Currency is a State; Proficiency the Goal

Flight Debrief, Cessna R182 VH-WBC 1.4h, Moorabbin - Tooradin - Moorabbin (3 x Touch & Gos, 2 x Go-Arounds, 1 x full stop)

Learning Points:

• Moorabbin inbound and outbound procedures. Learn To Fly Flight Training Group 's YouTube videos are a great resource. Also, revisit join patterns at YMMB, such as base and oblique base for runways 35 and 31`
• Positive speed and assertive positioning. It was windy today, 260 degrees between 4 and 16 knots, so a little gusty. I found having excess power and speed was better than not, reminding me of an adage a PC-9/A QFI once told me that "power can get you out of trouble." I used this to good effect on base and final, and felt more vulnerable when my speed dropped off. Where I didn't fly with positive control, and can improve, was in positioning for base runway 31L on my return to YMMB, but rather flew a lazy / passive approach to oblique final.
• Think Wind. Particularly in the circuit pattern, and base to final and where to start the base turn (threshold, or past).
• Radio-Telephony. Try to better listen out to CTAF traffic, particularly callsigns.

Objectives

Flying an airplane is not like riding a bike. If you haven't done it recently, you might not remember how. It is probably more like juggling bowling pins; if you're not proficient, you are likely to end up hurting yourself. - Tony Kern , "Redefining Airmanship"

My last flight was in September, and I was out of currency in terms of being able to carry passengers, let alone general proficiency. A few cancelled flights, busy work, travel, weather, and an unserviceable aircraft delayed my flight a few times. VH-WBC, the Cessna R182, is such a great aircraft. Powerful, fast, climbs quickly, and with plenty of payload - the only downside is the high fuel consumption. I find the R182 a more difficult aircraft to fly than the C172RG, in that it demands more positive control and is less forgiving given the higher power and weight, but that isn't a bad thing from a learning and growth perspective. Similarly, the C172D that I've flown is more docile and simpler than the C172RG - but not as capable of cruising flight and carrying more. All are a delight to fly, and present their own learning and piloting opportunities.

Prep

I focused on two key areas of prep, having not flown for over three months:

1. Basic circuit procedures, including CTAF arrivals and departures, and circuit joins; and,
2. Moorabbin inbound and outbound procedures.

For the first part, my kneeboard circuit chart was helpful in reviewing key leg procedures, combined with paper-flying the connecting sequences such as circuit departures, arrivals, and transits.

The second part I felt less proficient in, that is, reviewing the complexity of Moorabbin Airport's busy inbound and outbound procedures. I looked on YouTube, as I had previously found some helpful gouge in looking at videos illustrating Canberra Airport arrivals and departures. Learn To Fly Flight Training Group 's video library (Learn To Fly Melbourne - YouTube) offers some fantastic learning resources, with their three-part Moorabbin Airport Procedures covering all scenarios, and with demonstrations. Airservices Australia publications are, of course, the definitive resource, but these sorts of resources complement the official information.

The Flight

Outbound

Wind was from the west meaning runways 31R and 31L were in use, and overcast cloud at 2,400' meant I would track downwind to the Training Area / Tooradin at 2,000'.

Pre-flight checks were straightforward, with the biggest delay being my reconciling the Flight Switch and Engine hours with the Maintenance Release log hours. I haven't seen a Flight Switch and Maintenance Release with different times, and when I couldn't reconcile this on release I went into Learn To Fly for another pilot's advice. He explained that the MR can be independent of the Flight Switch and Engine times, and it just needed to be calculated on a paper basis. With the aircraft within maintenance intervals, I could go flying.

Taxiing and departure was straightforward. I conduct a departure brief before startup while sitting in the cockpit, and then a second departure brief - almost like a pre-take off departure brief - prior to my emergency brief in the run-up bay. It helped that I had a CAE Cessna to follow to runway 31R, via B, crossing runways 35L, 35R, and 22, to the holding point.

I was cleared for take-off closely behind the Cessna, who was also departing downwind for the Training Area, so I opted to roll slower to give myself more spacing. I knew my R182 would quickly accelerate and out-climb the CAE C172, hence my spacing and I also extended my crosswind and downwind turns to further my spacing, and keep him in sight.

Tooradin

With the westerly wind, runway 22 was in use which I haven't used before. I had planned and briefed a midfield crosswind circuit join onto downwind, with a standard left-hand circuit onto runway 22. A tip an instructor taught me was to draw the runway orientation and the circuit directions on my kneepad page, and then I can also draw my expected joining vector to help visualise my join flow. Tooradin has right hand circuits on runway 04, but normal on runway 22 - to help minimise noise over houses.

Out of diligence, I checked ERSA while tracking towards YTDN but before my inbound call. Maybe there's a thing as over-checking, as I misread "Right hand circuits REQ when OPR RWY 04 and 32" as "22". So I spent a few minutes re-visualising what I needed to do for a right hand circuit on runway 22, not making any sense of it, before realising after reconfirming it said runway 32.

Inbound call - Position, Height, Intentions - and I was solo in the circuit.

• Circuit 1. Turned in too close for downwind (halfway strut spacing, rather than 3/4) and ended up too high on final. Power settings were ok throughout. Go-around due to too high on short final.
• Circuit 2. Good spacing, but late turn point (~8 o'clock). Initiated turn onto base quite late and this blew me further downwind while I turned base, and then slowly powered into final. Touch and go was OK, flared and cut power a little high, resulting in slight bounce.
• Circuit 3. A helicopter was joining runway 22 from the east while I was crosswind, and we coordinated deconfliction by my extending my circuit significantly. I increased frequency of my calls for position awareness, and saw the helicopter while on early downwind. While on late base I elected to go around as the helicopter was still landing. He landed and vacated quite quickly, while I would have been mid-final, so I could have made it but never mind.
• Circuit 4. Better circuit all around. Still a little late and blown downwind, and I was mindful of not letting my power decrease too much as it made the aircraft more unstable. Touch and go was fine, positive touchdown with minimal bounce.
• Circuit 5. A Bonanza joined downwind while I was upwind on take-off and we communicated position and intentions. I was very happy with this circuit's spacing, turn-point (at threshold), and excess power on base and final. Good touch and go, flare, and take-off. I noticed the Bonanza on final (I was turning base) did and touch and go. Departed upwind for Moorabbin.

Inbound

I climbed to 2,000' on departure and tracked towards Carrum. Traffic was minimal and I reported inbound at 1,500' expecting runway 31L. I was instructed to "join base, runway 31L," and after mistakenly reading back 35L with Tower correcting me, I joined an oblique base that was more like an extended oblique final. I wasn't too happy with my non-assertive join - in that it wasn't base or final, and will look at this for next time.

My landing was again a little heavy. But I'd rather a heavy, positive landing over a light, bouncing landing. I suspect I'm bringing power back and flaring a little early - largely due to the short runway at Tooradin where I want to get on the tarmac as soon as possible.

Rolled through to the apron, which is always a nice feeling of efficiency, and then taxied back to the bay. On shutdown and pushback to the bay the front tyre failed when it contacted the towbar connection. I met the owner and we maneuvered the aircraft back into parked position. Fortunately, it only required an inner tube replacement and WBC was airworthy again the next day.

Next Flight

Cross-country, including for work, would be ideal. Canberra, Sydney, Adelaide, Sale, or the NSW south coast.