First solo cross-country flight completed - question
- From: Kai Rode <nikkit@xxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 09 Mar 2008 11:08:55 +0100
Hello,
you might - or not - remember me from last October when I posted about my
first solo flight at Mönchengladbach, Germany.
<8calg3tjdiujopaa064u2dsjjrm1ctpia2@xxxxxxx>
During the winter I used the long nights to get my VFR Night qualification -
which I would not recommend any student to get before they have their
PPL(A). You'll just be overwhelmed by all the new things you have to do at
the same time: talk to ATC using IFR without having been taught to how (the
German radio license required for the PPL covers only VFR phrasology), being
under radar guidance all the time and having to comply with instructions,
learning to handle an unfamiliar plane (if the plane you usually fly is a
VLA unlicensed for NVFR operation) and all the time the fear of the darkness
below where you would be lucky to stay alive if the engine failed unless you
managed to land on a well lit road and not hit any cars. Do it after you get
your license and build some hours!
Anyway, the point of my post is I completed my first solo cross country
flight from Mönchengladbach (EDLN) to Stadtlohn (EDLS) and back yesterday.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=edln&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=50.823846,81.738281&ie=UTF8&ll=51.228684,6.503263&spn=0.019806,0.039911&t=h&z=15&iwloc=addr
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Stadtlohn,+Borken,+North+Rhine-Westphalia,+Germany&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=0,51.990674,6.916988&ll=51.994658,6.840878&spn=0.019475,0.039911&t=h&z=15
Weather was fine at EDLN, active runway 13, wind 220 at 9 knots, CAVOK.
Nice trip at 3000 ft, wind about 240 at 30 knots, SCT040 if I remember
correctly.
Active runway at EDLS was 29 (good, no danger of accidentally violating
Dutch airspace on final), but the wind 230, 20 knots. And that scared me a
bit. I had never landed solo with a crosswind of more than 10 knots before,
so I reluctantly entered the traffic pattern and decided to give it a try,
all the while prepared for a go around. Turned out to not be a big deal
after all, some short tire screeching because I didn't fully decrab in time,
but a safe landing without any bouncing, balooning or the like.
Take-off on the other hand was a different beast. Wind was still 230, 20
knots and no matter how hard i kicked right rudder, the plane would deviate
left from the centerline, so I decided to abort the takeoff before reaching
the halfway marker. This time there was a lot of tire screeching because I
was almost at rotation speed and not quite aligned with the runway.
For the second try I waited until the wind had calmed down to 13 knots and
managed to keep the plane on the centerline by using rudder and a bit of
right brake.
The FI later said "Crosswind happens, you have to deal with it. It's okay to
use the brake to stay on the runway."
So my question: do you think that's correct? Should I not be able to keep
the plane aligned using only rudder? The first thing you are told when
learning to fly is: keep your feet away from the brakes during take-off and
landing at all times...except when you are not supposed to? What would you
have done? Would you have aborted the take-off?
.
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