Yep, today I was up again. Beautiful day, wind only 4 knots out of 300, beautiful sunny and nary a cloud in the sky and none anywhere that would make an issue.
Preflighted N85470F and Alec met me and let me know we would be doing the KPTK-KVLL Troy-KPTK loop.
Got flight following, did the preflight and we were off.
Had Detroit Approach route us to Celub for the full procedure for the KVLL RNAV 9(10) circle to 27(28).
You get to Celub real fast and there's little to no tie to setup.
Unfortunately Detroit Approach did not have us switch channels to check the AWOS and as the examiner (for some dumb reason) does not let you split frequencies (listen to two radios at once) so technically I was supposed to ask them if I could drop off the frequency to get the weather and come back to it so a minor error for me there.
Then did the procedure turn at Celub and headed inbound and let Detroit Approach know, then got on the advisory frequency for Troy and all was well. Did a pretty good circle if I say so myself and would have had the landing made.
Went missed and back to Pontiac, first for the RNAV 27L. That went fine.
Then for the Backcourse 27L partial panel. First approach I technically failed because I didn't turn the OBS onto a heading of 275 for the localizer but kept it on 041 so I could switch to the Salem VOR if he did something tricky like cover the GPS DME so I couldn't know when I was crossing the final approach fix.
The Localizer is the honey badger of the approach navigation aid world. It doesn't care what your OBS is set to, its going to broadcast one signal, your VOR receiver will get it and it will line up regardless of what OBS you have.
In fact other instructors had told me to keep it on 041 for just that reason so you can always switch to the VOR and the needle will line up when you cross the intersection that is the FAF if you were lined up on the localizer.
Apparently I'm not supposed to do that.
Also needed to be more of a dive bomber on that approach, I had stayed at the required 3,000 until established and it took awhile to get established so I have to work on dropping faster. I mean I still would have had it made as a landing, but need to work on that.
So that was sucky.
Then up to do it again and it went much better this time. Did the setting, got everything lined up, did an appropriate dive bombing run down to minimums and in for a landing no problem.
Overall Alec thinks I'm ok and just need to practice the KPTK-KVLL Troy-KPTK loop until its second nature.
Basically it felt like a 3.6 Roentgen Flight - Not great, not terrible.
So that's 1.6, 1.2 simulated instrument, 4 approaches and a good landing.
4 comments:
THat was how I was taught to do the ILs approaches with one radio to find the FAF.
In fact, I did it exactly that way during my instrument checkride. Left the VOR on the proper radial and kept switching back and forth when I got close. I'm too lazy to look it up but I think it is in the FAR/AIM that way.
If you have only one radio, then you are supposed to let Approach know you are switching though...and check in when back with them. ..although that is why we generally have more than one radio.
B: Yep, that was exactly hpw I was taught to do it too, so i am rather confused.
As to radios, this examiner apparently doesn't like you listening to two radios at once, which is ridiculous, but he's the examiner.
The examiner has to listen too. So, for him, things might become jumbled with 2 radios going at once.
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