A friend at my airfield pointed me to this great thread as he knew it was about my recent trip...
So there I was, having just got my PPL. I thought I don't want to be one of those pilots that never goes more than 20 minutes from my home base, so I'll set out to improve my skills and do a cross channel trip. I did all my planning, based on using ground turning points, just like I'd been taught. I was using a PA22 that belongs to a friend which I'd flown with an instructor to get the hang of, doing the usual handling, circuits etc.
I had my GPS turned on all the time and was following my track on that. I was pleased because all my timings had been spot on as I headed toward the coast. There wasn't much of a horizon over the water, so I concentrated really hard on the AI and keeping the thing straight and level. It was freaking me out a bit to be honest and I think I got a bit fixated on the AI. I was getting the leans and having to fight really hard to counteract it. The instrument appreciation stuff I'd done in my PPL didn't make me feel any better and the turning and leaning sensations I was feeling made me feel scared and unwell; it was so different to be in actual poor viz conditions - my instructor had insisted on only flying on perfect VMC days and the hood I wore for instruments didn't simulate this at all!
Then, my GPS lost its signal. It is an aviation handheld with an up to date database. I use an external antenna stuck on the inner windscreen, but I think maybe the sucker let go as they sometimes do and the antenna fell down a crevice. I was calming down a little bit from the problems of a poor horizon and I hoped that my passenger could sort out the GPS. Aviate navigate and communicate had been banged in to me from an early stage in my training so I followed that advice.
A few minutes later I got a bit worried, because I'd not had a position check in a while - kind of tricky when used to using ground based turning points! One thing I had constantly in my mind was that everyone says you should call D&D sooner rather than later. I pressed on a few minutes, because I was kind of ashamed to call them. I figured if anyone heard me making the call they'd call me a moron, so I just ploughed on it out for a bit. In the end I decided that it was best to follow the advice I had repeatedly received; call when you need help - D&D won't mind. So I called them. I didn't lie and say I was temporarily unsure of my position - I came clean and told them my GPS had packed up. They asked about other nav equipment and I again was honest and told them there was a VOR in the aircraft, but I was unfamiliar with it and was struggling to fly and didn't want to divert attention from that. ANC I kept saying to myself.
I was getting a bit flustered. By this point my passenger was freaking out - she'd announced she couldn't fish the antenna out and she was getting really scared. She started saying how she'd never speak to me again after this, let alone fly with me. I told her to shut up and let me concentrate but she was so scared she couldn't help herself. D&D asked me a few more questions. I now realise they were asking if I had a chart, though at the time I didn't get this straight. It seemed an odd question to be asking so I thought they meant did I have a chart I could use to fix a position. I thought "I am over the water, how can I fix my position on a chart!" so I said "No". Still struggling in the haze (damn my instructor for only flying in "all the 9's"!) I gave as much attention as I could as D&D helped me figure out the VOR.
My passenger was calming down a bit because it was clear we were going to be okay as soon as I could find the damn button which toggled the VOR frequency from one display to the other. Just as I got that sorted the GPS came back online. Everything settled down and I was comfortable so I told D&D I was happy to proceed.
In the end we had a great day out and I learned a lot. I was really proud of myself that I'd traveled all this way on my fresh new PPL, I was proud that I followed the advice repeatedly given by those in the know to call D&D sooner rather than later and most of all that I followed the advice of Aviate Navigate Communicate.
I decided when I got back that I'd do an IMC rating. I did read somewhere on here that it might be scrapped quite soon but I guess what I really want is just an appreciation for instrument flying and navigation, which obviously you don't get on a PPL. I'm also going to find an instructor who is willing to come along with me and let me experience flying in what legally is still VFR - I can't believe how different it was from what I'd seen during initial training.
Thanks for all the great advice on this thread. That's the great thing about flying isn't it? Despite all the NIMBYs, the beuracratic nonsense, the huge cost and so on, we're all happy to help each other out, be given the benefit of the doubt and encourage one another to keep on flying and learning. If people on this thread had slated me for having a bit of a panic a bit when the going got tough I think I might have given up flying! But the aviation community is small enough as it is, so when everyone praised me for calling D&D and sticking to ANC I was really happy. The beers are on me!