Ain't nothin' but a flair...

Yes, that's right, it ain't nothin' but a flair but I can't hit it consistently. Worked on flairs today and will be back at it Saturday. I fly smooth and out in front when my CFI covers all the instruments. I know it all comes in time but gezzzzz I'm getting older every day here! I am having fun and that's the most important fact. I feel with all the crosswind training in the book that if I had a dead calm day I wouldn't know what to do.

Pre-checks complete and after adding a quart of oil to the ride we were buckled in and ready to go. Off to Chester County today for T&G's. sun glare taking off on 27 from Brandywine and departing on the upwind to the west really burnt the eyes out. My glasses didn't seem to darken today, that will have to be checked. I was raising my hand to block the sun to check for traffic as I made course corrections. Since there was slim to none for traffic at Chester County I did a long final. I called out my position and started my slow decent from 2500 to pattern ALT of 1600. I reported a short final and throttled back adding flaps and crabbing my way in. Everything looked good and felt good until I flaired while still a bit to high. I let 46C settle down and worked for the centerline a bit but it still was fairly smooth. After a few go rounds' at 40N I departed on the downwind for home. Two rounds later I was reporting down and clear and headed for the tie down. Saturdays lesson will be slow low flight "just" over the runway......I WILL learn to be consistent with the flair!

Knocking off the rust...

Cancel due to weather on 15th and the 23rd

Nov. 26th and finally back up in the air......today was a really nice day to get back in gear. My regular instructor is off for the hoilday so I went up with a new CFI. Started out ok with pre-flight and run up and not to bad of a take off. We made way for 40N Chester COunty for touch and goes but mainly to work on my flairs. Brandywine was busy with traffic today so I departed on the crosswind for 40N. Nice and smooth heading to the south-south west so I can turn back
towards Chester County and enter on a 45 for runway 29. I announce my position as I enter on a 45 while looking for traffic that is on final and one on a long base for runway 29. I am a bit excessive on the inputs today, yup hands o steel.....but I slip in with the crosswind and really get to feel that sinking feeling then flair only to feel the slow decent and more flair, feels pretty good. My instructor says the young guys seem to pick it up quickly so he said I shouldn't be so hard
on myself for not getting it on a consistant basis. Greaaaaaattttt........now I'm an old fart, I mentioned that my first instructor said it was like rubbing the tummy and patting the head...and I told him then I'm in deep shit. Rob laughed and said I was doing fine.....at least he got a kick out of it. Onward we went for a few more rounds with the first the ugliest. I also did one missed when I came in a bit to hot and decided to go around, full power, one notch of flaps up, showing positive altitude gain, taking out another notch of flaps....there we go, I didnt want to force myself down at the end of the runway and become fodder for the evening news. After my T&G's we headed back to Brandywine. It was uneventful until turning final and I really didnt bank enough for the crosswind. Needless to say I was banking left and mucho right rudder to align myself. Not to bad a recovery and a nose held off landing. I need to work on the flairs again wednesday and airspeed on final, I should then be good to go! I'll be back up next Wednesday and saturday.

First time at Chester County (40N)

Back at the home field today. Of course I'm back home and the fairy tale no cross winds is over. Hmmm...well practice makes perfect so off to another day of landings. Bill and I saddle up for a short hop to 40N Chester County for a round of T&G's. There is alot of activity at Brandywine this morning,it seems there is a taxiway extension ongoing to tie in runway 9 and lighting along with a future runway width extension. Hats off to the management at Brandywine for really keeping the facility moving forward. OK we're off and its a bit bumpy but not to bad as we make way for Chester County. Runway 29 is the active at 40N so I head south sothwest to allow for a turn that will put me on a 45 for the downwind of 29. I call out my location and eventually enter the pattern. I am no. 2 behind a cherokee if I remember right. Once abeam the cherokee I turn base and prepare to follow them in. Runway clear I add my last notch of flaps cut the power (a little high at this point), hoding it off, I hear the stall horn moaning, then quiet......Ahhhhh hold it off ok.....not to bad. Flaps up, mixture check, fuel check, increase to full throttle and off we go for 4 more rounds. My radio work is ok, except for my initial call in to report my entering a 45 for the downwind ( i said final) DUH! then corrected immediately with a "correction, Cessna 46C entering a 45 for DOWNWIND runway 29, chester county." After releasing the mic button I told my instructor that would cause a pucker factor to me if I was on final. We made our way back to Brandywine and after announcing position entered the pattern and was no. 2 to land. I had to really crab my way in and it felt pretty good, Bill gave me an "atta boy" with good instinctive reactions. We talked a bit after securing the aircraft and I think Wednesday I will fine tune my flairs and Bill seems to think I'm ready to go. WOOO HOOOO.....I'm excited. My goal was to solo as a birthday present to myself. It looks like I'll make that (Dec. 8th). I'm at 22 hours and that includes about 5 weeks off between schools. Looking forward to Wednesdays lesson. As a side note I can now add another airport to the list; KMIV, 1N4, N99, KILG, KVGT, 40N.