Hi all
Wasn't sure whether to post this here or on Ben's, so I thought I'd go for the original.
Skills test, Sunday July 30th. The nav section was at first glance fairly easy from Wellesbourne to a overhead a grass strip near Bristol and then to a Valley town in South Wales. I must admit I was nervous for the first section despite everyones words of encouragement, including the examiners. The weather didn't help, it was pretty bumpy and with the cloud base at just over 3000 ft I couldn't climb above it for the nav section and had to fly most of it at 2500. Height control was not easy it was thermic and windy so take your eyes off the horizon say for a FREDA and by the time you got back to the altimeter you had a height correction to make. With this and being so nervous I felt as if I was 10 seconds behind the aircraft untill I got to the grass strip and positively identified it. We were early which may also may have made me feel slightly behind the aircraft, but I did recognise we would be early and gave a revised ETA on the outward leg. After that I calmed down and flew the second leg better, positively identified a waypoint and then came the diversion.
The diversion was to another grass strip more or less on the way home and with a lovely range of hills, the Malverns, to aim at to confirm my heading the diversion was easier than expected. Luckily I spotted the wind was almost on our tail so I got the ETA pretty well spot on.
I was quite pleased with my general handling, I was just asked to do a second steep turn to the right, and that one went pretty well, oh and I had to use my undershoot field on my PFL but the examiner said I would have got in OK.
The circuit work was hard work. It was so
choppy on final approach that I forgot to select second stage flap I was so busy trying to keep the aircraft on line and steady in the approach. I think because I was tired after 2 hours of flying in bumpy conditions and because the approaches were difficult my landings were not as good as I would have hoped but they were sound.
The main thing is I got a pass
and I've been wearing this big silly grin since.
Regards Chris.
PS Would love to fly in to Tattenhill on the 19th but I will be driving down to Devon.
