Learning to Fly – Hour 47

I was up bright and early this morning, there was a slight breeze, but nothing that I could not deal with, could be another solo day, for me, I thought.
 
I wheeled out Gunny and began to put her together, the ground was soft, and control bar sinks into the grass, mud all over it, not happy. Soon the wing was connected, and I was lifting it over the nose, and fitting pins and locking everything down. With the windscreen on, her good self positioned into wind, jobs a goodun… Phew!
 
I wondered off over to the office, where Rob was waiting to advise me what we were about to do.
 
OK GT, the last session your approach speed was all over the place, you need to keep her on 60 MPH, remember, if you want to go faster, bar back, adjust your throttle. To slow down, bar forward and again adjust the throttle.  It’s constantly assessing, adjusting through out the approach, OK, err yes Rob.
 
Soon we were airborne, and on base. Problem starts with the turn on to finals. Not enough pressure on the bar, the nose drops, speed increases, and due to this my speed increases to 70mph.  Rob not happy, Look at your speed GT, to fast, slow down, too high, (oh my god i thought).
 
At one point, we had landed a little far down the runway, Rob called full power, and I questioned him, FULL POWER!, it was the nearest I think I have been to going through the hedge at the end of 33, oh how we laughed … not!
 
We then did a few approaches on 30, these are a little harder on the round out as the runway as a deep dip half way down and you have to sort of control the hold off into the dip, and then hold off over the hump, strange but fun too.
 
Then just as we had reached 300ft, Rob an engine failure, BAR IN, Gain so speed, pick your spot, WELL DONE Full power. These went well, which picked me up a little. It was then, that I sparkled a little. This was the drill when you are at circuit height and you have an engine failure, and you have to make it back to the runway.
 
PERFECT, was the cry from the cheep seat in the back…. I felt much better…
 
We taxied off the runway, and rob said, want to go solo, yes mate, would love too, OK, three circuits and stop, however if it feels a little bumpy and you don’t like it, land and call it a day.
Well I was off like a rocket, and had finished the circuits before I had had time to appreciate um. Rob then said, take a flight over to Bovvy and back, land and put the plane away for today GT.
 
This too was soon over, and I was back on the ground, wishing I was in the sky once again. We shall see what Sunday brings, I have a hour in the evening, hopefully I can get things together from the start instead of going through the process of be bollocked, before I cop on to get my house in order.
 
To conclude, at the end of the day, its defiantly coming together, even though, I still fanny about at the start of each lesson (don’t know why, I just do). When things come together, they are good. My R/T procedures are good, although I do not know all the terms yet, but that will come too I am sure.
 
Rob said that we will being doing low level stuff on the next lesson, so I must make sure the gadget for low level flight is working properly, it’s the same as what’s installed in the RAF Tornado’s.. lol.
 
Once this lesson is complete, its GFT revision, bring it on…
 
Happy Landings
 
GT & Gunny Flexwing