Flying low with LOW

So Hong Kong Aviation Club has now got a "new" Cessna 152 II in their fleet, registration B-LOW, and today I flew the Cessna 152 for the first time in my life and I have got to say, the 152 has a soft spot in my heart. She is absolutely lovely to fly and despite her age, is still unquestionably one of the best training aircraft ever built by Cessna. 

Today I arrived at flight operations on what was a cloudy day with scattered clouds lingering at around 2500 feet, remnants of the most intense northeast monsoon that has ever hit Hong Kong in the past decade. The weather certainly wasn't great but definitely flyable and made for some very beautiful views.... that I wasn't able to capture because I was so busy flying as this was in essence a check flight to check my competence in all the basic lessons from Effects of Controls to stalls and slow flight, which is part of my journey to acquire my Hong Kong Private Pilot License after finishing with my Recreational Pilot License in Melbourne, Australia. 

Flying out to Tolo, it was bumpy and we encountered some moderate turbulence, however the aircraft was performing better than book figures, at 2300 RPM we were seeing 95-100 knots indicated, very impressive for a nearly 40 year old Cessna 152. The airframe was as if she was still factory new and the McCauley propeller was smooth and well polished, signs of impeccable maintenance and attention to detail. The clouds were not as low as reported and we climbed all the way to 3000 feet, our vertical limit in Tolo.

It is a shame that I did not manage to take any pictures at this stage, as the view reminded me and my instructor who had been flying for more than 30 years as to why we fell in love with flying, oh for I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth! The clouds were reminiscent of blankets of white sheets covering the mountains that surrounded the Tolo Harbor, with a continuous scattered layer far above us and a grey but very calming tone. We did not speak much except for when I broke the silence by stating, "My goodness it's beautiful." After enjoying the beauty of the situation, we broke into airwork mode and did steep turns and slow flight to see how I'm going, it all went fine however the instructor is a perfectionist which is great. High standards are what make great, safe and competent pilots after all, and being new to the aircraft type is no excuse really. 

After the airwork we flew into Port Shelter via the Eastern boundaries of the sectors in order to familiarise myself with where I am authorised to fly solo in as a student pilot, it was all in all very important information and nothing really can beat the view, it was beautiful this morning. As we were returning for Tolo and back to Shek Kong, we descended to 500 feet for minimum level operations, we were flying low with the LOW!

500 feet over the Tolo Channel? Hell yeah!

It is a requirement to be familiar with low level flying, as the effects of wind is more profound down at low altitude, it is important not to have a temptation of using throttle to control groundspeed, as one must remember that airspeed is still the primary measure of aircraft performance! Which is what the low flying exercise is about, to allow the pilot to notice and acknowledge the visual illusions that can be experienced while down low.

It really isn't so hard, my tip for any student going to do low level navigation is to just treat it as if you were flying at normal altitudes, however be wary of going below 500 feet as it will be a violation of the rules of the air!

Wind drift and effects are more pronounced down here!

Returning to Shek Kong via Kadoorie, we climbed back up to 2000 feet and followed another helicopter in through Kadoorie, we did a normal overhead circuit join from 2000 feet right down to circuit height of 800 feet on downwind, and the Cessna 152 is much more responsive than the 172 in the circuit, and as it is less powerful it is slower despite the impeccably maintained engine and smooth airframe, we got around 95 knots on downwind which is a welcome speed for 172s as this means that we match their speed on downwind, another plus of the LOW. The flaps pitching moment is more pronounced in the 152 due to a lighter airframe and generally lighter and much more responsive flight controls reminiscent of the light sport aircraft type that I flew in Australia. Flying on final with flaps at 30 degrees, 60 knots is just about right for 2 men and half fuel in the tanks. However my landing today was less than desirable, I flared way too early and aggressively and my instructor caught it and helped me correct in time, it was poor judgement to flare so early with so much back pressure, perhaps this is a habit brought upon by predominantly flying much heavier 172s, which require a much more pronounced pull on the elevator.

All in all, the 152 left a great impression for me, and I will continue flying 172s for my next lessons however the 152 is also a welcome option for my flying, ultimately they are both great training aircraft, docile and very conventional to fly.

So that's it for this week! Next week will be flying a 172R for the first flight of the day!

Have fun, fly safe!

--

Howard

Weather reports can lie: Lessons learned flying in (near) IMC + Intro to instrument flight

Are you sure about that few layer reported?

Looking at the photos taken on this morning's flight, you might be asking, "Howard, did you just take up instrument rating before your PPL?"

No, I didn't, that is not possible. However, today I went up with a highly experienced instrument rated instructor for some advanced stalling and slow flight over the training sector of Tolo Harbor, everything seems routine, Kadoorie Gap, our exit route was unobscured and weather was showing FEW022 SCT040. Few layer? Oh that should be fine, we planned to execute the maneuvers at or above 2500 feet to give us plenty of breathing room.

So we went up, expecting this to be any other flight and as we exited Kadoorie Gap, we encountered some moderate mechanical turbulence stirred up by the mountains but other than that everything was status quo.

As we turned right to avoid the built-up areas, I have transitioned to instrument flight as my instructor observed a sea of scattered layers at around 2000 feet, which is completely different from the reported FEW022 SCT040. I expressed concern however the instructor was instrument rated and we had clear outs, we continued the flight.

We managed to find a rather large hole in the clouds and we went for it, I did my first instrument-only climb and honestly it was easier than I thought, basically a combination of what you have learned on your first lesson of ground school.

Power + Attitude = Performance

Using my attitude indicator as a primary control instrument, I managed to execute a level climb at Vy to 2500 feet, without looking outside whatsoever. However this flight cannot be logged as instrument as we stayed in VMC, albeit very marginal. I wasn't under the hood, however. 

After the flight I was talking to a potential student going on her first sector solo, and I pondered the question, "If I was PIC with a PPL, would I still have continued my flight after exiting Kadoorie?"

I mean sure, I could've flown below 2000 feet, maybe 1800, or 1700, however the thing about the clouds is that a reported cloud elevation can be completely different. With the knowledge that the aviation weather report already gave erroneous reports, one must ask himself, "What more is there hidden behind this veil of clouds?" 

So no, with such marginal weather and unpredicted and unreported conditions, I would have done an immediate 180 and returned to the safety of Shek Kong Airfield. Interestingly, as the flight progressed we did enter some conditions very close to IMC and the instructor performed a well executed emergency spiral descent, that was so cool and reinforced my idea that emergency spiral descents should really be a PPL requirement worldwide. 

At the end of the day, safety really is above all, and as astronaut and pilot Frank Borman once said:

"A superior pilot uses his superior judgement to avoid

situations where he may need his superior skills."

It was a great experience today, humbling and definitely has taught me many new skills I can use in the future to make me a safer and more competent pilot.

Post flight selfie!!! I'm chuffed!

So that's it for this week!

Have fun, fly safe!

--

Howard

Improving as a pilot, "A good pilot is always learning!"

Now I can't fly this Sunday because the airport operator (the military) has some operations to do, so how exactly do you maintain proficiency as a pilot?

Not to sound cliche but the old saying, "A good pilot is always learning" is absolutely, 100% true. As a certified pilot, and a pilot who is working for higher certification levels, namely the Private Pilot Licence currently, I always look for ways to improve myself and become a better pilot every day. Not every flight! But every DAY!

Every flight I aim to be a little more precise, a little safer and fly closer to perfection than the previous one, it is key here to set a high standard, with or without an instructor onboard. This is an imperative I think if you want to prosper in this demanding industry of aviation, and you must be "spring-loaded" for any eventuality.

I have trained myself for one mindset:
Anything can happen, anytime.

While in cruising flight, many pilots always talk about getting, "Fat, dumb and happy." I will replace the word "happy" to "dead." A pilot can never sit back and relax in the flight, that is my own opinion. Now I am not saying we can't enjoy ourselves while flying, as I fly for the enjoyment aspect as well as the learning aspect but I do have two exercises while in straight and level, cruising flight where nothing much happens. It will keep you in the loop of information, therefore maintaining situational awareness.

#1: What if *enter emergency situation*?
Yes, this is actually pretty fun and keeps you on your toes at all times during any phase of the flight. To be "Spring-loaded" to survive, you must mentally remember some of the principles behind any emergency.
Engine Failure - Minimise drag --> Pitch and trim for best glide speed
Aim to general area of preferred landing spot.
Engine Fire - Remove element of fuel from the triangle of fire --> Fuel shutoff valve close, throttle open wide to allow excess fuel to be burned.
Electrical Fire - Remove electrical charge, allow for breathing --> Avionics and master OFF, open cabin windows.
If emergency descent required - Maximise drag --> Gear down, flaps down, throttle idle, turn left or right more than 30 degrees, maintain a maximum allowable speed for set configuration.
This should be done constantly throughout the flight, always have a mental picture as to what you will do in case of these situations, maintain situational awareness and exercise good airmanship.

#2: FREDA
Now I know the Brits who read this blog will be saying, "This is a given! Why wouldn't anyone do this?"
Lads, you will be surprised that as far as I know, no other syllabus teaches FREDA. It's all good that Aussie trained pilots (like myself) does the ALAP (Attitude lookout attitude performance) work cycle constantly, but I still believe combining it with FREDA makes for a better option to maintain situational awareness.
FREDA stands for
Fuel - Sufficient, selector as required
Radio - Set as required
Engine - Oil temps and pressures in the green band
Direction - Correct, DI to compass synced
Altimeter - Flying at constant altitude, QNH set to local pressure setting
I personally do the FREDA check before every frequency change, or after 15 minutes of cruising flight, despite not embarking in long cross countries.

Situational awareness is a saving grace for any pilot, and is what will allow the pilot to spring into action, with no moment of panic and disbelief after an emergency situation if it were to ever arise. As pilots we always want to accept that aviation is safe, however I would like to put it this way:
You are only as safe as you make yourself.

General Aviation is already under scrutiny by the public light, and as pilots it is our responsibility to improve the safety of GA, so we can have better reputation in the future years, and attract more people to become pilots.

I am looking forward to fly again next week, and until next time...

Have fun, and fly safe!

--
Howard Lau