Hi all, not sure where the rest of you (Jez? OBS?) have got to - are you still progressing with the IMC rating, or perhaps you have already completed it by now? Well I haven't had an IMC lesson since mid-December (about 5 weeks!) due to work commitments and wx, so I was feeling a bit anxious before today's session as currency seems to be everything in this game!
The exercise was simply Wycombe -> unofficial WCO SID -> Cranfield ILS approach x 2 and return. The departure was OK - 2000' wind about 35kts so nearly 40 degrees of drift correction applied as I tracked to Westcott (WCO) NDB. From WCO to Cranfield was uneventful, asked for and got cleared to the beacon to commence the procedure for the ILS approach. Forgot to ask for the weather, and when I did copy it I forgot to readback RWY in use and QNH. With the 35~40kt wind almost straight up my chuff as I headed "beacon outbound" I should have taken at least 30 secs off the outbound leg time, but only took off about 10 secs (d'oh!) and so after becoming established on the ILS, it was a l-o-n-g s-l-o-w haul back in to the marker. We eventually got there and the rest was uneventful down to 500' D.H. and go around back to the beacon for another turn.
This second time around, I b*ggered up the tracking outbound from the NDB, turning left when I should have turned right. Once I'd sorted this out at least I got the outbound leg timing right this time, and then turned back in to again intcept the localizer inbound. However it was then pointed out to me that I had failed to remember to do my downwind & "LID" checks whilst beacon outbound (because I was fannying about with the tracking) and so had to get these done whilst tracking in on the ILS. Of course doing so took my mind sufficiently off the job and soon I found I was nearly at half scale deflection and had to then work to get it all back under control. But all was in hand by the time we got to the marker, and things went well down to D.H. from there and we headed back Wycombe-wards VFR.
On the way back we did the usual assortment of limited and partial panel, recovery from unusual attitudes and stalls etc. When we got back to Wycombe it was dark. But at least because it was late and there was no other traffic in the ATZ - especially as there were no helicopters using the low-level circuit - I able for the first time to make a circling approach... we simualted approaching RWY 17 down to 500', then turned left to circle into position for RWY 24. This was a touch-and-go followed by a couple of bad weather low-level circuits at 500' close-in. I had forgotten what was meant by "configure the aircraft for bad weather" by which was meant two stages of flap and 2000 rpm for 75kts airspeed (PA28). I really enjoyed the low-level circuits - especially because I don't have a night-rating and this was night! Great fun.
The flight was followed by the usual de-brief in the bosses office during which he read from a long list of misdemeanors he had written down during the 1hr 50m flight. My verdict was that I will need to do some more consolidation given the long layoff I had had. So imagine my surprise when he told me "you are ready for the test"... gulp! After adding up the training hours it seems I am 40mins short of the min. dual time required, so next Sat evening we will fly 40mins dual IMC to fix this, then next Sunday - weather permitting - I will be doing the test from 14:00.
Anyone with experiences of the test to share, please do...
Wish me luck!
Andy
