Last night was my 5th flight in the Pitts. During this lesson we were going to tackle the competition Primary Aerobatic sequence. This is where all budding aerobatic pilots start. The categories for competition evolve like this: Primary, Sportsman, Intermediate, Advanced, Unlimited. The primary sequence is really not that daunting when looking at it on paper. It is a 45 degree upline, a one turn spin, half cuban, loop, 180 degree turn and ending with a slow roll. The diagram shows the sequence in Aresti shorthand, we put this in the cockpit to reference. With the primary, its not too hard to memorize the sequence, but the upper level sequences are much more involved.
For a new aerobatic pilot trying it for the first time, it gets pretty taxing in a hurry as you try to string maneuvers together, manage your energy, fly straight lines...and oh, by the way, stay in this tiny aerobatic box! From the air, the aerobatic box looks like the size of a football field....are you kidding me?! Its actually quite a bit bigger than that, 3300' x 3300' to be exact...but I was amazed just how small that puppy looks from the air.
My brain was on mental overload as I attempted this, so much to think about...and fly the airplane at the same time. There is a saying that pilots that do recreational aerobatics are called "floppers"...you can guess why and probably where that term came from. Their purpose is just to go out, have some fun, and "flop" around the sky willy nilly, paying no attention to style points or precision. Nothing wrong with that at all, but if you really want to hone your stick and rudder skills, try competition aerobatics. It takes it to a whole new level...and I gotta say, I like it...it is a true aviating challenge to demonstrate that kind of mastery over your aircraft.
For about two weeks I had been memorizing the sequence and going over it in my head. Planning my energy management strategy and closing my eyes, flying it in my mind, and going through the stick and rudder motions. When I showed up at the airport, I told Dagmar, "I wanted to test myself...first time through, unless it is a safety concern, don't say anything...no coaching...let me try to get through it alone. Then when I finish, we can discuss what I did right and wrong." She said "ok, sounds good."
Mind you, I wasn't completely prepared for this and I knew it...I hadn't done a 45 degree upline yet, my cuban eights in my first lesson were not to competition standards and my slow rolls were still a work in progress. But, I believe in pushing yourself...that's how you grow and learn at anything in life, get out of your comfort zone and stretch. I knew this was going to quite a learning experience...I was not wrong.
Ok, so...here we go...we get out to the practice area. I line up at 3500' AGL and make a shallow dive into the box. Stiff pull through 1/8 of a loop, establish my 45 degree upline...good...up we go, airspeed decays to 80mph, push the stick and nose over the top, trying to mirror the initial pull...they should be equal in appearance, but the trick is the push at the top is at a much slower speed so its more gradual. I come out of the 45 degree upline and we experience a slight weightless zero G feeling as I float out of my seat and am constrained gently by my lap belt. Level off...always level off in between maneuvers, remember straight lines...the judges are watching.
Now cut the power, hold the nose up to maintain altitude...straight lines...setting up for the one turn spin. No problem so far, I'm feeling good. We wobble and teeter at stall speed, that's my cue to kick left rudder and over we go into the spin. Here is where it starts falling apart for me. I had never done a "competition" spin yet...although I knew about coming out on heading, a one turn spin requires a perfect 360 degrees of rotation...not 350 or 370. I also knew that coming out of the spin, I had to establish a perfect vertical downline, but I hadn't practiced that yet. I managed both of those fairly well for my first attempt, but what caught me was this.
I pulled power to enter the spin...got my vertical downline established (actually not quite, needed more forward stick...), but then forgot to add the power back in! When we practiced spins before, we didn't cover this, my only thought was recovering from the spin back then...not making it look pretty. As I came out of the dive, I pulled 4G's to level off...then, and only then, I finally added the power back in. Too late, my energy management was now destroyed...I didn't have the energy for the next maneuver (or at least I didn't think I did)...the half cuban. Consequently, this is where I aborted my sequence. Boy, I didn't get far, did I? doh! Quite an aviator alright! Oh well, it was a great learning experience and a wonderful introduction to the challenges of competition aerobatics. Energy management is everything.
We then circled back up to gain altitude and talked about it. Dagmar explained, I needed to establish a perfect vertical downline first, then add full power...while still pointing straight down. That was interesting the first time, instincts tell you "full power, straight down" is not a good idea for preserving life.
I went through it again...this time, making it all the way through the sequence. Its wasn't pretty but I managed. We ended up doing it several more times...and I was proud to say, I improved each time. The last one being pretty decent, at least from my vantage point...not sure judges would agree. Although, I did not stay inside the box on any of them...that will be the next challenge.
This was also the first lesson Dagmar let me take off and land. Take off wasn't too difficult, although Dagmar likes to take off in a three point attitude in the Pitts, which was different for me. I always raised the tail first in the Citabria. Landing was definitely another completely new experience. We came in at 1000' AGL, 120mph...when I was at about a 45 degree line from the numbers, cut the power to idle, pitch the nose over and glide down to the numbers...holding 110mph. Its amazing how the Pitts will glide at that nose down attitude without gaining airspeed. I round off, flare and set it down nice and smooth...Dagmar comes over the intercomm and congratulates me, "nice job!". I was feeling kinda cocky, until the beast showed me her fangs...here comes the ground roll. Holy moly is this airplane twitchy!! I was all over the runway, chasing my tail. Dagmar had to help me with the rudder on that segment of the landing...ok, I am now humbled again, that didn't take long. The Pitts is legendary for being hard to land...I can now see why.
I now have 4.9 hrs in the Pitts, with 2.0 hrs devoted exclusively to spin training. I would say, this, for me is a minimum for feeling comfortable flying solo aerobatics. I feel I have enough training now to know how to get myself out of trouble. I, by no means, have this mastered...but I have a good foundation, to practice my skills. I will continue with Dagmar to increase my confidence level...and I like flying with Dagmar and love the Pitts, but I would think most pilots would be ok on their own at this point. Those 5 hrs have meant the world to me being more confident in the cockpit. Spin training was HUGE for this pilot to erase my fears. Remember, I was a pilot that was afraid of doing solo stalls before I started this, I now would feel comfortable not only doing solo stalls...but solo spins, which I plan to do soon in the Citabria. What a difference! I cant recommend this training enough...it is an investment that will pay huge dividends.
During aerobatic lessons I empty all my pockets and there are no loose items in the cockpit for obvious reasons. Its a shame, I would have loved to have a camera with me on this flight. We landed just as the sun was setting over the Rockies and that flight back was nothing short of spectacular as we flew into the setting sun and it glinted off the red Pitts wings! Such a great time of day to be flying...in a Pitts.
Lastly, Dagmar is heading for Texas next week to start practicing under the watchful eye of her coach, Sergei, for the US National aerobatic championships at the end of September. She is hoping to secure a spot on the US National team. She was previously a member of the German national team in '94 and '96. After an aviation accident that claimed the life of one of her close friends, she actually gave up flying for a while. Only to come back to it recently, because as she says, she was "born for this" and really missed it. After getting back into flying...she set a lofty goal of once again trying to make the National team. I commend her on this effort, she recently told me she is just one year younger than when her mother died of cancer...we never know how long we have, go out and live...chase your dreams while you still have the chance.
