IR Lesson 14 DME Arc's

I have an 8:30 lesson scheduled but I can't manage to stay in bed. I'm up to feed the dog and let her out and decide to get a little more practice time in on the Flight sim here at home. I set up for Erie, Pennsylvania (KERI) and shoot the ILS RWY 6 approach breaking out about 1000 ft just in time to see the Medium Intensity Runway Lighting (MALSR) and then get a visual on the runway environment. I added the second notch of flaps and set the Piper sim on the runway.

Round two I decided to try my hand at the DME Arc and set up for ILS RWY 24, again into Erie. I positioned well south of the airport and tracked in to intercept the 121* radial from the Erie VOR (ERI). I intercepted the 121* radial and turned outbound until 18.5 miles then followed with a left turn to 030*. I maintained a 19 mile arc from the station, tracking as far out as 19.4 and in as far as 18.7 miles. I reset nav 2 for my next turn and that was the 066* radial which would alert me to start my turn inbound and intercept the localizer. I started a descending left turn to a heading of 242* and the localizer came alive. Once passing the WAILS outer marker I hit the timer looking for 3:00 minutes until at the Missed Approach Point. I held altitude at 980ft and had the runway in sight about 2 miles out, another good landing and I am ready for my 8:30 lesson

Today's lesson was.....you guessed it! DME Arc's at Erie, Pennsylvania. I felt really good today, altitude was dang close to PTS and so was my heading. Brian placed me somewhere out over lake Erie so I tracked inbound, direct to the ERI VOR. Once crossing the station I tracked the 121* outbound radial for 18.5 miles, then as above made the left turn to 030*. At home I tracked the DME Arc with DME equipment only setting nav 2 up for the 066* radial that would start my turn to final. Brian had me track 090* from the ERI VOR with nav 2 and make ten degree corrections as the CDI needle centered (crossing each radial) and maintaining a distance of 19 miles. I broke out just before my Missed Approach Point of 3:00 from the WAILS outer marker and set the sim bird down on runway two four.

Brian reset me somewhere on final so that we could practice the missed. I climbed to 3000 ft direct to the ERI VOR, with a plan for a parallel entry to the hold. I timed my one minute outbound once past the VOR then turned left to a heading of 030* to intercept the inbound leg of 062*. I didn't make enough of a correction to intercept soon enough and with the winds I blew on past the VOR. WE discussed the procedures for getting back to the hold and what I would need to look for 'this time'. Today's lesson seemed to fly by, no pun intended. I'm up again Wednesday for more sim.

A brief review does have some positives. I worked through my checklists (as practiced here at home) and my altitude and headings were very good. It's getting close to flight time and I am really getting excited. I need to focus on wind corrections and soon radio work. Not a bad weekend, the little league baseball team won, the Flyers won and I had a great lesson. "POP" goes the bubble...it's time to till the garden...[sigh].