Flight Lesson 3

Basic Flight Maneuvers and Aircraft Systems – Turns, precision, airspeeds, throttle. Ground lesson 3 should be completed before this flight lesson.

Objective

For the student to become proficient with the four basics of flight: straight and level flight, climbs, turns, and descents; and collision avoidance procedures.

Assignment for this lesson

    • Read Pilots Operating Handbook/Flight manual Section “4. Normal procedures”
    • Watch the Learn to Fly DVD Section 2, and answer the fill-in-the-blank DVD questions for section watched.
    • Tailwheel only: read and understand FAA Airplane Flying Handbook Chapter titled – “Transition to Tailwheel Airplanes”.
Seaplane only: Read and understand FAA-H-8083-23 Seaplane Operations Handbook Chapter 6 starting with Postflight Procedures page 6-8 to end of chapter.

Content

Same as first lesson

  • 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.
  • Again, in flying the real airplane you are not normally doing the takeoffs your self, in the flight simulator you will be. Full throttle. Keep it pointed down the center of the runway and rotate at about 60 knots. Again, do not worry about your second takeoff being perfect, again, we just want to get it in the air. Climb at 60 knots (or what ever 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.
  • New – now we want to start developing our flight skills by maintaining altitude within plus or minus 200 feet, airspeed +/- 15 knots, and heading within 20 degrees.
  • Continue on this track for about 5 minutesfly straight and level within the tolerances.  The main objective is to fly generally straight and level within these tolerances for 5 minutes.
  • Once stabilized reduce the throttle slightly and descend at about 500 foot per minute at 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 to the same tolerancers (maintaining altitude within plus or minus 200 feet, airspeed +/- 15 knots, and heading within 20 degrees). From now on use these tolerances for your maneuvers.
  • Maintain altitude for about 2 minutes at the tolerances 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 left hand 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 3. Practice this as many times as necessary to do it within the tolerances specified.

Review

____ Checklist use

____ Control effects on ground and in flight

____ Normal takeoff and climb-out

____ Collision avoidance procedures

____ Climbs

____ Straight and level flight

____ Descents: with and without power

____ Scanning procedures

New

____ Maintains altitude within +/- 200 feet

____ Turns to headings staying +/- 20 degrees

____ Maintains airspeeds within +/- 15 knots,

Completion Standards

This lesson is complete when the student can conduct the ground operations of:  proper use of all checklists, taxi, and operate the controls to taxi.

Flight operations requirements include: understanding the four basics of flight, and maintaining altitude within 200 feet, airspeed +/- 15 knots, and heading within 20 degrees, while performing the maneuvers listed in the content of this module.