"Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk this earth with your eyes turned skywards. For there you have been, and there you will wish yourself to be again." - Leonardo da Vinci
I recently decided to take up flying, and have recently enrolled at the London School of Flying (Cabair), at Elstree. Before then, I had taken a trial flight with Civilair at Biggin Hill, which was given to me as a present for my 30th birthday.
There will be some pictures and things here, as and when they happen, and you can also take a look at my log book as it gets filled in.
I am currently the proud owner of a big flight case full of books, a whizz-wheel, a CAA 1:500,000 chart of Southern England and Wales, a medical certificate, and a nice David Clark headset. All I need now is a nice full log book, the exams over and passed, a PPL and my own aircraft.
Oh well, you can but dream about the last one.
After a few weeks away from the airfield, it turns out that the Elstree circuit pattern is changed yet again. 26 right hand / 08 left hand is now a very narrow circuit, and it takes a bit of getting used to having to descend so quickly. Still, at least it's apprently now set in stone, and the local council aren't likely to want the aerodrome to change it again quickly.
4 Oct 2000 My last lesson was cancelled due to an ill instructor, a few lessons ago it was cancelled due to poor weather. The winter is coming, the weather is getting worse, days are getting shorter. The instructor booking forms are getting full. Only one thing for it. Weekends are notoriously busy times at flying schools, so I'm going to be doing some more weektime flying - I've got plenty of leave to use up from work.
5 Oct 2000 About two months after getting my medical certificate, a letter from the CAA, giving me my "reference number", which will eventually become my licence number.
I've come across a really neat Java toy that shows you the principles of air navigation. It's at http://www.visi.com/~mim/nav/
22 Oct 2000 Horror! My flying lesson today was cancelled because my instructor has moved on and got a job with an airline. This leaves the flying school with a shortage of instructors, and all my booked up lessons cancelled; it also means that the week off work I had taken with the intention of flying as much as possible during that week will be spent doing things other than flying; so I intend to be doing as much theory reading and exams as possible. For the lessons that I have managed to book, I have been placed with the Deputy Chief Flying Instructor. I do hope that they manage to get a replacement instructor soon because it's nigh on impossible to get any lessons booked because the remaining instructors are flat out, especially now that the days are shorter.
27 Oct 2000 Since I couldn't get any instructor time this week, I studied for the Navigation exam. Sat it today, and it seemed to go well, but there was one marginal question regarding maximum crosswinds. Given a 20kt wind, and 17 knot max crosswind, what's the maximum angle that will come in under 17kts crosswind. One of the answers was 60 degrees; at 60 degrees, the crosswind IS 17. (or very slightly over).. Currently awaiting the result of that
8 Nov 2000 Finally got off the ground again, flying with another instructor, who happens to be deputy CFI and examiner. Shook off the rust on my flying skills, unlearnt a few bad habits, and more circuits. Kept getting told off for not flaring properly and not to be afraid of the stall buzzer when you're less than a foot off the runway with the main gear almost touching. Got result for my nav exam (my paper had gone astray)..a 97% pass
16 Nov 2000 Day started interestingly, the plane was low on oil; it was a Cadet rather than a warrior, which means many of the dials on the panel are in different places, and the rear visibility isn't as good (not as many side windows). Filled plane with oil and fuel; and did plenty of circuits on a nice day. My instructor thinks I'm ready for solo next time.
Done: Two air experience lessons, preparation for and action after flight, effects of controls 1&2, taxiing, Straight and level flight 2&3, climbing 1&2, descending 1,2&3, medium level turns, turning part 2, slow flight, stalling, take off and climb, emergencies: engine failure during take off, short field take off, circuit joining, powered approach, landing, go around, glide approach and landing, flapless approach, touch-and-go, crosswind take off, circuit and landing, steep turns
Done:Stall lessons. Learning how to make a perfectly good aircraft drop out of the sky, and how to get it under control again. Scary.
Done: Passed medical
Done: JAR Air Law exam 95%, JAR Navigation exam 97%
Done:Circuits with crosswind and gusty winds
13 Jan 2001 Done:First Solo. After more circuits in perfect weather, my instructor decided now was the time, and he decided on short finals to touch-and-go that this would be a full stop landing, a quick chat on the radio to the tower, and I was in the aircraft alone, doing engine power checks and the like. The weather couldn't have been any better for a first solo. Without the instructor on board, the plane took off a lot quicker. The circuit was a right-hand circuit, and after turning onto downwind and doing the downwind checks I had a few minutes to contemplate the situation. There I was, flying, by myself. Without a wire. I found myself quoting Monty Python to myself and singing to myself. Turning to base leg, base leg checks, carb heat, lower power, flaps, adjust for 80kts descent, and the tower was advising other aircraft to give way to circuit traffic (i.e. me), turning final, calling final, full flaps, carb heat off at 300' AGL, and a rather smooth landing. After vacating the runway and further taxying, a congratuations message from the tower, and then I had to park it, and it suddenly dawned on me that I had not parked a plane by myself yet. After leaving the plane in a ridiculous looking position, I decided to abandon it and call for ground crew support!
25 Jan 2001. Not brilliant weather, spent a good twenty minutes sitting in the school watching a mini cumulonimbus pass by the airfield. It passed, and we then went out to check the aircraft. After take off and one circuit, it was very turbulent. Lots of very scary windshear on short finals. Instructor takes control and plants the aeroplane on the runway for a touch and go. The weather to the northwest was clearing up, so we leave the circuit and head on out for a navigation exercise. Within 3 minutes of leaving the ATZ, the sky was clear, and there was no turbulence at all, After trimming, the plane was flying itself and we were heading to our first random target - Wing (a disused airstrip). I completely missed it and flew right over it without noticing, but I did notice that we were getting closer and closer to Milton Keynes so we really must have missed it. Our next target was Westcott (another disused airfield), which we hit bang on time, and then towards Bovingdon, which I got slightly lost, but rememberd the VOR, so tuned that in and found it without problem, and then returned to Elstree to find the weather clear again and a textbook landing.
27 Jan 2001. Another nice day. Managed to do some more circuits, and solo circuits. The circuit was very active, and I felt guilty taking a slot in the circuit as I did my third solo circuit. Still need more parking practice.
3 Feb 2001 Got a phone call from the flying school, my instructor is off ill today, so instead I went into the school and sat the Meteorology exam. Yikes. I know that I got at least two questions wrong out of 20. With a pass mark of 75%, that doesn't give a lot of scope for error. Awaiting result.
10 Feb 2001. 15 knot crosswind today, a bit too much for a solo, so did a few crosswind circuits with the instrutor then left the circuit for a quick local flight to the east, flew over Lea Valley and Epping Forest, and then used the Capital Gold 1548kHz commercial radio transmitter to find our way back to a sensible straight-in approach to Elstree. Instructor is now taking a few week's holiday.
24 Mar 2001. After Wednesday's bad weather (where I did some groundschool instead), today's weather was again not sufficient for VFR, so sat the written part of the Radiotelephony exam. Passed with 90%. New Southern England 1:500 000 chart came out this week, so I now have a nicely folded shiny new chart.
7 Apr 2001. What a change. Decent weather. After about an hour of dual circuits for refreshment, instructor got out, and left me to do two solo circuits. Still annoying that taxiway Charlie is swampy, which means backtracking via the active runway.
13 Apr 2001. Winds were coming from the east today, which meant flying out of 08, because taxiway Charlie is closed, and all the backtracking, they don't like people doing solo circuits in such conditions; so we went on a little navigation exercise instead. Didn't really get enough chance to plan it properly, so it turned into a diversion exercise because my flight plan went straight through a HIRTA.
14 Apr 2001. After a flapless landing and a glide landing with the instructor, managed to get in a whole hour of solo circuits before the weather started getting miserable. Looking at my logbook afterwards, it seems that G-EGTR is my second home.
21 April 2001. VFR Navigation today, we were supposed to take G-BXOJ, but the battery was flat, so we took G-WARW instead. Took my latest toy up with me to track where I went. Instructor reckons some solo navigation next.
28 April 2001. Should have been doing solo navigation, but after a few circuits of a dual check-out, we decided there was a storm coming from the direction of my planned route, so called it a day after three circuits.
5 May 2001. Decided with the instructor that solo navigation should only really take place having first encountered different airfields, so planned a day trip to Southend-on-Sea. This makes a total of four different airfields in my logbook, but only two airfields that I've landed at myself. Fiddled with the radios, spoke to Stapleford Information (who had a definiate aussie accent), Southend Approach, Southend tower.
12 May 2001. Flew with instructor to Turweston, my first proper "Land away", where we actually got out of the plane, walked to the tower, paid a landing fee, and then returned. Turweston obviously has seen days when it was bigger. The runway is about a quarter of it's original size, and appears to be very long and narrow. Nicely surfaced though.
19 May 2001 Attempted short solo navigation, after a check flight with the instructor over the same course. The weather closed in around Stokenchurch, so we decided that today wasn't the right day for a first solo nav. Instead, did 40 minutes of solo circuits, to get solo time up a bit.
26 May 2001 Clear skies overhead, but after a long spell under a high pressure system, the air was far too hazy for solo flight, so my instructor decided to try out some instrument flying. After checking out the plane, he handed me some foggles, which is like blinkers, to stop you looking out of the aeroplane, and only at the instruments. I assumed that I was going to be using the foggles only after taking off and moving out of the Elstree ATZ. I was wrong. As soon as we lined up, he said to put them on. I took off, climbed, turned, and climbed to cruise level, and flew to Silverstone before peeking. Foggles back on having confirmed position as determined by VOR radials, flew over Daventry VOR, did an about turn, and then flew back towards Elstree, via Bovingdon... and landed, all without peeking out of the cockpit. The landing was most excellent, bang on the centre line. Elstree doesn't have an instrument landing system, so my instructor was guiding me in by giving me approach vectors. Definately not something I'd want to try solo unless I'm flying a proper instrment approach. It was great fun, and a challenge too. Upon landing I asked a fellow pilot in the flying club who had just landed what the weather was like, because I hadn't actually seen much of it.
8 June 2001 Plenty of instructor time booked today, we were to do two land aways. Elstree - Turweston (overhead transit) - Wellesbourne Mountford - Cambridge and back to Elstree. It turned out that the weather was closing in over Cambridge; and we spent too long at Wellesbourne having a cuppa before moving off, so we diverted straight back to Elstree via Bovingdon; passing over Milton Keynes.
30 June 2001. Weather was good today, only had a single slot booked; instructor and myself went for a local flight - a navigation exercise. On landing, though time was tight, I managed to book out the same aircraft and did my first solo navigation exercise. Elstree to Stokenchurch, to wing, via Tring to Bovingdon and back.
25 July 2001. The big day - My qualifying solo cross-country flight. Elstree - Leicester - Cambridge - Elstree. Went without problems. There was a fairly large slow-moving obstruction over Northampton that I needed to avoid - the GoodYear blimp.
3 Nov 2001. Having worked out that according to my logbook, I needed another 15 minutes of solo flight before I could think about taking the general flight test (though the school records which logs time in tenths of hours rounded up seemed to show that I had enough), I managed to get four circuits of solo flight in a rather busy circuit, so three take offs and landings and one go-around. I now have flown enough hours to apply for the general flight test. Another few revision flights with the instructor and it's the big day.
29 Nov 2001. I was supposed to be taking a final revision flight with the instructor today, followed by the flight test tomorrow, but the weather was awful, and it's not forecast to get any better, so no flight test this week.
3 Jan 2002. Skills test PASSED. Now it's just a case of dotting all the i's and crossing the t's with making sure that my application form is complete and accurate, as is my logbook, then send off lots of money to the CAA flight crew licensing and they should issue me with a license.
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