Today I'm hoping to show Mark, my CFII, that I can do approaches and holds without the help of an instructor. I can feel my nerves kicking in as Mark says that he's just going to sit back and be quiet as much as possible. This is essentially a mock checkride and my performance is all on me.
The winds are blowing from the southeast at around 15kts. There's no runway that will make this takeoff easy. I can choose the east runway or the south runway, but I'm going to have a crosswind regardless. I choose the south runway because it's longer. I line up on the centerline, check the windsock one more time and prepare for takeoff. My hand pushes the throttle all the way in, the engine comes to life, and we begin to roll down the runway. The wind is trying to take over; slowing trying to push me to the right. At 60kts I begin to lift off. The wind is strong, stronger than I thought. I make control adjustments to keep us flying straight. At 200ft above the ground, we seem to be flying sideways. I could tell this was going to be an interesting flight.
We depart the area northbound over the river. We didn't need to talk to STL Approach today, so Mark played the roll of the controller. He vectored me out far enough that I could do the GPS approach into our airport. He left me alone to see if I could set up the GPS with the approach correctly. I did. Next, I read my approach plates which tell me my next step. I descend down to the stated altitude then look at the GPS.
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| Photo from sportys.com |
If you look at the photo, the purple line indicates the approach course and the airplane is my current location. On the right side it shows my destination, the direction in which I need to fly to get there, my distance from it, and my ground speed (the speed I'd be going if I were in a car). On the left side are my radio frequencies.
I followed the approach perfectly down to the runway, then Mark told me to go missed. He asks me to follow the missed approach procedure that takes me out to the holding pattern. Prior to entering the pattern, which is shown on the GPS, I determine which entry is most appropriate. I choose a teardrop entry. Upon reaching the holding fix (an exact point on a map), I make my 30 degree turn to the left and continue flying for one minute. Next, I make my turn back inbound and fly towards the fix.
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| Scottsasha.com/aviation |
"Taught to generations of instrument students, it details the actions to take at various points in an approach or entry into holding.
After I correctly circle the holding pattern, Mark tells me to set up for the VOR approach we're doing next. I tune to the VOR frequency, identify the Morse code to ensure that it's working, then start flying towards it. I review the approach plate, and once Mark gives the pretend clearance for the approach, I decend down to the 2,300ft it initially requires. As I continue on, I follow the instructions which takes us directly to the runway. YAY! Mark asks me if I could safely land the plane once I took off the foggles. I was a little high, and close, so I said no. Mark says, "I have the controls" and slips us down to the runway. I chuckle and watch with a smile. We still had a crosswind, so he lands appropriately. Woo that was fun!
- Turn – turn to the desired heading. You may need to turn to an intercept heading to get on the desired radial or bearing.
- Time – start your timer, if needed.
- Twist – twist the OBS (Omnidirectional Bearing Selector, an aircraft navigation instrument) to the proper setting, either required radial or the reciprocal to eliminate reverse sensing.
- Throttle – reduce your airspeed
- Talk – if asked to report, do so." - simfliteminnesota.blogspot.com
After I correctly circle the holding pattern, Mark tells me to set up for the VOR approach we're doing next. I tune to the VOR frequency, identify the Morse code to ensure that it's working, then start flying towards it. I review the approach plate, and once Mark gives the pretend clearance for the approach, I decend down to the 2,300ft it initially requires. As I continue on, I follow the instructions which takes us directly to the runway. YAY! Mark asks me if I could safely land the plane once I took off the foggles. I was a little high, and close, so I said no. Mark says, "I have the controls" and slips us down to the runway. I chuckle and watch with a smile. We still had a crosswind, so he lands appropriately. Woo that was fun!
We park the plane and go inside. The AC is immediately welcoming. We sit down and review the lesson, the Mark says that I approved to take the much anticipated Stage 2 Check. Once I complete that, we will have a few lessons before doing the 250NM cross country flight. He also said there's less than 10 lessons left of my instrument training. AHHH!!
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