FlyingForFun
18th Aug 2003, 17:25
WARNING - Long post follows!!!!
Last Saturday morning saw me leaving the house extremely early. I didn't know how long the drive to Headcord would take, so I thought I'd better leave myself plenty of time. At least, that's what I told myself - the real reason I was leaving so early was because I was more than a little excited - I had two lessons booked in a Tiger Moth.
I arrived at the airfield well over an hour before I was due, and my initial delight at the news that the few low-level clouds would soon lift was turned to dismay when I saw the wind-sock - it was sticking out straight, and pointing directly across the runway. I had time to buy some breakfast whilst wondering what the cross-wind limits of the Tiger Moth are.
Breakfast finished, I headed over to the Tiger Club to introduce myself. The staff there seemed more optimistic than me about my flight. Although they won't let students take off or land in this type of cross-wind, it was well within the capabilities of more experienced Tiger pilots. Besides which, there is an unlicensed runway which was into wind, although it's too short to do touch+goes, and you have to fit in with the parachutists because it runs right through the middle of the drop-zone. So I would be flying, one way or the other!
Before long, I met my instructor, or "check pilot" as the Tiger Club insist on calling them. We chatted about flying for a while, mostly about Tiger Moths.
It wasn't too long until went to check out the aircraft and look over its (few) systems. One thing he pointed out to me was that the engine turns "backwards", meaning that rudder application when you add or remove power is the opposite to what you'd expect. He explained that, with power on, the rudder is very effective, so only a tiny amount of left rudder is needed at take-off power. But at idle, with no airflow over the rudder, it doesn't work quite so well, and I should expect to need a lot of right rudder during a glide descent, or on final approach. Other than that, the pre-flight checks are pretty standard; the only unusual thing which needed checking was the ingenious automatic carb-heat system (why don't other aircraft have a similar system?) and the interesting automatic slat system ("it reduces the stalling speed by about 2 knots, as if anyone really cares about 2 knots!" my instructor told me).
Pre-flight over, and it was nearly time to fly. But first of all, we had to sort the cushions out. It's important that you're seated so that you can just about see to the balance indicator underneath the cowling, but after swapping a couple of cushions around we had that sorted. Then I put on my helmet and goggles, and strapped myself in.
My next lesson was in starting the engine - although I was just a spectator this time around. Our assistant shouted instructions as he swung the prop, and my instructor followed them. Then our assistant ran off, and returned with a big stick. The impulse coupling on the magnetos had got stuck, and whacking it with a stick usually frees it. After the stick treatment, we could hear the impulse coupling clicking away, so that was fixed, but the engine still wouldn't fire. It was time for the fix-all technique for a warm engine which won't start. Prime it, suck in for 4 blades, and blow out for 12 blades. My instructor couldn't explain why this worked, but assured me it would - and he was right! Throttle set, mags on, swing the prop once more, and she burst into life. We were ready to go!
Every single thing needs to be re-learnt when you convert to a Tiger Moth. The next thing I had to learn was how to taxy. I was familiar with the technique of S-turns to see where you're going, but taxying an aircraft with no brakes was new to me. Keeping the speed down is obvious - but with the speed low, the rudder is not very effective. So the trick is to turn using full rudder, and very short bursts of power to get some air flowing over the rudder without letting the speed build. I soon got the hang of it, though, and before very long we were lining up.
Because of the cross-wind, the instructor did the take-off, and gave control to me as soon as we were off the ground. My first airborne challenge was to climb in a straight line. I found myself wandering off to the left, and continuously checking the balance indicator and adjusting the rudder pressure. But I managed to climb to a couple of thousand feet and level out, then had a go at some gentle turns. As expected, the nose was all over the sky as I got the hang of the amount of rudder needed. I realised I was spending a lot of time looking at the balance indicator - too much, in fact. Once I shifted my vision outside, it all became a lot easier. Not easy - just easier! But my instructor told me we were ready to do climbing turns (no problem) and then descending turns. I know I'd been warned about the amount of right rudder I'd need when I reduced the power, but it still took me a little bit by surprise! It's enough that, even using full left aileron, you still need to hold in a bit of right rudder to keep everything balanced!
Next on the agenda was steep turns. I let the instructor demonstrate the first one, expecting a 60-degree banked turn, but I was in a for a bit of a shock when we rolled over to 90 degrees! Considering the amount of bank, we didn't seem to be turning very much.... then the instructor pulled the stick back, and the G-force pushed me back into my seat as we began turning in earnest. "You use the elevator to turn, and it needs a bit of top rudder to keep the nose just above the horizon" he told me. Seems simple - my go next! Ok, not quite as simple as it seems. The problem was using controls for things that I don't normally use them for. When the nose started getting too high, I began to ease off the back-pressure, which didn't have much effect on the height of the nose but did stop the turn. I tried a couple more, both to the left and the right, and started to get the hang of it, but they would definitely need more practice.
Time was nearly up for the first session, and we headed back, making a note of all the local features that help in finding the airfield. I flew the circuit, but handed control to the instructor about 50' above the runway. He told me he'd demonstrate a wing-low 3-point landing, but all he actually managed to demonstrate was why you shouldn't do 3-point landings in strong cross-winds! But I wanted more!!!
I didn't have too long to wait before flying again, though - just enough time to get some lunch. Then I was introduced to another instructor, and we decided to use the second flight to do some stalling. This time, we took the into-wind runway in a gap between parachute drops, which meant I could do the take-off. No big surprises on the take-off - it comes off the ground quicker than I'd expected, which resulted in the instructor having to tell me to lift the tail before I was ready to do so, but we were airborne again, and heading for a clear area where we could stall safely.
The stall entry is completely standard (except for the huge amount of right rudder, of course). As I pulled back more, there was a very light buffet, then the nose dipped slightly below the horizon. I recovered, and told the instructor that it was pretty gentle. That didn't impress him at all, and he spent the next half hour demonstrating why it's not gentle. Well, I'm sorry, but the aircraft I fly most often at the moment will drop a wing as soon as you give it a half a chance in a fully developed stall - and compared to that, the Tiger Moth is more of a pussy cat than a tiger! Then, we stalled the aircraft, and attempted to use the ailerons. To the left first. As I moved the stick left, I was ready for my feet to respond to whatever the Tiger threw at me.... which turned out be... absolutely nothing at all! We didn't roll left. We didn't drop a wing, or fall from the sky, or roll right. Absolutely nothing happened at all. I wish my Europa was this well behave at the stall! Right aileron was even more of a surprise, because it actually rolled the aircraft to the right very slightly! Anyway, whatever controls inputs you try to make at the stall, if they don't have the desired effect, lowering the nose just a touch restores control again, so a stall is unlikely to cause any difficulties as long as you're alert and identify it as a stall before you hit the ground.
Time for my instructor to do another demo. This time, it was a spin. Again, very standard. The spin itself seemed more vertical than others I've done, but maybe that's just me, and there seemed to be a very small tendency for the roll rate to increase, but it was nothing extraordinary. I probably would have enjoyed it a little more if the instructor had actually told me what he was going to do, though!!!
Next, it was my turn. We climbed back up (not too high - it was getting cold above 3000') A spin to the left went very well, considering it was the first spin I'd done for around 18 months. I pulled a little too hard on the recovery, which resulted in more G than necessary, but otherwise it was good. Then one to the right, and this time I was concentrating on the elevators. Unfortunately, I forgot to think about the rudders, and as we exited the spin to the right we almost went into one to the left before I realised and recovered. A bit messy, but again not too bad considering how out of practice I was. And great fun!
All too soon, it was time to head back again... but the instructor suggested that, since it was too windy for me to land, we do a circuit and go-around before actually landing. I flew the circuit reasonably well, but overshot the turn to final a little. Lots of side-slip and we got close to the centre-line, but still off to the right. Over the numbers, start to round out, then I get the word to go around. Add power... WHAT THE F*!&????? We were heading way off to the right, straight towards an aircraft which was taxying to take off! Instructor grabbed the controls off me and sorted it out, as I realised that my instinctive reaction on going around is to add power and press the right rudder pedal. In the Tiger, you need left rudder! I didn't want to finish on a bad note, and asked to have another go before landing. My next circuit was better, we rounded out over the centre of the runway, and stayed there when I went around! One more circuit, and hand control to the instructor just before touching down for a very nice cross-wind wheel-landing.
So, did I enjoy it? ABSOLUTELY! I can understand why some people don't like the Tiger Moth. It really needs to be flown, especially when it comes to the rudders but also with all of the controls. Looking at the instruments doesn't give you the clues you need to be able to fly it accurately, as it does with other aircraft - the only way to fly this beast is to look outside and use the controls you need to in order to keep the nose where you want it. It takes a bit of getting used to, and needs constant attention even for straight+level flight, and that's probably why people don't like it, but to me it's part of the fun.
I hope to get back there soon to have a go at doing some touch+goes. If it wasn't for the cost (over 4 times the cost of my regular aircraft) I'd be back there next weekend. I doubt I can afford to become really proficient, but I'll certainly be looking to add it to the list of types I've soloed, and hopefully stay current enough to be able to fly in calm conditions, even if I never get good enough to be able to fly in the kind of winds we had on Saturday.
Definitely recommended if ever you get the chance!
FFF
---------------------
Last Saturday morning saw me leaving the house extremely early. I didn't know how long the drive to Headcord would take, so I thought I'd better leave myself plenty of time. At least, that's what I told myself - the real reason I was leaving so early was because I was more than a little excited - I had two lessons booked in a Tiger Moth.
I arrived at the airfield well over an hour before I was due, and my initial delight at the news that the few low-level clouds would soon lift was turned to dismay when I saw the wind-sock - it was sticking out straight, and pointing directly across the runway. I had time to buy some breakfast whilst wondering what the cross-wind limits of the Tiger Moth are.
Breakfast finished, I headed over to the Tiger Club to introduce myself. The staff there seemed more optimistic than me about my flight. Although they won't let students take off or land in this type of cross-wind, it was well within the capabilities of more experienced Tiger pilots. Besides which, there is an unlicensed runway which was into wind, although it's too short to do touch+goes, and you have to fit in with the parachutists because it runs right through the middle of the drop-zone. So I would be flying, one way or the other!
Before long, I met my instructor, or "check pilot" as the Tiger Club insist on calling them. We chatted about flying for a while, mostly about Tiger Moths.
It wasn't too long until went to check out the aircraft and look over its (few) systems. One thing he pointed out to me was that the engine turns "backwards", meaning that rudder application when you add or remove power is the opposite to what you'd expect. He explained that, with power on, the rudder is very effective, so only a tiny amount of left rudder is needed at take-off power. But at idle, with no airflow over the rudder, it doesn't work quite so well, and I should expect to need a lot of right rudder during a glide descent, or on final approach. Other than that, the pre-flight checks are pretty standard; the only unusual thing which needed checking was the ingenious automatic carb-heat system (why don't other aircraft have a similar system?) and the interesting automatic slat system ("it reduces the stalling speed by about 2 knots, as if anyone really cares about 2 knots!" my instructor told me).
Pre-flight over, and it was nearly time to fly. But first of all, we had to sort the cushions out. It's important that you're seated so that you can just about see to the balance indicator underneath the cowling, but after swapping a couple of cushions around we had that sorted. Then I put on my helmet and goggles, and strapped myself in.
My next lesson was in starting the engine - although I was just a spectator this time around. Our assistant shouted instructions as he swung the prop, and my instructor followed them. Then our assistant ran off, and returned with a big stick. The impulse coupling on the magnetos had got stuck, and whacking it with a stick usually frees it. After the stick treatment, we could hear the impulse coupling clicking away, so that was fixed, but the engine still wouldn't fire. It was time for the fix-all technique for a warm engine which won't start. Prime it, suck in for 4 blades, and blow out for 12 blades. My instructor couldn't explain why this worked, but assured me it would - and he was right! Throttle set, mags on, swing the prop once more, and she burst into life. We were ready to go!
Every single thing needs to be re-learnt when you convert to a Tiger Moth. The next thing I had to learn was how to taxy. I was familiar with the technique of S-turns to see where you're going, but taxying an aircraft with no brakes was new to me. Keeping the speed down is obvious - but with the speed low, the rudder is not very effective. So the trick is to turn using full rudder, and very short bursts of power to get some air flowing over the rudder without letting the speed build. I soon got the hang of it, though, and before very long we were lining up.
Because of the cross-wind, the instructor did the take-off, and gave control to me as soon as we were off the ground. My first airborne challenge was to climb in a straight line. I found myself wandering off to the left, and continuously checking the balance indicator and adjusting the rudder pressure. But I managed to climb to a couple of thousand feet and level out, then had a go at some gentle turns. As expected, the nose was all over the sky as I got the hang of the amount of rudder needed. I realised I was spending a lot of time looking at the balance indicator - too much, in fact. Once I shifted my vision outside, it all became a lot easier. Not easy - just easier! But my instructor told me we were ready to do climbing turns (no problem) and then descending turns. I know I'd been warned about the amount of right rudder I'd need when I reduced the power, but it still took me a little bit by surprise! It's enough that, even using full left aileron, you still need to hold in a bit of right rudder to keep everything balanced!
Next on the agenda was steep turns. I let the instructor demonstrate the first one, expecting a 60-degree banked turn, but I was in a for a bit of a shock when we rolled over to 90 degrees! Considering the amount of bank, we didn't seem to be turning very much.... then the instructor pulled the stick back, and the G-force pushed me back into my seat as we began turning in earnest. "You use the elevator to turn, and it needs a bit of top rudder to keep the nose just above the horizon" he told me. Seems simple - my go next! Ok, not quite as simple as it seems. The problem was using controls for things that I don't normally use them for. When the nose started getting too high, I began to ease off the back-pressure, which didn't have much effect on the height of the nose but did stop the turn. I tried a couple more, both to the left and the right, and started to get the hang of it, but they would definitely need more practice.
Time was nearly up for the first session, and we headed back, making a note of all the local features that help in finding the airfield. I flew the circuit, but handed control to the instructor about 50' above the runway. He told me he'd demonstrate a wing-low 3-point landing, but all he actually managed to demonstrate was why you shouldn't do 3-point landings in strong cross-winds! But I wanted more!!!
I didn't have too long to wait before flying again, though - just enough time to get some lunch. Then I was introduced to another instructor, and we decided to use the second flight to do some stalling. This time, we took the into-wind runway in a gap between parachute drops, which meant I could do the take-off. No big surprises on the take-off - it comes off the ground quicker than I'd expected, which resulted in the instructor having to tell me to lift the tail before I was ready to do so, but we were airborne again, and heading for a clear area where we could stall safely.
The stall entry is completely standard (except for the huge amount of right rudder, of course). As I pulled back more, there was a very light buffet, then the nose dipped slightly below the horizon. I recovered, and told the instructor that it was pretty gentle. That didn't impress him at all, and he spent the next half hour demonstrating why it's not gentle. Well, I'm sorry, but the aircraft I fly most often at the moment will drop a wing as soon as you give it a half a chance in a fully developed stall - and compared to that, the Tiger Moth is more of a pussy cat than a tiger! Then, we stalled the aircraft, and attempted to use the ailerons. To the left first. As I moved the stick left, I was ready for my feet to respond to whatever the Tiger threw at me.... which turned out be... absolutely nothing at all! We didn't roll left. We didn't drop a wing, or fall from the sky, or roll right. Absolutely nothing happened at all. I wish my Europa was this well behave at the stall! Right aileron was even more of a surprise, because it actually rolled the aircraft to the right very slightly! Anyway, whatever controls inputs you try to make at the stall, if they don't have the desired effect, lowering the nose just a touch restores control again, so a stall is unlikely to cause any difficulties as long as you're alert and identify it as a stall before you hit the ground.
Time for my instructor to do another demo. This time, it was a spin. Again, very standard. The spin itself seemed more vertical than others I've done, but maybe that's just me, and there seemed to be a very small tendency for the roll rate to increase, but it was nothing extraordinary. I probably would have enjoyed it a little more if the instructor had actually told me what he was going to do, though!!!
Next, it was my turn. We climbed back up (not too high - it was getting cold above 3000') A spin to the left went very well, considering it was the first spin I'd done for around 18 months. I pulled a little too hard on the recovery, which resulted in more G than necessary, but otherwise it was good. Then one to the right, and this time I was concentrating on the elevators. Unfortunately, I forgot to think about the rudders, and as we exited the spin to the right we almost went into one to the left before I realised and recovered. A bit messy, but again not too bad considering how out of practice I was. And great fun!
All too soon, it was time to head back again... but the instructor suggested that, since it was too windy for me to land, we do a circuit and go-around before actually landing. I flew the circuit reasonably well, but overshot the turn to final a little. Lots of side-slip and we got close to the centre-line, but still off to the right. Over the numbers, start to round out, then I get the word to go around. Add power... WHAT THE F*!&????? We were heading way off to the right, straight towards an aircraft which was taxying to take off! Instructor grabbed the controls off me and sorted it out, as I realised that my instinctive reaction on going around is to add power and press the right rudder pedal. In the Tiger, you need left rudder! I didn't want to finish on a bad note, and asked to have another go before landing. My next circuit was better, we rounded out over the centre of the runway, and stayed there when I went around! One more circuit, and hand control to the instructor just before touching down for a very nice cross-wind wheel-landing.
So, did I enjoy it? ABSOLUTELY! I can understand why some people don't like the Tiger Moth. It really needs to be flown, especially when it comes to the rudders but also with all of the controls. Looking at the instruments doesn't give you the clues you need to be able to fly it accurately, as it does with other aircraft - the only way to fly this beast is to look outside and use the controls you need to in order to keep the nose where you want it. It takes a bit of getting used to, and needs constant attention even for straight+level flight, and that's probably why people don't like it, but to me it's part of the fun.
I hope to get back there soon to have a go at doing some touch+goes. If it wasn't for the cost (over 4 times the cost of my regular aircraft) I'd be back there next weekend. I doubt I can afford to become really proficient, but I'll certainly be looking to add it to the list of types I've soloed, and hopefully stay current enough to be able to fly in calm conditions, even if I never get good enough to be able to fly in the kind of winds we had on Saturday.
Definitely recommended if ever you get the chance!
FFF
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