Wow - so much going on and I've only been gone 2 days!
Firstly, welcome to Cricket, like I say to every new diary joiner, you are now expected to keep us up to date on your progress
Data - You make me jealous!
I cannot wait for that day to happen to me, you must be over the moon!
With regards to flaps - this is my two shillings worth: I fly a PA38 which has only two stages of flap. I will judge how many stages to use, depending on the wind, and that alone. If there is now wind, then I use full flap (there is always wind). Anything from 15 knots upwards I will use only one stage, as my ground speed will be slow enough. Also, if there is a stonking cross wind, I tend to use only one stage, to give a higher ground speed, should things go wrong.
I think Blinkz mentioned some very important points - If you use no flap, then you have a very shallow approach, your nose is much higher (greater angle of attack) and you need quite a bit of power to 'drag' it through the air. This is a bad approach (in two respects) if you have an engine failure. On the other hand, if you use full, or two stages, then you have a much steeper approach, greater visibility, and your chances of success are much greater should you have an engine failure - flaring is much easier too. Remember the purpose of flaps: to give a steeper descent without increasing speed.
With regards to the carb heat, I was taught to turn it off at 300 feet, should I need to go around.
I had what was possibly my final 'syllabus' style lesson yesterday - I completed VOR, ADF and DME etc, and the lesson couldn't have gone any better - I shall do a full writeup shortly! My next flight will either be a short solo trip to meet the requirements, or more likely, a mock test!
Have a great Christmas everyone - and remember, it is illegal to eat mince pies on Christmas day!
Lee
