Out and Back to Amarillo + Double Turn

Yesterday I got a call around noon saying that my flight we'd be flying my event in an aircraft we had to pick up in Amarillo, so we had to leave early to pick it up. We sat in the back all the way up to Amarillo with a gas stop in Ft Worth at AFW. My buddy flew his event, but we were running short on time when I got in the seat and we'd had an issue with the pressurization system, so the IP just called me incomplete, but still had me shoot a GPS approach so I could knock that out.

Today I double turned the last two flights of the block. I flew down to the valley after a couple of GCA approaches (ASR, PAR) and then flew back.

Check ride tomorrow.

ILS to Mins!

Yesterday we flew down to the Valley. I flew one approach there - radar vectors to an ILS final which went ok, except for the fact that my IP took out the glideslope, so I had to transition to the LOC, but he also took out the heading indications, so I only had the course indicator. I'd never done that before. It felt really weird. We flew back to the local area and I shot a TACAN approach at International. We didn't break out of the weather at all on that one. In addition to the actual instrument conditions, all of these approaches were at night. The effect of flying over an oil refinery at night is an eerie glow from the lights on the oil towers lighting up the low-lying clouds. It gives the cockpit a very strange glow. Anyway, we didn't break out, so we continued on back to the homefield and shot an ILS. We planned on a PAR following, but the aircraft in front of us barely made it out of the weather, so we elected to make it a full stop. We finally broke out at around 250 feet. The minimums for the approach are 200 feet. It was a great experience for me, because I've never flown an approach to mins like that. Good training. The weather looks similar tonight.

Full Saturday

Yesterday's sim went just ok. It would have been good, but I lost SA doing a fix-to-fix and my copilot turned the wrong direction to start an approach. It's still totally my fault, because I was the pilot, as it should be. I let him do it, and didn't have enough presence of mind to correct it. Besides that episode, the approaches and events went well. I only have an EP sim and a low-level sim to finish before I'm UPT sim-complete.

Right before the sim last night, I got a call telling me to be ready to go for an out-and-back this morning at 9:15. I ended up going, so I showed up and briefed the first two flights. We ended up going to Houston. I shot a couple approaches on the way up at Palacious. It was a good intro to the block. I didn't screw up anything too major, besides getting a little slow single-engine on a couple approaches. We stopped to get gas and food at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport, one of Houston's GA airports. I got a shirt for $1 and my meal cost the same. I like this job.

Hopefully next weekend I will be on cross-country. I have the mid-stage instrument check on Thursday.

Just a few more sims

Yesterday's sim was a tough one for me. I didn't fly (sim?) very well, but today made up for it. I maintained the final courses well, never busted the minimum altitudes, and completed the emergency checklists. I was a little fast on final, but there's always something to work on, and you'd rather be fast than slow, especially single engine. Hopefully tomorrow goes the same way. I'm planning another TACAN approach, and ILS, and a PAR. We'll see if they give me a partial panel PAR. Partial panel is where you lose your attitude indicator, so you only know you're straight and level based on the turn needle. I figured it would be smart to get some practice in the sim, because we'll have to do it in the aircraft.

More sims

Yesterday I had my first instrument sim with EPs. I got a simulated fire on the right engine half while proceeding direct to a GPS approach fix for my second approach. I dealt with the simulated emergency and flew the approach single-engine then went missed approach and flew the last approach single engine as well. You can't use rudder trim on final, which is a big deal if you only have one engine, because you get a bit of a workout counteracting the yaw with manual rudder pressure. My sim instructor was one of the cranky old guys, but I managed to keep him happy and not make him mad, so it wasn't bad. More of the same in a few hours.

Yesterday I flew down to the valley and did a few localizers and a localizer back course along with a TACAN circling approach and an NDB. The NDB approach was no fun. The needle swings back and forth, and you just have to sort of pick the approximate course you're going to fly. We ate more Mexican food and I flew a few more approaches on the way back. I finished with a visual back into the airfield. That was only the second time I'd ever done that. The first was in the T-6 at Lubbock Intl. Easy, but new.

Today I flew with an instructor who actually had high expectations. It just revealed the fact that I have to look out for myself and push myself, because the quality and expectations of the instructors varies. I learned a lot, but it was a little unnerving to feel behind when every other ride in the block I got good vibes from the instructors. The flight wasn't so hot. I overflew a holding fix and didn't even realize it for a whole minute. Thankfully, the IP gave me another shot.

I'm tired. Good thing it's the weekend.

Going North

Yesterday I spent another six hours in the plane, four of those as the observer. We flew out to Victoria (KVCT) with a couple approaches on the way. I flew back, with approaches at Beeville (KBEA), Corpus International (CRP), and an airport called, I kid you not, Bubba Thomas (KT69) near Sinton. They were all GPS approaches and I flew them all safely, but the vectors between Sinton and CRP were really short and I got way behind. We were doing the approach checklist on final! I don't really know how I could have been faster, but I guess it will come with more reps. My IP said it was really just a planning issue, and he planned the flight, so I guess there's not much I could have done differently. It was nice to be flying around sunset, especially with a cloud layer beneath us. I got more actual instrument time. Victoria's not a bad little airport. They have a long runway, which explains the three T-38's we saw from Laughlin that were taxiing out when we landed. The FBO gave us $3 meal tickets to a local place. I got a burger. It was good quality too. Not a bad day.

Today we had our final IFR flight planning test. I missed a few questions, most of which I thought were pretty tricky, but I don't care. I passed. Tomorrow we'll probably head down south for some localizer and backcourse approaches.

First RI

RI's are Radio Instrument flights. They're just instrument flights, but that's what they're called down here. I had my first one today. There were two other students on the flight with me, so it was a long day. We started in the local area to knock out my approaches, an ILS, a VOR/DME at CRP, and two radar approaches at Kingsville NAS. One of the other guys got in the seat and flew down to McAllen on the Mexican border where we ate lunch. We then flew back and landed. We were done by about 3pm. I got up at 3:30am for the 5am brief. Very early day. My earliest in a very long time!

My flight went ok for the first instrument ride. The weather was actually IMC, so it was cool to get some actual instrument time. My first transition to land was kind of questionable. I made a really steep descent when I probably should have just gone missed approach. I flew the PAR really well. I intend to continue that trend. Tomorrow will be more instrument approaches.

A break from sims

Yesterday I doubled up on sims again, with one in the afternoon and one in the evening. They both went better than Wednesday with no major issues. I shot my first TACAN approach in the sim, which is really the same as a VOR/DME approach. The T-6 didn't have a TACAN, so the T-44 will be my intro to TACAN. Nothing cosmic about it though. I also shot my first NDB approach in the same sim, for the same reason - the T-6 was not equipped to utilize an NDB. That's a little trickier, because you're just using the needle and RMI card for navigation. There's no CDI to mark your course and tell you exactly how far off you are, you have to pay attention to the needles and make the adjustments in your head. Just takes a little more focus.

My sim profile was actually pretty diverse. It had a HI-TACAN, VOR/DME procedure turn, and a GPS approach. The transit time between approaches gave me plenty of time to get everything done before shooting the approach. So much so that our instructor was commenting on how bored he was in the back, especially in contrast with my acting copilot, who'd just done a jam packed profile with barely 5 minutes between his 3 approaches.

Today was a flight planning review for a test we'll have on Wednesday, so I got a welcome break from sims.

Long day

To clarify, this was a long day compared to the days I have recently had since beginning Navy pilot training.

I had to do two instrument sims today. Where previously I have had the best instructors, today I got those that were less so. On top of that, I screwed up a number of things that were pretty elementary, some of them as copilot which reflects very badly upon the current pilot flying. It's making mistakes and having them end up on someone else's gradesheet. Not a good feeling.

I flew an ILS, a PAR, and an ASR in the first sim, which were fairly solid, but my ILS, localizer, and localizer back course approaches in the second sim were sub par - lots of S-turning and chasing the CDI. Ugly.

One of those days. Tomorrow is new.

GPS Approaches

Today's sim consisted of flying three consecutive GPS approaches. It went well. I like my gradesheet to say things like "No major problems of note" and "This was a nice event." These instrument sims are actually a two-man event, since the pilot is expected to fully utilize the copilot. It makes things a whole lot easier, especially when coupled with the autopilot/flight director. Tomorrow we'll continue with radar approaches and a couple of other types of approaches.

GPS, Autopilot, and Flight Director Fam

Another slew of instrument sims awaits, but today I finished the first block. I had met the requirements for the block, so my instructor spent the time teaching me how to use the flight director, the GPS, and the autopilot systems. Really weird having an autopilot system, but cool nonetheless. It can hold an altitude or an airspeed in the vertical plane, and either follow a course from a NAVAID or fly a given heading in the lateral plane. It can't control the throttles at all. I'm comfortable with that. Hopefully that knowledge, especially about the GPS, will help me in the upcoming sims.

Basic Instrument Sims

My basic instrument sims have been going well. They really make you work on precise aircraft control, specific descent rates, standard rate turns, extensive turn patterns, etc. It's really good practice for aircraft control and good stick and rudder skills. We've also been practice a typical single engine radar approach which is also really good EP practice. Should be flying again by next week. This week will be more instrument sims, but we'll start doing actual approaches.

More Night Flying

Tonight we flew more or less the same profile we've been flying for the past couple night flights: an instrument approach followed by night pattern work. I actually got to fly the ILS at the home field with a little coaching from the IP. He gave me a torque setting and I just held the glideslope indicator steady. It was great weather, so I could see the runway, which always helps, but it was still good just to fly an instrument approach after such a long hiatus from instrument flying. The last instrument flight I had was sometime back in June of last year. The pattern work went well and I got to fly a few patterns at International. I really enjoyed just taking in the lights and the night flying environment as I sat in the back while my wingman took his turn flying. Looking forward to instruments!

Flying at Night

Monday was supposed to be my second night contact flight, but we were canceled for lack of aircraft. I flew that event yesterday night instead. We did a visual approach over at International and then did the pattern work at the aux field. It reaffirmed how I like flying at night. The air is calmer, less aircraft are up, and the lights and the stars make everything a little mystical. It's nice. One more night contact, then off to a slew of instrument sims.