I have been much entranced, in my off moments, flying the odd instrument approach here in the San Diego region on my laptop computer, using the X-Plane 9 software I’d recently purchased. Feeling a tetch rusty on the gauges, I was, what with my ATP check ride receding in the distance and nothing but the occasional VFR hop about to keep my hand in. Never having been entirely comfortable with that whole dual VOR gas, nor all those flip-flop com/nav stacks. Having been raised on TACANs at first, liberally augmented over time with digital moving maps and GPS-aided inertial navigation systems.
Farewell to all that.
I’ve been fooling around with the Piper Malibu cockpit, as sufficiently advanced to make a man work for his dollar without being led around by the hand like he would be in the Cirrus Jet. If he understood the layout.
Anyway, it’s been fun in a small way. I’ve avoided, to this point, the fighter cockpits.
No sense torturing oneself.
Last weekend I had just finished flying the ILS approach into Montgomery and come to a full stop when the Kat came by with a full head of steam and decided she wanted a stab at it. In moments she had the stick in one hand, ran the throttle up to full power and briskly departed the prepared surface prior to gaining fly-away speed. Ha-ha, she said, running off with a friend. I reset the system and went back to work.
A week or so later I was practicing the localizer into Gillespie – one of these days I will screw my courage up for the back course – when she came and parked herself on my shoulder, watching carefully. After I’d landed, she gently pushed me aside, sat in the chair and said, simply, “Teach me.”
Two words, not really a request. You’ve gotta love that kid.
And so I did. Yes, so I did. I taught. A bit of being smooth on the flight controls, navigating by the CDI, keeping the airspeed under control. Directional control on the go controlled by rudders, by the ailerons in flight. Navigating by the VOR, intercepting final approach course, picking up the glideslope. Taking it to an entirely creditable landing. Thottle coming back to idle, nose coming up to break the rate of descent. Braking to a full stop. Right there on the runway. Not a squeaker really, but no parts left behind on the runway either.
Nice job, I said. Her eyes shining.
She bounced off to the next thing vying to preoccupy the attention of a 14-year old girl in Southern California. But who knows, maybe the bug got under her skin. And even if it didn’t, an old man had a chance to teach his child. Teach her right well.
That’s not nothing.
I think you and my father were cut from the same cloth.
Lex,
I’d recommend the BC LOC 1L at SNA.
Make sure you do the missed too.
Just did my first (real, legal) GPS approach. RNAV berry berry good to me.
Terps game tomorrow night at UVa w/ Mrs. Nose and my fair-haired daughter. Son in South Bend this weekend. Apparently there is some sort of small religious school there. LOL, I think he’s going to a football game…
Perhaps an appointment tp the trade school is in her future?
“Teach me”; the second best thing a father can hear from one of his children. (For moms too.)
Never fails. I’ll think I’m busy with this and that, then the seven year old sidles up and says, “Hey Dad, can you show me how to….”.
The heart warms, the world stops being so busy and it’s me and him.
Too funny.
I just finished a lesson on the Sim with my brother. He was trying to teach me to land. I’ve been able to land before, you see. But only in an open field. Lining up to those runways was a touch more troublesome. Anyway, I did it for the first time tonight. And the second. And the third. Until he walked away. Then I headed back out to a field. I must say though, he has a lot more patience with me than I have with me. Which is a good thing, I suppose.
So here’s to hoping the bug has bitten the Kat. I just wish it had bitten me at a younger age. But hey, my youngest, just signed up for Air Cadets. So that’s kind of cool…
as an XP9 and FSX user, I’ve probably got more instrument time than you, dear host (but not a single hour of real time). SNA can be great fun.
Janes F-18 had the best carrier environment of any game. I can’t tell you how cool it was to be shooting a night approach with my Dad perched over my shoulder coaching me. We didn’t spend a lot of time doing father/son stuff, so that was pretty special, especially knowing the end was near for him.
It’s not nothing. It’s a moment to be remembered and treasured. They grow up and away from us, and they should. But I have moments I remember, and there have been some that were jewels like this one you shared with us. Moments that make everything it took to get to them worthwhile.
Very cool story. Thanks for sharing.
Cap’n, you ever think about taking her along for a ride on the weekend? You might have another member of the family headed towards Naval Aviation.
…X-Plane has gotta be the best sim out there, especially when you use the real weather option. Used that one once when I decided to fly a sim T-43 from Shaw AFB to Langley AFB, and -as a non-pilot – decided that minimums are for sissies. So, using the maps and the tower, I drove in for Langley anyways, disregarding the fact that the base was closed due to weather. Say this for me – I got to Langley and finally did come out of the weather at 200 feet.
Just enough time to see that I was passing over the base at a ninety degree angle to the runway. Had it been for real, I would have been blowing out windows at NASA Langley. Gave me a far better appreciation for the rules.
Mike
Actually, I prefered my Great-Uncle Kenneth’s Aeronca 65 Champ. T-panel and a sight tube fuel gauge. Stick and rudder, fabric over tubing. And you could land it on a section road.
number 2 was Dad’s Ercoupe 415E. With the interconnect, a crosswind landing could be very interesting.
Flying, just to fly, as bsic as it gets.
Lex, you make an excellent point. You give an important insight into the truth. Did you ever notice how many times you can look at two diametrically opposed sides, but see equal value/wisdom/truth on each side? Did you ever notice, how simple it is to make something complex or how complex it is to make something simple? Albert Einstein had a good one, “Are you smart enough to be dumb OR dumb enough to be smart?
As I see you step from the cockpit, to a computer simulation with “X-Plane” as a wise move. It takes a strange courage and wisdom to listen to one’s own body to know when to do this. By the way, “Google Earth” has a flight simulator in it.
Oh, Humble Scribe, you are showing this wisdom. It is strange, I see many people who demand respect. Demanded respect is worthless. You are showing COMMANDED respect, not demanded respect. What is the difference between the two? Commanded respect is gained the old-fashioned way, YOU EARN IT!
Lex,
As one who has lost a daughter to the world, enjoy those special moments. They are few and far between.
Lex – speaking as a daughter whose dad died way too soon, these are the moments that the Kat will cherish long after you are gone – and here’s hoping that’s a very long time to come.
Lex
“That’s not nothing”, indeed. Awesome that she came to you, paying homage to your skills honed through long hours over many years. Good for you. Both.
Through the good graces of the Director of Training for the Company I work for–I took my 11 year old son into a 747-200 simulator for about 2 hours. He frankly didn’t care that much initially…humoring his old man he was.
He has shone the video of his flight under the “Golden Gate Bridge” and subsequent landing at “SFO” at school twice. His old man still beams about it brighter than he does.
Awww! Just Awww!
Maybe she’s starting to appreciate that her Dad turned down a chance at a flag to look out for her?
(and you can tell her I said that)