happy happy , joy joy !!!

[sexybeets]

Well....it's two weeks since my scary moment (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=68411) and today I passed my GFT, so from now on call me Captain !! :D :D

Can't wait to back to blighty to have the local school tell me what a cr*p pilot I am :p :p

[FlyingForFun]

Congratulations!

Now, go out there, have some fun, and start learning to fly!

FFF
-------------

[seat_of_my_pants]

well done!!

best you start drinking

SOMP

[tacpot]

We'll done. How did the GFT go?

Hope your flying experience in the UK is better than you anticipate!

[Aussie Andy]

sexybeets - way to go! Welcome to the club... and remember, your cup of experience is still not even nearly full enough yet! Enjoy :)

[jonathang]

Well done :) :) :)

Cant wait for that day, could be next sat :o

[Grim Reaper 14]

TWF!!

However, you need to work on your 'waxing lyrical' skills! Tell us all about it, and "spare no detail, however small" ( Dudley Moore, Hound of the Baskervilles);)

[sennadog]

sexybeets - well done. Feels good doesn't it?:D

[Saab Dastard]

:D

Congrats -

Hope to join you soon, at least when the WX improves! :(

SD

[sexybeets]

Lyrical wax for GR14 !!

It was hot, damn hot, hotter than a hot thing on a hotplate.
I rose at 07:00hrs (EST)…….having dealt with that I got out of bed, showered and dressed.
Today was the day, today I was finally going to meet the man that has been my nemesis, my nightmare, for the last four months. I was ready, I knew that for sure, but even so my drive across Florida’s Everglades was tinged with trepidation and fear. I found myself scanning the skies for bad omens, with only an occasional glance to my instruments. Traffic avoidance seemed set to automatic, as I continued to fret about every single cumulus I could see. I would be flying in this sky soon, …………would I make it? :(

I arrived an hour ahead of our planned departure, ‘He’ was not there yet. The school was air conditioned, but for some reason I continued to sweat. My hands trembled as I completed my flight log, and marked my route. Would I really see that 400ft tower from 3500ft? Is 8 visual checkpoints too many for a 50nm leg? Would we be airborne as the inevitable thunderstorms descended on the airfields we were heading for. Did I really want to do this? :eek:

I had finished my planning, weight and balance, preflight, bladder evacuation etc, before ‘He’ arrived. I’m sure my heart skipped a beat at our first eye contact. His gaze seemed to suck any remaining confidence from the depths of soul. He tried to put me at ease with his friendly smile, and jovial manner, but I knew his game……he was here to destroy both me and my dreams of flight.

The pressure built as he kept me waiting, I nearly ran out of the door vowing to never look back. I managed to calm myself, and tried not to stumble over every word during the preflight briefing. He was doing his best to sooth my frayed nerves, but it was just a front surely. He’s an examiner, he not supposed to be this nice!!

I walked out to the aircraft……I then walked back to the school to double check the weather, as a cell was dumping loads of rain just to the north of the airport, and we were going to be headed north east. My right knee was shaking as I studied every pixel on the radar pages of the WX system. Command decision time, go or no-go, it was up to me!!

We went, taking off in heavy rain, but clear of it by 500ft. Luckily, for the first time in four months the visibility was fantastic. I could see our destination from about 40nm out, so I said, “I feel like I’m cheating because I can see where we’re going, and don’t need my chart!”
‘He’ says “It’s not cheating, you’re flying VFR. All the better to keep looking out if you know where you’re going, traffic avoidance is No.1 priority.” Hmmm, was this a trap? I found myself warming to ‘Him’ and relaxing. Maybe this was some devious plan to get me to trip up. :confused:

The first leg was uneventful, with such good vis my heading was spot on, although we were nearly on top of the destination before I spotted it. Three touch and go’s here then off on the next leg.
“Pick a number….” says ‘He’ “…between 1 & 4.”
“err……..3…. I think” I was still unsure of committing myself even now.
“Ok, our 2nd airfield is closed, divert to this one here.” He marks a tiny private strip on my chart, it’s about 30nm away. “I don’t expect you to actually see it, but lets see how it goes.”

S**t, I know I have to get there, despite his assurance to the contrary. Right, I study the chart and see that I could follow a canal west until I’m overhead a larger field, then turn south and track a road. The private field appears to be just to the east of this road, about 10 miles south of my turning point.

“There it is!!!” I gleefully exclaim, it’s the diagonal strip in that field.
“Well actually, it’s the one right underneath us now…. but well done on spotting No.4 !”
There was another strip on the chart, adjacent to my target.
“Like I said, I didn’t expect you to see it, but you got us to the right place, good job!!”

Well, now I’m a little ashamed. I may have seriously misjudged this kind man, was my fear and loathing completely misplaced? Of course it was, he might be an examiner, but he’s still human!!

From then on, steep turns, clean/landing config/turning stalls, no problem. I actually started to enjoy myself. The PFL was interesting. We had continued south after finding the diversion airfield, and were now looking at nothing but Everglades ahead of us. He pulled a sneaky trick to get my hand of the throttle (I’d had a tight grip on it since we took of ) and pulled it back to idle. We had about 3000ft to play with, and with nothing but trees and bushes ahead, I established best glide, and spotted a circular field behind our right wing. Having made a very shallow 180 turn, two more fields came into view, each better than the previous. I knew I had to decide, he wasn’t going to do it for me!!
I picked the largest, but it was also the furthest. However with the height we had, there was plenty of time for procedures, ie. Restart/shutdown/mayday/sqk7700 etc.

After that back to home base. As we approached we were given a left base entry. However, after I start my base we get “continue through finals, jet traffic is 6 miles out, make right base after landing traffic, no.2 to land, caution wake turbulence”……all in a days work for this new pilot!!! :D :D

GrimReaper what does TWF mean?????

[billybeer]

Congratulations ! :)

It was really great after my flight test but I still think I got a bigger kick out of going solo for the first time! :)

[Aussie Andy]

Nice story - almost in the style of Mulholland Drive... perhaps it was all a dream after all ;)

[sexybeets]

Thanks guys.....

billyBeer
I'm with you on that one, I think I got alot more satisfaction from my QXC, despite the trouble at the end.

Today I'm actually a little sad.......my instructor was great, and the flying was fun, and now it's all over :(

What am I going to do now??? :eek:

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

Well done. Nearly all examiners are kind hearted souls who remember what it was like when they met theirs.

Congrats,

WWW