The end of our staffed flying season at Harris Hill is the last week in October, so we're done for the season now, unless you make special arrangements to fly. We'll have one more weekend to fly (our Snowbird contest on Thanksgiving weekend) but that will be it.
I passed on the opportunity to fly at the very end because I hadn't flown since the second week of September and I feel strongly that you need to fly regularly to be proficient. So, while I could have squeaked in something at the end, the flying wasn't good soaring and I hadn't flown in 6 weeks. I need to fly regularly.
Did I accomplish my goals this year? I wanted to be more proficient at flying the ASK-21 and I wanted to fly some cross-country. I wish I could say I felt more proficient in the 21, but while I'm more *experienced* I still don't feel more proficient.
I struggled all year to put the aircraft on the ground the way I wanted to. I was generally able to land it on the spot I picked, but I was either faster than I wanted to be, or slower than I was comfortable with. My rear seat performance on the BFR was dismal for takeoff and I was disappointed with my failure to react quickly and correct sufficiently. That's a trait I've worked on to break all along and yet it pops up time and again. Last year I felt like I was on top of it. This year, not so much.
I also didn't fly any cross country at all. The weather was either crummy when I was available or I couldn't hook up with an instructor. Not to mention I find my technique embarrassing and don't want the upper echelon of the club to know how badly I fly.
Did I get better at thermalling? Yes, I got better. Did I thermal satisfactorily? No. I continue to have trouble reading and centering thermals, although I'm better at it than I was. Compared to my technique last year, I have improved. Compared to other peer pilots I've flown with, I need more improvement.
I flew more in the early part of the year than later. I knew that for a month period between mid-September and mid-October I would not fly due to other commitments. I hadn't anticipated that the weather in the last two weekends would be crummy anyhow.
So, the season ends with a whimper and only slow progress on my flying goals. Next year, the logical thing to do would be to get my commercial glider pilot rating so I can fly passenger rides. Although I'm hard on myself about my flying skills, it's more about assessing my skills and working on improving areas that need sharpening up. I certainly don't have any compunctions about flying friends and family around as passengers and taking a member of the general public up for a ride isn't the same thing as developing soaring skills for cross country flight. I'm a conservative pilot when I fly personally and I'm more conservative when I have a passenger with me.
I'll decide whether or not to cross that bridge next Spring when the flying season is closer. There's a lot of preparation and analysis I need to do before taking that step. It's expensive to take the flight test, it's expensive to take the written test, and I need to gear up for doing that.
In the meantime, our club President has asked if I would volunteer to be the contest manager for our Snowbird contest. I have tentatively said yes, but told him I have no idea what I need to do to prepare for the contest and will need help. We meet on Monday, so I'll find out what's in store for me then.
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