Flying IFR - Lesson 55 - Pre-Checkride Practice, Now With Lotsa Holds

Had N1689H this morning as they switched me to it form my much preferred N8570F (the plane I'm taking the checkride in) so it would a been nice to actually, you know, practice in it.

Instead I get the fargin' seat slipping (yes it did again), misrigged, mis-throttled, beast of N1689H yet again.  If I can fly that crate, I can fly anything.

Sky was clear, sun was bright, and it was bumpy and windy AF as the kids say.

Serious gusts out of 300 degrees and lots of bumping around at altitude including uncommanded ascents and descents and a really strong tendency to push the plane around, and we did end up flying sideways at times.

Flew to KVLL first and did the full procedure approach and did that well.

Then back to Pontiac and did the Localizer BC 27L partial panel.  Wind busily blew me off as I was trying to get established which really made it interesting.  Once established I was copacetic and did it fine.

The then did the RNAV 27L with a full procedure at Guzvy and it sucked.  Got way, way blown off the procedure turn hold, but again, once I lined up on the approach it was then ok, but that's not good enough. Figured out what I was doing wrong, and we did it again - but better, yet there was a catch.

So went to do it  again,  but Detroit Approach had other ideas.  They first had us fly north and then do VFR holds at LEHRA due to heavy traffic.  Then they had us do VFR holds at GUZVY due to heavy traffic.

And then they shifted controllers and seemingly forgot about us completely.

So I got a lot of hold practice in and got the wind correction down which is a good use of time while flying in interminable race track patterns.

After awhile, We called in to Detroit Approach and then they had us head right in once they remembered we were out there. 

Came in and did the approach like it was on rails.

Just as I was landing I got blasted by a gust right as I landed so landing while soft and smooth ended up a little undercrosswind corrected and side-loaded landing.  Drat.

Overall it was yet another 3.6 Roentgen flight, but not good enough to pass had that been the checkride due to getting blown out of the hold, but otherwise ok.

So 2.2, 1.8 simulated, 3 good approaches, 1 not good, a lot of holds, and 1 meh of a side-loaded landing.