QXC cancelled....

[PPPPP]

There I was completely psyched up for my QXC today, there's a HIGH over all my destinations and alternates, my plog and planning have all been approved, a/c fully fuelled and in top condition but.......vis 5k and steady, haze all round.

Next try is 6th April, any bets as to the weather that day?

To cheer me up the gorgeous lady receptionist at the club told me that not so long ago a student had his QXC cancelled forty-one times(!)
Any war stories about QXCs to pass the waiting time?

[BlueRobin]

Shame :(

Viz from window here in Rugby to Coventry I estimate is aorund 18km. I did my QXC with a bit less viz than today. In fact, did mine almost a year to the day. Coooo.

So tip from BlueRobin is this. Book one day off per week with a view to doing the QXC. Chances are you will have done it inside of a month. Don't keep putting it off by two or four weeks!

[Kolibear]

PPPPP,

Now would be a good time to go flying with an instructor, just so you can see the effect of sunlight on 5km haze.

Good luck with your QXC, whenever it is though.

[tmmorris]

My QXC actually went with few incidents, unless you count getting lost at Gloucester while taxying and finding a message 'please call the tower' waiting for me when I got to Ops to book in... They still signed the form, though!

A colleague doing the same route 30 minutes ahead of me did get lost trying to find Tatenhill (he went past it - despite having the Tatenhill NDB tuned in!) but didn't fail, as he had the gumption to call D & D and admit to being lost. His instructor made him do extra solo cross-countries before putting him in for the test, though.

Tim

[AerBabe]

There was a thread (http://pprune.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=81730) of Q x/c horror stories recently.

[FlyingForFun]

To cheer me up, the gorgeous lady receptionist at the club.....Ah, that's ok then! :D

I think I might start a second log book, of flights that I really wanted to do, that got cancelled by weather. I suspect it would probably grow at about the same rate as my flying logbook. Such is life - don't let it get you down though!

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

[PPPPP]

Now would be a good time to go flying with an instructor, just so you can see the effect of sunlight on 5km haze.

Agreed. I've had that experience a few weeks ago, downwind leg was ok but on the base turn into the sun lost the field completely, 100% white-out. Club a/c availibility means that the 6th is the next date I can get the requisite four slots. I have every Sunday booked in April so far and am working on May.....thanks to all for the good wishes and the link to the reading material!

[Hilico]

Be thankful you're not on the East Coast - I can't see the roof of my house.

[AerBabe]

I can't see the roof on this house either. I suspect if I went outside and looked it would be different. ;)
The first hours of my flying were all spent without a horizon. My instructor used to joke I couldn't fly straight when I did eventually have one. Flying in haze into the sun is like flying through a milk pudding... Thoroughly recommend doing so with an instructor RHS.

[G SXTY]

Ah yes, cancelled QXCs – welcome to my world . . . ;) From memory, I had at least 10 false starts before I finally got to do mine, but it’s definitely worth waiting for a nice day. I’m a firm believer in making life easy for myself, and while your QXC will be great fun, you’ll be working pretty hard. Trying to navigate in 5km vis / haze is a hassle you can well do without.

(Had it on my skills test – we could see forever on the navigation section, south of the Thames. :cool: Back at Stapleford, great view straight down from 2,000’, turn finals - 22L early afternoon in January - and the runway disappeared. My landings aren’t brilliant at the best of times, but they’re even worse if I can’t see where to land . . . :eek:

[Keef]

It's all random chance, I think. I did my QXC on the first day it was booked - only the wx at Biggin was a bit low, so I did Southend - Ipswich first cos that was clear, with the instruction to go back to Southend if Biggin wasn't 5nm or better when I was ready to leave Ipswich.

The problem was ... I'd never flown the route that way round, and finding Biggin when coming from Ipswich isn't easy. Wasn't supposed to be using any navaids, but the aircraft happened to have a VOR so a little cheating went on.

But that was 21 years ago and the weather isn't as nice these days, is it. Even nostalgia's gone downhill since then.

[In Altissimus]

Don't get me started on cancelled QXC's, cross-country's, GFT's, etc, etc, ad nauseam :yuk:

I know it sounds trite, but I'm sure the one skill I most improved during all the training was patience.

Now I'm stuck waiting for the bloomin licence to arrive...


G SXTY - u around for a celebratory tipple in the clubhouse this weekend? ;)

[Mr Wolfie]

I too had a plane booked today for my QXC but it was a non starter with less than 5k vis. This was my third attempt in the last 7 days. At least today I didn't get airbourne as it was an obvious no-go.

My two previous attempts (last Thursday and Saturday) were both aborted on the first leg when unforecast low cloud made flying VFR over the mountains of mid-wales to Shobdon impossible.

In total my QXC attempts have cost me 3 hours 20 minutes of flying time, but I have to say that it was neither money or P1 time wasted as I learned more (particularily during my first attempt) than in any other lesson. The decision to turn back due to weather was the first real "pilot decision" that I have had to make and I was a little unprepared for the psyhcology involved. This being a QXC there was a certain expectation (both self-imposed and from others) that I would fly from A>B>C>A and the decision to turn back despite the lowering cloudbase, pretty severe turbulance and the rising terrain was surprising difficult. As soon as I had made the decision to turn back I knew instantly that I had made the correct decision and once got my headings and timings sorted out for my "diversion" back to base felt strangely elated that I had acted as I did.

Turning back on the second attempt having got even further along leg one (again due to lowering cloudbase) was in comparison, easy.

It occurs to me that a student pilot could get through pretty much all his PPL training without having to make any real divert or turn-back decisions which is maybe why "press-on-itus" leading to an incident / accident is such an oft reported scenario.

I have found the experiences to be really useful at this stage in my training and the debriefs with my instructor and others after each attempt have given me confidence in my decision making skills. HOWEVER - still frustrated as hell that I haven't completed the QXC yet.:mad:

Mr. W

[Rood]

Its early days yet!

My flying club stopped counting after my 20th attempt was stopped by weather again.

They also refused to put my name on the Ops board in case I jinxed the weather.

However all of those evenings and morning spent scanning METARS and TAFs are worth it in the end.

After the first QXC leg it was great fun and much better in CAVOK conditions than iffy conditions.

Stick with it.

[Holdposition]

PPPPP

That's flying for you, sure it will work out weather and ops wise before long, if you had attempted with 5k vis it would have made the trip a no-go and the idea of enjoying the QXC out of the window. By the way where was planned trip?

Good luck in April!!!

[PPPPP]

The route was to be Barton-LLR-Stafford-Wolverhampton-cafe.
Then Wolverhampton-Stafford-LLR-Marshside-Blackpool-lie down.
Finally Blackpool-Marshside-Barton

Nearly three hours of pleasant flying punctuated by attempts to get my form signed with a respectable verdict:)

[vancouv]

My QXC was cancelled loads of times before I got to do it - as you're flying on your instructors license they like the forecast to be really good before they let you go.

Flying in low viz is a nightmare - 5 or 6K may sound a lot, but once in the air and into the sun it can be impossible. Bad enough round the local area that you know well, but finding another airfield that you haven't visited before - no thanks.

Remember the saying:

'It's better to me down here wishing you were up there, than up there wishing you were down here.'

Remembering that and acting on it can be the most difficult part of flying.

[Saab Dastard]

5p,

Bad luck about your QXC, I'm sure it will happen for you soon.

I was all set to do mine on September 4 2001, but there was poor WX, so then 6th, scrubbed due to a c**k up on the briefing front, cancelled again due to WX on 10th, then postponed due to the grounding of all a/c following the events of the 11th.

Then I got bogged down in work, which took me abroad so it wasn't until the following April that I did it. Lots of extra training hours to catch up again!

Still, it seemed an absolute piece of p*ss given all the preparation I had done.

Good luck

SD

[Hilico]

I was preparing for the Qxc. CFI asked if I was sure. I said 'of course'. Got airborne [note spelling, please], passed the familiar landmarks, started to think, 'well, I know where I must be, but this doesn't look like it.' 180'd, no problem finding the field, 30 minutes' flying time.

CFI loudly says 'well well well, you turned round and chickened out' in front of loads of others. Once they've all left, he tells me that he knew the weather was actually cr*p and that I'd turn round once I realised it, and that he was currently teaching people who wouldn't in the same circumstances.

I didn't know whether to feel annoyed or chuffed. I still don't.

Trevor Dixon is no longer with us, so I reckon it's OK about giving his name. But I would much rather he was still here and I couldn't type those two words.

[hasell]

Tips... hmm let me think...
The best one is patience (to cope with cancellations)... and also once you finally get the "green light" to go... Have self belief that you will/can do it.
Remember too that they (your club/school that is) would never send you unless they have belief in you.
I recall my QXC, having flown from A to B to C. When heading from C back to A. I truly started to relax and enjoy the flight. I remember thinking "Arr nothing to this!..." Its a wonderful feeling, approaching your home airfield and knowing you've done it!
Best of luck!
Regards.
H.

G-SXTY!! -You back in blighty mate? or are you still in Florida???