PPL Lesson 1 – Controls
PPL Exercise 4 – The Controls
Well today is the day, my first PPL Pilot lesson!
With a lesson booked in for 10.30, I arose at 08:00 and got myself together over a cup of coffee. Whilst doing so, I have and another quick scan of the Pooley’s manual; ‘Flying Training’. Not knowing what I may need for each lesson, I have packed my flight bag with everything I own !
With a journey time of 35-45 minutes to the airfield, I leave at approx 09:15. I want to be extra early should there be additional paper work to be done and for me to get used to being in the club house. After a leisurely drive I pull into the car park at 10am, keeping the nerves in check, I grab my kit and make my way into the club house. I purchase a coffee and take a seat where shortly afterwards my Flight Instructor(FI) greats me. He takes me through to the briefing room where we go through some of the basics of flight before heading out to the aircraft. I ask if there is somewhere I can leave my flight bag, as it weighs the equivalent of a small child now that I have crammed it with every bit of kit I own. My FI tells me to bring it all for each lesson as we may need it if the weather turns bad. If we cannot go up, we can do some ground school instead. I remove my glasses and headset from the flight bag and we make our way out onto the apron. This is it !
Getting ready to go
PPL Exercise 4 (Controls) has a number of subsections, teaching and showing the effect of each of the flight controls. Before we can get started there a number of preliminary checks to perform. My FI runs through the external pre-flight checks with me including checking for signs of damage or wear and the fuel for any water contamination. “take note Paul” he says, “you will be doing this yourself after a couple of lessons” .
The Cockpit
Next job, getting into the aircraft. Now at this point I would like to inform you, had you not already read elsewhere, that I am not exactly the smallest person at 6ft and 250lb. I had picked the PA-28 for that very reason, so that I could get in it and even squeeze a couple of others in too.
I undo the latches, open the door and peer inside… how the *@$£ am I supposed to get in here ! It would also help to point out to you that the PA-28 only has one door and that one door is not the pilots ! You also access it from above as you are standing on the wing.
So I’m staring into the cockpit trying to figure out the best way to get in. First I try and crawl in, no good and I ungainly crawl back out, backwards! “you may want to try sitting in the passenger seat first and then shuffle over Paul” came the comment from my FI who was stood watching this all unfold. He was right, of course, I half stepped in and sat down in the right hand seat. I then shuffled my backside across whilst trying to navigate the flap selection lever with my legs.
I do my best to get comfortable and adjust my seat, I then get my headset out and plug it in and then despatch the case onto the back seat. I cannot place it there, to do so would result in my FI receiving a backhand smash, once you are both both seated, it really is elbows to your sides.
Pre-Flight Checks
So I’m sitting kind of comfortable, but the seat back will not adjust any further than I would like. I feel as though I am reclining and struggling to see the the engine cowl out front. My FI runs through the check list and I follow along. This is where my flight simulator practice for familiarisation with the cockpit & mock check list procedure comes in very handy and I manage to point out the controls as we go along.
“CLEAR PROP !” shouts the FI and I turn the key and the engine fires into life.
everything becomes smooth again, we are in the air !
Take off
The FI increases the engine RPM and we start to roll then to an abrupt stop! “just testing the brakes” says the FI and we continue on our way to the runway holding point. This is where yet more pre-flight checks are carried out and the engine tested. Engine checks done, the FI calls for take-off clearance and is given the green light. We roll onto the runway and line up with the centre line, a quick glance over the instruments and the FI gradually increases the throttle to full. We start to increase speed and the engine is really roaring now and the undercarriage is banging as it hits each of the joints in the concrete runway. As a spectator on this take off, I watch the instruments and check for positive speed increase and all temps and pressures (T’s & P’s) are in the green. We soon hit take-off speed and the column is brought backwards, the nose of the aircraft starts to rise, the undercarriage become a little softer until all of a sudden they stop and everything becomes smooth again. We are airborne !
The control surfaces
We climb out over the A1 towards Corby and approx 2000 ft before levelling off. The main aim of today’s lesson is to get used to the affects of each of the control surfaces; aileron-elevator-rudder & flaps. So we embark on a number of slight turns. I start the process of trying to teach my muscles that when I turn right or left using the column, I also need to apply the appropriate amount of rudder with my feet. Now this may sound easy, what’s so hard about pressing a peddle when you turn? Well I’ll tell you shall I… Your concentration is so high on the actual turning of the column and keeping the correct bank angle, that your brain decides it’s not interested in telling your feet to press the damn peddles! You really have to consciously tell your foot to move. This takes the brains focus off the bank angle and then that suffers! This is the start of a completely new muscle memory training regime, just as you did when you first started to learn how to drive a car. Only now you don’t even think about all the movements required to change gear, you just do it. This is the stage I need to reach to free up some brain matter and focus on new aspects of the training.
Home time already !
With some gentle turns out of the way, we go through a few slight descents and climbs. I feel the effects on the aircraft when the airspeed changes and flaps are selected. Before I know it, we are back over the airfield and the FI has us ready to land. With a light touch on the column, I follow the movements made. Multiple slight adjustments are made for the wind and keeping it all lined up with the numbers on the runway. Flaps to full, power backed off and a 75 knot descent brings us over the numbers. My FI pulls back on the column and with a slight float we touch down. We taxi back to the apron and the post-flight checks are carried out and the engine is turned off.
I manage to make a not so elegant exit from the aircraft and we make our way back to the club house. I pay for my lesson and my FI assists me in filling out my Flight log book.
My first ever PPL entry..
07-05-15 : PA28-161 : G-BOZI : PUT : Conington to Conington : 11:00 : 11:50 : 0.50
My first PPL lesson is complete, 50 minutes in and the start of a long and interesting journey has begun.