Ski's Flying Blog - March 2006
last updated 30 Mar 06
This blog is an ongoing account of my flying career. The opinions expressed within do not necessarily represent those of Cabair, BCUC or OFT.
Yesterday's circuits lesson was not my best at all. But I learnt quite a lot. Despite strong winds, my first attempt at a circuit went very well, and felt rather confident. But from then on, it all went rapidly downhill...! After 9 more circuits, including a demo from the instructor, my speed/height control was very poor....to be fair, the wind was gusting up to 29kts, which made things interesting.
After a break on the ground, became clear why; I was spending far too much time with my eyes "inside the office", i.e. staring at the dials. In my haste to get really good speed/height control, I was spending too much time trying to get the relevant needle on the relevant number, and therefore my actual flying went to pot. I'd forgotten that it was *VISUAL* flying not *INSTRUMENT* flying! And the useful mnemonic PAT, for Power Attitude Trim, was not being adhered to either. Thus it was so that I'd spend much of my time making sure a specifc instrument was "correct", then looking up and seeing I'd either drifted off course, lost height or speed or vice vera, or not trimmed..or even worse, forgotten to turn finals! Now that REALLY does mess up your approach, as I found out to my chagrin.
After a short break, during which I attempted to salve my pride/confidence! we went up again. This time, although I wasn't as good as last week, I was markedly better. Once I'd set the correct power & attitude, things became much easier. Though my trim/power settings could do with work - I think a short non-circuts flight to get that down pat could be very helpful.
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The morning after a rather good night out in High Wycombe, with about 20 of the pilot studes (we really did have a good time! - imagine a crowd of drunken pilots storming through High Wycombe town centre post drinking games, then singing karoke & dancing on tables) we had a free lunch (courtesty of BCUC/Cabair) and a meeting with the representatives from Cabair/OFT. Now. If you're on the course (or have read my previous posts here) you may be aware that a lot of rumours were flying about, a general feeling of discontent with the level of info provided was present within the course students. This in my view was largely the case due to a lack of info from Cabair itself, plus a missed meeting earlier this month that Cabair rep(s) were due to attend, coupled with a miscommunication regarding loans. Having said all that, the meeting yesterday went very well - all the information needed was present, the people from OFT were fantastic, very informative & friendly, and the lunch was good too! So we're all happy bunnies now I think - the only sticking point is more charges for visas etc that seem to crop out of nowhere. I can't recall these extra admin fees (US govt ones) being mentioned before (could be wrong), and they total about 170 pounds ish. On the plus side though, our FAA Class 3 medicals are paid for, and a bus is being subsidised by BCUC to take us all to London for our visa interviews, plus a trip to Cranfield to view accomodation. So on balance I think Cabair have calmed the rumours/complaints etc. Well done. Back to Top
Today I got three flights! However, I was in the back seat for two of them. Still, observing from the back seat proved useful, especially for circuit training, as I was able to learn from what was being taught to my coursemates as well. The first flight was with Virun to carry out stalling, and I have to say Virun did very well. Indeed he was surprised by how easy he had made it look! The second flight was with Esther on circuits; and this is where having a 4-seat aircraft really paid off, as watching someone else practise circuits from inside the cockpit is far better than merely running throught the relevant drills/target airspeeds & heights etc in your head. The banter between the three of us was also quite amusing! As one aircraft had gone tech that day we had to wait a bit before I could go up; it was already getting quite late by my turn. However, even thought it was only half-an-hour flight, to my mind that's quite handy; I only have a limited number of hours to go before we jet to Florida in June - therefore I want to maintain currency up until I go. So it makes sense to fly less each week rather than lots every few weeks. And I think a lot of short practice sessions will work better than a few long practice sessions. Having said that....I doubt the weather will co-operate! I was very pleased with my 3 circuits during today's flight, I think I can safely say the only areas I have to work on are the flare and power control during the approach (the most difficult parts!). That's the basic circuit - haven't really moved onto flapless/glide/etc approaches or EFATO drills yet. All in all a good day, but still a fair bit to go before I solo methinks. Our course has a meeting with Cabair's rep this Friday, and I suspect the rep will be in for a grilling. There is a an undercurrent of discontent running through the members of the course (rightly or wrongly) and it's not hard to see why: there have been problems with the course (see below) which should IMHO have been addressed and student's concerns heard by Cabair's rep. However there has been little or no contact with the aforementioned person, which has lead to the rumour mill/dark gossiping running overtime. So this Friday will be interesting to say the least. We hope the person has some answers for us, especially due to the number and nature or rumours doing the rounds. And I for one hope they are just rumours, because if not, it does paint Cabair as an organisation in a poor light. Back to Top
The weather this week was very well organised - both the flying days (Mon & Wed) were forecast to be good weather, whilst every other day looked awful!. Today looked very good from the ground. However, once I was up, the extent of the haze became apparent, and the wind was gusting up to 20kts (which was not fun when you're on finals). Still....the predominant wind was more or less straight down 06L....can't have everything! Due to my first instructor moving on to pastures new, today was my first flight with the new instructor. Very impressed, an easy manner and good tips makes Ski a happy student. Once I got into the routine of the correct checks at certain points, the focus of my efforts became speed & height control on the approach, followed by a correct flare - and maintaining circuit height on the crosswind leg! Almost every single time I levelled off at 750ft, I'd manage to climb to 900ft without realising it! We figured out why later, I was "head-down" in the cockpit, concentrating too much on the dials and not enough on the outside picture. I made 10 circuits, with 3 go arounds, which included my only flapless approach. The overall verdict was that I had the basics, and practise made perfect. As we're all supposed to go solo before 15hrs, and I'm on 10, that doesn't seem a problem - unless I end up having so many gaps between lessons that I have to spend time re-learning. Back in the '60s, NASA developed the X-15 Rocketplane - a small, one-person craft that was dropped from a B-52 bomber at altitude, then propelled itself into orbit using it's onboard engines. Now a US company is planning to use a Learjet executive aircraft, rebuilt with an ex-NASA rocket engine, to reach 300,000ft above the Earth's surface. Rocketplane intends to use the Learjet's jet engines to climb to between 18,000ft and 36,000ft, where the rocket engine will be used to ascend to 330,000ft. The Learjet will be fitted out with an RCS (reaction control system; small jets to enable control of the craft in space), thermal protection, reinforced landing gear, new avionics and a new flight control system, amidst other things. The company includes an ex-astronaut and the former chief engineer of the SR-71 Blackbird program, as well as the Single Stage to Orbit and X-33 projects. So they must know what they're doing...right? I hope so; presuming the concept works, it will provide a vehicle capable of using a conventional runway to fly from, and land back from, space - all in a single spacecraft. Although having said that, it has nothing like the capacity of the Shuttle, and will probably be used only by thrill-seeking millionaires to start with. Hopefully in time the idea could be expanded.
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Flying today? There's a better chance of Elvis landing a UFO onto the top of the Loch Ness Monster. Although I think some betting agencies do actually offer odds on that. On the plus side, I found this website has a Garmin 430 simulator for download, plus userguide in .pdf format. Might come in handy, but then I think only G-OOFT has one (or two) installed, out of the PA-28s at Denham. The unit appears fairly easy to use for what I need to use it for at the moment (Comms only) anyway, but I'm sure someone will appreciate it.
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Over the past month the crosswind at Denham has prevented meaningful circuit training, so I was highly pleased when I learned that my instructor had a booking free yesterday, as the winds were straight down the runway. Having overcome the unexpected hurdle of cancelled train services to Denham, I arrived at the airfield, and was given a comprehensive briefing by my instructor on the circuit. Quite a lot to remember! and even more so when I would be stepping back into the cockpit after almost 3 weeks. After an hour or so we finally were allocated an aircraft, G-OOFT in this case. Speaking to an instructor who'd just landed, the winds appeared to have changed, and were still doing so. No matter, the windsock seemed to be pointing in our favour, so we proceeded to startup, check and lineup. The checks I made were also rusty, and I made the mistake of (not for the first time) of missing details in my haste. But all my omissions were spotted and rectified by my instructor. More home practice for me however! My first circuit was "okayish" in my non-expert opinion, however my approach was far too high, compelling me to go-around. My second landing was awful! I applied power during the flare (not really sure why) and over-compensated with rudder, causing the aircraft to swerve madly over the runway. My instructor swiftly took control and brought the aircraft to a safe halt. We then taxied off the runway, and had a frank discussion. We went over what I had done wrong twice (I asked for a repeat to ensure I knew what I'd done; at that point it was still confused in my mind) and with a few reassuring words from my instructor, we lined up again, with a firm determination from me to not cock it up! After that I flew two fairly good circuits (well good compared to my others at least!) and landed just fine. My instructor was very pleased....but not as pleased as I was! Indeed after my last landing my instructor told me that I'd put the aircraft down in a crosswind that had increased almost to our limits. The lesson ended on a good high, rather than an air of uncertainty had we finished after my mishap. In my opinion a very good judgement call from my instructor, and a very valuable lesson learnt by me.
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We were due a meeting with a Cabair representative today, to discuss certain issues. The person was unable to attend....and a few issues that are very important (to the students) were left unresolved, IMHO. Namely, the funding of the ATPL course itself. Whilst I understand that everyone training to commerical pilot level has the same issues, we were told that a deal with HSBC *had* been arranged that would allow ALL students to apply for a loan that would cover the course fees (around £40,000). Indeed application forms for that loan were handed out by Cabair's rep. However. When one of our number went along to HSBC (with completed forms in hand), he was told that it was for graduates only. As we are in the process of completing a degree.....he was turned down, and told that we should never have been given the forms in the first place. The appearance is not a very good show on Cabair's part..... we were then told during today's meeting, in effect, IMHO, "you're on your own - get your parents to back up your loan". Fine for some - but I know that some people CANNOT do that. However. The resultant situation is now no different from anyone else doing ATPL training - but we were told something that was patently incorrect! That is a *FACT*! They TOLD us we COULD apply for the loan - and gave us the paperwork to do! Whoever's fault it was (people say different things, Cabair/BCUC blame HSBC, HSBC apparently (rumour!) say we should never have been given the loan forms in the first place) it has left sour feelings amongst us. But then again, we should have questioned the logic that said "HSBC will allow around thirty 18 to 20 year olds to be loaned £40,000 each, with no security, as none of them have savings or property. And that situation will be repeated for subsequent intakes of the course, every September with similar numbers". No bank, realistically, is going to do that. And I don't blame them. But also.....a lot of us are complaining of a poor standard of communication between Cabair and the students. Unanswered messages, emails, lack of details etc...it's hard to pin down specifics, and should be taken with a pinch of salt, but - there are at least 5 different, independent complaints, from 5 different individuals. I can't help but feel if we were ALL paying on an hourly basis (the course is currently paid in installments, 2 for the first year) we might get (all 36 of us, paying a total of approx. £1.44million over 3 years!) more attention. Hopefully communication will improve. I'm keeping my options open with this course - leaving after the ATPL theory is completed, and looking at other CPL/FI/IR/MCC/ME/NR providers is something I'm giving serious thought to. This would produce the same ATPL qualification (with possibly more variety) but without the degree, having 'cut out' a year spent doing academic (no flying) work. Why do this? Boiled down - because the degree is NOT academically strong (I can say that with conviction - I did 6 months at Southampton Uni, doing Aerospace Engineering. That WAS a worthwhile degree - but I decided I'd rather fly), and if I really wanted a degree in 'Air Transport' I could come back and do that year later (for instance if I was "medical'd" out of commercial aviation). No-one need know that I have 2 years of a degree under my belt - if I don't put "spent 6 months at college whilst doing a PPL" whose business is it anyway? (Out of the first 2 years of this course, only the first is spent at BC Uni College - the 2nd is spent at Cranfield doing ATPL theory, and in Florida flying). To clarify: The staff at Denham are FANTASTIC - great lads and lasses all - it's the management that people are complaining about. Denham is a good school, and the instructors there are always willing to help, sometimes in their own time. I also get the impression, having talked to them about certain issues, that they are more concerned with our careers and progression than "the party line".
If you've read this far down today's entry - thanks for sticking with my moaning! Here's some humour: corny chat up lines; "Fancy coming back for a shag and pizza? No? What....you don't like pizza?" *breaks an ice cube underfoot* "Now that I've broken the ice, how about a drink?"
25 Mar 06 - Course Meeting & Free Lunch
15 Mar 06 - More Circuits & The Learjet Rocketplane
08 Mar 06 - PC Garmin 430 Simulator
05 Mar 06 - First Circuits Lesson
03 Mar 06 - Cabair Course Meeting