Lesson #10

Log Book - 3/6 C150 IA24 KCID IA24 3 1.2

Arrived at the airport about 8:20 and pulled N5219Q from the hangar. While I normally pull the plane to the pumps when they need fuel, I felt lazy and decided to taxi the plane to the pumps this morning. After filling the tanks and preflighting, Dale arrived and we climbed in the plane for our training today. Another different airplane that I had never flown, so we had to go through the steps of figuring out radios, etc. We depart and I put on the Foggles and attempt to call CID APP. After the initial call, APP tells me that the radio is unreadable. I level off at 1900’ (below the lower limits of the Class C airspace) to try to figure out what is happening with the radios. We decide that COM1 isn’t the best choice and switch over to the COM2 radios. The COM2 radio is working well, so we get our squawk code and proceed to CID for several ILS 09 approaches. We get final vectors for the ILS 09 approach, so I slow to 90 knots and get ready for the ILS needle to start to move. As I turn towards the runway, the winds are light from 130 so I realize that I will need to approach at a heading of 100 to help correct for the winds. The GS needle comes alive and I wait for the FAF. Once there, I start the descent down to the runway. OK, there are now 2 things that I need to worry about, heading and altitude. I once again am overcorrecting on the heading and getting very frustrated because of it. I eventually get back on course and am still a little high on the GS when I reach decision height. I look up from the Foggles and see that I would be able to get configured and land, so I call missed and wait for my instructions from TWR to contact DEP. I get my assigned heading from DEP and chat with Dale about what I need to do to correct my over correcting. I once again get HDG instructions for the vectors to the FAF and start configuring the airplane for the approach. I once again find myself overcorrecting on the LOC and am hoping that I can figure out what I am doing wrong. I end this approach a little to the left and high, but still manageable. After some more discussion with Dale, he thinks that I should try small rudder corrections in lieu of aileron to correct the LOC errors so I figure it’s worth a try. I once again get vectors for the last ILS approach for the day. As we turn to the FAF, I remind myself repeatedly that I will stay light on the controls and use small heading corrections. The rudder pedals also will hopefully alleviate the errors that I made on the first 2 attempts. Everything this time is going great and I have the needles centered for the majority of this approach. As I follow the GS down, I realize that I am a little low and provide some power to correct the deviation. DAMN, I spent too much time on the VSI and GS needles and realize that I am now way off on heading. I try to get the needles closer to center before reaching DH, but am unable to do so. I look up at DH to see that I am a little right and high, but still close enough to the runway to get down safely. I get vectors and altitude instructions from Dale and he gets me lined up for left base for RWY 15 back at Green Castle. Off go the Foggles and I land the plane and taxi back to the ramp. Once we are finished and back in the office, Dale comments on my last approach and tells me how good I was doing until getting mesmerized on the GS needle and VSI and forgetting my scan. It will take some more time to get the scan down, and wonder how much easier it would be if this were a newer plane with the more popular inverted T 6 pack of gauges, like the DA40 that I fly.