Tony

both way traffic I did not realize the wind was so strong so I was both too low and too short in spite of having the right air speed about to turn in the final today. My response was to add up more power, but the Instructor PREVENTED me to do so THREE TIMES (!) just to make me see the tree tops in real and "teach me" a lesson. Thanks. Then he called for more power, shouting 'Put the power back, put the power back, more power please !' In 4000RPM glide and about to run out off options I knew, I had the Thruster T500 still stabilized in nice 50 Kt/4000RPM I said 'You have it !', and removed my feet....he surely did put the power right on and turned in the final that magician. So dear Instructors...if you are the nuts I am the son of a bitch !!....go for your life. Believe me, I am a nice guy and I try to please him always, it was a good lesson today anyway. He WAS right I WAS wrong, and he prevented me to add up power in order to demonstrate my approach was initiated from an incorrect way point, because had the engine failed I was too far away to glide in. This is very alarming recreational activity, I guess it keeps me young. Regardless of the difficulties I hope I grow old - that's the idea.

Well said !!!

The safest aircraft is only that one which belongs to an instructor old enough to represent Him ! Nominally, unsafe aircrafts are not in the schools, they are already grounded. First, take a choice between the tail-dragger (traditional) undercarriage or the (modern) nose wheel one. This is an important step in your training. In my case my choice was Thruster T500 (Gemini) tail-dragger. If you can fly this bitch you can fly anything between a barn door and B 747. As a student you rely on your instructor, the aircraft is secondary. The best instructor and the worse aircraft on training is your shot for the future.

mirrors Spitfire had a mirror covering 'six' on defence. With our slow a/c some side 'canard' mirror can cover bottom/top. Also a little window in the floor cannot hurt.

I cannot imagine an Instructor NOT WATCHING ! So radio/comms is the problem ?

I can comment this way. Checking the plane will never hurt at all, but I believe it is the ground speed and the pilot input to be put in question. If one goes fast enough the pedals are steering the 172R just fine. On the take off very little pedal is needed, but it IS still needed. When on ground the un-experienced pilots and this includes me will find the nose wheel of 172R suddenly sluggish in turns on ground below the fair pacing speed if a rather sharp turn is needed on the ground. In contrast to the traditional undercaridge like T500 Thruster I am flying at the moment - this one WILL SWING FOR SURE !! For the 172R a burp of gentle power and a few taps on the top part of the pedal while you are actually holding IN FULLY and steady the bottom part of the pedal with your heel should do the move. The quick tap on brake will set turning inertia to work for you, but would/should not slow the plane much. It appears to me if you hold the top part of the pedal too long with the bottom part as well as you are actually overcontroling the whole thing and in particular the top part of the pedal if you put the pressure there for too long. It is only normal you are too careful thus going a bit below the required speed and power as a student. It could be your instructor letting you to explore and think about something on your own....... My instructor, representing Him said to me: Pedals are everything and the speed is the God ! Hope this helps, now I can taxi over a narrow bridge up and down, or on un-even terrain and surfaces and slopes. Do practice the pedals on ground, put more than few minutes on it, a student with 20 hours should have at least 1 hour on ground practice I believe.

Learning on T500, 21 hours. After performing take off and climbing to some certain point it is apparent to us the prospect of landing on the remaining runway straight ahead has no chance at that certain point - the turning point. Therefore we turn away into the Circuit. We initiate the turn BEFORE the EFATO, NOT AFTER, OK !? We stay in the Circuit untill we get to 1000', thus TURNING around is increasing our good chances, then we leave our circuit and we look for a turf farm.:) We stay away from Tiger countries, Bagdad and other bad places if we can.:pig: One more again - no turn back for me ! For a miracle turn I need power - I don't have it. With or WITHOUT power I must always fly the Thruster T500 at constant 50 Kts on that or any 'final' - no more, no less IAS. Spending the remaining airplane energy on any type of turn back downwind will cause I WILL be too low and I will not make the distance. (In my dreams: If I only have the power for the last 10 seconds BEFORE the EFATO, I double chandelle past the 'turning point'. Or, a spare engine working for just 20 seconds after the EFATO, I double chandelle past the 'turning point'. Instead of a ballistic parachute I need a kind of auxiliary rocket, hey, would it not be a good idea ?)

"........One guy took off with 10 kts down >wind climbed to about 150 ft, , power off steep turn 360 dg and landed down >wind " I'd like to see that, engine failure ?:)

I am 100% fluent in Czech language. Just in case you need something. The buggers up there do pretty good iron works, but would not learn English seriously.:clown:

I wish I knew what the Indicated Airspeed should be compare to what it was.

It could be actually older than 582 blue top, this engine has 2 carbies with one steel 'wet' filter. Each carbie sits in an inlet rubber ring mounting bolted to the body of the engine by two bolts. See if you can find a crack or 'better' a hole in the top arc of the rubber mountings.

comments please Thank you for posting this one. This is a 'classic' nightmare to see in real. I would like to read a comment from experienced pilots about this one. I fly Thruster T500, 17 hours so far.

Your brain will be re-programmed Disperse, therefore after a flight do not climb a ladder to clean you roof and gutters. Believe me.

Introductory Nev 25, Introductory 1/2 hour flights are around $40 mark and you be given opportunity to grab the controls. Why not to try both places for 2 x $40 and make your mind later. (Incidentally, I have only 14 hours on Thruster and I know now I be never regretting it - it is said the first 8 maiden hours will decide your style for life)

Thanks Mike, Good to read it. So far I have only 14 hours on Thruster T500, so it is all in front of me. One thing is still missing in my circuits - the ROUNDING of this taildragger in my final steep approach at 50 Kts. I can fly it just fine to the point of rounding and there my instructor takes over. To narrow the question: WHEN to start rounding and how while doing a steep approach. My instructor encourages me to take over at the and of skimming after he touches down, so I am not missing that taildragger speed fun on ground, I actually do enjoy it. But that rounding and consequent skimming is still missing in my inputs. Tony

I think Mr. John S. Denken is an american and a scientist. To me he is referring to a normal ball. What I found PARTICULARY important in this example is if my FOOT SLIPS I am in danger to go into a spiral dive after that 'snap roll'.

By John S. Denken This is what I found very illustrative and important: ".......One fine spring day I was instructing a student who had about 5 hours experience. This was her first lesson in SLOW flight, but she was doing really well: she was maintaining the assigned altitude, the assigned heading, and the assigned airspeed (a couple of knots above the stalling speed). She was also doing a good job of keeping the inclinometer ball in the center, which required considerable pressure on the right rudder pedal because of the high power and low airspeed. I was really enjoying the flight, but suddenly I developed a feeling that there was something wrong. Gradually it dawned on me what the problem was. The problem was that the airplane was upside down. Here’s what had happened: her right foot had gotten tired, so she JUST REMOVED it from the pedal — all at once. This produced a sudden yaw to the left. Naturally the left wing dropped, so she applied full right aileron. The nose was dropping, too, so she pulled back sharply on the yoke. The next thing anybody knew, we were upside down. I took the controls and rolled the plane right-side-up. (See section 16.21 for more about this.) We lost about 500 feet of altitude during the maneuver. The student asked “What was THAT?” and I said “That was a pretty nice snap roll”. This is indeed the recipe for a snap roll: starting from a speed slightly above the stall, apply a sudden yaw with the rudder, apply opposite aileron, and pull back on the yoke. SNAP! — One wing stalls and the plane rolls over. In our case, we didn’t roll exactly 180 degrees — “only” about 135 degrees — but that’s upside down enough for most people. It took a fraction of a second......." Good reading, hey....?

A sniffy...., but seriously every pre-flight takes me at least 30 min.

Good start I am going to be a pet Thruster 87. I do pick up every bolt, nut, washer, spring and bits and pieces I can find on the ground around before the hangar is open in the morning.

Thanks ! I am learning on T500. Thanks for the warning. I do daily, the hardest part for me as the student is to learn where to look for. Thanks again !

Alex, I am just a beginner. With your 90 hours and 2 hours on DC3 (wow !) you should have enough experience to set some magic number in dollars e.g. $ 40000.00 more or less for your future aeroplane purchase. If you go GA then a Cesna would cost you Min. $ 40000.00 PLUS $ 10000.00 for your GA licence, but if one goes just RA, than my magic number seems to be under $ 40000.00 OVER ALL for everything including a cost of a very nice Lightwing. Tony

Hi All, So far I can do only take-offs after 8 hours, but learning well at the beatiful Lockyer Valley west of Brisbane.