Aircraft: C172
Registration: C-GVHE
Dual Time: 1.2 Total: 20.1
Solo Time: 0.0 Total: 2.2
Since I spend a lot of time in Montreal these days I thought it would be prudent to check out the flight schools available nearby. I managed to take a drive up to Mascouche (CSK3) last week and the airport is really cool but for a guy living downtown, it’s not that close. In fact the drive would have kept me from flying out of here almost always. I then looked around and realized that I was much closer to St-Hubert (CYHU) and so I took a fine afternoon off and researched all of the schools available there. Each school has it’s pros and cons but in the end I chose to fly with Air Richelieu. This school is very business-like in it’s operations and has a gorgeous building. They have modern aircraft like the Cirrus SR22 as well as G1000 equipped Cessna 172′s. I was also quite amazed at their ALSIM simulators.
So I signed up for a flight with Pascal and we took out one of their oldest planes. A nice C172N model that had rudder trim and a panel mounted GPS! This airport is controlled so speaking to the tower was something newish to me. Pascal obtained the clearance for takeoff after a Piper Seneca departed, I lined up for on Runway 6R. I firewalled the throttle as I watched the small twin climb into the horizon. Since this would be my first “real” flight since 2003 it was very exciting to be getting airborne. I followed Pascals’ instructions and was soon over Mt. Bruno and heading to the east. Quebec looks really neat from the air, at least this region does. It’s quite desolate with famrs dotting the landscape and the odd “pimple” of a hill that pokes up from the ground. We climbed to 4500 AGL and after flying over to the practice area Pascal asked me to enter slow flight.
I throttled the aircraft back to about 1700 RPM then held my altitude with pitch. I dropped out all of the flaps as the airspeed fell into the white arc. The aircraft slowed into the 60 KT area and I began to gently add power. This caused the aircraft to nose up gently and slow down even more as I proufly announced “we are now in slow flight”. Pascal smirked a bit and said, “That’s not slow…”, ”Go slower”. So I pitched up ever more and added more power and we were getting quite slow. So much so that the stall warner came on and held a steady tone. I was really becoming proud of myself now! Here I was, at the edge of the stall, happily bobbing along holding altitude perfectly. If only my heading was so good. With such a high angle of attack it required a LOT of right rudder. Much more than I had added in fact but I did not have time to dwell on this as Pascal reached over and covered up my altimeter with a yellow post it note. As he moved his hand back across the panel he switched off the GPS. Just as the shock of losing my first instrument in flight began to reach my brain he then covered the airspeed indicator as well! Now I was happy to have the stall horn because it told me how fast I was going, audibly. I was starting to sweat a bit and thought “Just hold that note” when Pascal covered up my AI, then the DG and the VSI as well. I didn’t know what to do but did not panic. I had confidence in my instructor and although I felt blind I simply flew the airplane and tried to not change it’s configuration. Sure I could still look out the window to get the sight picture and this certainly forced me to look outside but come on!
With my instruments all pretty much failed by this time Pascal requested that I return to cruise flight. I added power, then pitched for the sight picture I remembered. We did accelerate but it felt slow. He then uncovered the ASI and said, what is wrong? I retorted, “We are too slow for this power config but I don’t think I am climbing”. A long pause then I remembered, THE FLAPS!! Those barn doors were still hanging out there so I brought them up and we accelerated quite smoothly. Just in time for him to cover the ASI again and say, can we go back to slow flight please? I didn’t like the idea of this but I complied, got the plane right back to the stall warner. He then requested a 360 degree turn to the left. It was easy but slow and deliberate. I just looked outwards and picked a hill, then turned around until I could see that hill again. Next was a turn to the right. When he uncovered the Altimeter I had my proudest moment ever! I had only lost 200 ft in the entire time these were covered. (Roughly 15 minutes of flying). That gave me a lot of confidence. Since the sun was setting, Pascal removed the stickers and told me to turn back towards St Hubert. On the way he said, “Oh my! it appears that your right wingtip is ablaze!” I have never dealt with a wing fire! My first instinct was to pitch down and speed up but he corrected me and said to slip to the left to keep that fire up high. Since fire burns UP it was best to keep that tip up higher than the body of the plane. Now I’m really learning some useful stuff!
As we neared the control zone of the St. Hubert airport He made some radio calls and I lined up for a downwind entry to runway 06R. Just as I was established on downwind Pascal took out his sticky pad and covered my ASI again! I have never landed without it. It made me wonder but then I recalled my new found confidence. I would definately make this! I followed the procedures as I know them and lined up for a landing. I was WAY too high, but the flaps and a little slip brought me down. As I came near the threshold Pascal said, “There is something on the runway. You have to go around”. I knew that I’d need full power, carb heat OFF as I pitched forward to let the aircraft build airspeed. I flew the entire second pattern without the ASI and I didn’t really miss it much. I did have the tachometer after all and I’m fairly used to flying slow and recognized that we were not flying very slowly at all. Pascal uncovered it for me on short final to show that I was doing well and I landed the plane to taxi in. THIS is what I call flight training!! I can’t wait to get back!
Tags: Dual, Inop, Simulated Emergency, Slow Flight