Flight Lesson 2

Aircraft Familiarization and Basic Flight Operations – Aircraft pre-flight, start, taxi, controls, four basics of flying.

Assignment for this lesson

  • Read and understand FAA Airplane Flying Handbook book Chapters 1, 2 and 3 as specified in “HPTS Sport Pilot Guide of What to Study,” page 118 in this book.
  • Watch the Learn to Fly DVD (Fixed Wing – Introduction and Section 1, answer DVD fill-in-the-blank questions for sections watched. Watch the Pre-Flight DVD

Content

  • Set up the airplane to be at the Carson City Airport Terminal. Release brake and start by taxing out north to the taxiway. Taxi slow enough to maintain control, take a right and taxi down to the run-up area of runway 27. Stop and do a run with a checklist from the manufacturers flight simulator model (if available) or the real airplane or the generic checklists listed on this site. After run-up, enter the runway and takeoff.
  • Although on your first flying lesson you are not normally doing the takeoffs yourself, in the flight simulator you will be. Full throttle. Keep it pointed down the center of the runway and rotate at about 60 knots. Do not worry too much about your first takeoff being perfect, we just want to get it in the air. Climb at 60 knots (or whatever the recommended climb speed is for the airplane).
  • Turn left, gently 90-degree turn, maintaining 60 knots until you get to a 180-degree heading directly south.
  • Keep climbing to 7000 feet MSL than level out and reduce throttle to maintain 70 knots. Here you maintain 7000-foot altitude, 70 knots airspeed and a 180-degree south heading. Continue on this track for about 5 minutes. Here we are trying to fly straight and level. There will be changes in altitude and airspeed and direction but do the best you can to maintain altitude, direction and speed. It does not need to be perfect. The main objective is to fly generally straight and level.
  • Once stabilized reduce the throttle slightly and descend at about 500 foot per minute 70 knots in the same direction. Descend 1000 feet to 6000 Feet MSL. Once at 6000 feet MSL increase the throttle, maintaining 70 knots airspeed and maintain altitude.
  • Maintain altitude for about 2 minutes and make a gentle turn to the left 90 degrees to an Easterly heading of 90 degrees. Once at 90 degrees East heading increase to full throttle, decrease speed to 60 knots and make a gentle lefthand turn to the north to 0/360 degrees heading. Climb until you get back to 7000 feet and increase speed to 70 knots.
  • Gently turn to the right this time 90 degrees to an easterly heading of 90 degrees. Maintain 7000 feet, 70 knots airspeed.
  • Reduce throttle to idle and make a right hand turn 90 degrees to the south to 6000 feet MSL. Increase throttle to maintain 6000 feet altitude at 70 knots airspeed, and a south heading 180 degrees.
  • This is the end/completion of lesson 2. Practice this as many times as necessary to do it with ease.

Completion Standards

  • This lesson is complete when the student has an understanding of using checklists and the four basics of flight. Actual numbers is not important here, it is just the concepts of climbing, cruise, turning and descending – that is important here. We will get to specific airspeed and altitude tolerances in the next lesson where we do similar flight maneuvers.