Chuck et al.
Guys, thanks very much for all the comments - I'm looking forward to next Thursday when I get to try and bring them all together and get the PA38 on the ground smoothly and in the way that I had expected. I guess experience will really be the key in giving me the tools to recognise where I'm going right, and wrong. There's a huge learning curve between basic flying and the circuits - with everything now happening a lot faster - 300ft checks, climbing turns, radio calls, in-flights checks, BUMPFHC check then flying a measured base and final. I've only done two lessons of circuits - four on the first, three on the second, and I seem to be just adding something each time - so now I've got it done to flying the circuit fairly well and a smooth approach to get my over the threshold within the correct parameters.
I guess next stage now is taking on board the great tips from this thread, working them into the mix and trying to get that final part right. I did it twice the last time out successfully but if I was honest I'd say that was more luck that good technique. I'm training at a relatively quiet commercial airport which has those lights on either side of the flare point - in the early stages of trying to get the 'final' right it helps, but I think it may be a bad thing in the long run as I really need to learn to gauge it correctly myself rather than waiting for red lights to change colour!!!
Finally, I'm sure it's been said before but this is one amazing web-site for this kind of information. There have been loads of times when I've returned from my lesson, so excited that I forget to ask my instructor some question that I'd planned to - get on-line, check out pprune and there's my answer. Great stuff - but only because you experience guys take the time to help out raw amateurs such as myself. Thanks!!!
...just noticed that in my last post I mentioned that I'm doing my training in a PA38. Don't know what that is, but I'm pretty sure it's something a lot more difficult than the PA28 that I am actually learning to fly in!!!
- Doh!!