Author: avtomaton
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Emergency Landings and Partial Panel Simulations
This morning visibility was terrible. It was so bad that I almost lost hope of flying today, but in the afternoon, it improved, and the weather became flyable. Let’s go! Today we’re moving on to circuits, but sometimes the instructor sets the power to idle and says, “emergency landing.” He usually does this when I…
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Taking Flight: Exploring the Different Approaches of Flight Instructors
Today, I would like to share my personal opinion on flight instructors. When I started my PPL training, the training base was just established and did not have permanent staff, so I flew with different instructors. Firstly, I want to discuss some aspects that I knew in theory but did not always follow in practice,…
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Weathering the Skies: A Welcome Change from Bumpy Rides
When I used to fly short cross-countries, it was a bumpy ride. After takeoff, I would climb through a rollercoaster of turbulence, turn to the desired course, and try to maintain straight and level flight while constantly adjusting the trim and RPM. Suddenly, the VSI would show +5, so I would correct and trim, only…
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Finding the Silver Lining: Perfect Weather for Practice Landings
Today, the weather is gloomy with wet, cold, and misty precipitation. In fact, it even snowed yesterday! The heavy gray clouds create a dark and dull atmosphere. However, there is an advantage: there is absolutely no wind. The ceiling is higher than pattern altitude, making it the perfect weather for practicing landings. I am starting…
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EASA PPL Written Exams Reflection: Areas for Improvement
Today, I took a written test. Actually there were multiple exams covering nine subjects. I couldn’t help but remember my student years when I used to stay up all night before an exam, trying to fill every gap in my knowledge. Generally, I am a passionate learner, especially if I find the subject interesting. That’s…
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Working on Emergency Landings – Pushing Psychological Barriers
The weather isn’t too calm today, but it’s not too turbulent either. So, we are practicing emergency landings. It’s a strange feeling when the airplane suddenly turns into a glider. I don’t have strong skills yet in estimating suitable field parameters such as height, size, and distance. In theory, it’s straightforward, but in practice, I…
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Improving Landings and Navigational Skills
Today, I flew with another instructor who gave me a simple yet insightful tip that I had not thought of before: during landing, I should not only look straight ahead, but also slightly to the left. This helps me to better estimate my height above the ground and ultimately results in a better flare. During…
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Flying Touch-and-Goes: My First Steps to Mastering Landings
We have started practicing touch-and-goes, where the airplane touches down and immediately takes off again without stopping. This helps to make landing practice quicker, as we save time by avoiding full stops and taxiing back to the runway. Luckily, I can fly circuits at my home aerodrome without having to pay landing fees, which is…
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Navigating the Beauty and Danger of Clouds
Today’s flight was especially beautiful. Previously, the sky was clear with no clouds in sight. On a sunny day, everything appears blue and homogeneous. However, today is totally different; one can see clouds of various sizes and shapes. Initially, it can be a little bit scary, as these cute, fluffy, and innocuous things are very…