Today was partial panel day.
I did the preflight on N55EM, a Piper Warrior I've never flown before. Interestingly enough, the Ailerons are under spring tension which was kinda neat. Overall setup was about the same as all the other planes there, so it was an easy transition.
Unfortunately, the turn and bank indicator was inop. This made life partial panel more difficult.
So, I met up with Sara and she stated this was going to be an all partial panel flight so there would no attitude indicator nor heading indicator the whole time. It also meant using VOR #2 for everything.
Well, this would be a workout.
Turned out I'm getting pretty decent at partial panel. After the run up we took of and headed for Flint. Doing so without a heading indicator or attitude indicator is annoying. Compasses suck, but there is a desired track function on the Garmin 430W GPS which is rather helpful.
So got to Flint and did the ILS 9 approach on the VOR 2 receiver and it went very well, including getting the hold entry right. Yay me. Then missed and off to the RNAV 9 approach with a circle to land on 36 which again went very well partial panel, relying on the Garmin 430W for lateral guidance and the profile on the approach chart for acceptable altitude steps on the approach. Great circle and would have had no problem landing but we went missed and headed back to Pontiac.
On the way I got the weather at Pontiac and asked Detroit Approach for the ILS 9R at Pontiac.
Again still partial panel and Sara said we would fly it as if the glideslope wasn't working so to fly it as a localizer-only approach. Overall very good but I didn't set the timer on crossing the final approach fix which was the only error.
Then we went missed and did it again, this time to landing and everything, including the time was done properly and it was a very nice landing.
Then taxi back and done. I apparently had a bit of a climbing tendency I need to work on, but other than that, all went very nicely and I'm ahead of the aircraft, know where I'm at and where I'm going and am setting things up really well for the approaches. This is happy-making.
That's 1.9 with 1.5 simulated instrument time, 4 approaches, 1 hold, and 1 very nice landing.
2 comments:
Good news. The studying is coming together with the airwork! Always remember the order. Aviate, navigate, communicate!
Well done! Sounds like you're getting the hang of it. After you get your instrument rating, please recite this platitude regularly. "It is better to be down here wishing your were up there, than to be up there wishing you were down there."
It'll keep you out of a lot of trouble.
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