Not another DCA thread... this one is different!

[WestHouston]

Well, I passed my lesson 14 stage check. The oral was really easy, I was done in 45 minutes. The flying was a little harder. I totally had a brain-fart on my first DME arc. I got all confused right before entering the arc, and just guessed the heading to turn on. Evidently I wasn't too far off, because my instructor never noticed. The rest of the lesson went fine and I ended up getting four "4's" on my grading which is good as I never even got one "4" before. I had my first hold's and approaches lesson yesterday in the sim. They don't seem THAT hard but we'll see. I was supposed to fly today but we had a huge storm roll through so we didn't go. I learned a valuable lesson today, though...

When I got to DCA I knew the weather was getting bad, so I immediately checked the radar. Sure enough, a giant line of TS's were coming. Out side the wind was whipping and it was getting dark. I wasn't feeling too good about it, but the flight supervisor said we should go quick and get some good experience. So we ran out there, flying through the checklist, and after we finish the run-up we call for taxi clearance. The tower says that DCA called and told them not to let us leave. About that time, I see the flight supervisor running out to the ramp. He said the storm had shifted and was coming straight for us. Even though we could have gone to Beaumont to the East if we had gone anyway, I really didn't like the idea of us taking off with that kind of storm coming. I decided then and there never to be talked in to going by anyone ever again. Especially after the storm hit, as it was a nasty one. We would definately have not made it back in time.

Other than that, all is well...

 

[FlyingFisherman]

You did your runup and THEN called for taxi?

Nice! Maybe I'm the only person who taught the value of saving time using a rolling runup and value of life by not doing a runup and then fouling your plugs on the way out to the runway for a takeoff 5 minutes later.

 

[WestHouston]

You did your runup and THEN called for taxi?

Nice! Maybe I'm the only person who taught the value of saving time using a rolling runup and value of life by not doing a runup and then fouling your plugs on the way out to the runway for a takeoff 5 minutes later.

The ramp in front of the school is about 300 feet wide and so we just taxi out to the other side, flip a 180, and do the runup. After that we call for taxi... Ellington's a wierd place, they do everthing a little different there. It's the only tower I've seen that doesn't want to know your direction of departure when you call.

 

[FlyingFisherman]

the point is that if your plugs are going to foul they're going to foul in rich mixture settings and low power settings...like the way most taxi.

The point of doing the runup just prior to takeoff in my book was to ensure that I have both magnetos operating and 8/12 good spark plugs free of fouling. Doing the runup and then subjecting to conditions when its most likely to foul seems not the way to do things.

 

[WestHouston]

the point is that if your plugs are going to foul they're going to foul in rich mixture settings and low power settings...like the way most taxi.

The point of doing the runup just prior to takeoff in my book was to ensure that I have both magnetos operating and 8/12 good spark plugs free of fouling. Doing the runup and then subjecting to conditions when its most likely to foul seems not the way to do things.

After the runup and while taxiing we lean the mixture.

 

[DCAinstructor06]

It's best to lean the ever living crap out of the mixture during taxi to prevent plug fouling. Power settings and egt temps are too low during taxi to possibly cause ANY engine damage due to the really leaned condition. There are those that say never lean on the ground because dumb people forget to enrichen it for takeoff, but with it really leaned out on the ground it will become apparent the moment you start your takeoff roll if you forgot to enrichen it. See Fisherman, a little too info can be dangerous. I agree do runups on the roll, to save time, not to prevent plug fouling. DCA's policy is to lean on the ground. Some engines like big 520's dont need any leaning on the ground and never suffer from plug fouling. Lyc 320's will foul unless leaned. In the newbie world, I would rather my students be parked when doing the runup and devote their full attention to JUST taxing when taxing.

 

[WestHouston]

Well, I'm on lesson 20 of the 32 in the instrument rating. Things are going well, and I'm making all A's in the college classes. I'm not going to get to fly for like a week as my instructors day-off falls right next to the Wings over Houston airshow this weekend. Anyway, I wrote a giant post originally, detailing what kind of training I've been doing, but I accidentally clicked the back button and lost it all. I'm too lazy to re-type it so if anyone has any questions on the San Jac/DCA program, feel free to email me.

 

[WestHouston]

Got my instrument ticket today!!! It's been a while since I've posted, but it's been crazy lately. I did better than I thought I would. I made a few small mistakes, the biggest being on the last approach to land. I almost went full-scale deflection on the ILS! I was being vectored to the localizer and didn't realize i was recieving the signal. The instructor was like "where are you going?" Even though it was a big mistake, he still passed me. Man it feels good. Like a giant weight off my chest....

 

[DCAinstructor06]

Now use your new ticket and your brain and set personal minimums NOW before blasting off into the muck. You'll live longer this way.

Congrats btw. The insurance companies will now consider you a real pilot.

Here's a trick I used on my DCA students. When shooting an ILS, I would take them partial panel. Then after they were on the loc, I would then cover up the compass. This left them only with the following instruments, (get this)

Air speed indicator
TURN COORDINATOR
Altimeter
VSI
..and of course NAV 1 with the glideslope

THATS ALL! Fly the needles and you'll never go full scale. Small timely corrections that increase in speed the closer you get to DA. It took me until CFII to finally be able to shoot an ILS that didn't look like the needles were sword fighting. Today, (usually) you'd swear that my nav 1 is broken. Screw reference heading crap, Winds change from altitude down to DA by flying the needles, you can leave the 5degree crab to the right, uh I mean 5 to the left crap for cruise. In nasty weather getting your ass handed to you from the turbulence, the last thing you want to screw with is a reference heading.

 

[Metro752]

this thread is two DCA goons talking to each other with one dumb remark from me and kream

 

[WestHouston]

this thread is two DCA goons talking to each other with one dumb remark from me and kream

What? I started this so anyone looking for info on the program could find it.

 

[nordair]

Beware of the sales pitch DCA!

Here's the thing about DCA.
They fired three of the chief flight instructors at once.
The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.
They have a massive shortage of instructors.
They are making allot of changes before the others can have the bugs worked out.
They have changed the flight blocks to a total of 1.5hrs per block which means more money for the school and an increase in time before you are finished a rating. What if you hold short for 15min, what if it takes time to get cleared back into Charlie/Bravo.
They are trying to concentrate more on foreign contracts with governments rather than the people here trying to go to the regionals.
Be very weary of the sales pitch you get them at every school.

good luck!

 

[Kream926]

how are those chinese guys treatin ya?

maybe you should teach them engrish, english.

i was with jax center and one of them called up and the guy wanted to know what type of airplane he was in and had no idea what he was being asked. he just kept repeating (rote) what he knew for a flight following.

 

[B-727]

To DCAinstructor06 and anyone who is contemplating adopting his "technique" for flying or teaching ILS...

Flying a reference heading while conducting an instrument approach is critical. It is not, as you state, "crap". In fact, when you progress to higher performance airplanes, you will find that your technique (which my peers call "chasing the needles") will not work, and you will frequently be going missed approach due to full scale deflection of the localizer. That is, unless you also decide that full scale deflection of the localizer is a "crap" reason to go missed approach, in which case we will be reading about you. I would advise that you do not reject the time tested techniques of those who have gone before you.

West Houston, thanks for taking the time to record your experiences. I am sure that there are many readers of these boards who are seeking the information you provide.

Safe Flying,

B-727

 

[DCApilotguy]

.... Screw reference heading crap, Winds change from altitude down to DA by flying the needles, you can leave the 5degree crab to the right, uh I mean 5 to the left crap for cruise. In nasty weather getting your ass handed to you from the turbulence, the last thing you want to screw with is a reference heading.

HAHAHAHA! Man DCAinstructor....I hope your students are getting to fly with other instructors on your days off. That is the biggest load of (*&% I've ever heard. "Screw the reference heading crap"? Are you serious? I can't wait to hear what you have to say when you are actually flying a plane on an ILS at a speed greater than 90 KIAS.

Oh, my side hurts....that was a good one!!!!!