Flight Training: Review Flight for Sport Pilot Checkride

On July 15, 2010 at 8.00 AM, I preflighted the Allegro 2000 LSA with Jim. Taxing to the RWY 03, I performed a short-field takeoff applying full power with brakes and releasing to gather speed on the takeoff roll. Liftoff at 56 MPH and climb at Vy=70 MPH, I headed NW of KTTA to the flight practice area. At an altitude of 3,000 ft and airspeed at 90 MPH, I performed a clearing turn to the right and left. Jim asked me to perform a power-on and power-off stall & recvery. I did the power-on stall at 4,500 rpm and with no flaps and recovered by lowering the nose to reduce the angle of attack (AOA) and applying power to climb to the original altitude. I reduced the power to idle and at 70 MPH, put flaps at 2 and stalled the airplane by backpressure. I recovered from the stall by lowering the nose by pushing the stick forward and applying full-power. I retracted the flaps from 2 to 1 and after the airplane gained some speed, I retrected the flaps from 1 to 0. I climbed to an altitude of 2,800.

Jim simulated an engine-out emergency by bringing the power to idle. I trimmed the airplane for a glide speed of 70 MPH, picked a landing site (KTTA RWY 21 within 3-4 miles), announced on the radio and entered final for RWY 21. I performed a forward-slip all the way down to the beginning of runway and straightened for flare and landed just after the first taxiway exit.

Landing Insights

Credit: AOPA Pilot, August 2010

I then performed a soft-field takeoff with stick all the way back from the taxiway and the plane lifted off at 50 MPH, gained speed at ground effect and climbed at Vx=65 MPH. After a traffic pattern at 1250 ft, I performed a soft-field landing with some power on the flare at 60 MPH and soft laning holding the nose up a little longer before rolling out of the runway.

Soft-field Landing

I then entered the beginning of RWY 03 and performed another takeoff, traffic pattern and a short-field landing with power at idle abeam no. 3, flaps at 2 and airspeed at 62 MPH. After a short final, I landed the airplane with an aiming point just after the first 500 ft mark and exited the runway within the first 1,300 ft of the runway. Taxied back to FBO.

Short-field Landing

Jim suggested some finer points and e-signed my FAA-IACRA application form for my sport pilot certificate. Jim then called the Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) to inform the completion of my sport pilot training preparations. I contacted the DPE later in the day to schedule my sport pilot checkride...