Delta Connection Academy

Tim's Air Navigation

This past week, my instructor(s) introduced me to Tim’s Air Nav. You can go to Google & type “tim’s air nav” in the search bar. It’s the first one that comes up on my computer. There are two boxes on the right side where you can select navigation instruments to use. You can select from VOR, HSI, ADF, RMI, and DG. There’s also a plane you control the heading, airspeed, and turn rate. You can also move the transmitters, plane, and add wind. This helped me understand how to do an NDB approach, & helped with situational awareness for all instrument approaches. I also was having some difficulty with multi-tasking. I knew all the procedures, but had a hard time doing them while keeping the correct altitude, heading, & airspeed. Charlie & Travis suggested I try to balance a marble on a binder or something flat with my left hand while I chair fly & complete checklists. I flew much better after that exercise!

Instrument approaches in the multi

Approaches gave me such a hard time in the instrument course, so I expected they would be challenging in the multi as well. Last week, I had my first stage 2 lesson in the multi simulator. Most of the approaches are the same as in the single engine instrument course, there are just a few more items to add to the checklists like landing gear, propellers, & cowl flaps. We also learn how to complete an NDB approach. Like I said, my first lesson using navigation instruments was last week, & I had some difficulty. I knew what procedures to do when, but I was so pre-occupied with flying the sim, that I didn’t get the checklists and actions. There’s so much going on all at the same time, but I’ll get it Monday. This weekend, I’ve spent time writing out procedures, making flashcards to help memorize checklists, and “chair flying.” I’ll backseat another student’s lesson before I have mine in the morning and I think I’ll do much better.

Incentive

Before my first Commercial Stage Check, my fiancé scheduled a trip to come visit me. As it got closer, he was concerned about me not studying while he visited and planned to delay his trip if I didn’t get scheduled before then. I was looking forward to seeing him & I’m sure I studied harder than usual to be sure he came as planned. I was scheduled to take my oral & flight while he was in town, and I did well on the oral & the flight. Maybe you’re extremely motivated on your own, or maybe it will come to you easier, but I definitely benefited from having an incentive to study harder before my stage check. Maybe you’d benefit from an incentive. Maybe you need to take a trip, or celebrate with friends, maybe you have a deadline for your goal or your loan money is running out. Whatever works for you, it’s great to have an incentive or something else to look forward to outside of flying, because we all love flying… The first commercial stage is comprised of mostly new information. Vmc Factors, Critical Engine theories, the multi-engine system and a few regulations are covered. This revision doesn’t even call for Weather or Airspace which made studying a little easier. The next stage is the last one & I’ll need to know everything.

Supervised Pilot in Command

As a part of your Commercial Certificate, you need to log five hours as pilot in command (PIC) in the multi engine. These are supervised for insurance reasons. You also need 10 night landings. You cover these in two night flights, one before the stage check and one after. As PIC, you have to do everything as if you were the only one in the plane. My instructor just sits there & says nothing & does nothing. It’s very strange at first, because up until the first SPIC, everything was done together – We used crew resource management (CRM) where he read the checklist & I completed the task. Some earlier revisions didn’t have CRM and you had to be more proficient earlier. If your revision is all CRM, I’d suggest you ask your instructor to step back with each lesson and let you do more. Once I completed my SPIC, it gave me a lot more confidence with my skills in the multi. Good luck with yours!

Weather

Yesterday I had a review flight with my instructor, Travis Ponder. After he flew with me, he had a flight with my classmate, Martin Cantu. I backseated Martin’s flight and as we left Ellington (EFD), storm clouds were approaching the field. We headed south to practice engine failures and stalls. When it was time to head back to EFD, it was socked in. There was no way we could return at that time. Martin completed a few traffic patterns at Galveston and we ended up landing and spending some time there at the FBO. Jeffery Horn made us feel very welcome & comfortable – even sharing his stash of snacks and bottled water with us. During our 30 minutes or so we kept in contact with our base and tracked the weather on the computer & on local news. When there was a window of opportunity, we decided to try to make it back. The first cell was out of our way but another was approaching the field quickly. Travis kept reminding us that if it got too bad we would return to Galveston. There was a storm to our west and we could see distant lightning the whole way back, but we made it back to EFD safely.

Loss of Proficiency

I left town as soon as Ground School was over & spent a week at home, in Cincinnati. I had to turn in a LOA (Leave Of Absence) form a month before my vacation so DCA knew my plans and it didn’t count against me when I left. Your instructor can help you fill out the form (which is not difficult). I’m thankful I was able to get out of here for a week. When I returned, I had to take the tests I missed when I was home. There was a ground school stage 2 exam and a final. The final is the test you take so DCA approves you to go take the official FAA written test. I passed all of these the first time. Whoo-Hoo! As I figured, being away for a week decreased my proficiency in the plane. Especially at the beginning when learning to fly a new aircraft, it’s best not to miss any days if possible. Proficiency declines quickly when you don’t have much experience. I flew about 150 miles from Ellington to Austin for a night cross-country flight then had a supervised Pilot-In-Command (SPIC) flight. The cross-country went well, but the SPIC left much to be desired.

Commercial Ground School 2

I was so busy during Commercial Ground School that I neglected my blogging! Much of ground school was a review, but there was new information to learn – including Vmc Factors & emergency checklists among others. One of the biggest favors you can do for yourself is memorize/learn those checklists before your first lesson. Go into the FRASCA (simulator) or sit in front of the posters and go through the checklists until you know them verbatim. If you can get a classmate to do this with you it will be more beneficial for both of you. I say to learn them because they are easier to remember & make more sense when you know why you’re doing the checklist items in that specific order. My ground school lasted just over three weeks. The time you spend will depend on the instructor and how well everyone understands the material. If you are an AOPA member, you can log on to their website and listen to/read tutorials and take quizzes over many different subjects. These are so useful, in fact, that my instructor used these as a teaching aide in class. If you aren’t a member, ask your instructor if he/she will let you use his/her account.

Commercial Ground School

I began Commercial Ground School with 3 other students this past Monday. We started the first few classes talking about crew resource management (CRM) and reviewed a few accidents that were caused because of the lack of CRM. There are a ton of these on YouTube. Some of the accidents we reviewed were: Aero Peru 603, Air Florida – Palm 60, Flying Tiger 66, Eastern 401, and others. We will begin flight lessons on Monday – in the simulator & the Piper Seminole (PA-44). Since I have had some difficulty in the past, I plan to do lots of back-seating. 10 hours are required, and it’s best to complete them in the beginning, while becoming familiar with a new aircraft & when learning lots of new information.

Commercial Ground School

Commercial Ground School

Paperwork

As you finish a course, there is official paperwork which must be completed before being submitted for end of course. As great as my instructor is, he does not fill these out everyday and they have to be exact. Any errors made on these forms could delay receiving your license from the FAA. We tried a few times to meet to fill out the forms, until I finally asked someone else for help. Instead of being upset that Michael couldn’t help me, I found someone who could. When he came back from his flight, I had the form filled out correctly and was ready to move on. No more time was being wasted. If this happens to you at any stage of your training, find someone who can help you. If an instructor is unsure of something, that’s what they do – find another person who can explain it better or consult a book for the answer. There’s no reason you shouldn’t do the same. Some smart person once said “If you’re not part of the solution, you could be part of the problem. Don’t whine about problems, do what you can to solve it!

Doughnut on the Ramp

Doughnut on the ramp

So we completed our run-up and were cleared to taxi to runway 17. I turned the plane to the right and attempted to straighten out to enter the ramp. The plane just kept turning right. Michael suggested I tried the rudder & brakes (which I knew & was trying) but it still just turned right. We thought the right brake was stuck so we called maintenance & turned the plane off. When we exited, we found the tire had gone flat sometime during our engine check. I would be remiss if I did not give a shout-out to our maintenance crew. They came to our rescue in a hurry and changed the tire in a timely manner. We were fortunate the tire went flat on the ramp and not on take-off or landing. We had some difficulty starting the plane and began to wonder if we were not meant to fly. It finally did start. Our time in the plane was greatly shortened by this fiasco but I only needed to perform one approach and did so successfully.

Instrument End of Course

Instrument End of Course

The instrument end of course consists of an oral exam and a flight. The oral includes information about IFR rules & regulations, planning, systems, instruments, & weather. The flight includes everything from the preflight checklist to execution of procedures, to radio communication. Three approaches required include a Full VOR, a Partial Panel GPS, and a Precision Instrument Approach. To complete a Full VOR approach, pass the IAF outbound, complete a procedure turn to turn inbound, decide if you need to circle to land. Go missed and follow the published missed instructions to a hold. A Partial Panel GPS, the instructor fades your PFD (Primary Function Display) & you have to navigate using back-up instruments & the GPS readout. A Precision Instrument Approach is straight forward – follow the localizer & glide slope to DA until told to go visual. If nothing is said on any approach at the missed approach point, go missed. The student can plan the flight in any order I want as long as I include everything. The test instructor can have you do any procedure, even if it is not on the syllabus.

Private End of Course

Last Tuesday I took my Private End of Course which included an oral exam & check flight. My fellow classmates told me this one would be more basic than the previous two stage checks, and they were right. I tried not to let myself believe it would be easier and studied as hard as before. I guess DCA makes going through the program more difficult so when students get to the most important (end of course) exams we are ready. On Friday, I went on my second solo cross country flight. It was so hot. Really – the heat index on the ground was over 100 degrees! Thankfully, the air was much cooler at 4,500ft. There was a layer of scattered clouds between 2000 & 3000 but I climbed up between them and found some cool air.

The revision my class started with only called for five hours of solo time, but students in the new revision have ten hours to do. I think it’s good that DCA is constantly revising their program and making improvements. I’m looking forward to my Instrument End of Course. There are two more lessons and I’ll have ground work before then, but I need to study this week so I’m ready when it happens. I’m also looking forward to commercial ground school. On a personal note, my wedding gown came in. I tried it on Friday & it fit perfectly!

Turbulence!

5-29 Turbulence! Last Wednesday started like any other… I had groundwork to prepare for my Private end of course at 1000 followed by a flight at 1500. I planned to use the time between to study. It was thundering during groundwork, and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to fly. I checked out the current metars, radar, and TAFs and it looked like it might clear up later. Michael found me and suggested we go earlier, so I called the weather briefer, who said the bad weather would be at our destination by the time we got there. I would not have gone if it was a solo, but Michael also investigated the weather and still wanted to go so I packed up my things, filed an instrument flight plan, and off we went. Martin Cantu, another student, planned to backseat the flight so I called him and he came along for the ride as well. And what a ride it was… The take-off was normal, and it was clear enough for me to need my hood (a view-limiting fashion statement) on our way to Brazoria. Apparently as I joined the course, Michael & Martin saw lightning near the runway and called off the approach. We talked to Houston Center and they wanted to vector us back to Ellington on a different course. It looked like the way we came was better to us, but their computers showed better weather to the north. So I flew the vectors they instructed and the weather continued to deteriorate. I even asked Michael to take control for a moment so he could see it was the weather and not me who was jumping around so much. It was very difficult for me to keep the correct altitude, even as I was pitched down, I continued to gain altitude. Soon after that, Michael took the controls. I’m thankful he took them when he did, because about a minute later we hit severe turbulence. Everything in the plane was displaced, including the people. It got so bad that we had to divert to Hobby Airport. Michael showed he deserved to be Rookie of the year as he did a great job flying. He said it was the most scared he had been flying, but neither Martin nor I knew he was shaken up until he told us on the ground. I helped him out by tuning in radio frequencies and completing checklists. We collected ourselves and got flight following back to Ellington, a mere 6 miles to the east. Like I said, it was quite a ride.

Gulfstream

On my 250 mile cross-country flight, Michael & I made our first stop in Lake Charles, LA. We stopped in the FBO to file the next leg of the trip, stretch our legs, etc. While there, Michael struck up a conversation with two pilots there who were flying a Gulfstream for PPG, a company out of Pittsburg. They had dropped off the executives and were getting ready to explore the area for the day. Before we knew it, we were getting a tour of their plane. It was beautiful. The cockpit was outfitted with all the latest technology, including GPS units on each yoke. There were back-ups for back-up instruments and flight controls. I’m sure Michael could tell you more details. The cabin had many comfy chairs, a desk area for a computer and printer hook-up. It even had a full galley kitchen including a convection oven, running sink, refrigerator, and just about anything you’d find at home. I believe they said they could fit 15 golf bags in the baggage compartment. They wanted to check out our fine aircraft, the Cirrus SR-20 with the glass cockpit so we were happy to share our plane with them. They were headed to Ellington the next day and invited us and anyone at the flight school to see their plane. We completed our long cross-country at least an hour later than we were supposed to, but it was worth it, even though we didn’t get to eat lunch in Lufkin. They were very generous and even started up the plane the next day when a few people get to take the tour. I’m sure it was a great chance for the CFI’s to do some networking – you never know who knows who or what kind of connections they might have.

Solo!

Last Wednesday, my instructor & I practiced takeoffs and landings at Galveston in preparation for my initial solo. We returned to Galveston Thursday afternoon and I completed four takeoffs and landings (to a full stop) with him in the plane. He told me to drop him off in front of the tower. I turned off the engine, and then he got out. It was exciting to be the sole occupant in the cockpit. I restarted the engine, followed all the checklists, and talked to ground to taxi. As I taxied away, Michael climbed up to the tower where he watched my flight, and I could hardly believe the time had finally come.

Galveston ground gave me instructions to taxi to runway 13. As I sat at the hold short line, I switched over to tower and began going through my line up checklist, I couldn’t keep my excitement inside. I started talking out loud. I am a person who prays so I began talking to God. Once cleared for takeoff, I continued my checklist: time off – 1:05, mixture – full rich, external lights – as required (all lights on), flight director – not needed, heading/runway alignment – checked, checklist – complete. Rolling down the runway: 50% power – engine instruments in the green, airspeed alive, 100% power, 65-70 kias pull back gently & rotate! I climbed, flaps up above 85 kias & 200 AGL completing my climb checklist and making sure I had the correct pitch & bank during my turnout. I made my midfield radio call and continued with my traffic pattern checklist. I added flaps, reduced airspeed, turned base, added more flaps and turned final, and continued my descent. I kept my airspeed up and made the best landing I had made in awhile! I seemed to have had so much more time without Michael in the plane with me. I made a complete stop, taxied back, and did it two more times. This was exhilarating! Finally, when friends & family ask if I’ve completed my solo, I can finally say “Yes I have!”

TRACON Tour

One of our instructors set up a tour for us at TRACON. This is the facility we talk to when we contact Air Traffic Control (ATC). As soon as we walked in we met the supervisor. Once he found out we flew Cirrus planes out of Ellington, he asked who was at Beaumont that morning asking to hold at fixes he had never heard of. Turns out he was talking to my check pilot (& former ground school instructor), Amanda, and me on my stage check. Houston TRACON is located at the George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport. We all had to be cleared through security before entering the parking lot and were given visitors badges after we signed in at the front desk. I was lucky enough to be in the first group that went back.

We started at the data position – where all the flights are typed into the program. All the necessary information is entered here for the controller which shows up on their computer screen, next to the blip representing each plane. This position also informs the controllers of any weather situations in the area. There was only one person at this position when we visited, but there can be up to three working at that desk. Next, we went to the main controller who overlooks all flights in the area. He/She is in a supervisor position, with weather and radar available to them on different computers. Each controller covers a certain area or certain types of flights. For example, when we fly out of Ellington, we talk to Houston Center on 134.45. As I fly to Beaumont, they hand me off to another controller for Beaumont’s airspace. These controllers sit right next to each other and know what’s going on before you talk to them.

The tour was very informative and they gave us some useful advice – I’m sure you’ve heard the same from your instructor in regards to talking to ATC. Keep your message short and to the point, and make sure you wait for the radio to be clear before you transmit. If you ever get the chance to visit, I’d highly recommend it.

Simulator

My instructors highly suggested getting a flight simulator program for your home computer. You can find them on the web or buy them in the store. I tried downloading one but my computer was too slow to support it. I never bought one either, but looking back, it could have saved me time and money. There’s really no way to tell – and as the saying goes, hind sight is 20/20. Michael Curie, my current instructor, told me this helped with his training. The program has most airports and approaches loaded into the system, so he was able to fly his approach for his next lesson the night before he went on his flight. There is a good chance it could help you with your flying. Michael suggests getting the joystick, others say it’s not necessary. What do you think? Have you used a simulator during training? Please leave a comment & tell us if you think using a simulator has helped you. Do you have topics you have questions about? Ask me here or email me at jessicacooper@dcamail.net.

Social activities

In an attempt to encourage camaraderie, DCA Houston has begun hosting monthly cookouts paired with an activity. Last month we went to Great Fun – a venue that has many activities such as pool tables, bowling, & arcade games just to name a few. It’s similar to Dave & Buster’s or Jillian’s. They plan to continue the cookouts at DCA and outings at various places. We’re going bowling after our next monthly meeting and we’ve talked about paintball, laser tag, and other possibilities. This allows us to meet the new students and hopefully helps them feel welcome. As mentioned in an earlier post, it's a great idea to learn by teaching others, and this is a great way for everyone to meet. This will only work if the instructors and students who have been around a while talk it up and everyone makes it a priority to attend. Also, remember that networking is very important in our field. Assuming we’re planning to complete the entire program at DCA, we’ll be working together in a year or so, and building relationships is important!

Some learn best by teaching others

Have you ever heard anyone say “You learn best by teaching”? I believe it. A few of my instructors made this comment it seems to work for me. I tend to retain and understand concepts more when I have to explain them in detail to someone else. Helping other students understand various concepts may help you in this way. At first it may seem like a waste of time, reviewing concepts you’ve already been tested on, but when you have to explain something in a different way because a student doesn’t understand it, you may gain more from the experience. I’ve found quickly in aviation that I can’t afford to “dump” past information. In college, I only had to know enough to pass the final, after that, I didn’t have to remember it anymore. Not so with flying. Every stage check includes information I learned on my first day of ground school and throughout my training. In my past blogs, I’ve written about different ways to study, but this may be the best. By helping others we help ourselves. It doesn’t matter what lesson or rating you are working on, there are some areas we all need to know throughout our flying career.