ORIGINAL: Emofish
How do I know when I am ready to move to an intermediate plane (low wing, tail dragger, etc)?
What should I be able to do with my trainer that will tell me when I am ready?
I know I should be able to take off, fly and land with no problem, but is there any other aspects that I should have become well versed in before I make the step?
Thanks,
Scott May
AMA# 826168
Scott,
If you can answer yes to this list then go for it. It's assuming you can fuel, start, tune, takeoff, land, taxi and can do them well.
Is your orientation to the direction of flight pretty much second nature. e.g fly directly at yourself and can turn exactly the way you want to everytime. How about being able to tell if the plane is upright or inverted. In a turn can you tell if the top or botton of the plane is facing you at all times
Can you do mild aerobatics: e.g. stall turns, inverted flight, rolls, loops.
Can you do dead stick landings.
Can you land in the wind, how about crosswind both 90 degree, and 45 degree.
If you are pretty comfortable with the above then have at it. On most of them you do not have to be perfect, but I think the orientation part is very important as the rest will follow naturally.
Oh and do not forget to add rudder skills to the list of things you want to learn. That is probably the least used control surface but it is the most powerful one that you have on almost any plane.