Checkride Wednesday...followup to: "Tips for Commercial Glider Checkride?"

[Don Byrer]

Checkride this Wed Afternoon...

Prep:
We'd covered everything, but we wanted a couple more rides to polish
up. I'd done a mock checkride with another CFIG, and he didn't see
any major problems.

So...Last Sat:

CFIG & I launched with WX coming from the West, planning to tow
SW...quickly changed to SE to avoid wx...quickly changed to "Oh crap,
that rain is WAY closer than we thought...lets release at 1000' AGL
and get back home" Cleared left and right, back to center to see
towplane frantically waggling his wings. Got off tow and down no
problem...nice simultaneous glider/towplane parallel landings.
Torrential rain hit 1.3 seconds after we touched down!

Tow pilot was concerned I didn't get off sooner...explained I was
already planning to get off and was clearing...will make a point of
checking the towplane between clearing the two sides in future!
(thought I had).

Sunday:
Wx forecast was rain/t'storms in the morning and it looked pretty
crappy so i didn't go out to the field...+ I had to work at 2 PM.
Well of course the wx went from crappy to beautiful in about 15
minutes at noontime...and I could have flown AND got to work on time.
darn....

Tuesday (today):
Made arrangements to get a towpilot (friend of mine) on an "Off Day".
2 flights with my CFIG, first flight I was low and way far out on
base. Retracted the spoilers, put the nose down and landed with room
to spare :) Pattern OK on 2nd flight. Steeps turns lousy, speed
barely within private specs, much less commercial. Stalls, slow
flight, everything else 100%+.

Must be checkride time...I'm flying like crap ....

Solo flight to 3000' AGL...4 720 steep turns...OK, got it this
time...I'm happy :) :)

Landed great, called it a day.

Next update after the checkride.....

















got wx'd out on Sat...
Don Byrer KJ5KB
Radar Tech & Smilin' Commercial Pilot Guy
Glider & CFI wannabe
kj5kb-at-hotmail.com

"I have slipped the surly bonds of earth; now if I can just land without bending the gear..."
"Watch out for those doves...<smack-smack-smack-smack...>"

[BT]

I look forward to the check ride report... but just for asking.. what was
wrong with the radio that the tow was wagging the wings and not giving you
the radio call that both of you needed to land ASAP.

BT

"Don Byrer" > wrote in message
...
> Checkride this Wed Afternoon...
>
> Prep:
> We'd covered everything, but we wanted a couple more rides to polish
> up. I'd done a mock checkride with another CFIG, and he didn't see
> any major problems.
>
> So...Last Sat:
>
> CFIG & I launched with WX coming from the West, planning to tow
> SW...quickly changed to SE to avoid wx...quickly changed to "Oh crap,
> that rain is WAY closer than we thought...lets release at 1000' AGL
> and get back home" Cleared left and right, back to center to see
> towplane frantically waggling his wings. Got off tow and down no
> problem...nice simultaneous glider/towplane parallel landings.
> Torrential rain hit 1.3 seconds after we touched down!
>
> Tow pilot was concerned I didn't get off sooner...explained I was
> already planning to get off and was clearing...will make a point of
> checking the towplane between clearing the two sides in future!
> (thought I had).
>
> Sunday:
> Wx forecast was rain/t'storms in the morning and it looked pretty
> crappy so i didn't go out to the field...+ I had to work at 2 PM.
> Well of course the wx went from crappy to beautiful in about 15
> minutes at noontime...and I could have flown AND got to work on time.
> darn....
>
> Tuesday (today):
> Made arrangements to get a towpilot (friend of mine) on an "Off Day".
> 2 flights with my CFIG, first flight I was low and way far out on
> base. Retracted the spoilers, put the nose down and landed with room
> to spare :) Pattern OK on 2nd flight. Steeps turns lousy, speed
> barely within private specs, much less commercial. Stalls, slow
> flight, everything else 100%+.
>
> Must be checkride time...I'm flying like crap ....
>
> Solo flight to 3000' AGL...4 720 steep turns...OK, got it this
> time...I'm happy :) :)
>
> Landed great, called it a day.
>
> Next update after the checkride.....
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> got wx'd out on Sat...
> Don Byrer KJ5KB
> Radar Tech & Smilin' Commercial Pilot Guy
> Glider & CFI wannabe
> kj5kb-at-hotmail.com
>
> "I have slipped the surly bonds of earth; now if I can just land without
> bending the gear..."
> "Watch out for those doves...<smack-smack-smack-smack...>"

[Don Byrer]

On Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:35:45 -0400, Don Byrer >
wrote:

>Checkride this Wed Afternoon...
Well...ummm...

Yes I passed !!!!!!!!

and i was fussing a lot about nothing :)

Oral went well...

Except for having a brain fart on how to explain thermals...which I
thoroughly understand...just could NOT explain it for some
reason...but we got there in the end.

"OK, let's go fly"

Tow to 3K, pinned on the towplane :), best box the wake ever, slow
flight w/turns, stalls straight/turning, steep turns (got a hair fast
but called it and corrected), tried to thermal but nada, etc. At
1800 AGL we were almost done. "Bring it home and give me a slip to
land & an accuracy landing". Slip was good...plunked it down on the
runway hard but on the right spot and the aircraft was still useable
:) Definitely the hardest landing I ever made, though, quite
embarrassing.

I had a bunch of recent "rope breaks" + a release on the ground , so I
guess that's why I didn't get one on the checkride.

Now to learn how to REALLY fly a Glider :)

--Don







Don Byrer KJ5KB
Power & Glider Pilot Guy
kj5kb-at-hotmail.com

"I have slipped the surly bonds of earth; now if I can just land without bending the gear..."
"Watch out for those doves...<smack-smack-smack-smack...>"

[Shawn[_5_]]

Don Byrer wrote:
> On Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:35:45 -0400, Don Byrer >
> wrote:
>
>> Checkride this Wed Afternoon...
> Well...ummm...
>
> Yes I passed !!!!!!!!
>
> and i was fussing a lot about nothing :)
>
> Oral went well...
>
> Except for having a brain fart on how to explain thermals...which I
> thoroughly understand...just could NOT explain it for some
> reason...but we got there in the end.
>
> "OK, let's go fly"
>
> Tow to 3K, pinned on the towplane :), best box the wake ever, slow
> flight w/turns, stalls straight/turning, steep turns (got a hair fast
> but called it and corrected), tried to thermal but nada, etc. At
> 1800 AGL we were almost done. "Bring it home and give me a slip to
> land & an accuracy landing". Slip was good...plunked it down on the
> runway hard but on the right spot and the aircraft was still useable
> :) Definitely the hardest landing I ever made, though, quite
> embarrassing.
>
> I had a bunch of recent "rope breaks" + a release on the ground , so I
> guess that's why I didn't get one on the checkride.
>
> Now to learn how to REALLY fly a Glider :)
>
> --Don


Congratulations! Thanks for the report.


Shawn

[Don Byrer]

On Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:06:04 -0700, "BT" > wrote:

>I look forward to the check ride report... but just for asking.. what was
>wrong with the radio that the tow was wagging the wings and not giving you
>the radio call that both of you needed to land ASAP.
>
>BT

It's been a few days...

As I remember it, we were in discussion with the tow pilot-whether to
continue the tow to 3K or make it a pattern tow. We decided to go
to the opposite IP (furthest from the WX), which whould normally be a
release at 1000-1500'. I started to clear the area ~900', got my
eyes back to the center and the towplane was waving us off. Apparently
he'd been waving us off for several seconds, but I was clearing and
didnt see it.

I pulled, landed,etc. Discussed it with the towpilot on the ground
afterwards, he was wondering why we didnt get off sooner, we were
wondering why he waved us off...we sorted it out...no biggie.

--Don
Don Byrer KJ5KB
Power & Glider Pilot Guy
kj5kb-at-hotmail.com

"I have slipped the surly bonds of earth; now if I can just land without bending the gear..."
"Watch out for those doves...<smack-smack-smack-smack...>"