High wing or low wing
I am considering a private pilot course. Should I give consideration to schools that have simulators to reduce the overall cost of the training?
All my friends have been directing me to learn in a specific high-wing airplane that they believe would be the most forgiving. Your thoughts?
Thank you,
Neil
Greetings Neil:
The best suggestion I can offer is to find a school that has good instructors. Nothing else (and I mean nothing!) matters more in becoming a private pilot. At the private pilot level, the use of flight simulators is usually so limited that it's a minor concern in flight training. Sure, some schools and universities use sophisticated simulators for primary training, but most fixed-base operators don't have access to this type of equipment. Even if flight simulators are used, you'll often find that the cost for simulator and instructor (you need both) is comparable to what you'd pay for airplane rental.
On the other hand, your ordinary desktop PC simulator can offer you a training advantage at minimal expense. At least that's how the Navy perceives the use of Microsoft Flight Simulator. According to Scott Dunlap, head of the Assessment Project Office for the chief of naval education and training in Pensacola, Florida, a study conducted by the Navy found that students who use microsimulation products during early flight training tend to have higher scores than students who do not use the software. This assumes, of course, that the student is actively involved in flight training, and that the student's good habits are reinforced and bad ones eliminated.
Concerning high- or low-wing airplanes, I have yet to see even one bit of evidence that having one wing above or below you has any measurable effect on your flight-training success. There's simply no practical difference in the ease of learning between high- and low-wing airplanes. Make your airplane decision to fly based on what you can afford to fly first and what you would like to fly next. And what your flight school has, of course!
That said, many people choose a high or low wing based on aesthetics. One simply appeals to them more than the other. Others make their choice based on psychological or physical concerns. Some people find they have less anxiety by seeing less of the ground and more of the sky when they fly. These folks should fly low-wing airplanes. Other folks prefer high wings because the high wings keep the sun from beating down on them during training. This is important if you're heat sensitive or a vampire (I recommend that vampires do all their training at night).
Crosswind concerns
Dear Rod:
The problem I am running into is that I am canceling flights based on small crosswinds, due to confidence and personal limitations. The strange part is that while doing flights with my CFI, I naturally just seem to handle the crosswinds and get through it. On a recent trip to the West Coast I decided to rent an airplane and go see the sights from a couple of thousand feet. We (the CFI for the insurance checkout and I) were landing on Runway 25 with winds variable from 18 to 22 knots. While landing I used almost the entire runway side right of the centerline to get down and on both mains. When flying in my hometown, however, I handled a 14-kt, 70-degree crosswind with difficulty but stayed near the centerline. I figured it was because I had the instructor with me.
My question is, why am I having trouble landing on the centerline in a crosswind? I don't want to damage my trusty airplane. I do, however, want to be better at crosswind landings. Can you offer any advice?
Thank you,
Tad
Greetings Tad:
Here's how I see this problem. If you're having trouble with crosswinds, it's probably due to one of three reasons: Either you are using the wrong crosswind technique, not using your rudder sufficiently, or not manhandling the airplane.
My preference is to use a crab method until crossing the threshold (or thereabouts), then transition to a sideslip for landing. This method provides you with excellent control all the way to the ground and is less disturbing to your passengers. After all, sideslipping a half-mile on final might have an armrest poking your passenger's spleen, and you don't want to be known as Tad the Impaler.
Now, if you aren't used to using your rudder pedals to sustain a cross-controlled condition (which is what you need to do to maintain a sideslip), then there's no way you're going to be able to make the airplane do what you want it to do. The stronger the wind, the more you have to be willing to be a bully with those controls instead of acting like a ballerina. There is a time to be smooth on the controls (which is most of the time) but there's also a time to push and pull them assertively to make the airplane do what you want it to do.
The best advice I can offer here is to find a CFI who really knows about handling crosswinds and knows how to teach them (it's almost certain that any CFI who teaches aerobatics is also highly skilled in handling crosswinds).
Your objective here is to watch this person land in a strong crosswind, to see how it's done. Sometimes students don't get enough time seeing how someone does these things, and therefore they don't quite understand just how assertive you need to be on the controls in gusty winds to accomplish the objective. Your CFI may be competent in crosswinds, but this knowledge isn't rubbing off on you. Try another CFI for a change. I can almost guarantee you that one good hour of watching and learning will cure your crosswind ills.
As a side note, when I come across students like you I usually take them to an airport with crosswinds and have them fly nearly the entire length of the runway at just a foot off the ground at a slow speed using the sideslip method to track the centerline. A few sorties doing this will give you a good idea of exactly how to use the sideslip for crosswind control. If you can't find an airport with a crosswind, then find an airport with two or more runways that cross at an angle. Then, when traffic permits, use the crosswind runway for landing practice. Most controllers will gladly accommodate you.
Rod Machado is a flight instructor, author, educator, and speaker. A pilot since 1970 and a CFI since 1973, he has flown more than 8,000 hours and owns a Beech A36 Bonanza. Visit his Web site.
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