Touch and go

Flight lesson #3 today at Odessa Schlemeyer Field.  Drove the Tacoma over so I could listen to Alt Nation on XM, my new favorite radio station after the trip to Big Bend Fri-Sat.  After normal preflight, we took off on runway 34 into a gentle north wind.  Pulling up too hard upon takeoff we experienced the stall horn, but safely lower the nose to a safer angle of attack.  Flew out north of Odessa and practiced ground reference maneuvers: "S" turns; flying in a constant-radius circle; and a large rectangle.  I still have some trouble maintaining altitude while manuevering.  Turning tends to make the aircraft sink; need to keep back pressure on elevator to avoid this.  When ending a turn, then, there is a tendency to continue back pressure which results in gaining altitude.  I do it nearly every time.  Back south toward the airport, Josh (instructor) had me do a left turn to approach runway 34.  I was looking at the wrong runway so we went around.  On pass #2 I came in too high and fast.  Approaching to land is a bit complicated; there is so much happening at once.  The objective is to reduce speed and reduce altitude at the same time; normally these actions are opposed (falling tends to increase airspeed).  So landing involves the following steps (my current understanding):

1. maintain altitude (4000' ASL) and reduce power (2000 rpm)
2. At a safe speed, lower flaps to TO (middle) position
3. After passing end of runway, reduce power again (1750 rpm)
4. At a safe speed (white arc), lower flaps to down position
5. Turn 180 degrees into final approach
6. Maintain speed above 60 knots, ideally ~70 knots
7. Reduce power to idle if necessary
8. Aim for runway; maintain speed and continue to lose alitude
9. As the aircraft sinks into the runway, pull back on elevator to control the sink rate

Step 9 is the most difficult.  Everything is happening, and you're just a few feet off the ground, but still flying at 70 knots (~80 mph).  Control movements need to be pretty extreme (I think).  The next steps, by the way, involved touching down, then keeping the nose up (but not too much), and slowing down until you're not flying anymore.  Then keep steering with the rudder pedals and coast to near the end of the runway, where brakes are applied.  Throttle at idle if not already.

On my first attempt I came in too high, and instructor decided to do a go-around.  Back to full power, gentle back pressure on elevator until well above stall speed; climb out, go around.  Our second attempt was a touch-and-go, where we made contact but continued and took off again; the third time was a charm and I landed it ok. Really a little hard but not bad.

Cockpit of the Diamond 20.  Student sits on left (captain's seat).  

Controls:

• stick (center of seats) - controls pitch (nose up/down) and roll (wing up/down)
• rudder pedals (in foot well) - controls yaw (nose left and right)
• In center divider (silver): 
• far right = fuel mixture control
• center = throttle

Other things I look at are the altimeter; the climb rate indicator; the airspeed indicator; and the tachometer.

 

Kermit Dunes

About 60 miles due west of Midland, near the part of Texas where the corner of New Mexico juts in, is the little town of Kermit, TX.  Northeast of Kermit about 10 miles is a pod of dunes (you can find them on Google Maps satellite view -- see map below for a marker at the parking area).  It is similar in shape and orientation to the dunes near Monahans, TX, along I-20.  A few square miles of the Kermit dunes are open as an off-road recreation area.  ATVs and motorcycles are allowed.  Overnight camping is also allowed for a fee; there are no facilities or water.  The day-use fee is $10 per day per adult rider. The gate is open on weekends; it is often closed on weekdays but I've never seen it actually locked. If it is locked, there is a phone number either near the gate or on the "rules" board facing the parking area.


View Kermit Dunes OHV Area in a larger map

Kermit Dunes parking area.  Dunes to the right.

Last Sunday it was a cool day.  In the late afternoon I loaded up the truck with my Honda 230 and headed out to Kermit.  My roommate Terra rode with me and other rider Mau drove his truck with his Honda 250.  We got to the dunes around 4 PM.  The parking lot was nearly deserted.  This is the same time I liked to ride in Sam Houston Nat. Forest north of Houston.  Everyone heads home Sunday just after noon.  In the afternoon and evening, you've got the place mostly to yourself.

Tracks in the sand

Terra was just along for the ride, so she set up a chair in the parking lot and read a book or something.  Mau and I tore off into the dunes.

Dune riding can be pure joy.  Again, I had some moments of perfection.  Cruising around a sand bowl, feels like you're floating.  Tearing in any direction.  No trails, just go.

Mau was doing some jumps.  I was practicing riding down steep dunes faces, and practicing getting unstuck.  The wind started to pick up and we were getting sandblasted.  Waves of sand came off the peaks of the dunes.  If you approached a dune crest from the lee side, you got a face full of sand.

My bike had an electrical problem and wouldn't start after I stalled it.  Thankfully Mau had a tool kit along and we were able to jiggle some wires until it would start.  That would have been a long walk back to the parking lot -- and it would be impossible to push the bike back.  Would have to fetch some tools and work on it out there.

Back at the lot, Terra wanted to try.  So she rode the 230, which has been a learning bike for many people, myself included.  She did pretty good and soon rode off down the sandy trail with Mau.  In first gear of course.  After five minutes I heard them coming back, then saw them riding toward me on a road a few hundred feet away.  Terra went behind a dune, then Mau went behind.  I heard Mau's engine shut off and I didn't see anyone come out the other side of the dune.  I ran over there.  Terra had wrecked and hit her face on the sand.  Thankfully she was wearing my helmet.  She got a few bruises.

The photos above don't do the area justice.  There was so much blowing sand, I didn't dare take my camera riding.  On a less windy day I'll get some riding shots and video.

Mau and I went back out on the dunes for another hour or so of blasting around.  Pure joy.  It's so rare, and here I've found a source of it, just an hour's drive away from Midland.

Waiting for our Sonic after-riding meal.

Stopping at Sonic in Kermit for a foot-long chili dog is an after-ride tradition.

Heavier than Air

Lesson #2 at Odessa Schlemeyer Field.  The Diamond 20 is a joy.  Went through the checklists, taxied, took off.  Climbed to 5000' ASL (so about 1800' above the ground); practiced 45-degree banked turns without losing altitude; practiced slow flying (60 knots); also did low-power, low-speed stalls.  None of it seemed very difficult.  I really felt like I was flying the plane, and in some level of control over it.  On approach for landing I operated the radio and did most of the flying until about 10' of the ground.  Actually, I'm never sure how much flying the instructor is doing during landing and takeoff...  I need to ask him, because if I don't know, I don't know how much control input I need to give.  We were in the air for a little until an hour.  I accidentally did one fun maneuver, where I climbed rapidly and again too quickly tried to level off, which gave us a zero-g, floating-stomach feeling, like at the top of a roller coaster.  Next time we practice takeoff and landing.  I think landing and navigation are going to be the biggest challenges -- and mainly landing.

Take off, eh!

Today, my first real flight lesson.  I've taken three "discovery" flights and I've flown in a glider.  Now I'm going for it -- I'm working to get my Private Pilot License.  Yeah!

I tried to fly on Thursday evening, but it was too windy.  It's always windy in West Texas, but the wind didn't line up with any of the runways.  So we didn't fly that day.  

I'm taking lessons at Odessa-Schlemeyer Field in Odessa, TX.  It's about a 25-minute drive from my house in Midland.  The flight school there uses a Diamond DA-20.  This is a 2-seater plane unlike the Cessna 172 used by most schools.  The Diamond is also much lighter and more glider-like:

Today was windy too, but it was out of the south, which lines up well with a runway.  The south wind was bringing in smoke from the Rockhouse Fire burning down near Fort Davis, Texas.  Visibility was not great.

After our pre-flight check we hopped in the plane and taxied to the runway, where we did another series of pre-flight checks.  The engine is fuel-injected and the plane is fairly new, so it was much easier than the carbureted engines in the old Cessnas.  Everything seemed pretty familiar.  The stick (vs yoke controls) was something new.

We had the engine on for 8/10 of an hour (that's how they charge -- engine-on time), and flew around Odessa.  I did some fairly sharp turns with yoke + rudder, and adjusted the throttle, maintained altitude and used the GPS a little.  Also worked on controlling airspeed, gaining and losing altitude, and doing a traffic pattern to prepare us for a landing.  Lots of fun!  Next lesson on Tuesday, wind permitting...

San Angelo, TX

Spring Break.  Debi couldn't find anything in hill country near Austin or San Antonio.  She was going up near DFW.  I said, why not come out my way?  San Angelo is about two hours east of Midland, and about six hours west of Houston.  That sounded like a good compromise to me!

I loaded up the bikes on my trailer and towed it behind the Tacoma down to San Angelo on Saturday afternoon.  Debi's ETA was 5 PM.  I drove around a bit, trying to get the lay of the land.  Sabkha and I hiked around some water below a dam, which turned out to be the Twin Buttes reservoir dam.

Debi showed up with her Mitsubishi Outlander (a really good car except for the mediocre interior), with Mary and a pop-up camper in tow. (Please note: Mary was in the car, not actually being towed --Ed.).  We set up camp in the north section of San Angelo State Park, and it was nice enough, although we weren't on the lake.  It was basically a giant field full of prickers and burrs, with a few groves of trees around the edges.  The southern section of the state park is more desirable if you want a lake and/or a view.

We hung out at camp and Mary played with the neighbor kids, who were camped about 18 inches away.  The family (or two families?) had about 15 kids, although they were difficult to count because they were always moving so fast.  We took a drive into town around dinnertime in the new truck.  Debi hadn't seen it before because I bought it on the NW side of Houston and immediately drove it straight to Midland.

As usual, the day after Saturday was Sunday.   We went for a hike in the southern part of San Angelo State Park.  It was dry country (hasn't rained out here for over six months), but we identified plenty of desert plants.  The day was warm and windy.

Hikers

Flower observed on hike, San Angelo State Park

Master Naturalist (in progress) Dr. Andrew McCarthy gestures at a plant

Mary explores a deer blind

Parasitic plant on another plant

Flowering plant

After our hike we decided to go into town a bit.  Downtown San Angelo was surprisingly nice.  It has the Concho River (dammed to form a lake through town) as a focal point.  That is one thing that Midland is missing -- no river runs through it.  All the great Texas towns have a lovely blue river (thinking San Antonio, Austin... heck, even Waco!).

Mary chases a duck along the Concho River

I check out some statues on the river in San Angelo

Odessa has the rabbit; San Angelo has the sheep.  They're everywhere.

 San Angelo has some nice neighborhoods and a more diversified economy than Midland, with oilfield (of course) and also the Air Force base, meatpacking, call centers, and recreation.  The downtown has a smattering of cool old late 19th/early 20th century buildings, with quaint and quirky businesses now occupying them.  Unfortunately it was Sunday, and everything was closed.

Cool building, San Angelo, TX.

Mother and daughter

"Hey guys!!!!" ... snap

Mary pretended she got ran over... or was she micro-napping?

"One of these shops HAS to be open!"

We checked out a nice little local coffee shop, Baker Street Cafe, then drove over to Lake Nasworthy.  This clay-blue lake was completely full and is clearly regulated by outlets from the two lakes higher up the Concho River.  Looks like a great place to jet-ski.  Soon.

Me and Mary and Sab; Lake Nasworthy.  

We walked out onto a dock, watched some prairie dogs, then headed back to camp for dinner.  Mary and Sabkha and I walked around the campground and discovered a little pond about 100 feet from the camper.  The water was lovely and blue.  This was actually part of a stream that was not flowing.  We had a great time throwing sticks into the water for Sabkha to fetch.

Sabkha fetches

Down by the pond

"Mary of the Trees" - artistic photo

Monday we finally got geared up to go riding (dirt biking).  We headed over to Twin Buttes, on the south side of the reservoir.  We tested out the new Tacoma by driving up a steep hill.  4LO didn't get us up, but the rear locker did, no problem.  At the time I didn't know you had to actually activate A-TRAC with a button while in 4LO, so didn't try it.  We also did a number of stream crossings that seemed dangerous at first but really were pretty pedestrian.  Debi in particular enjoyed off-roading in the truck and soon declared "I want one."

It was way steeper than it looks.  Mary was highly concerned.

Fun.

Stopped and pulled the bikes off the trailer.  The Yamaha would not start -- dead battery?  I usually carry my charger but of course didn't have it on this trip.  It was dead as a doornail.  The Honda started right up, so we took turns riding that and Debi did some practice to get the rust off.  Then I took the Honda and did some trail riding while Debi drove the Tacoma and Mary rode with her.  What fun!  I did some stream crossings on the Honda and was surprised what I could ride through.  The area we were in is not the official bike trail area; that is on the north side of the reservoir.  But I didn't know that at the time.  It was great fun to ride the two-tracks.  Debi took a turn too, and Mary rode around a little with us at low speeds.

Prepping to ride.  Twin Buttes Res in background.

Mary on the shores of Twin Buttes Reservoir

Mary tries out the Honda

Debi is ready to ride, with her new helmet

Map of March 2011 Adventures

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This Month / Recently:
San Angelo / Twin Buttes OHV
Hackberry Lake
Guadalupes / Dog Canyon / Queen, NM
Big Bend Ranch SP 4x4 and hiking
Bought Big Bend "Ranch"
Trip to Artesia for work
Tahoka Lake (Master Naturalists)