Date & Time: Wednesday, 13th August, 1997, 18:30 CDT
Where: From SPX, local flight
Instruction: 1.1 hrs solo. Running logbook total: 45.3 hrs, 18.0 hrs solo
Aircraft: Beechcraft C23 Musketeer, N5977S

The steep turn reprise
   With doing all this cross country work, and being out of town last weekend, it was time to revisit steep turns. This time I'd try once and for all to sort out the left hand turns, on which I always lose altitude.
   I lost count of the number of steep turns I did. I started off with one each direction. The right hand one, as usual, went well. I never went further than 25 feet away from my intended altitude! I wish I could say the same about the left handers. Some were sort of OK, but I got royally hosed on a couple and decided to abort since I had lost too much altitude. Eventually I had them within PTS standards, but I'm still not wholly satisfied with the left hand steep turns. I did find a little extra power would help me out, but I would still lose 50 feet or so consistently. I want to try to nail this tendency, because nerves on the checkride will make that 50 into 100 quite easily if I'm not careful!
  After around 40 minutes of nothing but steep turns, I decided it was about time to do something else! I thought I'd try my other favorite manoever for altitude loss where it shouldn't happen - slow flight. I thought I'd do a quick stall first, and see how quickly I could recover. I did my clearing turn (this is important for any manoever which may involve altitude loss - I also do them for steep turns. It allows you to scan for traffic over a wide area), then performed an approach stall, with full flaps. You can really feel the stall coming in the Beech - as the nose rises higher and the speed bleeds off, the controls get very mushy. There is a slight buffet close to stall break, and you start to lose altitude in a nose-high attitude. Finally, the nose drops. I recovered in 150 feet, cleaned up the flaps and went on to do slow flight (another clearing turn first).
   You really have to remember pitch for airspeed, power for altitude in slow flight. Although in reality there is a complex interplay between pitch and power as to what the airplane actually does, breaking it up like this makes controlling the airplane easier, and that's what Lee has taught me. This evening, I did my best slow flight session so far - I remained within 25 feet of my target altitude, and within 5 MPH of my intended airspeed (the Beech is marked in MPH, not knots) at all times. The only time that altitude control became a bit of an issue? Left turns. I'm not sure why - everyone else seems to have trouble with right hand turns (check out Eric's student pilot journal, a link is on my main flying page to see what I mean. Many other pilots have told me I'm a bit odd to have it the other way round to everyone else!)
   After cleaning up and getting back to cruise, I started a descent to do an S-turn over a road since I had neglected this quite badly so far! Unfortunately, there wasn't enough wind to make it a challenge, but I could check out my altitude control. The verdict is that I need some more practise for ground reference manoevers - although they describe the right shape, once again, altitude gets me! I'm within the PTS standards, but I want to make sure I have a good margin before the checkride.
   The sun was now setting, so I went back to base. The wind had died right down, so I had no problems with the landing - it was a nice smooth touchdown on the centerline. I rolled on to the second runway exit (I never try to make the first in the Musketeer - the landing roll is longer than in the Cessna, and you need to brake harder to make the first exit, and I don't want to wear out the tires! It saves maintenance to just roll on to the second instead).

Conclusion.
   The verdict is... more practise needed on left hand steep turns and ground reference manoevers in the altitude department!
   The 172 came back on the line today, with a shiny new engine and the airframe waxed and washed. It was good to see it back on the line! Unfortunately, it's rather booked up still (it's the airplane of choice as the club's trainer - it's nice and stable to fly and has nice nav/com equipment). Hopefully I can get on the schedule to fly her again soon! I have, however, "clicked" really well with the Beech. Lee thought I would need 2 hours of checkout for it due to its different handling characteristics, especially at landing (and its tendency to bounce if you don't get the flare and approach speed right), but he was rather surprised when I greased them on from the first go (although my directional control was a bit iffy to start with!) I've been consistently landing this airplane well, so I think I'll probably do most of the rest of my training in the Beech as it will help other students get on with their training in the 172 (and I won't have to try and squeeze into the busy schedule!) The only thing with the Beech is that it has a tendency to wander off course very readily if you look down at your chart, wheras the 172 just keeps on going where you had it pointed.
   Well, I've just got one more solo cross country with the controlled field work, and a couple more hours of hood work, and the night cross country...and then the checkride will be coming!

What was learned.
   I think a little more power helps with the steep turns. Just a little - just enough to keep it at about 120 MIAS in cruise (VA on this airplane is 140 MIAS). Next time I practise manoevers, I'll try at a slightly higher power setting than I was using today, and I'll see if I can keep the altimiter bang on the intended number. (As Howard Fried points out in his book 'Eye of the Examiner', allow yourself no tolerance and the checkride will be so much easier).

Date & Time: Sunday, 17th August, 1997, 11:00 CDT
Where: From SPX -> BPT -> LCH -> SPX
Instruction: 2.9 hrs solo. Running logbook total: 48.2 hrs, 20.9 hrs solo
Aircraft: Beechcraft C23 Musketeer, N5977S

Time to be controlled again...
   It was time to get into those controlled airports again. I needed two more full-stop landings at controlled fields to satisfy those requirements, so I decided to stop at Beaumont/Port Arthur (Jefferson Co. - BPT) and Lake Charles (LCH), both tower-controlled airports. I had never been to BPT before. BPT and LCH are only 40 or so miles apart, both have Class D airspace and a TRSA which almost touch. This would give me plenty of hand-offs and frequency changes whilst I could still use the magic "student pilot" words, so the controllers would at least understand if I was a bit slow on the uptake...
   However, it wasn't at all bad. Approaching a controlled airport is easy - you just get in contact with approach and tell them where you are and what you're doing, and they may vector you (give you headings to fly), and then at some point you'll be handed off to the tower. Once on the ground, you may or may not be handed off to ground control depending on controller workload. Just follow the instructions, and say 'say again' if you didn't quite catch something (I had to a few times; whilst I was busily scribbling down a squawk code, I'd miss a frequency...) Lee told me to just remember they are there to help you, and the worst thing you can do is not talk to them! If you need any clarification, just ask (and remind them that you're a student pilot if necessary - I'm sure that information got lost on the way home, also Center seemed to have the idea that I was a Beech Baron at one point, but they did exactly as Lee had told me I should do - they were unsure of what I was so they talked to me and checked their information. I was handed off between a large number of controllers towards the end, so it's not that surprising that some information may get misread etc. during this process). It was a great day for this trip too - I climbed to 7,500 feet on the way out there above a "few" layer, and I could see for at least 20 miles. Navigation by pilotage was not a problem at all.
   I quickly visited the terminal when I got into Beaumont after a beatiful squeaker of a crosswind landing (and someone actually saw it for a change! Yes!). I got an update on the weather, visited the vending machines then continued my journey to Lake Charles.
   Departing is a little more involved, especially since I didn't know the airport well. Once again, just tell the controller this, and they'll give you directions. I got ATIS before I made my call to ground, and told ground control that I had information Papa. Once my run up was complete, ground had me switch to tower, and I was instructed to taxi onto runway 16 and hold in position (holding in position is just as it sounds - you roll onto the runway, and stop pointing down it, ready for takeoff, then wait for further instructions). A few seconds later, Tower cleared me for takeoff, and to turn to an on-course heading, advising me of a regional jet on a circling approach (caution wake turbulence). I had the jet in sight, and off I went. Once I was off and headed towards LCH, I was handed off to departure. It wasn't long before they handed me off to Lake Charles approach (the TRSAs almost touch for BPT and LCH).
   Approach told me to expect a right downwind for runway 23. This runway has been recently reopened (it was closed when I did my dual cross country to Lake Charles). I noted then that it had a right hand traffic pattern. I've never done one of those before - all of them had been left-hand! As the Beech is a low-wing, this made it easier since the wing never got in the way of my view of the runway. Approach vectored me around as I came in, then handed me off to LCH Tower, who immediately cleared me to land. That one went off well, too - on the centerline, but not quite as silky smooth as the last one.
   The journey home was going to be the best weather so far according to the briefer when I got my weather update. Skies were almost clear - just the odd small wisp of cumulus and nothing more. I got ATIS. It was just being updated as I listened...it suddenly changed from information Whiskey to X-Ray as I listened. The active had been changed to runway 15 as the wind direction had shifted to favor it more. Ground gave me the directions, and I rolled off and did my runup. Once again, I got hold-in-position instructions (this time waiting for a helicopter to fly away). After about 30 seconds wait, I was cleared for takeoff, and to turn to a heading of 160. Once I was off, I was handed off to departure and told to proceed on course. This is where the fun began! I headed out towards Sabine Pass, down Victor 70, and climbed up to 8,500 feet. The view was unrivalled. I could just make out Smith Point as I approached Sabine Pass, and Smith Point was almost 40 miles away at that time! I was handed off to Houston Center (who asked me to repeat my call sign - they had got 'November' instead of 'Niner' for 5977S. They also thought I was a Beech Baron! I gave them all my information to make sure that there really wasn't a Beech Baron out there with a similar callsign, and everyone updated, I contined on course. Nature's airconditioner (altitude) was working well, and although the sun was beating down on me, I had a supply of nice cool air. I was making good progress, too. The airspeed was showing 115 MIAS, and corrected for altitude and temperature, that was giving around 135 MTAS (118 knots). However, I was facing a direct 15 knot headwind, bringing my groundspeed down to 103 knots! As I approached the point where the intracoastal waterway widens out (around 25 NM from SPX), I was handed off to Houston Approach with a new squawk code. I began my descent at this point too, since I needed to get below Houston's class B airspace whose 4000 ft. deck starts at San Leon. Then Houston Approach handed me off to another frequency as I moved into another one of their sectors, and then a few minutes later, I was handed off again! On the way home I spoke to controllers on 7 different frequencies, and was assigned 3 squawk codes. That was good experience! Unfortunately, I had to decline a clearance into Houston's class B since I'm not signed off to fly in it (you need to be signed off whilst you're a student pilot for Class B airspace).
  Once I had SPX in sight, I told the controller, who told me to squawk VFR (1200) and go to the local frequency. I thanked him, and called up UNICOM to find out what was happening at SPX. It seemed a normal day - winds out of the south, landing and departing on 13. I made another good crosswind landing - I'm making a habit of this (hope I can do it on the checkride!), and rolled back up to the ramp. I noticed my water bottle (a soft plastic cycling water bottle) was still at 8,500 since it had collapsed a bit as the pressure had increased with my descent!

Conclusion.
   A little more practise with controlled environments are needed - especially techniques for getting everything down without having to ask 'say again'. However, I'm going to do my night cross country to Beaumont, so I'll get to do it all again before the checkride (I'll also be getting re-aquainted with the Cessna 172, which I haven't flown in around a month due to the maintenance that was needed).

What was learned.
   Keep talking to ATC... they are very helpful. I also tell them if I'm descending, deviating from my plan etc. when I've just got flight following - hopefully this is helpful to them. I'd like to visit a tower at some point and see what it's like up there, and get the controller's take on it.