Airspeed is your lifeline
Congratulations on your first flight!
You have many good answers in this thread and I have enjoyed the thread creep. I also flew cessna product(s) for years before building my vans rv 6a. I have performed go arounds in 150, 152, 172 and 182 as well as the 6A.
In the anemic 150 that I owned, I had to go around at a small airprot with a field elevation of about 700 feet. The runway is 27 feet wide, 1900 feet long with a grove of 65 foot trees about 400 feet away from the end of the runway and is usally pretty to fun to land on. But I was attempting to go in there on a windy day and just as I was about to touch down (flare being held), a gust of wind blew me off the centerline. I hammered the little airplane and honked the stall horn part of the way down to the end of the runway until it finally got enough airspeed to begin to climb. I didn't dare pull the flaps in until I got the little airplane to climb.
Now with the 182, the same scenario is very different. I simply apply power and pitch for 65 mph. In VFR conditions, I would just fly the pattern back around and land again without messing with the flaps.
Same airplane (182) but at an airport with a field elevation of 6100 and high density altitude.... well, I would take advantage of the ground effect untill I could get my airspeed back to 70 mph and then begin climb strait out and get the flaps back up. I had a Johnson bar, so I had to be careful to put the flaps back in slowly.
Vans RV6A... I have bounced (porpoise... avoid this by keeping airspeed slower ~80 mph and keep your nose up upon landing) the Vans more times that I would like to admit. Your airspeed is nearly irrellvent at this point as you are about to crash your airplane unless you get the airplane back off the ground. I have an o-360 and constant speed prop. Down low, my home airport in texas has a field elevation of about 560 feet. Even in the hottest conditions, after I have applied full power and holding the nose up, I am flying again and have a powerful climb rate. My airspeed will pass thru 100 mph in just a few short seconds, but as others have suggested I pitch for slower airspeed... which puts me at pattern altitude as I am turning crosswind. So, as I am turning I decrease the power and pitch down (I don't want to climb anymore) and keep the airspeed around 90. Yes... I leave my flaps down and fly the pattern and attempt to land again.
Vans RV6A... Airfield elevation 6100 feet... density altitude about 10000. Opps, I bounced again..and again... so I apply full power. I love this airplane, but in any airplane it is critical to watch the airspeed...especially if you are used to porpoising your airplane at airports with lower field elevations and do it again at higher field elevations.
![Roll eyes :rolleyes: :rolleyes:](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
In this situation, I choose to keep the 6A in ground effect until I could get the airspeed up to 80 mph, then I began a normal climb (strait ahead) and did pull my flaps up to get more airspeed. I also choose to make shallower turn on my crosswind turn. After I got back into my downwind, I got set up to try again.
On the ILS front, I prefer to fly the plane the same way every time.
Slow the plane (6A) to 90 mph, put in 20 degrees, Prop in all the way. By the time you get to the FAF (Final approach fix), you should already have level flight established and your pitch/power settings are set. These will be different depending on your altitude. As you cross the FAF your glide slope is heading down and you meet it and stay with it by decreasing power... usually just a little. Your airspeed may drop a little, but a slight nudge with (power or pitch depending on which camp you are in, I actually use both with a little bias towards power) will keep you on the glideslope and keep the airspeed about the same.
Now... the go around. When we hit the MAP (Missed approach point) and you have decided to NOT LAND, you can apply full power, but you need to get your flaps pulled up right away. A lot of folks on this thread have "The button". I have a hat switch on my stick, so I hold it up as I am applying power. You don't need the drag anymore and you already have lots of airspeed, so the climb rate will be strong. In real life you will be trimming down so you don't fight the plane as it will attempt to climb like a sick angel.
Remember, all my expreience comes from flying with an O-360/CS prop. With smaller engines and FP prop, you can still do all this stuff successfully, but caution needs to be exercised with the high density altitude airport scenarios.
Good luck and have fun flying your new airplane.... and watch your airspeed.