Lesson 2: More Ground?

I was very excited when I arrived at the club. Lesson #2 on the club's syllabus started with the words "Today you will go flying". My grandfather would have written something about me being full of "piss and vinegar" or something along those lines (I never did understand that phrase).

After a short briefing with the CFI we reviewed the aircraft's journey log. A friend of mine from the US (who recently became IFR certified) asked about the Journey log which I assume means it is different in the US - so I'll describe what I know about it:

Each flight must be recorded in the Aircraft Journey Log. The CAR (Canadian Air Regulations) say that the log must always be within 25nm of the aircraft - thus for flights less than 25nm it stays in the club. Each row in the log details the date, point of departure, crew names, and times for takeoff, landing, and airtime. The row also contains the total air time since manufacture, and the ending time on the Hobbs meter. The total flight time must also be recorded. If you did a cross country and landed at 3 airports - each would have its own entry. The right side of the log is where you specify any defects and sign the row with your pilot name and license number.

The front of the log book is where any notable maintenance items are located. We did note that the aircraft had a scheduled engine maintenance coming up and as per the Hobbs meter we were still 16+ hours away from that maintenance. There were some defects which had since been closed: a parking brake and ADF issue.

With that we headed out for the walk around. C-FIFA was waiting patiently for us. This inspection was FAR MORE in depth than the previous one. There appears to be a HUGE difference between I1 and the CFI. We started in the cockpit, flipped on the batteries, and checked the lights, fuses, and flaps. He explained how the ELT works and where the rescue hammer was. I was scratching my head wondering why this wasn't reviewed during the previous lesson with I1. During the walk around - he actually explained to me WHAT I was looking for when checking each of the control surfaces. I was shown how to "reach" the horizontal stabilizer for inspection (I'm short and it's a "T" configuration). Also interesting was the inspection of the wooden propeller and checking the bolts for the flaps and ailerons. Then we got to the "hole".

I explained how during the session with I1 I was told that this hole had something to do with the Pitot Static and I was pretty confused by the answer. Bzzzzzt! The Pitot Static is located "here" under the wing. CFI said "Suck on the hole". I just stood there and replied as honestly as possible "Is this one of those new student pilot jokes?” Again he said "Just suck on it'. So I put my lips on the hole and started to suck. Within a fraction of a second - I could hear a "horn" going off in the cockpit. Stall Horn! Wow - that sure is a simple answer.

Another thing that was unanswered from my previous session was with respect to the fuel injected continental engine. Since it doesn't have a carb - it doesn't have carb heat - but what about the possibility of the air intake getting iced up? The answer again was simple - there is an alternate air intake that can be utilized. Not sure what one is supposed to do in the event that gets iced too. Hopefully you get yourself safely on the ground by then.

It was at this point I learned something that upset me. We were NOT going to be flying today. Rather than look like a fool who had just had his heart crushed, I simply shrugged my shoulders said OK and followed him upstairs to the briefing room. Once we arrived he expanded on the task at hand. Apparently many instructors don't spend "enough" time going through some of the foundations of flying - and some discussion about these concepts now would pay dividends later. For the next 75 minutes we reviewed straight and Level flight, coordinated turns, climbs, and descents. There was much discussion about yaw caused by torque and slipstream and the relationships between power, attitude, and performance. I have to say that I really enjoyed his style of teaching. Very interactive. Any time I didn't grasp a concept we used visual representations to drive the point home.

The briefing room time ended with a review of the various checklists performed at different phases of flight and a discussion on compass errors (Lead/Lag, Accelerate/Decelerate). We headed downstairs to do another Weight and Balance - where I learned that the DA20's reference datum was not the firewall as communicated by I1, but in fact was the leading edge of the wing at the rib root. Ok - that's good to know!


We ended the session by looking at the VNC (VFR Navigational Chart - same as a US sectional) and discussing the various routes to and from the practice area. Finally we did a full weather briefing. I think CFI was a bit confused why I was able to read a METAR and TAF, nor how I knew what SLP was or that cloud altitudes were reported AGL rather than MSL - we didn't get into why I knew it. He did provide a great overview of some other weather items I've never looked at: Icing conditions, turbulence, and winds aloft. Very interesting stuff indeed.

Before shaking hands I asked what my tasks were before the next lesson. He told me to review the Flight Training Manual sections 6-9 (Climbs, Descents, and Turns) and the POH. Then he told me to show up 20 minutes before my next lesson to check the Journey Log, Inspect the aircraft, calculate weight & balance, and check the weather. Heck - I'm going to show up HOURS before my next lesson to make sure when my instructor shows up I'm ready to hit the skies!

Next session is in 5 days with a new instructor. Can't wait.