First commercial passenger

Yesterday I was at Harris Hill and the scheduled commercial pilot was a no-show.  The clouds were only about 1,200 feet so the only flying going on was training.  Short hops up, then back for landing.  There was little wind, but with the deck so low it wasn't suitable for passenger rides.

After noon, to the east a big hole opened up and the promised clearing began in earnest.  At about that time we had several inquiries about passenger rides.  I agreed to take one -my first commercial passenger.  There wasn't too much lift but we found some zero sink and I managed to extend the ride for a little bit, then turned into the pattern to land.

Everything went smoothly and as he was getting out of the glider, he exclaimed, "Wow!  That was incredible!"  I thought so, too.  I thanked him for flying with us and pushed the glider back into line.

I Learned About Soaring from That

This post could probably be sub-titled "How to (almost) land out without even trying."

Last Friday, in preparation for my commercial glider checkride, I decided to take the afternoon off and fly some spot landings to convince myself yet again that I know how to fly and calm my apprehensiveness.

When I got to Harris Hill, the place was a beehive of activity.  The soaring forecast was not just good, it was GREAT.  One of our members remarked that it was the best soaring day of the season.  I grabbed the last ASK-21 available, put a battery in it so I could monitor what everyone else was doing and took off.

I could hear that most of my fellow pilots were up between 7,000 and 8,000 and lift was everywhere.  The thermals were closely spaced, nicely marked by cumulus clouds, there was little wind to tilt them over and they were reasonably strong.  Buoyed by all the good reports of lift, I got off tow a few hundred feet lower than normal as we passed through a 4 knot thermal.

A 'blue hole' was over Harris Hill.  This is fairly common at our field when the wind blows cool air off of Seneca lake to the Southwest.  The cooler air dries up the clouds and can kill the thermals in the hole.  I'd gotten off tow at the edge of the hole and circled up to about 4,500 when the thermal petered out.  I decided to move away from the hole to the southwest where some cumulus clouds looked promising.

I kept finding lift, but only of the 2 knot variety.  I was able to stay at about 4,500 feet but couldn't seem to connect with thermals that would take you to 7 and 8,000 feet where everyone else was.  I continued to move from cloud to cloud trying to find better lift to get higher.

Eventually, I wasn't even finding 2 knot lift.  At 3,900 feet I thought I'd try one more cloud before turning back to the airport as I was getting pretty far away.  That cloud didn't work out and I turned back to the airport.  It looked pretty far away and I considered that the little itch in my head that told me to go back at the last cloud would have been a really good idea.

As I headed back, I saw why the thermals were dying.  The blue hole had shifted to the Southwest -my direction, and was killing the lift.  I would have to cross the blue hole to get back to Harris Hill.

At this point, aside from being deeply disappointed with allowing myself to get this low this far away from the airport, I considered my options.  I could head North and get out over the Chemung valley and probably land out in a field down there.  I could head West, even farther away and look for more thermals.  There were lots of fields to land in, if necessary.  Or, I could head back to Harris Hill and most likely land somewhere in between.

Looking back towards Harris Hill, I could see at least 5 fields that were grass covered and easy to land in.  I figured I'd head back, not expecting to find any lift, and likely land in one of those fields.  If I was lucky, I could make it to the valley and easily glide to our emergency landing field in the valley.

I headed back and, as I expected, didn't find lift.  However, there were periods of zero sink.  I slowed up during those times and sped up to best L/D speed when I wasn't in it.  Fortunately, there wasn't a lot of sink.  I eventually found a small 2 knot thermal.  I circled tightly, perhaps 50 degrees of bank (great practice for my upcoming flight check!) and managed to gain a few hundred feet.  But it wasn't a very high thermal and I still didn't have enough to get back to Harris Hill.  Reluctantly, I left it as it died and headed East again.

Fortunately, that thermal gave me the altitude I needed to get to the monastery which is on the edge of the hill overlooking the valley with our emergency landing field and, although I was too low to get to Harris Hill, I knew I could glide to the field, or if things were not going well, I could land in the field in the monastery.

As I passed over the chapel, I caught some lift near the edge of the dropoff to the valley.  I was perhaps 500 feet above the high ground and did a circle.  The thermal was small and I banked over, determined not to lose contact with this one and managed to gain a few hundred feet.  While circling, I heard someone on the radio remarking that one of our gliders (me) was way low and asking who it was.  All this time, everyone else had been up at 8,000 feet while I was struggling for altitude!

Remembering Kai's guide to off field landings, I turned the radio off.  It was distracting and I needed all the concentration I could muster.  After a few minutes, I'd climbed to 2,700 feet but the thermal dissipated and I was left with 3-400 fpm of sink.  It was time to cross the valley and land out.

I expected no lift over the valley -usually that is the case as the cooler air and crop cover tends to make the valley and unusual place to find lift.  However, the day was warm and you never know, so I headed across the valley towards the hang glider jumpoff on the Harris Hill ridge.  Still too low to make the field, I had at least accomplished making the emergency field.  

I lost less altitude then I expected crossing the valley due to mostly zero sink and I arrived at our ridge with 2,100 feet of altitude.  I had enough to check the knob where the hang gliders launch and while there was a burble of lift, it wasn't something you could circle in.  I sighed and went through my pre-landing checklist, extending the spoilers to check them.  I sidle along the ridge, still above it in zero sink when it happened.

Whoosh!  I stumbled into a 2 knot thermal.  I immediately circled and gained 50 feet.  Continuing, I managed to center the lift and get 2 knots steady all the way around the circle.  Pretty soon, I saw 2,300 feet on the altimeter, then 2,400, then the magic 2,500 which is our normal approach to landing altitude!  I was now in easy gliding distance of the airport and just like that, I was NOT going to land out!

I decided I'd had enough drama and excitement for the day and left the thermal and headed in the direction of our landing pattern.  Would you know it?  I stumbled into a 4 knot thermal.  I couldn't pass it up, so I circled and the thermal strengthened to 6 knots.  In a matter of minutes I was passing through 4,000 feet and climbing.  The thermal was getting wider and smoother, settling down to a steady 4 knots and I rode it all the way up to 5,000 then 6,000, then 7,000 then 8,000 feet!  I topped out at 8,200 feet -FINALLY up at altitude with the rest of the gang.

I continued the flight for another 2-1/2 hours, never getting lower than 7,500 feet, finally landing with 3 hours and 19 minutes on the clock, the longest flight for me so far and the highest I've ever gone - 8,400 feet.

After I landed, I considered what I had learned.  

1.  I learned that I was able to formulate and execute a plan when I needed to.  I knew I was pretty far away from Harris Hill and the main mistake I made was leaving a perfectly good thermal to try and find a better one, all the while moving a little farther away.  There's nothing really wrong with that and there wouldn't have been anything wrong with landing out, but to be safe, I should have made a *conscious* decision to turn back or try another cloud with the possibility of landing out.  

2.  I did not compromise the safety of flight.  There are plenty of options for landing in fields in the area I was in, so the safety of the flight was not in question.  However, I will revise my aeronautical decision making to highlight when I am making a decision that includes the possibility of not returning to the field.  I want that to be a very specific 'go/no-go' decision.  In this case, I made it more casually than I should have because I believed the lift on this day was good (which it was) and would continue (which it eventually did).  

3.  I saved the flight because I was lucky, not skilled.  Let's be perfectly frank - I didn't land out because I got lucky.  

4.  I capitalized on opportunities in a safe manner.  I made good safety decisions when faced with the prospect of landing out.  When I stopped to circle in lift, I made sure I had a plan if it turned into sink.  I put myself in a position to take advantage of the lift when it showed up and I thermalled the glider like never before to center the lift and climb away when I needed to.

This was my best soaring flight ever.  I had lows and I had highs.  I probably learned more about soaring from this one flight than any books could have ever taught me.  That's what I love about soaring - it's a continuous challenge and you can always do better.

Commercial Success!

I passed my commercial glider pilot checkride today.

This was my goal at the beginning of the season and here I am with it all achieved!  What a great feeling - and what a weight off of my chest.

I let myself get all wound up for the ride and as my instructor said, "bad rehearsal, great performance!"  It all started with a less than stellar performance a few days prior to the checkride.  I simply performed poorly - much more poorly than I usually do, starting with the takeoff and tow to altitude.  Granted, it was quite gusty and we were getting pulled around quite a bit but still, it was not a great start.

As we started in our base leg, the wind had really picked up and I realized we were dropping like a stone.  I abandoned the base and aimed for the runway, accelerating to get closer before we lost too much altitude. The wind gradient made for moderate turbulence on final with loss of airspeed, gain of airspeed, crosswind, you name it.  I managed to get us down in one piece and without damaging the glider, but my confidence was shaken.  It was too rough to fly after that, so we rescheduled for the next day.

After a rather sleepless night, the next day's tasks went fairly well with one major issue - being able to rollout to stop inside a designated 100 foot box.  The solution was relatively minor, I needed to let the glider get a little bit lower on final.  I was simply carrying too much energy into the landing in the form of altitude.  My instructor reluctantly signed me off and I stuck around to do some touch and goes with some friends from the field - including Bryan, who was also going for his commercial checkride the same day.  We flew until we could nail the spot consistently.

When the big day came, Bryan went first and, as I was certain he would, nailed the ride and passed easily.  Then it was my turn.  First we did about 1.5 hours of oral question and answer, followed by 3 flights.  The examiner, Jim Rizzo, was really, really, good about getting me to relax and being very conversational.  We went over the weight and balance I prepared, a cross country I built in advance, the weather and so on.  By the time we were ready to fly, I felt pretty good.

The flights went pretty uneventfully.  I made several lame attempts to thermal and after the second landing, I caught my foot on the side of the glider and fell out onto the grass.  I asked if that amounted to points deducted and he laughed.

We did one really cool combination of maneuvers.  He asked for a steep turn in one direction, and after I went around once, he asked me to roll into a steep turn the other direction, then at the completion of that turn, to pull up into a turning stall.  That was pretty neat.  I'd always practiced them as separate maneuvers without linking them, but this was both more challenging and more interesting.

I did well at keeping my airspeeds right, I think I did average at coordinated flight, and after our third landing, we went inside and he filled out my temporary flight certificate for commercial glider pilot.

I worked really hard for this.  I wasn't afraid I would fail because I didn't know how to do the things I was supposed to do.  Rather, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to demonstrate them to the examiner.  In the end, I was able to do that and I've got another level of certification for my continuing journey in soaring.

I owe thanks to many people for getting me this far, particularly my instructor, Ron Ogden.  He takes all kinds of personal time to come out and train us for flight and gets nothing back for it.  Thanks, Ron!

Into the breach

Well, it's been a whirlwind since I passed my commercial written exam.

I contacted the examiner and he told me he has an opening next Sunday.  Like....6 days from now.  Gulp.

I took it.  But I also synched up with Bryan Reigal, one of my fellow prospective commercial pilots.  We're both scheduled for Sunday with the examiner and we're both pretty nervous about it.  Like, that sort of butterfly in your stomach-a little nauseous feeling you have when you're about to do something like bungee jump.

But it's now or never.  There's no question I know how to fly, I'm already a pilot.  I've knocked the rust off of my skills by flying as much as I can lately and I've been practicing to the Practical Test Standards that are published by the FAA.  I'll go flying tomorrow afternoon with my instructor and we'll practice for the test.

I *know* I can do it.  The real question is whether I manage to demonstrate that on the day of the test.  We'll see.  Until then, I am on pins and needles studying, prepping, and worrying.

Oh yeah, the weather Sunday is calling for a South wind of about 9 knots, which can cause all kinds of issues like extended takeoff roll, less effective ailerons as you take off with a tail wind and big sink on final approach.  In my note to the examiner I mentioned that if it was a strong wind I might need to reschedule.

More likely, what will happen is it will be *kind* of strong, making the decision gut-wrenching.

I'll post on my progress with my instructor later this week.

Phew! That was crummy.

Well, the good news is that I passed my commercial glider pilot written exam!  That's one major paperwork detail that had to be taken care of before I could progress to setting a date for my flight exam.

To get your commercial glider pilot's license, you have to pass two tests.  One is a written knowledge test that is proctored by an FAA authorized testing facility.  They're dead serious about it, too.  I've seen less security at an airport checkpoint than at the test facility.  The 100 question test has about 90 questions that don't seem to have much to do with flying a glider in a commercial setting safely but nevertheless it is required.  So, I studied for it and now I have passed it.

Next up is to set a date for my commercial flight check.  You have to have an oral question and answer session with a designated examiner from the FAA and then take several flights with him/her to get their endorsement for your commercial rating.  That's the test that makes the most sense to me.  I'd rather go through an exhaustive Q&A in person than a computerized test that seems designed to trip me up than test my knowledge.

My focus now is to fly with Ron Ogden, my instructor, to brush up on my flight maneuvers, emergency procedures, etc. and get ready for that in-person test with the examiner.

I've been using the Practical Test Standard guide from the FAA lately and trying to fly all my maneuvers in accordance with that guide.  Earlier this week I flew at minimum controllable speed for about 30 minutes in ridge lift, practicing my turns to the left and right without stalling.  I've practiced a few stalls, done some steep turns, and I've also been letting my son sit in the front of the glider while flying it from the back.  It's actually kind of fun to fly from back there.  Definitely more room in the back.

Amazingly, now I'm almost (almost) looking forward to the check ride.  I got some practice flying a passenger last week when one of our club members had a relative visiting and he asked me if I'd take her for a ride as he was busy doing his flying duty.  I had a chance to preview my technique giving a ride to a stranger and I had a good time doing it!

I'll continue studying for the oral test but there's no reason except for the examiner's schedule, that I can't get my rating by the end of July as long as I demonstrate that I know what I'm doing.

Pulling the trigger

I've set a date to take my commercial pilot written exam.  It's two days from now.

I'm really nervous about it because although I've been studying a lot for it, I keep getting high 70's on my practice exams.  It's not that I don't know the material, I do.  It's just that they way they phrase the questions makes me get them wrong -even when I know the right answer.

Anyhow, I'm not improving on my scores so I'm going to resign myself to getting a crummy score and get it over with.  The only thing I DON'T want to happen is to get less than a 70 on it.  The test costs $150 to take and I'd have to deal with the examiner to explain why I failed it.

Funny thing is that I'm pretty good at the oral questions.  I sat down with my flight instructor and he was satisfied that I knew the basic information necessary to pass the oral exam with the designated examiner.  It's different when they ask you the questions because you can ask for clarification or demonstrate that you know the answer by explaining the details around the question.  Even if you get it wrong, it's not usually totally wrong.

I could also rail on about how the questions on the written exam ought to be aimed at making sure the applicant knows how to keep the airplane right side up rather than a lot of stuff you'll never need to know that is competing with space in your head for the stuff you actually need to know.

Okay, one example I'll give you is there are several questions about how to fly a course with an NDB (Non-directional beacon) instrument.  The last time I saw an NDB was when I took instrument training for my private pilot license.  Why in the world I would need to know what heading to turn to to intercept the NDB at a 30 degree angle give my magnetic heading is beyond me.  You don't even fly that way.  First, you match your magnetic heading to the NDB heading, then you make the 30 degree course correction.  Done.  Not to mention there is something called VOR and GPS.

To be fair, you might find yourself in a motorglider trying to fly a course.  Okay, but how about a VOR question, then?  Even the VOR questions use an RMI (Radio Magnetic Indicator) as the display instrument.  I've never actually seen an RMI although I suppose they're out there somewhere.  It just doesn't add up.

But it doesn't matter.  I have to take and pass the written to get my commercial license and that is the end of that.  So, Friday I'll find out if I passed or should have taken longer to study for it.

Kevin flies

My youngest son has become interested in glider flying.  He's just joined our junior program and has taken instruction in 8 or so flights so far.

Kevin's first flight lesson

I haven't either encouraged or discouraged him to fly.  Becoming a pilot is a lengthy and challenging process.  It requires persistence and will to make it from student pilot to licensed private pilot.  You have to not only learn how to fly, you have to pass your written test and a flight test with a designated examiner.  In short, to be a pilot, you really need to WANT to be a pilot.

No amount of encouragement will make someone who doesn't want to become a pilot suddenly love it.  For that reason, while I've encouraged him to fly with me from time to time, I haven't done anything beyond explain how the program works.  I did have him accompany me to our winter ground school this year but that was more to expose him to the book work that is involved and to let him see how much you have to know to become a pilot.

Last year when I flew with him, he liked it but would get dizzy when we circled in a thermal.  This year, he doesn't have nearly the problem with it he used to.  I think he was a bit frightened during the flights and that made him feel poorly because now that he's the one doing the flying, he has gained a lot more confidence.  When you learn how it is done, you become familiar with it and usually less afraid.

Yesterday he begged me to go to Harris Hill to get some instruction.  I obliged and Tim Welles flew three flights instructing him on the basics.  Everything seems to be going well and he's learning how to fly behind the tow plane, how to set up for the landing and they even got some thermalling in.  When he landed, he was pretty excited about managing to go higher than the tow plane took them.

I'm glad he understands my passion for flight and I'm hoping he'll stick with it and see his training through to his private pilot glider license.  That would make us a three generation aviation family!