Must watch the weather!

[152small]

First of all, Big Greets to All. :)

I have been an Avid reader of this site, although have never posted until know, but feel this is the best place to vent my excitement!

Went Solo on Saturday after 13 hrs 40 minutes. I knew I was getting close but even so at the end of an hour and about 5 circuits (plus one go around ) I was still shocked when my instructor got on the radio and announced "got one for a first solo here". I could hear my heart pumping in my head. :eek: As he got out, my instructor told me that I would climb at a better rate without him in it. He closed the door and have got to admit for a few seconds looked all around the controls thinking "oo-err, what now?" .
I taxied to the holding point, and found myself reporting just about everything on the radio

"Juliet Mike ready for departure"

"Juliet Mike Lining Up"

but stopped short of "Juliet Mike, Bricking it!"

probably to warn people what I was up to incase it all went pear shaped.

Discovered that the throttle was connected directly to my heart speed controller, as I opened it up thought there would be an internal organ explosion.

Take off good, but when instructor said the faithful 152 would go quicker, I never expected it to be four times as fast (that's what it felt like, everything seems to happen a lot quicker when you are on your own).

Talked to myself the whole way round as I read checks outa loud (did anyone else do this on their first solo or am I just losing the plot).Got to admit, I did let the height drop approx 100 feet while BUMFICHing on downwind (which my instructor keenly spotted), but vsoon got back up to correct height and started to realise how much fun I was having, and did know what I was doing after all.

No time to reflect, as soon lined up on finals. Approach angle and speed good, a quick glance to the right showed the Andrewsfield Meerkat society (made up of my instructor and several others all closely scrutinising landing). Prayed I didn't enter the triple jump contest with a "Hop, skip and jump arrival". Landing was one of my best :cool: , so pleased with myself (and desperate for a pint) that forgot the after landing checks and opted to taxi straight in instead.

Its an amazing experience as I'm sure most of you will know, with one of the most ddelightful things being the general feeling of Eurporia being shared by all around the club. That first beer was by far the best tastingbeer in the world (and set me well in the mood for getting trollied in the eveing).

This flying business is top stuff, although it certainly keeps you poor, but think I was always destined to have the eternal student bank balance. I used to take the P&^s out my parents for rushing in to the lounge to watch the extended weather on "Country File" , but can't get enough of weather forecasts nowadays, especially on Friday nights (formerly heavy drinking night- now Saturday- but instead pre lesson excitement night, though I'm sure I am not alone.

Excellent forum by the way, some great posts that have occupied my time whenI should be talking IT bollox to colleagues. Certainly makes the day go faster while day dreaming of getting up there again.Now I have come out the PPRUNE loset, Hope to bump into you all (not in a plane of course) in the near future someplace.

Happy Flying.
:D
152small

[FlyingForFun]

Congratulations, 152!

Always good to hear of first solos, and particularly good to read a great write-up like yours - brought all my first-solo memories back to me. Especially about everyone around the club sharing the euphoria!

Welcome to PPRuNe, too - I love the name!

FFF
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[Aussie Andy]

Hey 152small well done!
Talked to myself the whole way round I remember doing this too! :)

I think we're all addicted to weather reports since taking up this wonderful sport!

Enjoyed your post,

[BRL]

Congratulations and well done. A great 1st post, don't be shy to write some more. :)

[seat_of_my_pants]

Well done!!

I hope my first solo goes as well as yours!

and welcome to pprune too!

Cheers

SOMP

[Simon W]

Congrats 152! A great feeling. I also talk to myself when flying round the circuit..... infact, I seem to talk to myself alot when flying cross countries. I think it just makes more sense said out loud than stuck in the head.

Enjoy your solo circuit bashing. I enjoyed the circuits part of the course alot.

Simon

[tacpot]

Well done. It's a great, if strange feeling not have the instructor siting next you. I also talked to myself whilst flying around the circuit, and still do. I think it is a very healthy thing to do - you have to be your own instructor when you are flying solo, so keep giving yourself feedback and don't accept sloppy flying ever -always fly as you have been taught.

A great comment about the Meerkats! And nice to see that the instructor didn't just slope off for a coffee while you were up there on your own!

[sennadog]

152small - nice one. Don't worry about talking to yourself, plenty of others do it too. Start worrying when (like me) you start talking to the aircraft!

:D

[AerBabe]

Aaah... feels as if it were yesterday. Was having another grin about mine earlier today. :)

Senna - I've been known to hug my aeroplane, and kiss it.... :o Not any bit that's got dead bugs on though ;)

[28thJuly2001]

"I did let the height drop approx 100 feet while BUMFICHing on downwind"

I thought losing 100 ft while doing the downwind checks was part of the procedure :D on a student solo.
Well Done.
Loads of circuit bashing now and then the fun begins, Navigation and Land Aways.

28th....

[152small]

Thanks to all, glad you enjoyed reading it as much I did recalling it. Feel at home here already, though never been associated with shyness before BRL :D

Pleased I am not the only one who talks to myself. Think it would be hilarious to have hidden cameras in aircraft for folk doing their first solo, would be great to see peoples faces changing from a look of pure terror to one of pure delight as they realise they are flying in command and doing it well. All accompanied by multiple expletives and them constantly asking themselves "what would my instructor be saying now?" :confused:

Hope I don't suddenly develop amnesia :eek: , would hate to forget the great day itself.

Just got back from ground school and the thrilling world of air law. Decided that as well as being able to fly I need to be a lawyer, administrator, medic, and engineer to be a pilot. The bugs bitten me bad, seems to take all my spare time but not complaining, and it must be killing my workmates with my look of utter satisfaction and constant raving.

Right, gotta go for now and relieve the strain on my hotmail account from offers of "Escort Girls in your area", "Penis enlargement" and "instant click degrees". I must be be pretty thick, it took me 3 years and a great deal of expense to get my degree ;) . Will definitly click on the "get rich quick" offer, as this is one hobby that is going to take a load of wonga to keep the craving satisfied. :)

152small

[Ace Rimmer]

152: first off well done.
don't worry, the first solo is like losing your viginity you'll never forget it!
Next thing you know you'll be sweating Nav then QXC then skills then new types it just gets better and better.

Ref the weather yep you can get a liiiiitttttle bit fixated...Mrs R calls the weather reportss "Ace's porn flicks", mind you she also calls Pilot, Flyer, Today's Pilot, Flying etc "your bloody jazz mags''. So welcome the world of the deeply obsessed and fully anoraked.

[FlyingForFun]

AerBabe said:

I've been known to hug my aeroplane, and kiss it
It's true, I've seen it. But she also kisses her car. And my car. And if you look around the Bashes forum you'll probably find a picture of her with a bottle somewhere... So don't read too much into that one! :D

And 152 said:

Hope I don't suddenly develop amnesia, would hate to forget the great day itself
Personally, I'd love to be able to forget my first solo. Imagine being able to do a first solo again! Cool! :cool:

FFF
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[Select Zone Five]

Nice one 152small. I too have developed a habit of looking transfixed into the sky, trying to identify warm/cold fronts and different cloud types! Once you've been up there, you can never look back.

Good luck with the rest of the course and keep up the postings.

P.S. I talk to myself too! I'm soon to take my first passenger and I intend to explain it away as information sharing ;)

P.P.S I've never hugged a plane :rolleyes: but I did lovingly pat the a/c that I passed the GFT in on my next flight :D

[Rote 8]

152small

Congratulations and welcome to the forum - I think we all talk to ourselves whilst flying - you have probably figured that out by now. When I am not talking to myself I seem to find myself humming Ride of the Valkyrie - dont ask - I have no idea. Just hope that the PTT does not get stuck - remember this happened to someone in the circuit on my first solo cross country to Wellesbourne - when they landed everyone on the frequency heard them say - " oohh that landing was a bit cr@p wasnt it".

Cheers

[Grim Reaper 14]

TWF!!

Stopped smiling yet?

Often wondered why flying schools don't invest in a video camera, tape the entirety of your first solo and either give it to you as a present, or mug you for a fiver for it. Either way, it'd be a great souvenir.

Any CFI's or similar out there care to comment?


ps I still talk to myself, but that's only cos no one'll come flying with someone called Grim Reaper 14, chicken5hit bu99ers....

[Penguina]

Congratulations!

My, er, admiring public all congregated in the tower and heard me stutter with terror over the 'final' call (in fact the 'o God this is it' call), the sadists, which was even worse!

Talking to myself? Boy, do I! I talk to the aircraft too, and sometimes even to individual instruments ("...oh don't talk rubbish, you there, altimeter, I can't have lost that much height just by looking at a map..."). And when it's all going right, I will burst into joyous song, R Kelly's 'I believe I can fly' being by far the most regular. Imagine the consequences of a jammed transmit button if listening in on a nearby scary military frequency. I have a powerful soprano, so my housemates tell me.

All very worrying.

[eveepee]

CONGRATULATIONS 152small from one new Soloist to another. Hey, we could have celebrated together :) Know exactly how you felt (well, mine was only yesterday), especially the talking to yourself mode - are you sure we weren't in the same plane :D
Just how long will this smile last ?
Eveepee

[152small]

Hmm, not sure about kissing aeroplane or talking to it, but have at to stop myself kicking it and shouting, "Why oh Why did you land 3 times off one take off?" :mad:

Well done EVEEPEE , how is your hangover today? I have one too in sympathy! I don't need to drink, just helps control the shaking ;)

Thanks to all for your congrats. Hopefully see you all at december drinks.

seat_of_my_pants Are you close to going Solo yet?

reaper Mostly still smiling but evil black clouds overhead irritating me at mo. Think I'll hang desk fan out window and blow them away.

According to BBC weather (anyone know of any better weather sites?) winds are 28mph straight down the runway tomorrow at andrewsfield. If all other factors OK, anyone hazard a guess at my chances of getting up tomorrow?

Thanks

152small

[FlyingForFun]

For weather information, try the Met Office website (http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/aviation/index.html), which will give you official TAFs and METARs, as well as MetForm 214/215, and, for when you've got your PPL and you want to fly into Europe, 415. You'll need to register, but registration is free.

FFF
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[seat_of_my_pants]

c152small - just starting circuits now, but I am having a tough time with the weather this time of year.

Where are you flying from?

SOMP

[152small]

Cheers FFF V helpful

SOMP Flying at Andrewsfield now (about 7 miles shy of stansted). Originally started at Southend over a year ago and had 4 lessons there, but then had to delay to get on top of money and save for thailand trip. swapped to Andrewsfield when met a 737 training captain (top bloke) who thinks real flying is cessna's, not pushing buttons, so he's just as enthusiastic as me. :)

Enjoy the grass runway with its own unique challenges (such as the rumble strip drainage :eek: ) and best of all, the clubhouse has caffrey's. MMMM, caffreys :p

Et tu?

152small

[seat_of_my_pants]

c152small

Flying c152's out of Redhill. Grass strip - bit cheeky on t/o but fun nonetheless.

Great clubhouse (no Caffreys though) and my instructor is 21 years old :eek:

All in all a good bunch. I just wish the weather would let up!

SOMP

[niknak]

C152S - good stuff :D .

I recently was controlling in the tower, and was treated to a student talking to himself whilst doing his first solo, he must have got hold of your script 'cos it was almost verbatum.

Had he not had an open mike we would all would have been deprived of the pleasure of his 7 minutes of glory.:D :D

[Don D Cake]

Stansted's 18 hour TAF is forecasting TEMPO 0912 27023G38KT for tomorrow morning :(

[152small]

niknak Pleased I didn't do that, the air would have been blue at times :o

Don D Thanks for the heads up, at least can :( now and get it over with, while still praying for a weather miracle. Will still go to field anyway as have air law exam tomorrow too. I've got that all sorted :confused:

152small

[28thJuly2001]

152small,

The BBC just gave a severe weather warning for the weekend with gust's up to 80 mph, so you can go flying if you want without the benefit of a titchy plane.
Phew ! Glad I have already had my flying fix this week and the weather should be better for my next fix on Monday.

28th,,

[Holryn]

Well done on the solo - it's a terrific feeling isn't it!:D

According to BBC weather (anyone know of any better weather sites?)
As well as using the official Met site I use http://www.weather.co.uk . They give a forecast for about a week in advance and seem to be pretty accurate.

Holryn

[152small]

Afternoon all

Just got a strange look from housemates when I cracked the first beer at noon, but there are a couple of reasons for this (apart from I drink too much).

First, have no car for a week as it in garage getting repaired after some W$%^&r reversed into it :mad:

Second, have had a v succesful day in the old flying world. Actual weather was a fair bit calmer than weather predicted (though still fairly windy) with approx 18 knots down runway gusting up to about 28, so was still able to get up dual. In spite of how good I've felt all week from going solo despite usual bollox in workplace, didn't feel that not going solo again was second best option. I suppose I was glad of the chance to prove to instructor that last week was not totally a fluke. ;) Also, it is great to have someone on board to be a part of the experience, which I guess is why there are always so many folk sharing a ride whenever somebody goes flying.

Had a terrific lesson doing steep turns. With the "assisting" wind making things lively, it was like a rollercoaster at times, albeit one which I was in control of, which makes it the best rollercoaster ever. I was pre-warned that steep turns is often the thing that ppl trainees find the hardest (any views on that?), so prepared myself for being a bit frustrated (same as I did yesterday when Don D posted the 18 hour predicted forecast.

I am personally feeling quite lucky to be flying with someone who has a s%^t load of experience in many different types of "self propelled heavier than air flying machine" (more to follow). Not that I see anything wrong in the slightest with low hours instructors boosting their own experience by guiding others. I just think that (in my case at least) having someone who knows the airplane back to front, and as a result of this experience, is able to predict any mistakes I might make before I've even thought about making them myself helps. Its certainly good for the confidence when someone is exploiting your capabilites almost to the the limit but well within safety boundaries.

I performed a few spiral dive recoveries and everything went well, although my door did fly open during one tight turn. (The doors on a 152 make the walls of a Butlins chalet look like they belong in a luxury mansion ;) ). No danger of me falling out as strapped in tight, and at 6 ft 2 have enough trouble getting out of the F%^&er on the ground as it is.

Because of the headwinds, we decided to fly straight in to runway, probably a good idea as winds meant groundspeed was pretty unimmpressive. Good landing before a bumpy circuit, but was pleased that I managed to make allowances for the tough winds on crosswind and base legs. Last full stop landing was a bit heavier than I would have liked, but suppose I have got to get used to this and not let it hang on me and dent confidence.

Got out in my usual clumsy manner (feel like I am trying to post myself through a letterbox at times), and a few comical moments as we furiously tried to tie down 152 while it tried to runaway in the wind- still not convined that the lever called parking brake is connected to anything!

Straight in to an air law exam, was out after about 25 mins. CAA must stand for Consistantly Ambiguous Answers :confused:. Actually finished after about 20 minutes, but spent the last 5 mins developing schizophenia and constantly crossing out and remarking questions. Came out with a pass of 85%, which I am happy with, though would have been 90 if didn't try to second guess the semantics of paper for last 5 mins.

No flying for 2 weeks as having no car means no flexibility, and back up to liverpool next weekend for seriously large and cheap drinks. My sympathies for anyone not able to fly because of weather, know how gutting it is. :(

Sorry if this is a bit long or all heard before, but once I start something, don't like to do a half-arsed job. Am now on my 4th beer since starting this post, oops :)

Keep it safe and fun


152small

p.s thanx for all the weather help!