The Humble (and Humbling) Touch-n-Go
I am humbled. The virtual touch-n-go’s are kicking my butt. I am recreating my logbook, and many entries are just local, so I was going to skip it, but decided to give it a shot. What could be easier? Take off; climb to pattern altitude; turn left 90 degrees; turn left 90 degrees to parallel the runway; when even with the numbers cut power; when the numbers are 45 degrees off the left wing turn left 90 degrees; while descending at an even speed, turn left 90 degrees to line up with the runway; land.
I start at Austin Executive in the Cessna 150 and increase the throttle to full to take off. Immediately, I depart the runway into the grass. (I have decided to try this recreation without spending money on software or hardware, so I have no rudder pedals.) I continue and lift off, generally to the north. I climb, turn to runway heading, then turn left. I turn left again, looking for the runway, which should be parallel to my south heading. I see roads, but cannot make out the runway. I finally see what I think is the departure runway and turn left for the base leg, then turn final, but I have overshot and need to turn back to the left. My airspeed has been deteriorating, and crash short and to the right. How embarrassing! I try again, and use the map to help keep positional awareness, but it is clunky, not pretty, and not realistic.
I try again with the Cherokee 140 at Bremerton. There are more landscape features to guide me than the flat browns of Texas, and the pattern is more rectangular, but I have difficulty flaring, and end up pancaking on the runway. Obviously, I need more practice. Flying is easy; landing is hard.
VIRTUAL LOGBOOK
C150 SX-BDG (FSX)
From: 3R3 (Austin Executive; Austin, Texas)
To: Local
PA28-140 OY-DHD
From: KPWT (Bremerton, Washington)
To: Local
LOGBOOK
April 20, 1990
C-152 N93097
From: 3R3 (Austin Executive)
To: Local
Landings: 6
April 9, 1994
PA28-140
From: PWT (Bremerton, WA)
To: Local
Landings: 4
Edited by gmurray56
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