Flight 97

6-20-00

C172

N07-local

1.3 solo; 6 landings


"short to & lndgs; wind calm; hot. Much improvement despite thin air"


SCT 3-4000 wind calm 85F



Well, I almost broke the promise made after my last flight; planned a trip instead of doing pattern work. But I was rained out-twice- and only marginally so the least time, to my chagrin. So I took a chance and scheduled  quick after-work flight to keep my hand in.

Got to the field on time and did a nice leisurely preflight. The vis is good, no wind to speak of, and plenty of daylight left. But it's hot, and the air is... dead. It's been a while since I've flown in these conditions, but I know what to expect.

First takeoff is fair, but I notice I'm not adding enough right rudder as I rotate, and actually wind up horsing it a bit with aileron. The 172 climbs reluctantly, but I find that without wind, everything goes much closer to the book values. This should prove an ideal opportunity for me to work on all the things I've been mumbling to myself on the drive over: "airspeed, trim, pitch, power setting, peripheral vision... trim!"

The first circuit starts well, although a hair too close on downwind. I add another item to my mantra:
"Landmarks!"

Been some time since I landed on 19 here, too, so I have to fish in my memory for the landmarks. Downwind leg is a little short, as I notice it's tough keeping her up once I reduce power... should've anticipated that. The old groundspeed/airspeed gap, always a problem in warm, still air, is back to haunt me. If I try to gauge my speed visually, I notice IAS is about 10 kts lower than desired. It's hard to relax and just let the nose drop for airspeed, even though I know I've got a healthy margin above stall.

Turn to final is imprecise but not bad. I'm just a shade too high on final- worried I'll sink too much. First touchdown is not bad- no bounce, but I fail to get stopped at the far threshold, and actually have to get off on the overrun zone. Hmmm.

It's busy here this evening; I find myself using very good taxi and radio technique, and take full advantage of the terrific new jughandle at the north end so I can keep an eye on the pattern instead of cluttering up the freq with inquiries.

2nd takeoff is smoother, but I'm still a little off-put by the weak performance. Man, there's just not much air here today. Not too hazy though- once on DW again, I can see the area quite well. With each circuit things get prettier, too, as the few clouds overhead take on color and the distant skyline of NYC begins to glow gold in the setting sun.

Next landing is a little rougher, but I do touch down sooner.

#3 is my first greaser in I don't know how long: that sweet double chirp, followed by a short, easy rollout, is  the tonic I've been hankering for, and it feels so damn good.

On 4th downwind, somebody calls a 45-degree  entry to downwind. I spy him about 1.5 mi away and call my midfield. Instead of circling back, he dives about 200 ft, passes right under me, and takes up an upwind on the west side of the field. Seems risky to me, but with the traffic I can't blame him for not wanting to circle back- a lot of flights arriving along the same path.

The last 2 landings are not perfect, but I manage to flare over the numbers both times and get off before the last taxiway.

I wish I could keep going until dark, but I have to get home to walk Peg, and there may well be someone waiting for 143. So I park it, tie down, pay up, and drive off with a strong feeling of accomplishment.

Despite the fairly imprecise final legs, I achieved my desired goal by the last two approaches: complete control of airspeed and altitude at the power-back point and transition to base. If I can just consistently stop turning base too early, I'll be really happy.