PPL Lesson 4 – Power – Attitude – Trim – PAT
Exercises 7 & 8 – Climbs and Descents
Following on from lesson 3
I came into this lesson confident and happy. Things were progressing, especially as I have only had 3 lessons and my FI is telling me he is happy with the progress. So on to climbing and descending today. I have been reading up on the lesson beforehand from my Pooley’s manuals and its paying dividends, as I am able to answer questions in the pre-flight briefing.
Pre-Flight
Once again I do the full exterior pre-flight check list and climb aboard to perform the internal checks. I have now, not exactly mastered, the art of getting into the cockpit. This includes being able to find my lap belt & clasp and reach behind and grab the cross belt, good eh ! okay okay maybe not.
TAXI !
Pre-flight done and my FI decides its time I taxi out the aircraft !
So, right hand on the throttle, left hand on the column and both feet planted on the rudder peddles, heels to the floor. I Increase the power just a little to get the momentum going and once moving, I drop the power a little and then test the brakes. “brakes Paul…BRAKES!” came the call from my FI as I tried to reach the brake peddles. Too late, my FI beat me to it, not a great start !
I should point out here how the brakes peddles are set up on aircraft. You do not have 4 separate peddles, 2x rudder and 2x brakes. You have 2 peddles and at the very top of them you have toe brake peddles. Normally you will have your heels on the floor, and can only reach the toe brakes by sliding your feet up the peddle. Then, pressing with your toes the brakes are applied and unless you deliberately do so, it should stop you applying rudder at the same time. Unless of course you are me, where you manage to apply left brake and right rudder !
Now it does not sound like much, but this was a major brain overload. Concentrating on getting the power right (don’t forget the right rudder requirement for power) , speed, ensuring no one else is around to run over, or aircraft to hit, I then also have this alien concept of now having to slide my feet up the peddles to apply brakes with my toes !
Runaway Trolley
Not giving up, my FI instructs me to continue with the taxi to the holding point. Today we have an Easterly wind, which means we need to use runway 10. As Conington only has one runway and no parallel taxiway, we need to taxi up the runway to the other end, or track back as it’s also known.
Clearance obtained, my FI instructs me to once again apply power, get movement, reduce the power and turn onto the runway. Well the turn may be a little tricky first time out, but taxi down the runway.. in a straight line.. pfftt how easy is that gunna be? WRONG ! I was weaving all over the place, it must have looked like a runaway shopping trolley to any observers. What had happened is simple, I was sat too far away from the peddles and was over reaching when applying the necessary rudder. Once we got to the other end and stopped for pre take off power checks, I adjusted my seat so that I was closer to the peddles. This though in turn, brought my knees up and are getting very close to interfering with full left and right column movements.
Power checks done I am instructed to taxi onto the runway again and line up for take off. It didn’t go great, but we got there in the end.
First Take Off
“smoothly increase power Paul and don’t forget, use your rudder to steer the aircraft”, was the instruction. So once again, right hand on the throttle, left on the column and both feet, heels to floor, on the rudder peddles. Power increasing in stages and not smooth, aircraft starts going left due to propwash on the tail! “right rudder Paul, don’t forget your right rudder” came the call in my headset from my FI. I bang on a bucket full of right rudder and the aircraft swerves to the right, “not too much rudder Paul and get that power lever to full”! Right rudder eased, power to full, of which brought in another punch of wash, and the aircraft goes left.
It was a disaster and my FI took over and finished the take off. “good effort for a first time Paul”. I know damn well my FI was just keeping my confidence up with the comments, even I know that was not good at all!
Steer with your feet ?
This rudder lark is really getting to me and is confusing my brain. I have been driving a car now for close on 30 years, my brain knows that when I want to turn left or right, it moves the corresponding arm and steers the car. So when I’m sat in the aircraft and I need to go left or right a little I am turning the damn column ! This does nothing for steering, it is not connected to the front wheel ! I am now having to re-teach my brain not just to turn with my feet, but to totally ignore it’s instinct to use my hands !
PAT
Once up, we set about the exercises for today, climbs and descents.
So, for climbs you always use full power, That’s the P. Then you adjust your attitude and allow the nose of the aircraft to rise and so begin to climb, that’s the A. Finally, Trim off the pressure you are applying to the column to stop the nose continuing to rise and keep a good 80 knot climb, there’s your T. PAT.
So, remember PAT for when you wish to climb, Power-Attitude-Trim.
APT
At around 50 feet to your target height you start to level off, so that’s Attitude. With the engine at full throttle and level flight you are going to speed up pretty quickly. Once you reach your desired speed you adjust your Power, and then you Trim the aircraft for level flight, APT.
I feel I got on well in this lesson and soon got the hang of PAT & APT, this allowed me to relax. So much so, that for the first time I actually had the chance to look out of the side window and watch the world go by, this is great! To confirm my own thoughts on the lesson, my FI also comments on how well it was going and how all the previous exercises were starting to come together. I was enjoying it so much and just going along with my FI’s instructions, that before I knew it, he was requesting 2 stages of flaps, a right turn. The result was pointing down the runway centerline, we were lined up for landing!
Unlike last week when he asked me if I wanted to have a go at landing and I declined, this time there was no asking, I was doing ! My FI instructed me down to about 50 feet where he took over and finished it off. Maybe it was the thought of my fantastic rudder action and steering that prompted his actions, and I don’t blame him one bit!
So, exercises 7 & 8 complete and a very happy chap I am. Today has been a great day and I’m feeling a lot more confident in my surroundings. Due to holidays it’s going to be two weeks before the next lesson, exercise 9 and turns, looking forward to it !
This Lesson
10-06-15 : PA28-161 : G-BOZI : PUT : Conington to Conington : 10:55 : 11:55 : 1.0
Total time : 3 hours 45 mins