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"Glider flying experience is directly transferable to power flying." I've heard this often pronounced to aspiring pilots at the field wondering if the first step to flying should be glider or power. I don't have the answer. I do have a few experiences. I learned power first and then I wrestled with my power thinking when learning to fly gliders. I still think of the dive brakes as a throttle in the pattern (pulling back, throttles back pushing forward, throttles enough energy to make the field). The yaw string seems all backward for me. Power pilots use an inclinometer to achieve coordinated flight. It has a black ball in an inverted arc tube that seeks the downward force. To achieve coordinated flight the pilot mentally steps on the ball applying appropriate rudder pressure to re-center the ball. In a glider "stepping" on the yaw string is exactly the wrong thing to do! Tom Knauff wonderfully cleared this up for me in one of his text books. He wrote "Step on the tape" and with this mental picture I was set straight. Now I "stick" the string and/or "step" the tape. I wonder if glider pilots transitioning to power go through similar learning twists? What do you think?
I found my wave flying experience helpful. This winter while flying across the Rockies (I fly a Boeing 757 to pay the bills) on a trip from Seattle to Detroit the Captain and I encountered some wave action around Missoula. The airplane's auto throttles were on and one moment the throttles would go to near flight idle and the next moment cycle to near climb thrust. Using 90's style CRM (Crew Resource Management) I requested the Captain to ask ATC for a "block altitude" between 360 and 380. We were flying at 370. The 57 has a nice pitch/roll hold system called CWS (Control Wheel Steering). Using a constant pitch in CWS, while setting normal cruise power we "sailed" up and down about 500 fpm across each iteration of the wave. The airplane stayed level and the passengers has a smooth "spill-less" ride. We did hear another aircraft report 1,000 fpm wave. This seemed reasonable as 500 ft up plus 500 ft down is equal to 1,000 fpm. The "glider guy" in me had a smug smile. Another windy day we were flying from California to the Midwest, and we were deviating around some known wave areas. Our flight plan called for a turn to the northeast about 100 miles south of Denver. Again the auto-throttles were masking weak vertical currents with high and low power settings. I delayed my turn until the throttles were just returning to a lower setting. We has a nice wave bar below and the navigation in lift was a snap. I imagine we saved three or four hundred pounds of fuel over the segment of our flight. I wish I had a sailplane on that lenticular. It must have been a hundred miles long. We're getting another six inches of snow as I write this and I am dreaming about warm sunny days and outstretched wings over Sugarbush I am ready for more experiences! |
Just Another Day in Jeff's Office