Today I knocked out two lessons in one flight: #8 (steep turns, forward slip to landing) and #9 (emergency procedures, flying w/o instruments). Steep turns were easy enough, next up was probably the single most helpful period of instruction to date: emergencies. First, the airspeed indicator was covered by a piece of adhesive paper and I was instructed to get the plane in landing configuration. I have to guestimate 65 kts. Power back, pitch up, flaps 20 degrees. Establish a good glide angle. When I thought I had it, he removed the cover - 70 kts, only off by 5. Next, the altimeter was covered; make turns while maintaining altitude. Only off by 50 feet - certainly not bad at all. Now the tricky part: engine failure. I was entering the pattern at Hearne Municipal when my instructor pulled the throttle all the way back to idle. I had 'lost' the engine... now what? Run through the ABC's of engine failure: Airspeed, Best field, Cockpit checks. Glide speed is 65 kts, we're right by KLHB, and there's no time to attempt a restart. Today's winds were blowing from the northwest at 12 kts, gusting violently to 18; this made for a tough (but extremely valuable) landing. I made a tight final turn right over the numbers for runway 36, kept adjusting the pitch to maintain that 65, and came down fast. Flare, and we touched down. A little hard, but it felt good to bring a plane in with the engine out - that's a real confidence booster. We left Hearne and followed the Brazos back to Easterwood, made one touch-and-go then landed.
Flight #8/9: 1.2 hrs
Total Log Time: 8.6 hrs
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