[nicolas]

Voidhawk9 just posted a new article on basic circuits:

http://forums.x-plan...showtopic=45546

It's lesson #9 of the X-PPL Flight School

[Captn P]

This may only apply to the UK (I did my PPL in the UK)

For radio calls (This is for Radio fields) You should make the downwind call at the upwind end of the runway as you cross it at 90%. You should say what you intend, so something like "November Sierra Papa Downwind 21 touch and go" Also when you have turned on to final, a final call as well.

Try using Mnemonics for you inflight checks, for downwind BUMPFICH is the one I was taught. Brakes - Test, Undercarridge - Down, Mixture - Fully Rich, Propellor - Coarse, Fuel - Enough for a go round, Instruments - DI - If your doing lots of circuits it pays to check it, Carb Heat- I learned in a 152!, and Hatches and Harnesses secure.

For leveling out at the top of the climb you should push the yoke down and trim as you accellerate to cruise speed, then throttle back. Otherwise you will have to trim the aircraft alot more as it slowly accelerates. This creates more work.

Also when you turn onto base you and throttle down, make sure your Air Speed is in the white arc on the airspeed indicator before you put flaps down, otherwise you are going too fast and could damage the aircraft.

Another methods for getting the circuit height right is just choose a bit more/less power if your aproach was low/high. Alternate 2 is to turn onto base a bit earlier or later to increase the distance.

The other thing to explore is the wing down method for holding centre line in a cross wind.


Good article.

[SteveM]

I think these articles are great for pilots like myself who are new to X-Plane.Is it possible to have the articles for download in PDF format ?

Steve

[JTron]

That would be cool, but perhaps once he's done with all the lessons he plans? It could be the X-Plane Private Pilot Manual.

[Voidhawk9]

Thanks for comments. More circuit stuff, such as crosswinds, is coming soon.

[chksix]

Excellent lessons Voidhawk! They are easy to follow and mimic.

The students who really want to fly in real life should also check out: http://www.faa.gov/r...plane_handbook/

[Greg Long]

Yes, Voidhawk9, like we were talking in PM, these are really good to see. Kudos!!!

And chksix, I agree wholeheartedly.... that's one of the books I recommend a lot. It's excellent - both text and illustrations. Jepp's PPL material is good, and for videos, you cannot go wrong with John and Martha King. My CFI quipped that if there ever was a couple that was made for each other, it would have to be those two. They need their own [so-called] "Reality TV" show.

-Greg

chksix, on 01 August 2010 - 01:02 AM, said:

Excellent lessons Voidhawk! They are easy to follow and mimic.

The students who really want to fly in real life should also check out: http://www.faa.gov/r...plane_handbook/

[Smellybeard]

Captn P, on 30 July 2010 - 04:47 PM, said:

Try using Mnemonics for you inflight checks, for downwind BUMPFICH is the one I was taught. Brakes - Test, Undercarridge - Down, Mixture - Fully Rich, Propellor - Coarse, Fuel - Enough for a go round, Instruments - DI - If your doing lots of circuits it pays to check it, Carb Heat- I learned in a 152!, and Hatches and Harnesses secure.

I learned BUMPFHH.
Brakes - off,
Undercarriage - down, fixed, whatever...,
Mixture - fully rich,
Propellor - fine (not coarse!),
Fuel - tank with largest quantity remaining selected,
Heat - good blast of carb heat; listen for any burps or pops that says there was ice,
Hatches and Harnesses - secure.

The key thing is that you use it regardless of whether the aircraft has the VP prop or retractable gear or other bits that are or are not relevant to the list. It's a catch- all. It reminds you what to check rather than being an actual checklist for the type you are actually flying. For example, Hatches and Harnesses - secure means "canopy open and locked" in the case of the DHC-1 rather than closed.

Circuit flying on a sim is far harder than in the real world and I suspect very few people actually sim-fly them like this. Switching to the view out the side window often breaks the vertical alignment confusing matters somewhat and panning up and down the panel is awkward too. Without custom scenery to provide key landmarks, judging the turning points becomes far more difficult. All this while keeping a good lookout in a crowded circuit, with other planes joining from the dead side or on to the start of the down-wind. I once had a military Allouette blast right through in front of me at circuit height (a light grey one on a bright overcast day; I hadn't realized that they leave the same kind of wake as an aeroplane).

I've never flown a circuit nor seen one flown exactly as Voidhawk9 described it. I've never heard of a separate cross-wind leg. From 200 feet, a climbing turn through 180º is flown leveling off at 800 feet AGL for the downwind leg.