Ski's Flying Blog - September 2006
last updated 03 October 06
This blog is an ongoing account of my flying career. The opinions expressed within do not necessarily represent those of Cabair, BCUC or OFT.
Today was my booked, 6-hour conversion on a taildragger. To be specific, Old Sarum Flying Club's PA-18 Supercub! However the weather forecast did not look good - the prediction was the winds would conspire to exceed the aircraft's crosswind limits (10kts-it's light, and taildraggers don't mix well with side loads). Nonetheless, I went down to Salisbury anyway. I was warmly greeted, and briefed on the differences between trikes and tailes. The main differences all lie in the taxi/yaw characteristics apparently - one of the most striking (to me) was that due to the position of the C of G on the ground, the aircraft is unstable in yaw during the taxi! (as opposed to a trike, which isn't). This means that unlike a trike, which will resist any motion to turn the aircraft on the ground, a taildragger will continue to swing around. Thus leading to a groundloop. Also due to prop torque, prop rotation (during takeoff rotation - precession), & prop wash, the aircraft will yaw to the left a lot! This is increased/decreased due to any crosswind component. Also the tail will swing behind, so for obvious reasons forethought is required when taxiing. This all seems to add up to a foot & ankle workout...made all the more interesting as this will be the first aircraft I've flown with heel brakes as opposed to toe ones! Anyway...to cut a long story short I didn't get to fly (the crosswinds had increased too much, and CBs were a-lurkin'. I know this because I had to drive back through torrential rain & winds.) However I did do an A-check & taxi practice. I like the PA-18 a lot - it's not got much in the way of avionics (a bolt on radio, ASI, altimeter, no DI - mag compass only, no radio navaids whatsoever, an RPM gauge, no AI, no turn & slip (it was u/s) a VSI and that's about it I think! Pure simplicity. Apart from getting in it (oh fun) it's awesome....braced high wings, tandem seating, stick not a yoke, wooden floors, fabric-covered surfaces, huge great flaps... it's great fun to taxi at least. Can't wait to actually fly it! I've re-booked later in the month. Might do an anti-rain dance that time. Back to Top
(Will be written when I get round to it!) Back to Top
(Will be written when I get round to it!) Back to Top
(Will be written when I get round to it!) Back to Top
Today I decided that gliding was an area of aviation neglected for far too long by myself, and drove over to RAF Keevil, which is the home of Bannerdown Glding Club, an RAFGSA organisation. Driving past the radio-controlled aircraft, the disused control tower and a number of runways, I found the BDGC bus and a fair few gliders situated at an intersection of the main runway.After a brief chat with one of the instructors regarding my experience, and gliding in general, I was attached to a parachute & led to a K21 glider. For those of you of Air Cadet persuasion, this aircraft bears a resemblance to a Viking glider. The club, as is the case with many gliding organisations, is dependent on other members of the club for launching, retrieving and maintaning the gliders. You can't turn up & expect to fly then leave - a lot of effort must be put into helping others to fly too. This was apparent as the glider was pulled into position for launch, then another club member attached the launch cable. The launch point marshal then signalled to the person in the bus, who signalled the winch driver, who was situated at the far end of the runway, to begin the launch. The winch then accelerated the glider by means of the 1500ft plus cable to flying speed (about 40kts or so I believe) in a matter of seconds. The glider then entered a steep climb up to a height of around 1200ft above aerodrome level, whereupon the cable was released, with a bang. The glider for the rest of flight would now rely on kinetic & thermal (soaring) energy to arrive back on the runway, having flown in the local area & completed an airfield circuit. The main points, or rather differences from my experiences flying powered aircraft, were the large amount of aileron drag (adverse yaw) due to the greater moment arm & size of the ailerons, the much improved view, the fact that the glider seats its crew in tandem rather than side by side, the much sparser instrumentation..and of course the lack of an engine! And it's attendant noise, vibration, fumes & smell. Despite the obvious fact that the glider cannot perform in the same way as a powered aircraft, my overall impression was of a much nicer, more elegant way to fly - the aircraft was well maintained, easily the youngest aircraft I've flown (compared on both points to C-152s and PA-28s. The Bulldogs were very well looked after, but nowhere near as new). The improved vis was very good, and a joystick is a welcome change from a yoke. Fuel management? No problem - no fuel! So I've decided to apply to the club for membership. All new members are on probation for 6 months. Gliding seems to me to a good way to learn new skills & keep up others. And they have a bar too!
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Well....despite having gotten up at stupid o'clock on a Saturday morning (no mean feat for ex-students) and arriving before the rush at 0900ish, and finding a good spot...the damned weather just didn't co-operate! Cloudbase of about 1000ft all day, so they say, plus drizzle and fairly high winds. This wouldn't have been so much of a problem however, if the organisers had foreseen it. Whilst hindsight is always better than 20/20, couldn't someone have figured out the huge problems that would occur with about 60,000 people all wanting to see the pit stop & other non-flying attrations if the flying programme was delayed or cancelled? Added to the fact that there was a very small choke point across the bridge at the centre of the area, which made a 15-minute walk turn into a 1-hour shambles. Because so many people were trying to go home by 1500, the onsite security formed what looked like a barricade. I couldn't really see much, but it looked like they weren't letting anyone across the bridge, in conjuction with a few police officers. We certainly only moved about 20ft in the space of 45 minutes. They also (from what I could see) began to arrest people that grew frustrated with the imposed blockade - they only wanted to get back to their cars & leave! One guy eventually swam the river.
Fortunately, as we'd decided to leave relatively early (despite the continued announcements & continually revised starting times. They kept saying it would clear...but surprisingly, despite "confident forecasts" it didn't) it wasn't too much hassle getting out. It only took us half an hour! Compared to some people who spent 3.5 hours both ways, I think we got off lightly. But they are refunding the cash. Which is good - but I dearly hope they take a tip from the RIAT organisers & revamp the road links system for next year (if possible). Still...it was a fun day out of sorts, but drinking milkshakes in the cafe & browsing the gift shop wasn't quite what I'd envisaged. 30 September 06 - Taildragger Training..(Weather-Enforced) Taxi-ing Only
24 September 06 - New Glider Type & Incident
17 September 06 - Bannerdown Gliding Club
10 September 06 - So What Are The Rudder Pedals For Again?
09 September 06 - Bannerdown Gliding Club
02 September 06 - Red Bull Air Race