Ski's Flying Blog - March 2007
last updated 12 March 2007
This blog is an ongoing account of my flying career. The opinions expressed within do not necessarily represent those of Cabair, BCUC or OFT.
Again, ironically, after the predominantly rubbish winter months weather, today was beautifully clear, calm etc….and I was to be stuck behind the IMC screens not seeing any of it! How very funny. Still, I had the wonders of the ADF to contemplate – I never realized tracking backwards and forwards over Bournemouth International could be so much fun! I’m not sure if my grey matter had gone u/s, but the ADF tracking technique seemed very counterintuitive, and it was only after a few passes under Madeline’s very patient & excellent tuition that I started to get my head around it. As is now the norm, I obtained a LARS Radar Information Service from Bournemouth, along with listening to their ATIS. Flying IFR, we could have gone for a Radar Advisory Service, but as this involves being separated from other traffic by radar, this apparently would have taken quite a long time as they vectored us around other traffic we could have easily cleared under a RIS.
After we’d finished marveling at the vagaries of the NDB/ADF combination, we tracked onto/from Southampton’s VOR, and also engaged in some “poor man’s valley flying” i.e. flying through clouds. Icing was not an issue as we’d checked the freezing level beforehand, thus I was afforded an experience I’d not really had before – it was fun!
However…as we descended through about 3000ft, I became aware of a pain in my right ear which became more and more pronounced the lower we descended. As this was a pretty clear indication of an ear infection (swelling preventing my ear from equalizing the internal pressures) we climbed again and descended slowly. This seemed to alleviate the problem, but my ear was still slow to clear on the ground (and my landing was OK…although I felt I landed too long). As a precaution I cancelled tomorrow’s lesson (why do I always have to cancel lessons that have very good weather forecasts?) and booked an appointment with the quack.
So overall, from this lesson I learned that I need to start taking more “command decisions” i.e. not having to be prompted to do FREDA checks/get the ATIS/etc despite any heavy workload with relation to accurate instrument flying. The need to be a lot more weather aware also came up, specific reference to the freezing level & winds. Otherwise I’m happy with my progress – it’s just annoying that I now have to take an enforced break and concentrate on my books, whilst ignoring the excellent flying weather outside! Back to Top
So…I didn’t blog it, but this time last week I proceeded to Bournemouth on the basis that the flying club would phone me if the lesson was cancelled. Right? I should have checked…when I got there it turns out ops is all closed, no-one is around….very annoying! OK, perhaps I should have checked, but if you don’t hear from your student, and you’re going to cancel, you should contact them, right?
Anyway…today I phone up to make sure, even though the TAFS are looking pretty damn good. Turns out that the instructor is in Hong Kong, they don’t have another one, and they want to move the lesson! They do have a booking; but they have failed to arrange an instructor. Thanks….oh, and the lesson next week too will have to be moved.
I am not entirely impressed myself….I have therefore decided to go somewhere else for my night flying needs! Most probably Bristol, when I can contact them – it’s closer, and given the level of service from BFC, they can’t really be any worse, I hope. Back to Top
Having used the foggles yesterday to simulate IMC, I was pleasantly surprised with the use of screens today instead. These slot into the canopy frame, to allow the instructor to see out, but to the stude sitting in the left hand seat, the outside world is hidden from view. Think of window blinds viewed at an angle (the instructor views them side on and therefore can and you won’t go far wrong…
Anyway, as conditions were slightly less bumpy at altitude today, we got a lot more done. What was surprising to me (it really shouldn’t have been!) was how much I had to re-learn from PPL training – namely Power, Attitude, Trim…given that the last time an instructor had been sitting beside me patiently going over the same had also been the last time I’d been instructed in a PA-28 last year, I experienced a tad of deja-vu….
Anyway, we also got a RIS from our local friendly LARS unit, and I was also given the task of getting a VOR fix. Should be fun trying to do that single-pilot! Today was mostly getting used to attitude flying…and in my estimation I went from ‘awful’ to ‘passable’! Well there was some improvement in any case. And I rounded off by making my first PA-28 landing in over a year also passable….but I only told Madeline it was my first landing in a while afterwards! 08 March 07 - More IMC
03 March 07 - Night Rating Farce
01 March 07 - 2nd IMC Lesson