Flight Training: Private Pilot
Flight Date: September 15, 2012

This is the video of my second flight training lesson during my Private Pilot training. During this flight we reviewed the basic flight maneuvers that were introduced to me during the first lesson, including climbs, descents, right and left turns.

We then practiced the same maneuvers with the airplane configured with different flap settings. The objective of this type of training is to allow the student to get familiar with how the airplane reacts when it is configured differently.

Having the Diamond DA40 setup with two notches of flaps, for instance, simulates the airplane flying on final – that is, the landing phase. On this phase of flight, the airplane is flying at a lower speed, just above the stall speed. Any maneuver with this configuration needs to be carefully executed, otherwise the pilot may end up having a bad day!

Turns, more specifically, deserve all the attention when flying at lower speeds. Unfortunately it is very common to hear stories of pilots who stalled their airplanes during the landing phase of the flight because they made a steep turn and accidentally entered a non-recoverable dive to the ground at low altitudes.

During flight training, we practice these scenarios at high altitudes. We setup the airplane to fly at low speeds, controlling the angle of attack, and performing smooth turns. It’s common to hear the stall horn warning while flying in this setting because we are flying right above the stall speed.

I was not as nervous during this lesson as I was in my first one, but the amount of information to absorb is overwhelming. I was certainly sweating the palm of my hands, in part due to the actual hot weather. My instructor performed the takeoff and landing in this lesson, but I was allowed to keep my hand on the control stick and my feet on the rudder pedals to feel the aircraft while he performed those phases of flight.

This is it for this flight lesson! I have not been able to edit the videos and post them as quickly as I would like but eventually they will show up here. Until then… fly high, fly safe!

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/Hbb8dP3WYRE