Right then! Having booked the week off (1st – 5th November) I woke up on Monday morning and looked out the window. I wasn’t too impressed with what I saw, which was crap visibility and strong winds, ‘here we go again’ I thought. Anyway, I had a chat with my instructor and we agreed that we would see how the day went and decide later in the afternoon whether we would fly or not. At this point, I needed a currency flight, before the QXC, so this is what I was hoping for. Anyway, about midday I spoke with my instructor again, and decided that I would do a southern route, which would be similar to the QXC.
I planned the MATZ penetration at Shawbury and calculated a heading to Wolverhampton. I was informed that along the way, I would be given a diversion and would have to calculate new headings. The wind at 2000 feet was 180/30 so quite a strong crosswind for most of the route. The visibility was still rubbish, but enough to navigate and spot features close by. It was all going very well, called up Shawbury and got the MATZ approval and off we went through it. It was actually quite steady once we got up past 2000 feet; however our groundspeed was in the region of 65 knots! After we come out the other side of the MATZ, I was asked to draw a line to Hixon from Peplow (small airfield 6 miles south east of Ternhill) and calculate a heading to get to it. So, I gave the controls to my instructor, drew a rough line with the edge of my pen, and took the estimate of a true track – then I added 10 degrees to it for the wind, and then 4 degrees for the magnetic variation (also using the ‘rule of thumb’ (literally) to calculate distance and time (the distance from the tip of your thumb to the first joint, is roughly 10 NM on a 1:50000 chart)). I was really made up when the heading took me right overhead! We then turned for Crewe, which would be one of my checkpoints for the QXC – it is here where I would normally continue on the same heading to find Ashcroft Farm, before entering the low level, however, today I would simply be joining back up at Liverpool, so I planned for Chester.
It was at this point that I could not see a thing. The mist was very thick and nightfall was approaching, and due to the cloud cover, it was darker anyway for that time. So, I thought to myself “If I was alone now, I would probably panic, as I cannot see Chester” however, I could just about make out the waterline of the Mersey and thought “If I stay on heading and keep calm, I will be ok and eventually be over Chester”. So that’s what I did (obviously, I had my instructor next to me, so panic did not set in). As planned, we arrived over Chester, and having already put the rejoin call in, we proceeded with clearance to Cheshire Oaks (the retail park as it is described over the radio). By now, it was looking like night, and the ground was sparkling with orange and white – it was a truly amazing view (makes me want the night rating). So back to the flying school after a successful landing and a debrief.
I was of the impression that Tuesday would be a good day (and the best day of the week) so I was eager to get the above flight done ‘just in case’ Tuesday would be ‘my day’ (how right was I)
Tuesday – Solo QXC – Liverpool to Wolverhampton
Grins/nerves were of the many on Tuesday morning, when I got a call at 0900 from my instructor to come down to the flying school. Driving down there, knowing what I was about to hopefully do, was a weird feeling. I was scared (the good scared) and nervous, but very excited also. Hard to describe really (you all know the feeling, and those who ain’t done it yet – will!) I arrived, with all my routes/calls and procedures planned out and firm in memory. The wind was about 8 knots at Liverpool and 260/20 at 200 feet, so not too bad (yet). The forecasts were good and all was going as planned. (Strange, but I feel all weird now writing about it).
I checked out the aircraft and had some last words with my instructor, and before I knew it, I was sat on my own in the Tomahawk, closing the door and looking at an empty seat. Again, a feeling of loneliness (very hard to describe) but excitement. Started her up, completed all my checks, and before I knew wit I was airborne.
My first bit of advice for anyone flying (solo or not) is to clean the window you are looking out of. When I got out the zone and Chester and headed for Wolverhampton (south westerly direction) the sun was square in the middle of the canopy, right in my eyes. I could see every little spec of dirt and dried water/oil on the windscreen and I really wanted to pull over and wipe it before carrying on, but not possible in an aircraft! Anyway, I was feeling confident enough to continue and had a good pair of sunglasses on which meant I could see adequately. I was happy for the headwind, which meant I had more time to get things done. I contacted Shawbury and after establishing communication, squawk and radar contact, I was given a Radar Information Service. He asked me which service I was asking for, to which I replied “RIS please but if not possible, then FIS is fine”. It’s worth noting, that I had not been given clearance to transit his MATZ yet, I had to bear this in mind, as I think it is really easy to confuse establishing communication with being given a permission to do something (I’ve done it a few times before!)
So, I was given clearance to transit, based on 2500 feet on his QFE of 997. my route took me right in the middle of Shawbury and Ternhill, so I would have one either side however, Sleap can be a killer at this point, because it is very easy to confuse it with Shawbury, which what I did at first, but then in remembered this and looked for Shawbury closer until I found it. I then could see Ternhill to my left, having just passed Tilstock (small airfield used for parachuting) and Whitchurch (built up area north east of Ternhill). I was happy with navigation so far but my next concern was finding Cosford which would pass by my left, and Telford which I should have underneath me (the northern edge of the built up area). If you have a chart with you, have a look at the high ground which is south of Telford, I should have this to my right and be above Telford. When looking ahead, I could see that I may be slightly right of track, but realised that the nose was pointed into wind and not to be foiled by this illusion. When I got past Telford and Cosford, I started looking for Wolverhampton. This was my biggest concern. At first I couldn’t see it. I had the sun in my face (and a dirty wind screen) and couldn’t distinguish features on the ground, because of this. After about 3 mins of looking, I found it, ahead, just to the left (I had already contacted the FISO and established communication). A major relief to say the least
Now, here is the fun part. I was asked to report overhead 2000 feet which I did. I was actually given runway 22 (which is the short one) and wasn’t too happy to try it. I asked for runway 28 as it is much longer, but knew I would have to tackle a tasty crosswind. I was then asked to join on 2 mile final (there was a lot of traffic). So, I did so and reported final, I was given clearance to land at my discretion. I was very focused at this point, knowing the runway undulates quite a bit and this crosswind was constantly in the back of my mind. I made a reasonable approach and landed a little to the left of centreline, which was quickly corrected with some right rudder. I then asked for taxi to the asphalt parking, which was next left and follow the path! I was very much relieved having completed this part of the QXC and was looking forward to a brew in the café. I went up to see the controller, and he asked me “would I like to save myself a tenner” to which I replied “yes” wondering how this would be possible. As it turns out, there were free landing vouchers in the GA magazines (I already have one which was at home, and I was of the impression that you couldn’t use it as a student) however, I was wrong, so I bought a magazine which I didn’t already have (bonus) and went to ‘pay’ the fee. Got my sheet signed and said the thank-you’s then went up to the café, to relax for 30 mins or so with a rather nice cup of tea. I took all the documents that I had used so far and screwed them to the back of my flight bag. This was one flight over – I now had the next one to think about.
Wolverhampton to Blackpool
I went back to the aircraft and firstly gave it a general look over (to see if anyone had walloped it). Having done that, I checked the oil and the fuel (along with the rest of the engine etc) to make sure all was well. My technique for deciding on which tank to fly on next, is to look at the tank that has the least fuel, then go and select it in the cockpit. That way, I can taxi on the tank with the least fuel, then change tanks, do power checks and fly on the tank with the most fuel. So, off I rolled down the taxiway, remembering to do my power checks at the hold point, and not the parking area, that would surely do a few people’s heads in, if not mentally then literally
Having lined up, the runway undulations became clearer. After applying full power, it is necessary to use a fair amount of rudder to keep the centreline (the lumps and bumps tend to throw you around a bit) also, it is easy to hit a ‘lump’ and bounce into the air, so it is important to try and stay on the ground until you reach rotate speed. I climbed out remembering to turn at the QNH height of 800 feet (due to the elevation of Wolverhampton) and not 600 feet like at Liverpool. I turned on a northerly heading and climbed to 2500 feet. Just before I got to 2000 feet I got on the radio and said something along the lines of:
“G-## heading north for overhead Hixon airfield climbing 2500 feet”.
The reason I did this was not only to aid the controller in his duty, but also to let anyone else know who was in the area, of my position/intentions. It was a good job actually, as another aircraft passed quite close to me underneath in the opposite direction – I cannot stress enough the importance of maintaining a good lookout, especially at smaller airfields where you are not controlled by ATC. It is all too easy to get complacent when flying round Liverpool, thinking that you are safe because you are in controlled airspace!
I was in a good frame of mind, and was happy with the fact that the sun was no longer in my eyes. I settled onto my height, thanked Wolverhampton for their excellent help and gave London Information a buzz (I have seen a lot of debate recently about the use of London Info – this is what I have been trained to do). After putting the initial call in, I did expect him to say ‘standby’ – which he did. It was it’s usual busy self. I eventually got the call in, and established good communication – it is amazing some of the stuff you here on there (as I have mentioned in a previous post) a lot of different accents and types of aircraft etc.
I started to look out for Hixon, which was strange at first, as there seemed to be 3 or 4 large fields in the same vicinity, which at first glance could be mistaken for aerodromes. I was determined not to get lost here, as I had the large built up area of Stafford about 3 miles south west of what I was looking for. Keeping this in mind, and looking at a large river/canal to my right, I successfully found Hixon, which was bang on my heading and time. I was made up, because now I was to be turning for Crewe – a large white, built up area which has a bout 7 railways all meeting in the middle, and the M6 running right alongside it also. It does stick out for miles, but you have to be careful not to confuse it with Stoke-on-Trent which looks similar from distance (white buildings etc). On the way from Hixon, the M6 is to your left and there is a service station which goes right under the nose – this was the case and I was pleased to see Crewe starting to appear. It was at this point I called up Manchester for the FIS and low level transition. I have to say that the Manchester controller was fantastic, he was extremely helpful and a real pleasure to be talking to.
(read on to the next post - pprune won't let me post that big!)
The next difficult bit was finding Ashcroft Farm. By looking at the chart you can see that Ashcroft is about 2 miles south west of Winsford – so in theory it should be easy to find, but this is not usually the case, as Ashcroft can change colour quite a lot throughout the year (Ashcroft is a very small grass strip – there are no visible taxiways or hangar). My thought here was to keep my headings and times and keep a good lookout. I found it. Was made up (at this point I was at 1250 feet on the Manchester QNH) knowing that I could now head north up the low level. I entered it successfully and managed to maintain desired track throughout, with some excellent traffic information from Manchester (there was loads of micro light activity that day).
Now, here’s where a potential ‘QXC stopping’ problem may have cropped up. My exit point of the low level, is a large roundabout, which is about 5 miles south east of Haydock racecourse – turning for Blackpool at this roundabout would position me south Abeam Haydock however, to my left (over most of Liverpool/Kirkby/Ormskirk) was a huge bout of rain, beating down on the country. So, I elected to extend the low level leg for 3 miles, which would put me 3 miles north of Haydock – and further towards Wigan) which would mean that I would miss the bad weather by a fair distance. This turned out the good option, and meant I could carry on to Blackpool. Having passed the weather, I turned back to see that it was drifting away, and I wouldn’t have a problem getting back home. It is worth pointing out that this was not on the forecast which I had checked, and had with me – it was an isolated shower and it passed away without causing any real difficulty.
Now it was time to call Warton – to get a MATZ penetration approval and joining advice to Blackpool. This went without a hitch, and before I knew it I was being asked to call Blackpool Tower for landing instructions. When I called Blackpool, I gave the full call and was asked whether or not I had contacted Warton beforehand, to which I told them I had been given MATZ approval and asked to call you! At this point, a fear was a bout to crop up.
I had been given overhead instructions to join for runway 25 (the shortest one available) and in the past, if I have been given this one, my instructor had asked if we could use RW38 which is huge – so I pointed out my concerns to the controller who was happy to let me go in for RW28 but did advise me that the crosswind may be a little stiff. So, I said something along these lines:
“Roger, I will set up for approach on 25 and if necessary initiate the go around, with the intention of assessing RW28”.
He was fine with this – the airport wasn’t really busy. So, I joined crosswind having descended dead-side and psyched myself up for a landing on the shorter runway. Some of you may be thinking that there may have been an option to turn around and go back to Liverpool, and you are right, however I was not going to throw all this away without even having a go. The wind was making it’s presence (as it usually always does at Blackpool). So, I got on final approach and was determined not to even think about using the displaced threshold (for those of you that have been to Blackpool, you will see that RW25 looks much longer than it actually is) not only would this be stupid, but also dangerous! It is a good job too, because when I got to about 200 feet, a fence running right to left appeared, which was impossible to see from further away. So, with plenty of clearance above the fence, a good approach speed and generally being happy with everything, I touched it down with plenty of runway to spare. I was really made up, and I was asked to taxi to Fylde Park (grass parking) to shutdown – I was over the moon. I thanked the controller, shutdown, and headed to the café for a chicken mayo sarnie
I had a rest in the café for about 30 mins, and stocked up on fuel (human fuel) before heading to the information desk to pay my fees and get my sheet signed. The (very very nice) lady from ATC was already on the phone to the information desk, and she asked to speak to me – she said that I could book out now, and congratulated me. I felt on top of the world. I got through the security checks and had my body/bag scanned then made my way back to the trustworthy Tommy.
Blackpool to Liverpool
After I started her up and got taxi clearance, I decided I would adopt the short filed takeoff technique – as Blackpool were still on RW25. I set up for the power checks at the hold and awaited clearance. For those of you that have Blackpool charts, look for hold point B4 which is adjacent to RW25. having been given clearance, I turned left onto the runway to backtrack (to make sure I got as much of the runway as possible, I went right to the very end). I was actually given takeoff clearance whilst still backtracking, and was hoping that the controller (yes the lovely lady I spoke with on the phone) didn’t think I was going to take off in the wrong direction! I turned the aircraft round, set one stage of flap, hit the brakes, applied full power and let her roll. I waited for 65 knots and rotated, climbing away at this speed (best angle of climb). Once at 500 feet and in a well established climb, I reduced the flap and let the airspeed rise to 70 knots (best rate of climb). I was immediately asked to contact Warton, so I said my goodbye’s/thank you’s and changed to Warton.
Rather than just say:
“Warton Radar G-####”
I gave a little more detail, so that only one transmission would be necessary which would give me more time before hitting the MATZ. So I said:
“Warton Radar G-#### out of Blackpool to Liverpool heading St Anne’s Pier climbing 2000”.
To which the reply was an immediate clearance to cross the MATZ and a request to squawk. It was ironic at this point, because my instructor was up in another aircraft with another student, doing the Leyland – Southport route (if you remember a while ago, this was my first navigation lesson routing and it couldn’t have gone any worse – I wrote it up a while ago) I was amazed at how much I had learned since then. I could hear them on the radio and it brought back some horrible memories
I was now on home turf. The routing took my smack bang over my house (I was very tempted to do some orbits – but I stuck to my plan and carried on) and before I knew it I was calling 5 for rejoin at Kirkby. I descended and was given clearance to Jaguar, where a 737 was joining on right early downwind – he was about 800 feet above me and there was a ‘3-way’ established between myself, the controller and the 737. I could see him, but he couldn’t see me – he passed right overhead and it was a truly amazing sight – he eventually caught sight of me and I watched him turn base leg and land – brilliant. I was number 3 to him, as another tomahawk was on left base. I extended downwind slightly and was given clearance to join final with the other aircraft in sight. I touched her down with great relief/pleasure as I knew I was about 2 mins away form completing my QXC.
I rolled to Kilo and shut down. I was on top of the world – I couldn’t quite believe what I had just done. Exactly one year and 2 days after my first solo, I took to the skies, traversed the country and got one step closer to the end.
Thanks for reading,
Lee
