last of the class B rings and I'm ready, a clearing turn to the left, then one to the right. I pick out a big white warehouse for my reference mark and start a steep turn to the left. One, two, three complete turns and I've got them holding steady now. My variation was about 50 feet up, and may be 25 below where I started. Total variation of 75 feet to the left. I roll it out of the left turn and directly into the right. These are a bit worse, I lose altitude, maybe 50 feet below, then rise maybe 25 to 50 feet above. Today it's the right ones giving me a problem. Still, not bad for an airplane I've not done these in before. 3 turns to the right and I bring it out of it and back for a single turn to the left. Just because I can. :)
Then I clean things up and decide to do some power off, clean, stalls. Carb heat out, watch the rpm drop, power back and start to nurse the nose up, trading airspeed for altitude I keep myself at 3000 feet. Feet alive on the rudders, I'm holding a course of 180. Up goes the nose, it tries to slip to the left, catch it with the rudder, a shudder, then a break. A NICE CLEAN BREAK!, nose down, power and carb heat in, pitch the nose back up and recover. I had gained maybe 25 feet after I pulled the power back, I might have lost 25 feet during the recovery. Net effect, nicely at 3000. The 152 has a clean break in the stall! I'm loving it. The 172's tend to mush about in their stalls. They will shudder and buffet, they will moan, they will try to drop a wing, but they rarely will break cleanly. I try another just to see if I was lucky, almost the same results. Nice. I try one more, this time recovering before the break, after the first buffet. A non event. Time to try some dirty. I drop in full flaps and pull the power, pitching the nose way up, the nose is trying to drive more, stay awake on the rudders, I'm now 5 to 10 degrees off my intended course, and she breaks at an unbelievable low airspeed. Drop the nose, power up, milk up the flaps and things are great again. Maybe 100 feet variation on that one, I was distracted playing with the heading and let myself climb when I pulled the power off, and dropped under when I recovered. I try another, dancing the rudders a bit more as the nose goes high and this time the heading stays where it's supposed to be. Break, nose over, power in, recovery. 25 feet this time. I like this.
Enough of this kind of fun, it's time to try some landings at Midway. It's just to my north and east so I drop altitude and call them when I'm 3 miles to their west intending to join the downwind. Whoever is working unicom gives me their current winds and I thank them. Downwind is joined and I'm all alone in the pattern. Power back to 1700 rpm at the touchdown markers, first notch of flaps at 80 and pitch to hold, turn base and add second notch of flaps. Turn my final and add the last of the flaps and I've messed up my turn. I get things back to where they need to be and I'm coming in at 65 knots, the runway is made, the power is pulled and I work her down. A weird burble down just above the runway shoves me to the side a bit, and I sort that out. I'm flaring and easing it down and I'm starting to sink because I've bled the speed a bit to much and I'm still a foot or so above the runway, full elevator back to cushion the drop and the main gear touch, think about bouncing but gives in and stays stuck. The nose is held nicely up as I let it down. Clean it up and power it off. As I rotate off the runway I get a weird push to the side again, the crosswind isn't that strong, maybe it's something I'm holding funny in the rudders. I work my next pattern setting it up for another full flap landing and things are a bit more behaved this time. I ease this one on and I'm only a few inches above the runway this time when I run out of lift and I turn off on the taxiway.
I'm considering parking and getting out to stretch my legs, just because I can, but decide that I probably don't really have quite enough time to do that if I want to shoot any more landings. I opt to just taxi back out to the runway and take off again. I shoot a couple of more landings at Midway and they are all doing pretty well. Not bad, not perfect, but serviceable. I'm feeling a lot more comfortable in the 152 now. I know I can get it down someplace other than GKY, and I know that she won't bite at low speed. It's time to head home.
I call my departure from Midway and head back to Arlington. Flying north I bypass the towers and fly over Joe Pool Lake, hit the mariana and call a position report to the tower. He clears me to turn right base now and I'm number 1 for landing. I drop the few remaining 100's of feet to pattern altitude, drop my speed to 80 knots and drop my first notch of flaps. He's got another plane in the left pattern that he's trying to slot in behind me so I opt to keep my speed up for him. 80 knots on base then turn to final. I still haven't gotten a landing clearance from him and I'm getting to the point where I need to drop the rest of my flaps and slow down to land so I call him, "Arlington Tower, Cessna 712 checking my clearance." "712, you are cleared for landing 34." hmm. Good enough I guess, I would have rather have had a touch and go and pull one more landing for practice, but I didn't ask for it and I can live with a full stop. I can park the plane now and be happy. "Cleared for landing, 712" I drop the rest of my flaps and nose for 70 knots for the runway, over the threshold I hold it down, flaring gently and watch the speed start to bleed off fast, dance with the rudders a bit as the 152 sure wants to weathervane more than the 172's did, 65, 60, 50, feeling for the runway I hear the stall warning horn start to sound as I touch left wheel first, then right. The cross wind pushes a little harder, I push back with the rudder to keep things from skittering to the side and she's down firm. The nose I ease down, babying the nose strut and I can almost make the short turn off, but decide to take it easy on the brakes. I make my normal turn off, cross the line, stop. clean up the plane and contact ground. Requesting clearance to taxi back to parking in front of Katie Hawk. It's granted and I'm rolling again for parking.
I shut her down and hop out, needing to push the plane back into her spot because of the way I'd had to spin her into her parking space. I go back and sit in the cockpit, writing down the numbers, filling out the books, and thinking. Nice flight. 20 years later I'm not only checked out in a 152 again, but I'm a LOT more comfortable flying one than I ever was back before. I'm a bit larger, they seem a bit smaller, but all in all, it's a fun little thing to fly. I think she and I will do well on our cross country this coming weekend. Now we keep our fingers crossed for good weather, and I'll fly her at least once more between now and then for some more landing practice. One thing that the 152 shows you, is the importance of Vx and Vy. I played a little with some climbs when I was out in the practice area. You can be a bit sloppy in a 172. But in the 152, you'd better hit that 65 to 67 notch, or she isn't going to climb with a hill of beans, especially will full fuel. The 152 also seems much livelier in with the controls. All in all, a fun little thing.
Oh yeah, and another page is full in the logbook. :)
--1.2 solo
--6 landings
I arrive at the airport and wait for David to bring back the 152 and Mischa to come back in 508 with Kathy. When Mischa signed me off to solo in the 152, he neglected to make the other part of the entry that would allow me to go off and land at the other airports.
My thought was to take off from GKY, shoot a landing with the tower, just to remind myself I can land the 152. Then head west and south out from under the class B and climb to 3000 or 3500 and do some steep turns and stalls. Then, because I'd be just next door, hop over to Midway (JWY) and shoot some landings there. Sounds good right?
So David brings back 712 and it's got maybe 1/4 tanks left in it. I figure that I'll be up sometime between an hour and two so I call for them to refuel her to full tanks. I'm flying solo today, so weight isn't an issue. We'll be heavy, but under gross for my flight. I get Mischa to make the appropriate entries and now I'm legal for my plan. A good catch Mischa says on the endorsements.
I'm out the door and preflighting the airplane. Sure enough, the tanks are now full, in fact, when I step on the strut to check the fuel caps I compress the nose strut (it really needs more nitrogen) and fuel weeps out the vent under the wing. They certainly topped her off. I don't think she can hold any more fuel than she has in her right now.
I strap myself into, or is that I strap the plane onto me. It's hard to call it in a 152. It's really small to me after flying the 172's so much. I cast about and finally locate the checklist, someone stuck it under the seat. I start the plane and tune in ground. Then I stare at the mike button again. Mike fright again. Stupid thing. I sit there a minute or two more, then manage to thumb the button and call "Arlington Ground, Cessna 67712 ready to taxi from Katie Hawk ramp". They clear me to the run up area for 34 and I'm off and going. That wasn't so hard. I've got to figure out how to not be so hesitant to make the initial call.
I do the run ups and everything is fine. Leaning for maximum power and I'm ready. I taxi to the hold short line, change the frequency to the tower and call "Arlington Tower, Cessna 67712 ready for takeoff 34." I'm cleared to take off and I'm rolling out on to the runway. Line things up and I'm off. Power going in, rudder, weaving a little to hold the centerline. The 152 really seems to be very rudder sensitive compared to the 172's. Rotation, keep the nose a little down, build some speed and then fly it out in the climb. Holding 70 knots. Climb performance is better today than when I flew it with Mischa, but still not great. Full fuel added in a bit more weight, so it's not exactly like leaving my CFI behind, but it is better. Plus it's cooler. I tell the tower I'd like to stay in the pattern and he clears me for right close pattern. No problem, I turn to crosswind, downwind, have finally made my altitude and I've heard the tower talking to a travel air but haven't seen him. I ask the tower if I'm cleared to turn base as I don't have the travel air in sight. He tells me to turn base now and he'll sequence the other plane behind me. I drop 10 degrees of flaps, turn base another 10, then final, flaps roll in 30, and everything moves into slow motion. The tower requests I keep my time on the runway at a minimum because he's got the Travel air behind me. I tell him I will comply. I flare, ease it down, a bit of a crosswind, and the 152 reacts to it quicker than the 172 ever did, overcorrect, back it out and I'm straight and rolling the mains. Flaps back up, carb heat in, power up, right rudder and I'm rolling and off again.
Not bad I think. On my climb out from the runway I request departure from the pattern to the west. The tower clears me for my turn out to the left, have a good day. I turn left, still climbing, I want to be above pattern altitude before I head south. I fly till past cooper and turn south, watching the airport on my left now. I've still got their tower up, but no chatter, nobody else is flying this afternoon. I climb to 2500 feet and then once clear of the ring climb to 3000 feet. I briefly consider trying for 3500 but the haze is bad today, and the clouds, there are some not that far above me, scattered, but not ones I want to deal with today. I clear the last of the class B rings and I'm ready, a clearing turn to the left, then one to the right. I pick out a big white warehouse for my reference mark and start a steep turn to the left. One, two, three complete turns and I've got them holding steady now. My variation was about 50 feet up, and may be 25 below where I started. Total variation of 75 feet to the left. I roll it out of the left turn and directly into the right. These are a bit worse, I lose altitude, maybe 50 feet below, then rise maybe 25 to 50 feet above. Today it's the right ones giving me a problem. Still, not bad for an airplane I've not done these in before. 3 turns to the right and I bring it out of it and back for a single turn to the left. Just because I can. :)
Then I clean things up and decide to do some power off, clean, stalls. Carb heat out, watch the rpm drop, power back and start to nurse the nose up, trading airspeed for altitude I keep myself at 3000 feet. Feet alive on the rudders, I'm holding a course of 180. Up goes the nose, it tries to slip to the left, catch it with the rudder, a shudder, then a break. A NICE CLEAN BREAK!, nose down, power and carb heat in, pitch the nose back up and recover. I had gained maybe 25 feet after I pulled the power back, I might have lost 25 feet during the recovery. Net effect, nicely at 3000. The 152 has a clean break in the stall! I'm loving it. The 172's tend to mush about in their stalls. They will shudder and buffet, they will moan, they will try to drop a wing, but they rarely will break cleanly. I try another just to see if I was lucky, almost the same results. Nice. I try one more, this time recovering before the break, after the first buffet. A non event. Time to try some dirty. I drop in full flaps and pull the power, pitching the nose way up, the nose is trying to drive more, stay awake on the rudders, I'm now 5 to 10 degrees off my intended course, and she breaks at an unbelievable low airspeed. Drop the nose, power up, milk up the flaps and things are great again. Maybe 100 feet variation on that one, I was distracted playing with the heading and let myself climb when I pulled the power off, and dropped under when I recovered. I try another, dancing the rudders a bit more as the nose goes high and this time the heading stays where it's supposed to be. Break, nose over, power in, recovery. 25 feet this time. I like this.
Enough of this kind of fun, it's time to try some landings at Midway. It's just to my north and east so I drop altitude and call them when I'm 3 miles to their west intending to join the downwind. Whoever is working unicom gives me their current winds and I thank them. Downwind is joined and I'm all alone in the pattern. Power back to 1700 rpm at the touchdown markers, first notch of flaps at 80 and pitch to hold, turn base and add second notch of flaps. Turn my final and add the last of the flaps and I've messed up my turn. I get things back to where they need to be and I'm coming in at 65 knots, the runway is made, the power is pulled and I work her down. A weird burble down just above the runway shoves me to the side a bit, and I sort that out. I'm flaring and easing it down and I'm starting to sink because I've bled the speed a bit to much and I'm still a foot or so above the runway, full elevator back to cushion the drop and the main gear touch, think about bouncing but gives in and stays stuck. The nose is held nicely up as I let it down. Clean it up and power it off. As I rotate off the runway I get a weird push to the side again, the crosswind isn't that strong, maybe it's something I'm holding funny in the rudders. I work my next pattern setting it up for another full flap landing and things are a bit more behaved this time. I ease this one on and I'm only a few inches above the runway this time when I run out of lift and I turn off on the taxiway.
I'm considering parking and getting out to stretch my legs, just because I can, but decide that I probably don't really have quite enough time to do that if I want to shoot any more landings. I opt to just taxi back out to the runway and take off again. I shoot a couple of more landings at Midway and they are all doing pretty well. Not bad, not perfect, but serviceable. I'm feeling a lot more comfortable in the 152 now. I know I can get it down someplace other than GKY, and I know that she won't bite at low speed. It's time to head home.
I call my departure from Midway and head back to Arlington. Flying north I bypass the towers and fly over Joe Pool Lake, hit the mariana and call a position report to the tower. He clears me to turn right base now and I'm number 1 for landing. I drop the few remaining 100's of feet to pattern altitude, drop my speed to 80 knots and drop my first notch of flaps. He's got another plane in the left pattern that he's trying to slot in behind me so I opt to keep my speed up for him. 80 knots on base then turn to final. I still haven't gotten a landing clearance from him and I'm getting to the point where I need to drop the rest of my flaps and slow down to land so I call him, "Arlington Tower, Cessna 712 checking my clearance." "712, you are cleared for landing 34." hmm. Good enough I guess, I would have rather have had a touch and go and pull one more landing for practice, but I didn't ask for it and I can live with a full stop. I can park the plane now and be happy. "Cleared for landing, 712" I drop the rest of my flaps and nose for 70 knots for the runway, over the threshold I hold it down, flaring gently and watch the speed start to bleed off fast, dance with the rudders a bit as the 152 sure wants to weathervane more than the 172's did, 65, 60, 50, feeling for the runway I hear the stall warning horn start to sound as I touch left wheel first, then right. The cross wind pushes a little harder, I push back with the rudder to keep things from skittering to the side and she's down firm. The nose I ease down, babying the nose strut and I can almost make the short turn off, but decide to take it easy on the brakes. I make my normal turn off, cross the line, stop. clean up the plane and contact ground. Requesting clearance to taxi back to parking in front of Katie Hawk. It's granted and I'm rolling again for parking.
I shut her down and hop out, needing to push the plane back into her spot because of the way I'd had to spin her into her parking space. I go back and sit in the cockpit, writing down the numbers, filling out the books, and thinking. Nice flight. 20 years later I'm not only checked out in a 152 again, but I'm a LOT more comfortable flying one than I ever was back before. I'm a bit larger, they seem a bit smaller, but all in all, it's a fun little thing to fly. I think she and I will do well on our cross country this coming weekend. Now we keep our fingers crossed for good weather, and I'll fly her at least once more between now and then for some more landing practice. One thing that the 152 shows you, is the importance of Vx and Vy. I played a little with some climbs when I was out in the practice area. You can be a bit sloppy in a 172. But in the 152, you'd better hit that 65 to 67 notch, or she isn't going to climb with a hill of beans, especially will full fuel. The 152 also seems much livelier in with the controls. All in all, a fun little thing.
Oh yeah, and another page is full in the logbook. :)
--1.2 solo
--6 landings