An unhappy Fledgling

[TheKentishFledgling]

Saturday: flying cancelled due to ill instructor

Sunday: flying cancelled due to u/s aeroplane

Monday: flying cancelled due to crap weather.

The above results in a rather boring bank holiday weekend with no flying, when I could have been doing other things. What a silly hobby flying is!!

:( :mad: :( :mad:

The(grounded)KentishFledgling

[djk]

TKF,

don't be disheartened. I travelled 4000 miles to go to Minneapolis and do some flying there back in the beginning of April. The result was

Monday 8th lesson - cancelled due to fog.

Tuesday 9th (drove upto Duluth with susie921, weather was absolutely lovely)

Wednesday 10th - Thunderstorms

Thursday 11th - Thunderstorms

I've got well over a dozen red X's in my year planner of where I've had lessons cancelled due to bad wx, not enough planes or instructors falling ill or being on their hols

Just hang in there, eventually you'll get a spate of good wx like I was able to this summer, and all the money that had been sitting in the bank from cancelled lessons, I was able to put it to good use and do about 11 hours flying in just a couple of months

[Circuit Basher]

Sorry to hear that, tKf, but that's the way of it with these flying machines! After a few years in the aviation world, you get to learn to live with these kind of disappointements (which is what makes actually flying such fun!!:D

For example, when I was learning in Canada and was just getting towards solo stage, I booked an a/c every morning at 0700 for 10 days in a row. I flew 3 times out of these (wx, sick a/c, etc) - finally soloed on the last slot!!

Take a good book (probably written by Mr Thom!!) to each of your lessons. If you can't fly, study for a ground exam and see if you can take it on the day if you're ready. At least you're getting something useful out of the visit!

[CBG]

Don't you give up!!!

[TheKentishFledgling]

I've been flying with people for about 2 years now, and so have got used to the continual crap caused by weather :(

I think the most frustrating thing ever, was when I was due to fly with an ATPL/IR in his airways equipped twin, but the weather was too bad even then :(

I bet tomorrow through to Friday will be gorgeous, then Saturday (when the next lesson's booked for!) will be crap again!

This is one of the good things I think about starting my PPL now at 15 not waiting until I am actually old enough to solo - I've got lots of time for lessons even if loads are cancelled due to crap wx.

tKF

[djk]

TKF,

It's a bad state of mind to get stuck in. If your lesson does get cancelled, then do some studying instead. if your flying school has a flight sim, ask to have a go on that. put whatever money you would have spent on your lesson into the bank and claim the interest on it. at least then you'll be surprised at how much it's all built up when you get a nice spate of good wx and a lot of free time.

last year I was getting fed up with constantly having lessons cancelled. I managed to get in about 17 hours for the whole of last year, and ended up with over £1100 in the bank from cancelled lessons. This year we've had a nice-ish summer, I've now managed to do 20 hours flying this year already.

But most of all as CBG has said "DON'T YOU GIVE UP!"

:D

[Saab Dastard]

TKF,

It's something you have to learn to live with.

Patience, being philosphical, staying calm when you are annoyed by setbacks are useful attributes to develop in aviation.

Get used to staying on the ground in poor / marginal WX - you are the one who will ultimately have to make the call in the (hopefully) not too distant future, and remember the adage: "it's better to be down here, wishing you were up there than up there, wishing you were down here".

Hope it improves for you soon.

I haven't flown since last April, when I had my GFT booked, but work commitments took me away from home, so I even had to cancel my GFT. It's going to take me a few more hours to get back to where I was then, plus a lot of reading and re-revising.

But I've booked a week in mid-Sept., so I want everyone to cross their fingers for good weather 21 - 27th!

SD

[I have control]

Your post made me smile because I endured 2 years of that before going to the States where I got the whole thing wrapped up in 2 weeks.

[Evo7]

TKF

Good advice from others - we've all been through those weekends where everybody but you (it seems) is enjoying the weather, and you just know that the day you cannot fly will be CAVOK. Sadly it's life flying in the UK, and it isn't going to change once you've got your licence, so better get used to it. My personal record was getting rained out of 7 straight (only managed 1 in 11 in that period, Feb/March this year).... :(

(Probably shouldn't say this... :) )

For once, it's worked the other way for me. I've flown Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and every day started nice and ended up with terrible weather.

(Edit - 8 replies, no views....? :confused: )

[AerBabe]

Evo - that's happened a lot this weekend... wierd :confused:

TKF - don't forget there are lots of other useful things you can do on those plentiful rainy days. Get the books out and read up on the techy stuff, even sit some of the exams if you can. Get the bucket and sponge out and clean the aircraft. Hook up with some other grounded aviators and head down t' pub (for an orange juice of course) and swap tales. Or in my case work to pay for the next time you want to fly :(
Chin up :)

[stiknruda]

tKf - stop wingeing you spineless b@stard!

don't like the weather then emigrate - preferably before you do your O levels so my tax isn't wasted on you.

Stik

ps - Angela was dissapointed when you didn't pitch up yesterday, told her you'd broken the AEROPLANE by being clumsy!;)

[TheKentishFledgling]

tKf - stop wingeing you spineless b@stard!

Soz Stik - one of them weekends :o ;)

Let me know when you're gonna be coming down to Clipgate and I'll give you the owner's phone number etc.

Might try and sort a re-run of Sunday out before the end of the hols if the aeroplane is fixed and SteveR is available as after the hols, the cousin in Sherringham is off to Canada for 3 or 4 weeks I think!

Cheers,
tKF

[Romeo Romeo]

TKF - what you need to do is team up with someone doing an IMC course. Book your aeroplane to coincide with his/her lesson. That way you're guaranteed a beautiful bright sunny day!

[skydriller]

TKF,

I know EXACTLY how you feel....
After a month away for work, I get back to 'sunny France' and discover it 'aint so sunny this weekend:( The weather was absolutely awfull here, low cloud, rain and the odd thunderstorm floating around. A double blow too as some really good friends were visiting who were looking forward to a flight around the regions chateaux etc...and I doubt they will be down here again for a few years:(

There is always another time though, and as someone said above, it doesnt half make the perfect days feel even better:)

You MUST NOT give up,

Regards, SD.

[BlueRobin]

Hi Ed,

Oh dear!!!

On the subject of weather, given the approaching death of Summer. Well, I started in Winter and came to completion just before Winter. I can't fix the weather for you (or u/s planes). Your PPL course will teach you about frustration, optimism and patience.

But! One of the great things I did on my course is the odd bit of "on-top" work above the cloud. Spent a few hours above cloud learning tight turns (good clear horizon) and pretending to be a low-level jet jockey by following terrain around fluffy Cus. Big beam on my face, sun shining... Nnnnice! :cool: Then down again thru a gap in the murk back to the dull Winter. Hey ho.

This is what flying is about (well part of). Escapism. In this case, from crap wx and Winter! Hope you have an instructor who understands this. Ask to go above, given the right circumstances (e.g. nothing else to do, need a horizon, lowish tops, available class G).



-Neil-

[camaro]

TKF

Know the feeling mate. When I learnt to fly all them years ago our neighbours used to ask my mum if I was flying at the weekend. If I was they wouldn't hang out their washing or clean their cars as it was guaranteed to pi$$ down!:D

For the first few months I had something like four out of every five booked lessons cancelled due to naff weather.:rolleyes:

Stick with it....brush up on your groundschool when the weather's bad...make the most of the days when you can get airborne.