Thirsty Posted December 16, 2010 Author Share Posted December 16, 2010 Yeah they are surprisingly roomy inside. Everyone who flies them at the school I'm going to loves them as they have a pretty good power to weight ratio and they cruise pretty fast. Plus they're very cheap to buy now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thirsty Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 It's been a while since I updated this thread. I got my pilot cert today! Took about 16 hours (though I wasn't in any huge rush!). So I'm now able to take my family/friends for some flying. Got to get my navs done now though 'cause I'm flying to Temora in April so have to get a wiggle on :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxy Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 congrats on the cert, thirsty!!! Glad that you decided to stick with it, even though u had the bumpy beginning!! Good luck with the navs! liz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnarly Gnu Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Congrats Thirsty, well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winsor68 Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Good work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thirsty Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 Thanks guys. Good idea on the theory side of the nav stuff too Rod. I'm starting to read the books now and should start navs next weekend weather permitting. I'm really looking forward to that part of the experience as I never did navs when I did my PPL (I have what was known then as a RPPL - I can fly but not navigate!). I'll post back here once I have something to say :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hildy Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Congrats! I too have temora in my eyes, and another three weeks off work (interspaced with three weeks at work). I flew ten hours last week. Hopefully I will see you there! I was convinced into learning in an LSA55 on the "if you can fly one, you can fly anything" basis, but I can't make her do anything nasty in the stall - it took some serious cross-coordination to make her go anything like pearshaped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thirsty Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 Funny you shoulds say that. One of our LSA's stalls beautifully doing it "properly" with a wing drop and a pronounced nose drop as well. The other one won't stall at all - well it just mushes along without doing anything nasty. They are really benign and not scary at all. I also have heard the line about being able to fly anything if you can fly one of these. That's good to know but other planes must be really boring to fly :) I'm quite liking the LSA now. I'll be flying to Temora in a 160 Hildy, what'll you be in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boleropilot Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Well Done Thirsty !!! Congratulations m8. btw, Anthony (Ant's Airplanes) is working on a Drifter for FSX. it's in beta testing (ima helpin out, seeing it's My Drifter he's reproducing) and it is just Brilliant. oh and he's done Roadvale too, where i keep 455, and that is a class act too. watch his website for the release date. cheers for now BP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 You probably won't have any problems, Thirsty. The control effectiveness drops off rapidly when you get slow, so don't get slow. Overcontrolling is bad and don't cross controls or you cancel some of the control out. Keep the weight off the nosewheel also. Nev. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deskpilot Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Thirsty, if you want to practice stalls, do it with power on. That way you will get the wing drop. Just make sure you've got height to begin with. Like you said, with no power, and properly trimmed, the LSA just mushes down. All aircraft are different in their performance, even within the same type. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfGnome Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 As of this morning, I've decided that you can't generalise about models (well, Der! took me a while ). I've been alternating between a J160 and an LSA-55 and found the LSA to be a fairly sweet little thing, but this morning I took out a different one and it was a pain in the backside to fly. So, when someone tells you that one model is better than another, ask 'em which particular plane they're talking about... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hildy Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Funny you shoulds say that. One of our LSA's stalls beautifully doing it "properly" with a wing drop and a pronounced nose drop as well. The other one won't stall at all - well it just mushes along without doing anything nasty. They are really benign and not scary at all.I also have heard the line about being able to fly anything if you can fly one of these. That's good to know but other planes must be really boring to fly :) I'm quite liking the LSA now. I'll be flying to Temora in a 160 Hildy, what'll you be in? I''ll be flying in anything I can rent for a weekend! yeah, the one I flew was very mushy. i will go and get GA aerobatic training in due course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boleropilot Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 hey Gnome i agree with you totally re. two aircraft of the same make being different to fly i learned to fly at a school that had two Drifters, one i loved, the other i hated! go figure... bp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thirsty Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 Our LSA's are the same. One flies really nicely while one of the others is a little "heavy". I'm going to transition into the 160 next week so we'll see how that goes. I've had a go from the right seat and it feels quite nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnarly Gnu Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Have fun! Does RPA have a J160 now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thirsty Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 No it's cross hired. I know the owner quite well and will be going to Temora with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazza 38 Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Aircraft Rigging, can mean the difference between a Nice aeroplane and a Dog. Doesnt take much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hildy Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 engine changes things too. tried a different LSA55, climbs like a spanked monkey. 1000fpm. much more aggressive torque roll - might be rigging, but needed constant left aileron and rudder. how do I avoid panicking on the glide approach? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly_tornado Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 just try to not panic, just keep flying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Hildy.. get to bed earlier. What are you doing up at that late hour? Aeroplanes glide OK. They only make those funny noises and fall down in films.. Nev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfGnome Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Yep, Hildy. Same plane that I was talking about. As for the glide approaches, I'll bet that most of your approaches are already 'glide'. How much do you fiddle with the power? Probably not much if at all. The best landings come from a nice clean set-up in the first place. The only difference with a glide approach is that you're missing your security blanket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hildy Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I don't fiddle with the power at all, nor do I normally cut power in the middle of turning from crosswind to downwind and try to do a U turn back to the strip. so it became short final while facing the wrong direction with no power to get me out of trouble. perhaps I should do the base leg without flaps. it would give me more practice and confidence with the glide approach. (currently applying flaps and reduced power at the start of the turn base; if I reduced power further and did final basically without power using the flaps to adjust drag...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfGnome Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Whatever your instructor says, Hildy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deskpilot Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 engine changes things too. tried a different LSA55, climbs like a spanked monkey. 1000fpm. much more aggressive torque roll - might be rigging, but needed constant left aileron and rudder. how do I avoid panicking on the glide approach? For a start, leave those flaps alone. Make sure you know you're going to reach the strip before you apply the 'airbakes'. I had a genuine engine out (carbie ice and a flat battery combo) and by leaving the flaps up, just got over the fence, rather fast, but I made a safe landing. Had I pulled the flaps earlier, it would have been an out-landing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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