It's been rough these days.My mind is still racing with fresh memories of that bad landing at Midway. Tom and I went to Joliet (pictured here; not my photo, unfortunately) to practice takeoffs and landings. As I rolled out to final and saw Runway 30 approaching, my heart crept into my throat and I was overcome by anxiety.
What if I forget to apply rudder pressure again? What if I roll off the side? What if... what if... what if... ???
Runway is getting closer, and I'm too high.
"I'm going around," I declared.
"Go around," Tom responded.
Throttle to full, flaps to 20 degrees, pitching the nose slightly upward for positive rate. Positive rate confirmed; flaps to 10 degrees. Climbing out to traffic pattern altitude, retracting flaps, turning crosswind to come around again.
"I'm not saying that there was anything wrong, but I'm wondering, why did you go around?" asked Tom.
"I was too high," I replied.
"Yeah, you were, but don't forget, you can put the airplane into a slip to lose altitude without losing airspeed," Tom reminded me.
I nodded. Tom had previously told me that by applying rudder pressure I can yaw the nose of the aircraft to the side, thereby increasing drag and helping me lose altitude on final. As I turned downwind for Runway 30, Tom reviewed the procedure.
"Delay your descent to the runway for just a few seconds, so you'll be high on final. Apply full rudder pressure away from the direction of the crosswind and use the control wheel to hold the centerline. You'll be able to lose the extra altitude, and then use the rudder to line up on the centerline just before you flare."
Turning final now. The runway is coming up, and by following Tom's directions, I'm definitely high.
"Good. Put the plane into a slip. The crosswind is coming from the left side of the runway, so add right rudder and move the control wheel to the left."
I followed directions, but I only managed to bank the plane to the left. Now we were definitely left of the centerline, and still too high to make the landing.
"I'm going around," I responded, nervously.
"You can still make this!" Tom said encouragingly. "My plane!"
I relinquished control, pulled my feet from the pedals, and let go of the control wheel. Tom levelled the wings, then banked slightly to the right to get the plane back to the centerline. Tom pushed that right rudder pedal down, and I was shocked by how far he could make the pedal go.
"Wow," I exclaimed.
To my amazement, the nose of the plane pointed about 45 degrees to the right of the centerline, and the extra drag helped us sink. Within seconds, the plane was only 10 feet above the centerline, and I watched as Tom took out the right rudder pressure until the plane pointed straight down the runway. Tom pulled back on the control wheel to flare, and we touched down within the first third of the runway.
I wasn't pushing down the rudder pedal nearly as far as it could go. No wonder I couldn't put the plane into the slip. I'm still battling my mental disconnect from the rudder pedals, and I'm still failing to use enough rudder pressure on a regular basis. Tom and I talked about this, and we came to the obvious conclusion: The rudders are a necessary control surface, and if I fail to use them, I'm going to jeopardize my safety.
Taxied back to Runway 30, and Tom asked me to do a soft field takeoff. Flaps to 10 degrees, pulled the control wheel all the way back as I entered the runway. Throttle to full, keeping the nose wheel off the ground with the back pressure on the control wheel as the plane accelerates. And then...
Just before the plane reached liftoff speed, the nose of the aircraft swung to the left. Now the plane is pointing off the left side of the runway, and the runway edge approached quickly. Runway light poles stuck out of the ground like threatening daggers. Flashbacks of my landing at Midway clouded my brain.
"Eric... Eric! My plane! My plane!"
Unlike the Midway debaucle, this time I did manage to let go of the controls and pull my feet away from the pedals, giving Tom total control. Tom pulled back on the control wheel, lifted the wheels off the ground, and put in a healthy amount of right rudder pressure to yaw the plane away from the runway edge and climb out properly. Within seconds, we were climbing out over the extended centerline. And I knew what had happened.
After the horrible landing at Midway, and the botched slip today, I did it again. I failed to apply rudder pressure, and just as the plane was ready to lift off, P-Factor took ahold of the plane and yawed the aircraft to the left, almost off the runway.
I am completely disgusted with myself.
"I can't believe it," I snarled. "I did it again."
"Were you putting pressure on the right rudder pedal at all?" Tom asked.
"No, I don't think I was."
"Don't do that!" Tom warned. "It's not safe."
I know. How could I forget? And yet I did forget.
As we reached traffic pattern altitude on the downwind for Runway 30, Tom asked me if I wanted the airplane. I reluctantly took control, but as I turned final, I felt nervous and just plain frightened. I felt completely detached from the airplane, and I questioned my ability to land the plane at all. The voice in the back of my head was loud and clear.
"You know what, Tom? I'm just not feeling good right now, and I want to take some time to think about what's happening. I'm ready to be done for the day."
Tom didn't question, or coax, or influence. He simply nodded.
"Let's go back to Midway, then."
I turned to the east, climbed to 1,900 feet.
"I'm suddently terrified to land. And I've already soloed!" I sighed. "What is happening to me?!"
"You're really over-thinking this, Eric. You did solo. And nothing has changed since then. There is no reason why you can't land this plane today."
I nodded, but kept silent. Mind still racing.
"Let's go back. You're going to work through this," Tom said. I appreciate his support.
Contacted Midway, overflew the field for a left traffic entry to Runway 4L. Followed Tom's prompts, step by step, and landed the plane myself. Sloppy, and slightly to the left of the centerline, but the landing was safe. Taxied to parking, shut the plane down, and headed back to the office.
While Tom rang me up, I talked to Bill, the owner of the flight school (pictured at right). I haven't introduced Bill before this point, but I've enjoyed talking to him from the beginning. Bill has a way of making everything sound attainable.
"Without a doubt, your confidence was shattered," Bill said. "The thing to realize is that it's all in your head."Bill had me stand at one end of the room, and literally hold out my arms as if they were wings, signifying the airplane as it heads for the runway. He demonstrated why the crosswind at Midway pushed me off the centerline, and why I need to use rudder pressure to keep the airplane pointed straight down the runway. He lightly pushed on my left shoulder as I walked across the room, to simulate the crosswind pushing on the plane from the side. I "banked" my arms slightly to the left, countering the "crosswind", and allowing me to land on the centerline of the "runway". I could see why, in a crosswind situation, the plane will actually touch down the wheel on the side the wind is coming from slightly before the wheel on the far side.
I understand the fundamentals behind the control wheel and rudder corrections I need to make when I am on final. It's time to apply the fundamentals and regain my lost landing mojo.
I'll be back in the cockpit ASAP.
- Airman Eric
No comments:
Post a Comment