Busy Tower - Lesson 37
Sep. 7th, 2006 09:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
slipstreamsurfrI checked the schedule from this morning and saw the 152 was available this evening. A few quick clicks and I've got her reserved.
Arrive at the airport at 6:15 and pick up the book, call for fuel because I've got less than 1/4 tanks in the airplane. While the fuel shows up I preflight enjoying the suddenly cooler weather in North Texas. Some high thin clouds, but nothing to bother me, it's a bit hazy this afternoon. The temps though are wonderful. Fuel is pumped, preflight completed and I go to start the airplane. I'm the first one to fly her in 2 days. She's a little grumpy on the start but I get her turned over and purring. Well, as much as this engine will purr.
Call for ground and I'm cleared to taxi to run up for 16. Pull into run up alongside a 172 and start my run up. By the time I'm finishing I look up and who is approaching but a certain Cheetah to pull in beside me for run up. The occupants are grinning ear to ear. I flash them a thumbs up and wave as I pull to the hold short line, calling the tower to let them know I'm ready for take off.
As I'm cleared for take off I'm asked what my intentions are. I tell them I'd like to stay in the pattern for touch and go's. I'm off and rolling and climbing away from the runway. The airspace around GKY has gotten rather busy. Several in the pattern, two airplanes who'd departed before me are currently orbiting out over the lake while the tower works on sequencing everybody in together with the arriving traffic. I'm climbing on the upwind and the tower sounds like he has his hands full. When he has a break in his patter I call the tower. He calls me back and I let him know that I can depart the pattern south west for a while if that'll help with his workload. He thanks me, clears me south west, frequency change approved and have a good day!
That felt good. Helping out where I can. All I really want to do tonight is shoot landings for a while. Any airport will do. I head towards the practice area, marveling at how smooth the air is this evening at 2500 feet. I decide that I'm mostly the way to Midway (JWY) already so I'll go shoot landings there. I tune for weather, pick it up, 18 should be in use. A close scan and sure enough, there's 2 other planes in the pattern working 18. There's a banner tow in the area too but he's far enough away to not be a problem for me. Never seen one from the air before. A different perspective, that's for sure.
I call that I'm 3 miles west and will overfly the field for a standard entry into the downwind. I hit midfield and call that I'm over the top and have the other two planes in site. The one just turning off of crosswind calls that he has me in site. I let him know that I'll join in behind him in the pattern. That felt good. I'm seeing the planes, working out the overflies and entries in with other traffic. Everybody is having a good time flying. Things are working well.
I join the pattern and proceed to shoot some landings. Along the way to Midway I kept thinking that the 152 had a heavy wing and was dropping it for some reason. The turn and slip indicator could use a fresh coat of white paint behind it and it's a little hard to read in the cockpit. It didn't take me long though to figure out that the heavy wing was my big heavy foot on a rudder and I was flying out of trim. I shifted my feet and things straightened up and what do you know, the wing isn't heavy any more. I would continue to revisit the heavy wing syndrome off and on during my flight. I need to pay a bit more attention in this 152. It's not quite as easy to just glance and see if I'm getting into a bad habit. But you sure can tell that somethings not right when you do.
My landings are okay. Nothing really to write home about, nothing too awful either though. I'm flying a bit tight in on the field so my base leg is far too short which puts me in an almost continues turn from downwind to final. I work on opening it up a bit after the first two landings. Things get a little better. I do one full stop, getting off the runway, taxing back down to take off again. Listening to the banner tow talking, another 172 has joined the party. I watch him overfly and join the pattern while I'm taxiing. It's really nice when someone makes a radio call and they are really where they say they are. Something for me to strive for. I wait for the touch and go to touch and leave, the new 172 to land and pull off the runway and I call for take off. Out I go and shoot a few more landings before I call an exit to the west .
I climb to 2000 feet and putter my way back towards GKY. My TAC sitting in the seat beside me. Occasionally glancing at it, to see if this or that is on the chart. What makes it on them is always kind of interesting to me. I've already tuned the weather, reset the altimeter, tune for the tower and notice that it's far slower now there than an hour ago. Over the lake, then on top of the marina and I'm calling the tower inbound on a 45 for 16 for touch and go's. He clears me into the pattern, asking that I call the other traffic on downwind when I see them. I'm looking, and not seeing, then the tower says the traffic is due east of the tower now and I see him. A quick radio call to confirm I've got the traffic and I'm good to go into the pattern, number 2 for landing. I follow the 172 around, pulling power to 1700 and 10 degree's of flaps at the touchdown zone and then waiting for him to pass abeam me so that I can turn my base. Things work out fairly nicely and I make an okay landing back at home. Power goes in and I'm off once more for my last pattern. I'm cleared for my touch and go and I call the tower and amend that I'd like this one to be full stop. My wish is granted and it's quite once again.
Just me and the setting sun behind the high clouds. It's beautiful up, has been for the last landing and this one is getting even more pretty as I putter on the downwind. Power comes out, flaps come in and I'm setting up for another landing. It comes of fairly nice, I drifted the nose at the last minute and didn't mean to but I stopped that before I touched down so no harm done. The tower asks that I depart taxiway delta and contact ground. I confirm and turn off. Clean up the airplane and tune for ground. Request taxi back to parking at the Katie Hawk ramp and it's granted. I pull the plane in and push it back in place to tie it down.
I really nice evening flying. Things that I felt good about was staying ahead of the radio. Being familiar enough with the area to find JWY without any trouble at all. Seeing the planes in the patterns has been a problem from time to time for me but today it really just worked out well. Getting my entries into and out of the patterns worked out nicely today was also an added bonus. Helping the tower out on his workload felt pretty good too.
The sunset though, was the icing on the cake tonight. Beautiful....
--1.2 solo
--7 landings
Arrive at the airport at 6:15 and pick up the book, call for fuel because I've got less than 1/4 tanks in the airplane. While the fuel shows up I preflight enjoying the suddenly cooler weather in North Texas. Some high thin clouds, but nothing to bother me, it's a bit hazy this afternoon. The temps though are wonderful. Fuel is pumped, preflight completed and I go to start the airplane. I'm the first one to fly her in 2 days. She's a little grumpy on the start but I get her turned over and purring. Well, as much as this engine will purr.
Call for ground and I'm cleared to taxi to run up for 16. Pull into run up alongside a 172 and start my run up. By the time I'm finishing I look up and who is approaching but a certain Cheetah to pull in beside me for run up. The occupants are grinning ear to ear. I flash them a thumbs up and wave as I pull to the hold short line, calling the tower to let them know I'm ready for take off.
As I'm cleared for take off I'm asked what my intentions are. I tell them I'd like to stay in the pattern for touch and go's. I'm off and rolling and climbing away from the runway. The airspace around GKY has gotten rather busy. Several in the pattern, two airplanes who'd departed before me are currently orbiting out over the lake while the tower works on sequencing everybody in together with the arriving traffic. I'm climbing on the upwind and the tower sounds like he has his hands full. When he has a break in his patter I call the tower. He calls me back and I let him know that I can depart the pattern south west for a while if that'll help with his workload. He thanks me, clears me south west, frequency change approved and have a good day!
That felt good. Helping out where I can. All I really want to do tonight is shoot landings for a while. Any airport will do. I head towards the practice area, marveling at how smooth the air is this evening at 2500 feet. I decide that I'm mostly the way to Midway (JWY) already so I'll go shoot landings there. I tune for weather, pick it up, 18 should be in use. A close scan and sure enough, there's 2 other planes in the pattern working 18. There's a banner tow in the area too but he's far enough away to not be a problem for me. Never seen one from the air before. A different perspective, that's for sure.
I call that I'm 3 miles west and will overfly the field for a standard entry into the downwind. I hit midfield and call that I'm over the top and have the other two planes in site. The one just turning off of crosswind calls that he has me in site. I let him know that I'll join in behind him in the pattern. That felt good. I'm seeing the planes, working out the overflies and entries in with other traffic. Everybody is having a good time flying. Things are working well.
I join the pattern and proceed to shoot some landings. Along the way to Midway I kept thinking that the 152 had a heavy wing and was dropping it for some reason. The turn and slip indicator could use a fresh coat of white paint behind it and it's a little hard to read in the cockpit. It didn't take me long though to figure out that the heavy wing was my big heavy foot on a rudder and I was flying out of trim. I shifted my feet and things straightened up and what do you know, the wing isn't heavy any more. I would continue to revisit the heavy wing syndrome off and on during my flight. I need to pay a bit more attention in this 152. It's not quite as easy to just glance and see if I'm getting into a bad habit. But you sure can tell that somethings not right when you do.
My landings are okay. Nothing really to write home about, nothing too awful either though. I'm flying a bit tight in on the field so my base leg is far too short which puts me in an almost continues turn from downwind to final. I work on opening it up a bit after the first two landings. Things get a little better. I do one full stop, getting off the runway, taxing back down to take off again. Listening to the banner tow talking, another 172 has joined the party. I watch him overfly and join the pattern while I'm taxiing. It's really nice when someone makes a radio call and they are really where they say they are. Something for me to strive for. I wait for the touch and go to touch and leave, the new 172 to land and pull off the runway and I call for take off. Out I go and shoot a few more landings before I call an exit to the west .
I climb to 2000 feet and putter my way back towards GKY. My TAC sitting in the seat beside me. Occasionally glancing at it, to see if this or that is on the chart. What makes it on them is always kind of interesting to me. I've already tuned the weather, reset the altimeter, tune for the tower and notice that it's far slower now there than an hour ago. Over the lake, then on top of the marina and I'm calling the tower inbound on a 45 for 16 for touch and go's. He clears me into the pattern, asking that I call the other traffic on downwind when I see them. I'm looking, and not seeing, then the tower says the traffic is due east of the tower now and I see him. A quick radio call to confirm I've got the traffic and I'm good to go into the pattern, number 2 for landing. I follow the 172 around, pulling power to 1700 and 10 degree's of flaps at the touchdown zone and then waiting for him to pass abeam me so that I can turn my base. Things work out fairly nicely and I make an okay landing back at home. Power goes in and I'm off once more for my last pattern. I'm cleared for my touch and go and I call the tower and amend that I'd like this one to be full stop. My wish is granted and it's quite once again.
Just me and the setting sun behind the high clouds. It's beautiful up, has been for the last landing and this one is getting even more pretty as I putter on the downwind. Power comes out, flaps come in and I'm setting up for another landing. It comes of fairly nice, I drifted the nose at the last minute and didn't mean to but I stopped that before I touched down so no harm done. The tower asks that I depart taxiway delta and contact ground. I confirm and turn off. Clean up the airplane and tune for ground. Request taxi back to parking at the Katie Hawk ramp and it's granted. I pull the plane in and push it back in place to tie it down.
I really nice evening flying. Things that I felt good about was staying ahead of the radio. Being familiar enough with the area to find JWY without any trouble at all. Seeing the planes in the patterns has been a problem from time to time for me but today it really just worked out well. Getting my entries into and out of the patterns worked out nicely today was also an added bonus. Helping the tower out on his workload felt pretty good too.
The sunset though, was the icing on the cake tonight. Beautiful....
--1.2 solo
--7 landings