Nice job. I'm just on my 26th lesson with no power experience. We learn a tighter pattern up here in Alberta with a 45 degree turn between downwind and base to keep it easy to see the reference point at all times. We also do a steeper final, usually with 3/4 to full spoilers for at least a bit of the decent.
Thanks, I just passed 50 flights with no power experience and received my check ride sign off (I could have done it much sooner, I had too much focus on fun for a long time)! The pattern varies by plane. I am in a Grob 103TA, it weighs 1,000 pounds empty, we call it the plastic pig because of how it flies. The pattern I fly now is slightly smaller, the downwind is closer to the airfield. Don't take this the wrong way but it sounds like you (and your instructor) are making mistakes. The steep final can get you in trouble if the spoilers get stuck, you better be good at slipping. Also, before you turn final you need to look out away from the airfield for traffic that might be on a long final approach. It is much harder to do that 135 degrees back behind you vs looking only 90 degrees. You might want to bring that up with them.
+Specter0420 good point. Our main runway is long and if you land short it's trees and a gravel pit. Past the end of the runway there are big fields. I'm going to talk to my instructors about what you said. I live in canada and every country has things they do differently The idea if the 45 degree turn between downwind and final is that you can easily keep eye contact with your reference point, you can see traffic on long final and you can adjust when you make the turn to base depending on your altitude. It looks like there are silos in the way that wouldn't make it work where you are.
Remember, you land in both directions depending on wind conditions. I was trained not to use reference points. That can bite you if you need to land at a different airfield, without the same reference objects. I also enjoy a long runway with, mostly, hazards at only one end. Check out my fourth solo, I do an extended landing in ground effect... Then the wheel brake fails and then, well you should just go check it out. Also I am confused how you fly your pattern. Normally the turns are all 90 degrees in the pattern. Heading down wind the turn to base is only 45 degrees? So then the turn to final would need to be 135 degrees! That is your lowest turn in the landing sequence... Is that right or is it what I assumed in my first reply where while heading downwind you turn 135 degrees to base, then final is a 45 degree turn? Maybe the turn to base is separated into two different 45 degree turns, kind of like rounding out the corner and you still make the 90 degree turn to final?
I fly in England and we also fly a diagonal leg in the circuit, on both long and short runways. The idea is that the length of the diagonal leg (on the downwind-base turn, so downwind-diagonal-base-final, no 135 degree turns) can be changed so that you can shoot the best final approach every time, and can adjust for unexpected lift or sink in the circuit. Try it! The circuit/pattern is there to be adjusted. On some airfields I've flown at we often make a steep final due to a village next to the end of the runway (that we can't fly too low over) and a hill at the other. This is a long runway, so it's always better have a bit extra energy than a bit less! Congrats on going solo! You never forget the first one.
Specter0420 from final to base you turn in 45 deg and then another 45 deg then 90 deg for final. If you are way too high, you might stretch it out and do 135 I did that once. It allows you to easily see your reference point the whole time and you can adjust the length of the angled leg depending on your altitude. I notice in the US, a lot of gliders do one gentle turn from base to final. I really like that. It's pretty strange how different areas have different circuits.
I'm about to start learning how to glide, with no powered experience but am an avid aviation fan. How much time do you have to commit to the sport? and how long does it take (in the US in this instance) to become fully qualified? thanks
If you are dedicated you can get it done in 1-2 years. I also started with no powered experience, I soloed after 15 lessons, this isn't normal so don't feel bad if you take longer. You should be able to fly once a week or maybe every other week at the least. Any longer and you will lose more than you learn. I had too much focus on fun for the last couple of years. I just started getting serious about my certificate, I passed the written and just received my sign off to take the check ride. I have done about 50 flights now. The requirements to get your certificate are in here www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/test_standards/media/faa-s-8081-29.pdf
Guevara1015 do it. It's the best thing I've done. After 1000 days of skiing and a weak knee from an avalanche, I needed a new challenge. Flying a glider is way more fun than cruising around in a 172. You are constantly making decisions, hunting lift like stalking prey. You can keep it simple and stay around the airfield or do cross country tasks or racing tasks. In some places you can climb in a mountain wave over 30000ft.
It was a workout armband with a $50 used cell phone that didn't have a working microphone but it did have a barometer (pressure sensor). It was the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, I installed XCSoar on it. It a free Android app that works as a gliding computer, records the 3D profile of the flight shown at the beginning of the video, and has a pretty decent audio variometer.
This is just for entertainment purposes and does not serve as a substitute to real flight training. That being said, I am glad you like it. Yes I am still flying and hope to go this weekend. I have an android phone running xcsoar strapped to my arm. It is a flight computer, tells you all kinds of information and records your flight.
That was a poor landing. Touchdown speed was nearly 60 knots, your stall speed is probably close to 40 knots... That means you had 2.25x more energy in that landing than you needed to, and it showed. Look how high the tail was. The Twin Astir is a taildragger, they can and should be stalled onto the ground with the tail touching either slightly before the main wheel or at the same time. The approach on final was also really shallow. Very hard to get good sight picture of where you're going to touchdown, and if you had hit sink or turbulence as you were turning final things could have gotten very hairy quickly. Perhaps the approach angle was why you barely flared and why you touched down so fast.
I agree that I was way too shallow on final now that I look back as a more experienced pilot. I should've been around 400ft turning final. In my defense I was on course for a good glide-slope until the instructor told me to trim nose down and open spoilers half way at 13:25. In his defense we are two big guys and you are wrong about both the landing speed at this weight and the desired nose attitude at touchdown in our club with this glider. An old instructor broke the tail off the same model landing slightly tail first years ago and I've felt a pretty violent jarring when landing with both wheels at the same time because the tail wheel happened to land in a dip. On a hard surface you would be correct though.
Beautiful Gauge panel setup
Thank you pyro1324! You only get to do one first landing, I am glad i nailed it!
Beautiful landing!
Nice job. I'm just on my 26th lesson with no power experience. We learn a tighter pattern up here in Alberta with a 45 degree turn between downwind and base to keep it easy to see the reference point at all times. We also do a steeper final, usually with 3/4 to full spoilers for at least a bit of the decent.
Thanks, I just passed 50 flights with no power experience and received my check ride sign off (I could have done it much sooner, I had too much focus on fun for a long time)! The pattern varies by plane. I am in a Grob 103TA, it weighs 1,000 pounds empty, we call it the plastic pig because of how it flies. The pattern I fly now is slightly smaller, the downwind is closer to the airfield.
Don't take this the wrong way but it sounds like you (and your instructor) are making mistakes. The steep final can get you in trouble if the spoilers get stuck, you better be good at slipping. Also, before you turn final you need to look out away from the airfield for traffic that might be on a long final approach. It is much harder to do that 135 degrees back behind you vs looking only 90 degrees. You might want to bring that up with them.
+Specter0420 good point. Our main runway is long and if you land short it's trees and a gravel pit. Past the end of the runway there are big fields. I'm going to talk to my instructors about what you said. I live in canada and every country has things they do differently
The idea if the 45 degree turn between downwind and final is that you can easily keep eye contact with your reference point, you can see traffic on long final and you can adjust when you make the turn to base depending on your altitude. It looks like there are silos in the way that wouldn't make it work where you are.
Remember, you land in both directions depending on wind conditions. I was trained not to use reference points. That can bite you if you need to land at a different airfield, without the same reference objects. I also enjoy a long runway with, mostly, hazards at only one end. Check out my fourth solo, I do an extended landing in ground effect... Then the wheel brake fails and then, well you should just go check it out.
Also I am confused how you fly your pattern. Normally the turns are all 90 degrees in the pattern. Heading down wind the turn to base is only 45 degrees? So then the turn to final would need to be 135 degrees! That is your lowest turn in the landing sequence... Is that right or is it what I assumed in my first reply where while heading downwind you turn 135 degrees to base, then final is a 45 degree turn? Maybe the turn to base is separated into two different 45 degree turns, kind of like rounding out the corner and you still make the 90 degree turn to final?
I fly in England and we also fly a diagonal leg in the circuit, on both long and short runways. The idea is that the length of the diagonal leg (on the downwind-base turn, so downwind-diagonal-base-final, no 135 degree turns) can be changed so that you can shoot the best final approach every time, and can adjust for unexpected lift or sink in the circuit. Try it! The circuit/pattern is there to be adjusted.
On some airfields I've flown at we often make a steep final due to a village next to the end of the runway (that we can't fly too low over) and a hill at the other. This is a long runway, so it's always better have a bit extra energy than a bit less!
Congrats on going solo! You never forget the first one.
Specter0420 from final to base you turn in 45 deg and then another 45 deg then 90 deg for final. If you are way too high, you might stretch it out and do 135 I did that once. It allows you to easily see your reference point the whole time and you can adjust the length of the angled leg depending on your altitude.
I notice in the US, a lot of gliders do one gentle turn from base to final. I really like that. It's pretty strange how different areas have different circuits.
Great job! Keep it up!
Awesome.....
I'm about to start learning how to glide, with no powered experience but am an avid aviation fan. How much time do you have to commit to the sport? and how long does it take (in the US in this instance) to become fully qualified? thanks
If you are dedicated you can get it done in 1-2 years. I also started with no powered experience, I soloed after 15 lessons, this isn't normal so don't feel bad if you take longer. You should be able to fly once a week or maybe every other week at the least. Any longer and you will lose more than you learn. I had too much focus on fun for the last couple of years. I just started getting serious about my certificate, I passed the written and just received my sign off to take the check ride. I have done about 50 flights now. The requirements to get your certificate are in here www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/test_standards/media/faa-s-8081-29.pdf
Guevara1015 do it. It's the best thing I've done. After 1000 days of skiing and a weak knee from an avalanche, I needed a new challenge.
Flying a glider is way more fun than cruising around in a 172. You are constantly making decisions, hunting lift like stalking prey. You can keep it simple and stay around the airfield or do cross country tasks or racing tasks. In some places you can climb in a mountain wave over 30000ft.
SWEET!! That was awesome Joe. Beautiful flight and landing. By the way, what was the device on your left arm? Keep up the great work.
It was a workout armband with a $50 used cell phone that didn't have a working microphone but it did have a barometer (pressure sensor). It was the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, I installed XCSoar on it. It a free Android app that works as a gliding computer, records the 3D profile of the flight shown at the beginning of the video, and has a pretty decent audio variometer.
Butterrrrrrr
Thank you for the lesson! Are you still flying since this was posted 3 years ago. What is on your left forearm?
This is just for entertainment purposes and does not serve as a substitute to real flight training. That being said, I am glad you like it. Yes I am still flying and hope to go this weekend. I have an android phone running xcsoar strapped to my arm. It is a flight computer, tells you all kinds of information and records your flight.
That was a poor landing. Touchdown speed was nearly 60 knots, your stall speed is probably close to 40 knots... That means you had 2.25x more energy in that landing than you needed to, and it showed. Look how high the tail was. The Twin Astir is a taildragger, they can and should be stalled onto the ground with the tail touching either slightly before the main wheel or at the same time.
The approach on final was also really shallow. Very hard to get good sight picture of where you're going to touchdown, and if you had hit sink or turbulence as you were turning final things could have gotten very hairy quickly. Perhaps the approach angle was why you barely flared and why you touched down so fast.
I agree that I was way too shallow on final now that I look back as a more experienced pilot. I should've been around 400ft turning final. In my defense I was on course for a good glide-slope until the instructor told me to trim nose down and open spoilers half way at 13:25.
In his defense we are two big guys and you are wrong about both the landing speed at this weight and the desired nose attitude at touchdown in our club with this glider. An old instructor broke the tail off the same model landing slightly tail first years ago and I've felt a pretty violent jarring when landing with both wheels at the same time because the tail wheel happened to land in a dip. On a hard surface you would be correct though.
1.5x Einstein, which is spot-on. Rather fly with him than you.!
@anthquilter... Kinetic energy is proportional to the square of velocity. 60^2/40^2 = (3/2)^2 = 9/4 = 2.25. Einstein would certainly know that.
It was his first landing and the turn on final was truncated.