NAFI NOTAMs #29 |
Laser-Focused—Flying a Single-Seat Airplane ~Guest Blogger Beth Stanton, NAFI eMentor EditorNobody can teach you how to fly a single-seat airplane. Once you and your instructor establish confidence in your competence, at some point you just have to suck it up and do it. Cruising back to the hangar on my bike after a third anxious pee, the thought of bailing crossed my mind.
The experimental Laser is a mid wing aerobatic monoplane that weighs about 1,000 pounds with 230 hp — basically a rocket ship compared to the Super Decathlon. The airplane leapt off the runway and I zoomed to the practice area. Practicing climbs, descents, steep turns, and slow flight, I acclimated to the Laser’s feather-light controls. It was more like wearing an engine and wings rather than operating a machine. The only aerobatics I performed was a loop and a roll. Overshadowing the maiden voyage was the fact that I still had to land this thing. The landing brief for a slippery fuel-injected airplane with no flaps or lights is brief — 100 mph, and the spinner on the numbers. The advice from my coach echoed in my ears, “If you’re not 100 percent sure, go around.” My approach was nice and stable but as I chopped the throttle, the plane sank faster than anticipated. As the runway loomed, I was only 95.7 percent sure. I went around.
Watch Beth fly aerobatics in the Laser here: https://vimeo.com/158438695
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