Originally Posted by
zeddie
Hi all,
Had my trial flight at exodus today. Went really well! First time I have flown in the eurostar and I must say the visibility out was simply stunning. The plane took off in such a short field and shot up like a rocket! (well in comparison to the cessna i flew in before) Plaistows is a very small farm strip and I still remember asking Rob where the runway was..His reply: "um we;re on it!"
The only issues I had was that there was no attitude indicator or heading indicator in the plane which is something im quite used to on flight sim as well as on the cessna flight. It was tricky to maintain straight and level just by looking at the horizon. I guess this will improve as I start my proper lessons. I am also quite short being 5'5 and it would have really helped if the seat could move. Rob said he would give me a cushion next time
We landed at another farm strip (bovington i believe) and did some circuits around there. Obviously Rob was doing most of the flying but he let me handle the controls as much as possible. I also found it very difficult to locate the short grass runways from the air. Its far easier to spot a long concrete runway with lights! This is all part of the challenge though so Im going to go for it.
Rob seems like a great guy and on initial impression a very good instructor. I like the fact that the club is very simple. They did not try to force anything on me, or ask me to sign up for blocks of lessons. I prefer to pay as you go and so did Rob. I like the fact that it took me 20 mins to get there. I really enjoyed the time there and have decided to sign up with them to start and hopefully finish my nppl in the eurostar.
My first proper lesson is on the 29th and then every weekend after that. I aim to do a lesson a week. Want to thank IPZ for informing abt exodus and the rest of the people on this thread who have guided me and helped me make the decision. Here we go!
A few comments.
I've known Rob since he won a scholarship aged 16 to do his PPL, and (over quite a lot of years) since then he's built up an excellent reputation for both ability and integrity. I think you'll be fine with him.
If your Cessna instructor was happy to let you make ANY use of the artificial horizon on an early lesson, you are definitely better off not going back there. Almost all PPL flying and training is about visual flying with your head out of the cockpit, not fixated on instruments. This is irrespective of aircraft class.
I'm about your height, and use cushions for flying in many aeroplanes, as do lots of other people. It's just one of those things - few aeroplanes have much seat adjustment. Don't use a very soft springy cushion for safety reasons - use something good and firm, best of all from dynafoam.
You are right, finding small grass runways can be a challenge. You'll get the hang of it.
G