" I continue to be appalled and exhilarated at what I have to learn and that I'm actually learning it." Max Haynes Max's FLOG
If you have a comment about my quest, or a memory of learning to fly, send it in via email. I may post it here, subject to editing.
• When you have a lesson postponed, the flying feels just that more delicious and wonderful when it finally happens.
Savor every flight.
- L
• Really enjoyed the essay & the flog! I never really did well in the old style simulators, finding them much harder to fly than an airplane, so my hat is off to you.
Wait until you start working on your full power stalls, your gonna love that with all the hotdogging you've been though.
The power-off stalls are really fun too but nothing like the exhilaration of full-power stalls & spins. I found when practicing those I did much better with the foggles on, lost much less altitude.
You are in for a treat, I envy you!! - David Lyles
•The most important word I could give you at this stage is “RELAX”!
When your instructor demonstrates something, look at his hands on the yoke, notice how he is using his fingers, not his hand as you are.
When I was going through my training, I had the most difficult of a time being able to time my flare on landings and I went through 3 different instructors trying to work out he problem so smooth out my landing, I would either flare too soon or too late. I finally got a woman who was working as a CFI to trade for more training to obtain her Commercial ticket. On my first landing (which I blew) she asked me “Where are you looking”? and I responded “at the runway” and she asked “where on the runway”? and I said “then numbers”. She told me to “look at the far end of the runway and you will also see the numbers and it will make your timing better for your flare”! I have never forgotten that and I fixed my landing flare on the first attempt.Good luck and glad to see your anxiety meter doing just what mine did! Again you will never, for the rest of your life, forget your mind trip when you solo the first time and realize it is all up to you now because you are by yourself!
Enjoy, my friend! It was nice to hear your voice!
-Roger Burton
• Hang in there Max! I have practically built a side career out of teaching people to land. It's like learning to hit a ball or shoot trap. You can't learn it over night. Sure you'll get lucky a few times and then you will start repeating what works. Make your instructor demonstrate a lot and then copy exactly what he does. "Monkey see monkey do". That's how it starts.
Looking forward to your next installment. - John Sinclair
• Hi Max
Well done in your quest to "slip the surly bonds of earth"!!
You will have a great experience and your first solo will be life changing believe me!!
Regards
- Baz Tod
• DO practice stalls (and spins, in an approved airplane). As long as you have altitude, they're perfectly safe (and fun, if you like roller coasters) I have a tendency to recover from stalls a little too aggressively, especially if I'm out of practice. (Bad habit, as it can lead to a secondary stall when you pull out of the dive.) Not long ago I went up to log some Cub time with a new instructor (after way too long on the ground), and he just about hit me for shoving the stick too far forward.
"I HAVE THE AIRPLANE!" he shouted. (No intercom.) He pulled the stick back until the Cub vibrated, hanging on its prop. "NOW WATCH!" He moved the stick back an inch. "STALL!" He moved it forward two inches. "NO STALL!" Back and forth he shoved the stick. "STALL! NO STALL! STALL! NO STALL!"
Intellectually, I get the idea of stalled versus unstalled airflow over the wing being a matter of a few degrees of angle-of-attack. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to really get the *feel* of it. Hopefully your instructor will be better.
- Corrie
• 1- The landing was probably nowhere near as bad as you thought it was.
2- Remember to keep flying the airplane until the last piece stops...(In other words, keep flying your airplane until you are parked.).
3- Congratulations. - Linda
• Yes, live in the moment!
I really enjoyed the video clip between you two "hosers", relax, take a deep breath, you'll do great. - David Lyles
• DO NOT BUZZ ANY FRIEND'S HOUSES!!!
This is just your first training flight. Fly right. :-) - Gibson Carothers
• Aloha from Maui.
Max I'm a one time flyer from Duluth. I'm 75 and live in/on Maui Hawaii, I have over 3500 hrs flying. I just wanted to tell you I was taught how to fly in Duluth at the Air Guard Flying club for $5. an hour wet. The instructor was also another $5. [I think he was wet as well.] Hope you get this as we do enjoy your videos. We visited the Cirrus factory about 2 years ago [they would not let me take any pictures [bummer].
- Terry Clayton
Entry #4 January 27th, 2010 • In The Air, Junior Birdman!
Or Not--
We were scheduled to fly today. Instead, I got a long lesson on weather, and whether or not to go flying.
Chris had me go to NOAA's National Weather Service Aviation Weather Center site to get METARS and TAF readings on the local weather. For those of you following along at home, click on the link above and then enter in KMSP (for Minneapolis St. Paul International) and a space then KANE, (Anoka County Airport - our home field). Then click METARS and TAFs in the Raw format. When you do that, you get something like this, without all the convoluted notes.
The good news is, there is an easy-to-read version of this, if you click the 'Translate' button. The bad news is, there isn't always a translation, and this will be on the test.
I continue to be appalled and exhilarated at what I have to learn and that I'm actually learning it.
Meanwhile, Back At The Hangar--
At the airport, I tagged along as some folks took a tour of the Key Air hangar. Sixty eight thousand feet, ( I think that's what I heard), is the size of this hangar. It was filled with all sorts of wonderful flying machines.
It reminds me of the "Careers in Flying" section of the Jeppeson Private Pilot Manual. The manual starts off with a general history of flight, and then kinds of aircraft, and then careers. I have to say, I kind of tuned this section out. I know I won't be going on to fly any of the airplanes in this hangar, except perhaps the SR22. Still, it's nice to dream!
Then I was out tromping in a farmer's field, and three of these powered parachutes sailed over us. Wow! I'd love to try this! I've always thought it would be cool to do tree-top flying! It made me realize that getting my license opens me up to all sorts of possibilities.
First Flight!--
Wow! That was incredible! Click the movie thingy below, to find out how it went. And please note, this is a stand-in actor, I actually look more like Brad Pitt, not like this heavy-set, pasty-faced old guy we hired to look like me.
What I don't say here is that I totally botched the landing. Which, in hindsight is probably a good thing. 1. I would have concluded that landing was easier than I thought, and naively gone into my next flight thinking I was better than I am. 2. I have nowhere to go but up, in terms of improvement. . . I hope.
The whole flight was one of the most nerve-racking and intense experiences I've had in a long, long time. And I can't wait to do it again.
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