Didn't make my first flight tonight.

[CharlieTango]

art,

after looking at more current pricing/options lists i'm sure your backup gauges if included have uma light rings. the recess problem that i spoke off should be an issue on the right panel from the left seat, like engine guages, but since you are glass it shouldn't be an issue.

the uma light rings can be seen if if the don't light. if they are there maybe your dimmer is turned down? if not you know why they don't work.

[Roger]

SuperCub

http://www.ctflyer.com/viewtopic.php?t= ... =checklist

I think this will get you there...if not just do a search using the word checklist.

It's in the tips forum.

Let me know if you need more info.

Roger

[Jeff Tipton]

http://www.ctflyer.com/viewtopic.php?t=312

[Super Cub]

Good morning Art,
Have you had the weather to solo your CT? Looks like next week will be warmer.

[artp]

Good morning Art,
Have you had the weather to solo your CT? Looks like next week will be warmer.

Today was the first nice day, 30 degrees, no clouds, and no wind. I almost made it.

I wasted time removing frost (I would never fly with frost, but since I never got off the ground it was not necessary).

I removed the plugs (my pitot cover must have blown off in the wind because that was nowhere to be found). I removed the cowling (the checklist that came with the plane says I should do this for the first flight of the day). Checked if the landing was plugged in (it was so that is not the problem). Added oil and made a real mess. I need a funnel and if I ever want to add oil without removing the cowling I need a funnel with a very long flexible neck. I checked the coolant level (it was right at the bottom line but still acceptable). I noticed it was green so I am pretty sure I have the Evans NPG in it (I need to find a supply). I finally got the cowling back on. I am assuming that it gets easier with practice but I am wondering if I am really going to keep removing it before the first flight of the day.

I then started the engine (it wasn’t as easy as my car but compared to the Cirrus it was a piece of cake). It did start right up but after I turned on the avionics I apparently closed the choke too soon and the engine died. I had to turn off the avionics to restart the engine.

I taxied to get gas. That turned to be a rather involved process (this was the first time I got gas at this airport since all of my flights were in planes that had fuel when we started and didn’t burn enough to require a refuel). Before you can get gas you credit card has to be authorized by phone, once the pumps turn it only takes about 60 seconds for a time out to shut down the pump and require another credit card authorization. The only way to make it works seems be to ground the plane, remove the fuel caps, place the ladder at the wing, insert the hose in the tank, and then authorize the credit card. Even then I suspect I won’t be able to move the ladder and the hose to the other wing before the time out.

By the time I finished all of this my flight plan window had expired (you can’t takeoff in the ADIZ without a flight plane and a squawk code from ATC). I took this as a sign that I should not fly so I put the plane away (when I made my first solo for my private the instructor said make 3 full stop landings but having too many shows when the last job was a killer I stopped at 2).

For what it is worth I had the XM weather working from a previous visit to the plane. It is just as well since the process took over an hour (22 minutes on the phone to find someone who was able to activate aviation service rather than the audio service and then 45 minutes when the GPS must be on continuously, that could take up to 3 hours).

The bottom line is the plane is ready for day flight, so as soon as I am and the weather is it should be a go.

[artp]

The Gods don’t want me to solo.

I tried to solo again today. It was 9am and I had about a one hour window of no winds. I filed my flight plan and went to the airport.

I couldn’t get in. My card wouldn’t open the gate. I went to the operations building were they discovered that for some reason my card was invalidated. It took them 20 minutes to get it working again.

I went to the plane, did the preflight and called Potomac approach for a squawk code and a radio frequency. I got a busy signal. Half an hour later I was still getting busy signals. I finally called Flight Service and told them I couldn’t get through to approach so they gave me another for Potomac. They said it was not the correct sector but they might be able to coordinate the flight.

I got through and was told I had the wrong number, I told them I couldn’t get through on the right one so I was put on hold. About 2 minutes later I had a squawk code and frequency.

I started the plane. Warmed it up (the 2nd CHT was fluctuating by 100 degrees but I figured they just never fixed properly). I got the AWOS and found my calm winds were now an 8 knot crosswind gusting to 14.

I shut down and went home. That is one of the advantages of owning your own plane. You can quickly decide to fly and just as quickly cancel.

[Cub flyer]

Art, Sounds like flying down there is WAY too complicated.


I would recommend go back to the CT dealer. solo their demo CT. Don't risk bending your pretty bird. Then get comfortable so you can fly it in any reasonable conditions.


After that go get your bird and fly it out of the ADIZ to an airport just over the border and base it there. Then you won't be pressured to do anything dumb to make a flight plan deadline. You've been good so far but I hate having any time lines to meet along with an unfamiliar airplane.

After flying it for a few months and when you are really comfortable then move back into the ADIZ.

You don't need to be dealing with uncle sam looking over your shoulder and also learning a new airplane.

The taking the cowl off thing is a good way for them to avoid any lawsuits for things missed on the preflight. I'd take it off every few flights when the airplane is new to check for anything getting loose. then just check the belly for any leaks or stains after that and check the oil.

All the 150,152,172,182,206,210, cessna twins and fiberglass cowl pipers only have a little access door.

There are some transmission funnels that may work for your oil. It should use very little oil and make sure you are burping it right to check the oil. The 912 is finicky about stuff like that.

I forget the exact procedure but one of the CT guys should know how.

Good luck. First XC come up to 76N and say hello.

[Jim Stewart]

It's easy to overfill the oil. I learned the hard way that the flat spot on the dipstick is equal to 1/2 quart, not a quart. You have to "burp" the Rotax by hand proping it until it gurgles, turning the prop in direction that the engine turns, before you can get an accurate reading.

I'm glad to hear you got out and started it at least. You can do some high speed taxi practicing even if you can't takeoff.

Hope you get to fly under less stressful conditions soon.

[artp]

I would recommend go back to the CT dealer. solo their demo CT. Don't risk bending your pretty bird. Then get comfortable so you can fly it in any reasonable conditions.

I am not worried about doing damage in calm winds and I can wait for them. Once I get comfortable with solo landings (I am not worried about take offs and in flight procedures) I will gradually increase the wind limits. By then it should be time for my 25 hour service and I will fly the plane to Lancaster for the service and to get the landing light and CHT probe fixed. Then I should be ready for cross country.

After that go get your bird and fly it out of the ADIZ to an airport just over the border and base it there. Then you won't be pressured to do anything dumb to make a flight plan deadline. You've been good so far but I hate having any time lines to meet along with an unfamiliar airplane.

After flying it for a few months and when you are really comfortable then move back into the ADIZ.

You don't need to be dealing with uncle sam looking over your shoulder and also learning a new airplane.

Normally the ADIZ is not that much of a problem. I file through DUATS and this was the first time I had trouble contacting Potomac approach. I hope it was just a one time glitch. Since I fly strickly for fun, I don't feel pressured to make a flight plan deadline. If I miss it I either file again or scrub the flight.

I live less than 3 miles from the Tipton (KFME) and the closest airport outside the ADIZ is over an hour drive each way. I just don't have enough problems with the ADIZ to give up the convience of Tipton.

[Super Cub]

Hi Art,
How about an update on flying your CT. Your weather should have been pretty good this week.

[artp]

How about an update on flying your CT. Your weather should have been pretty good this week.

The first good day was Saturday. I probably should have gone then but I had other plans. I did go today however.

On the bright side, my home grown checklist worked great, the ballast worked fine, and I didn’t break anything.

I use a 10 pound weight plate on each side of the baggage compartment, lying flat on the floor with the leading edge tied to the rear baggage anchors. This puts the ballast arm at 53” so I only need 18 pounds. If I could figure out how to stand them up against the rear of the compartment I could get by with 14 pounds.

The takeoff was pretty bad. I didn’t rotate until 55 (flaps 15). I was on runway 10 with winds from 90 at 9 but for some reason I had to steer 120 to maintain the runway heading. I still haven’t figured out the power settings so my downwind speed varied between 70 and 90. My altitude was within 100 feet of pattern (I still can’t read the glass properly and the backup altimeter is too small to read within a 150 feet, and too low to read any value less than 1500 feet). I got the speed below 80 abeam of the numbers, put in flaps 15 and started down. My speed dropped below 70 and I think the guy behind me was unhappy (finally did a go around). On final my speed actually dropped to 54 but then it started picking up again to 70 so I leveled off to get it below 62 and put in flaps 30. I liked that. It was sort of a dive bomb run at the runway with the speed below 60. I flared too high but not way too high. Once it settled down I had to work to keep it from running off the left side of the runway. One of those was enough for me so I put it away.

I still have to figure out everything I did wrong, but the worst is over in that I have done my first solo in 4 years. Even then I didn’t get the sinking feeling as my wheels left the ground that I got on my first solo. I wasn’t bothered by the realization that I would have to land the plane without someone to keep me out of trouble.

It is still too early too early to make a comparison, but at the moment I think the Cirrus was much easier to land (wing loading of 25 and full flap touch down at 75 relatively flat without the pronounced flair, you flew it down to the runway). It was oblivious to any but the strongest winds. The differential brake steering gave you some directional steering control beyond the rudder even with the nose wheel in the air and it also gave you a turn radius equal to your wheel base.

I figure a few more of these and who knows I might actually do more than one landing a day and then I should be ready for my 25 hour trip to Lancaster (my hobbs is 14.5).

[CharlieTango]

way to go art

things to remember:

rounding out too high is better than too low

the ctsw is not an ego airplane, it is not good a making new owners look good in their first hours.

the ctsws is a pitch attitude airplane. this is obvious in the 30 degree dive bomb, like you i like this, it makes "hitting the numbers" easy but it makes the round out exciting.

when i first started landing the ctsw there was a mental barrier, about where i would round out in my 172 that i would have to fly through in the ctsw trying not to react, trying to be patient, wait longer, pull back less...

whenever you can dive bomb it to the runway and round out and fly level above the runway at less than 2' your probably going to like the landing. a few seconds in that configuration and i can work the stick back all the way and do a full stall landing or even just hold that level flight and let it settle as it runs out of energy.

directional control after touchdown is an issue only if you relax and just let it go where it wants, have your right foot ready.

ctsw flying things to know:

you can always get flap speeds real quick (100kts, 80kts, 62 kts) by pitching up.

it can be easy to fly a tight pattern and mix up better with faster airplanes.

the leading edge spar, where the whiskey compass is should be the horizon ( or pretty close ) for that 30 degree approach, if your attitude is flatter you need throttle to keep the speed above 50kts.

rounding out high is easy to fix if you advance the throttle to control the sink rate.

more power and less flaps tend to normalize the landing approach and touch down and this is a good technique to make a landing easy either because of winds or because the pilot wants less of a challenge.

[Super Cub]

Congratulations Art,
Keep us all up to date on your progress. It looks like we are in for a mild winter so you may get a lot of flying in!

[Jim Stewart]

Glad to hear you're flying.

I went out yesterday and practiced landings as well. Did about 18 of them over a 2 hour period. I tried using two barbell weights, 15lb each in the baggage compartments. Seemed to make things worse if anything. I moved them to the right seat and it wasn't enough to make a difference.

I had a few nice landings, a few mediocre landings and a couple go-arounds. I'm still struggling with the flair. It seems that flying alone, the slightest amount of back stick in the flair causes me to climb rather than level and bring the nose up. Towards the end I was trying tiny back flicks of the stick to ease the nose up.

The one good thing I got yesterday was a lack of fear of landing. The plane will instantly fly out of a landing gone bad with full throttle - at least mine will with no passengers. So I was frustrated but not afraid and that helps the confidence level.

[tadel001]

I would caution you about flaring too high/too soon. Having reviewed that accident reports, that is one of the leading causes. Art, Tipton is long enough that you may be well served to try 15 degree landing instead of 30. In fact, Calla told me he didn't like to use more than 15 degree.

How is the stick? Stiff or well balanced.

Good luck! Hopefully we will see you when we get back from Sebring.