Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Storm system and Lake Effect Snow

So I got back from reading week hoping to have my preflight done by the first day or second day back. But both of those chances failed: Monday had rain and strong winds, and Tuesday had strong winds and low clouds. Both of these were caused by the storm over Eastern Ontario around Ottawa, Kingston Region.

The storm produced a very steep low pressure and so isobars were fairly close together around it, and that created strong gusty winds, around 20G38 kt winds from the northwest. The low over to the east created cloud formations over here because we were in the "tail-end" of the storm.

With the winds coming from the northwest, there was also an issue of Lake Effect Snow. Lake Huron was to the northwest and so any cold arctic air with strong winds create possibility of lake effect snow/precipitation.

Cold air gets blown over the lake and evaporation creates convective clouds over to the greater toronto area (GTA), it sucks because it is very short notice and as a result could be a reason for a lot of incomplete or cancelled flights in the winter.

So according to my instructor, instead of completing 0.3 hr of the preflight, he will just do a 1.5hr extra dual instruction to polish some of my weakness from the preflight:
Slow flight and Power On stall entries
Steep turns - to try and go back to entry altitude even within test limits.
Diversion - everything was perfect except I forgot to simulate a call to London
Soft-Field Landing- porpoising or not so soft landing

I won't be able to do this extra dual until next week because we will be away for a Search & Rescue Training weekend from Oct 31st - Nov 2nd. I am pretty stoked about this because we're going to Bankcroft area, and I can't wait how to really learn the things they will teach us (of course I'm not so excited because it's gonna be cold but I'm not complaining)

Anyway, I'll take my camera and post up some pictures of that here.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

0.3 hr

So I "finished" my pre-flight test today. Okay, well I was short on time by 0.3 hours because I had to get to class. I believe it went pretty good...I think I just have to do precautionaries and practice soft field landings again.

This is my problem, in normal or short field landings, I land it pretty good at least no hard bounces or porpoising. But when I try to do soft field landings, it always lands hard or bounces or something wrong happens. Maybe I'm doing the procedure wrong. When I add power to soften the landing, I balloon and then instinctively (which is wrong) I pitch it down a bit and I end up landing flat, harder than usual.

Sometimes, my short field landings are way softer than my soft field landings. Maybe I should just pretend it's a short field landings minus the flaps up and maximum braking.

Anyways, I don't know when I'm gonna get that 0.3 hr left before I get recommended. But next week is study week so there's no flying. Maybe I'll go to the sim just to keep refreshing my mind.
Hopefully the week after study week, I can get the solo flight done then my flight test, and I really hope I don't get partial or have to repeat it or have it postponed.

I was flying today, and it was really nice out, the orange, yellow, red, and all the other fall colours was perfect...made it a little harder to find small towns but it was a nice view.

But in other news, I have two more midterms, an essay and a lab to do for the rest of the week...good fun!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Pre-flight test

Hey so today I got to finish my last solo flight before the pre-flight test.
I was really hoping to get at least to the flight test before study week which is going to be the week after next week. But I don't think that's gonna happen.
But I have the pre-flight test to do next and hopefully I can pass that before study week and I can just study and prepare for the actual flight test during the study week.

It's time to really get serious, because if all goes well, I'm 3 flights (including the flight test) away from freedom from the stress this is giving me. PLUS ofcourse the freedom to take passengers finally!

Anyways, whoever is reading this who has flight test experience. (PPL standards i guess), any tips/advice or anything that can help me for the flight test?

Thanks...and happy thanksgiving!!