Day 28 (is it???)
Stage Check day = pretty much the checkride profile with a little fine tuning going on.
I walked into the sim feeling good. I had reviewed my profiles, my callouts, etc. Did all my flows pretty well with the exception of forgetting the Fire Test...which I did shortly after I realized I had missed it.
Off the gate in less than 20 minutes. Not too shabby for a newbie.
Today's flight plan was to take us from MEM to DFW. The vis was reported as RVR 6, which meant we could go, but needed a t/o alternate. There was none filed on the release, but I caught it....which was part of the "test".
We chose LIT (Little Rock) as our alternate and away we went.
First t/o was normal. No tricks thrown in other than the low vis. Climbed up to 10,000 and did the stalls. This is where it got REAL interesting!!
First stall was in the clean config. That went very well.
Second stall config. was the approach/landing. Got to the red bar, stick shaker, autopilot off, called out and set thrust....and WHAM....plane bucked like a wild bronco!! Up..stick shaker.....stick pusher...WAY down....over and over and over.
NOTHING I did would control the plane. I said to my instructor "What's going on here? What's this thing doing?"
Silence.
Again: "Dude! This isn't normal. I'm not doing this!"
Him: "Man...I've NEVER seen this thing do THIS!....Let me try."
So, we finally got it under control, set it back up, got into the stall config and - WHAM! Same thing..only worse this time.
So, we shut it down, called a tech who came out and discovered that the freakin' computer had double-top-secret reset itself to some wild-assed pitch configuration. He re-set it and we were back in bidness.
Did the approach/landing stall again and it went as planned. Then, right into the departure stall recovery which prompted a "nicely done." I was in a groove.
Vectors for the ILS 36R back at MEM. Shot the approach, runway in sight, down to about 50 ft AGL - "go missed". Did the missed with no troubles, then out to the published missed/hold. After the hold, it was vectors to the VOR/DME for RWY 27 (?..they're all running together). That went well, I was way ahead of the profile.....UNTIL....got to MDA and I FORGOT TO DESCEND until we were about 5 seconds past it.
CRAP....selected 1200 fpm VS and started down. Broke out of the clouds and the threshold was just below us...we were still at 800. Without prompting from The Master (not the same Master from week 1 thank goodness!!
), I called the missed, and we came back around - did it again to a full stop landing. Actually held center line...give or take a couple of feet either side.
Took off, V1, Rotate - ding ding ding....right engine fails. Made all the appropriate callouts...flew the appropriate profile and it was a non-event.
Came back around, shot the GPS to some other runway, went missed, back around for the ILS again....to a full stop.
Repositioned back to the numbers, go to takeoff power, get a Master Warning shortly after 80 knots...called the "Abort, Abort, Abort."... we aborted...and we were done.
Instructor had a just a few fine tuning comments and signed me off for the ride on Saturday.
Now all I have to do is wait.....and review....and pray....and wait.
Ya'll cross your fingers, toes, pray, do a rain dance....that voodoo that you do so well....whatever works....and I'll chat ya'll up on Saturday!
More later
R2F
