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23/06/2009, 1:14 AM Aviator|Chris Joined on 28/01/2009 EGBW Posts 378 Re: PPL - The Beginning Hi Chris! I will take on your advice next time I head skyward! I'm currently flying out of Wolverhampton (EGBO) on an '89 Piper Warrior TDi. The power up front is impressive, and apparently my instructor says the climb performance is improved over Avgas above certain altitudes. Its nicely kept inside, but I know I will need to fly along with another pilot at the end of training, to convert onto an Avgas aircraft w/ Mixture control etc. For now it simplifies things, and is nice and stable to fly - just that damn throttle "tensioning button". There are a few Robins at my club, they look like they would make good tourers! How did you find the conversion from yoke to stick? Chris.    Report

23/06/2009, 11:14 AM CFrost Joined on 04/01/2009 EGLK Posts 157 Re: PPL - The Beginning I found it that it didn’t even really feel any different in a strange way. I am confident that I could go in either without to many problems. Maybe that’s due to years of flight sim where I had a stick then changed to a yoke. But the principles are the same- pull back and you nose attitude will increase and so on…. Yeh the pipers are good, I must say they felt really good to fly when I went in the Warrior, very stable like you said. So have you done some take off’s and landings? When your next lesson?    Report

23/06/2009, 11:34 AM Morbz Joined on 06/02/2007 UK Posts 263 Re: PPL - The Beginning There are a few Robins at my club, they look like they would make good tourers! How did you find the conversion from yoke to stick?   I remember when I went from Robin to C172 the difference was remarkable, having never flown a yoke aircraft before until about 65 hours had past on the robin it took me about 2-3 lessons to get use to it because for you- from going from yoke to stick it may feel wierd as the whole stick moves left to right where as the yoke is constantly fixed in the longitudinal axis.  I guess with any difference it just takes a bit of getting used to- I highly recommend the Robins by the way, views are excellent and they are so good to take for a spin, maybe not so stable on navs as opposed to larger aircraft but still definatly more than capable! Morbz    Report

23/06/2009, 4:40 PM Aviator|Chris Joined on 28/01/2009 EGBW Posts 378 Re: PPL - The Beginning Hi Chris, I'm a flight simmer too so maybe I won't find it so "weird"? I think its more so the points that Morbz pointed out above, about how the rear of the yoke is fixed through the panel and the stick rotates at its base. My instructor has let me do the approach, but at only 2 lessons in I haven't yet gone onto doing the actual landing and take-off myself yet. Also another thing I find tough at the moment, using the brakes. It seems very weird that you have to hold your legs up onto pedals to operate them? Ah well, i'm sure I will get there in time! Haven't booked the next lesson yet, maybe early July. I really want to work on my bad points from last lesson before going further. In regards to the Robin, they do look like fun! I'm sure I'll get a chance to hop in one someday.      Report

23/06/2009, 6:55 PM CFrost Joined on 04/01/2009 EGLK Posts 157 Re: PPL - The Beginning Yeh the stick does do that, but it doesn’t feel as foreign as it sounds or looks. The thing that is puzzling me is the fact that on landing the RPM is used for height and the attitude for speed. Also the pedals at landing speed are so responsive which caught me by surprise quite a few times.    Report

23/06/2009, 10:32 PM Aviator|Chris Joined on 28/01/2009 EGBW Posts 378 Re: PPL - The Beginning Did you not feel how responsive the pedals were when you did effects of controls / slipstream? I think its nice they are responsive on this size of aircraft, I imagine it also means more accuracy during crosswind landings. I too think the whole RPM-Height / Pitch-Speed thing is strange, but have learnt to embrace it and try to stay one step ahead of the aircraft.      Report

28/06/2009, 12:17 PM CFrost Joined on 04/01/2009 EGLK Posts 157 Re: PPL - The Beginning yeh i did do the effects of controls. It was very good. I think you are right, it does give more accuracy. Chris    Report

07/07/2009, 8:29 PM CFrost Joined on 04/01/2009 EGLK Posts 157 Re: PPL - The Beginning Hey Chris long time no speak! Hows it all going then?    Report

08/07/2009, 8:18 AM Aviator|Chris Joined on 28/01/2009 EGBW Posts 378 Re: PPL - The Beginning Hi Chris, Due for a lesson this Saturday, Met Office reports nasty weather! Great eh! If its called off I will keep trying each of the following weekends! How about you? 8o)    Report

08/07/2009, 9:13 AM CFrost Joined on 04/01/2009 EGLK Posts 157 Re: PPL - The Beginning Yeh tell me about it! My first navigation lesson was cancelled yesterday due to the poor weather. First time a lesson has been called off for me so I must have been lucky with the days I have booked. Have you got your head around where you are when you’re in the air?:) I think have just about got it? :P    Report

08/07/2009, 6:08 PM Aviator|Chris Joined on 28/01/2009 EGBW Posts 378 Re: PPL - The Beginning Hi Chris, You must be lucky for sure! Feels like i've booked lessons in the Amazon for me! I haven't had a chance to get airbourne again to try out your recommendations yet, but hopefully soon!    Report

11/07/2009, 9:03 PM CFrost Joined on 04/01/2009 EGLK Posts 157 Re: PPL - The Beginning I think I spoke too soon; my last 3 lessons have been cancelled due to weather or aircraft having to be put in maintenance.   So you got a lesson this weekend? Been up your end in Birmingham the last few days and the weather doesn’t seem to be too bad so hopefully you can get up there.:)   Chris     Report

11/07/2009, 10:44 PM Aviator|Chris Joined on 28/01/2009 EGBW Posts 378 Re: PPL - The Beginning Hi Chris, I was due to have a lesson today, arrived and Met Office report was lieing, cloud base stayed at 700-800ft overcast so that ruled that one out. My instructor asked me to come back tomorrow (Sunday) so hopefully we'll get a lesson in! Had a great day today though, went through some briefing for tomorrow's lesson, completed the full walk-around, and had chance to look over the charts for area familiarisation. My instructor said he will start helping me with that side of things soon! Weather has been very dodgy lately, random and unpredictable. I have some spare days off at work that I want to use for lessons during the week but its nie on impossible to guess a good day of weather!    Report

12/07/2009, 6:36 PM Aviator|Chris Joined on 28/01/2009 EGBW Posts 378 Re: PPL - The Beginning Well finally had chance to get airbourne again today, and a very enjoyable lesson it was too! Did the full walk around today while my instructor waited inside to hear what my verdict was. Found a faulty landing light, a rather low starboard fuel tank and some slight contamination on the port tank. Checked all those things off and went flying on a lovely afternoon. We were getting thermals pushing us at rates around 700ft per minute under some big Cumulus, so sure to be some lovely gliding today for big wing boys. Did all the straight, level and balanced flight today, instructor throwing random spanners into the works by asking me to look out the window and screwing up my trimmed airframe. Had a nice look around today to see the key features and he pointed out the features on the chart to familiarise myself with the area, rounded off with a "nicely flown" comment so onwards and upwards! :o) P.S. - Realised I was being silly over the brakes, I thought they were much further up than they really were. Now I can rest my feet on the rudder pedals and brakes at the same time during taxying. Another fun day!    Report

26/07/2009, 11:46 PM Aviator|Chris Joined on 28/01/2009 EGBW Posts 378 Re: PPL - The Beginning Another fine day of Flying on Saturday! Was most enjoyable, covering straight and level whilst adjusting power and flaps. I still manage to drop the right wing slightly and not notice it from the view outside! Really need to work on that! The walk-around is now just as enjoyable as flying itself. Had a classic on the way back to base, Instructors PTT button packed up so I was doing all the RT calls from approaching the aerodrome to taxying to parking! Instructor said i'm coming on nicely, always good to hear! Can't wait for the next one, banking!    Report

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