Cross country qualifier

[Dougie_diesel]

Evening All!

Flew my PPL cross country qualifier yesterday and made it back to base safely!

Leg 1, EGPK-EGPN
Uneventful takeoff, despite a last minute runway change by ATC (no real drama as I've worked at EGPK for 10 years).
Proceeded to the zone departure point and set my heading, luckily EGPN is on a direct 45 degree track from EGPK.
Wind conditions weren't ideal (010/35x @ 2000') but the rest of the weather was perfect.
Busted the EGPH zone en-route due to confusing one of the bridges over the River Forth with another one. Once corrected by the nice lady at EGPH Radar, It was onwards to EGPN, where it was a straight in approach to Rwy 09.
After quite a wrestle in the descent, and being asked to report abeam a village I couldn't find on my chart, I made not one of my better landings and parked up.
The guys a Tayside Aviation sorted me out and I got back on my way.

Leg 2, EGPN - EGPT
Short hop this time.
Bumpy climb out and 180 onto the downwind leg, departed the circuit and headed straight for EGPT, where the choice of 3 runways meant an almost into wind landing, and after my embarrassing attempt at EGPN, this one was almost perfect.
Helpful directions to the parking from the guys in the tower, then on to pay my fee and pick up a bacon roll from the Touchdown Cafe!

Leg 3, EGPT - EGPK
Took off from EGPT, LH turnout and picked up my heading towards my first waypoint.
A beautiful sightseeing tour over to Dunblane and then turned and headed towards home!
After over-flying EGPG and a (scheduled) transit the EGPF zone, I re-entered EGPK airspace and landed!

On reflection, delaying the flight to wait for better wind would have made for a more comfortable flight, but perhaps it made for a more realistic flight.

Despite having my SkyDemon loaded in my pocket (it would be silly not to), I was adamant I wasn't going to use it, and was proud of myself that I didn't.
I would rather have made an a**e of it on my own (which I did), than have completed it successfully with assistance.
I watched a video once by FlightChops on YouTube where he "earns the right to use his iPad", which was an inspiring view on technology in flying.

Onward now, skills test in the next couple of weeks (weather permitting) and the last couple of written exams to squeeze in before the last couple of solo hours!

If anyone else cocked it up a bit on their qualifier, hearing about that would relieve me a bit! :O

Doug

[Jan Olieslagers]

Congrats! I like your approach about the GPS: silly not to carry it, nice to not use it until you must.

[alex90]

Well done! :-) We all make little mistakes at some point or other. I like Jan like your approach to technology.

I saw FlightChops also made a couple of videos where he is clearly too busy thinking about production value / filming than learning in the lesson. Quite interesting to see his reflexion later on about it.

Although this is yet to happen, (thanks to good pre-flight and carrying many spare chargers to recharge the iPad / Garmin Glo if needed) being able to fly by sight / with map is really important when it all goes wrong!

Good luck on our skills test!

[Dougie_diesel]

Thanks Guys!

TangoAlphad- That's certainly one description of the approach :}

[Whopity]

The "Cross Country Qualifier" ceased to exist with the demise of the UK PPL in July 1999.

What you flew was a solo Navigation Exercise which fulfills one of the recommendations of ICAO Annex 1, and which replaced the QXCTY when the UK adopted JAR-FCL.

If you believe all Dyson's are Hoovers then it probably makes no odds!

What a lot of people don't realise is that if you increased the distance to 300 miles, it would be useable for both the PPL and the CPL

[londonblue]

I screwed up on the final leg of my QXC. My full route was Elstree-Coventry, Coventry-Cambridge, Cambridge-Elstree.

The final leg took me south between Luton and Stansted. I was looking out for Buntingford, but managed to completely miss it (I still don't know how). Because of this I had a minor panic and thought, rather than bust either Luton's or Stansted's airspace, the best solution was to call 121.5 and say I was unsure of position. Within about half a second some very helpful person told me exactly where I was and gave me a heading to follow that kept me out of CAS. Once I recognised where I was, I thanked them and made my way to Elstree a bit embarrassed, but also pleased with myself for not being a bloke about it, and actually admitting I was lost.

[Dougie_diesel]

That puts me in somewhat of a predicament then Whopity......


From the CAA form Form SRG 1105A Issue 01 - Application for EASA Private Pilot Licence PPL(A) and EASA Light Aircraft Pilot Licence LAPL(A)
(Guidance Note 2).

I am required to submit "Original Qualifying Cross-Country Certificate".

How I'm going to do that if I haven't flown one concerns me slightly.

Also I don't see the relevance the brand names of domestic cleaning appliances has on the subject, but thanks for your input anyway.

EDIT: And for what it's worth, I have absolutely zero interest in the CPL.

[Dougie_diesel]

londonblue - That's not a route I envy!

Great story, and at least you recognised you were lost!

[foxmoth]

Also I don't see the relevance the brand names of domestic cleaning appliances has on the subject,.
What is being said here is that if you Vaccuum your floor with a Dyson and call it a Hoover then it still gets the job done in just the same way as calling the Solo Nav excercise something else does not actually matter as long as it fulfills the criteria.

[alex90]

Seriously....

Who on earth are we paying in order to come up with "new brand names" about SIMPLE things which are OBVIOUSLY NAMED!?

Qualifier Cross Country is simply... JUST THAT.
General Flying Test (GFT) (otherwise known as Skills Test) - again is simply... JUST THAT.

Why hide it with complicated names that DO NOT reflect what you're ACTUALLY doing!?

Who is being paid money to come up with such silly nonsense!? And WHERE is that money coming from!?

[jaycee46]

Seriously....

Who on earth are we paying in order to come up with "new brand names" about SIMPLE things which are OBVIOUSLY NAMED!?

Qualifier Cross Country is simply... JUST THAT.
General Flying Test (GFT) (otherwise known as Skills Test) - again is simply... JUST THAT.

Why hide it with complicated names that DO NOT reflect what you're ACTUALLY doing!?

Who is being paid money to come up with such silly nonsense!? And WHERE is that money coming from!?
At the risk of stating the bleeding obvious - faceless and nameless bureaucrats at Gatwick and / or EASA, and all of us who fly anything!


Well done Dougie - I did the same route, a few years ago, for my QXC - or whatever it's called now - only c**k up was that I had forgotten how the tune the 0.25 on the radio, which made talking to Scottish Info on 119.875 a bit tricky. After landing at Dundee and as the mind calmed down, I had the biggest 'DOH' moment of my flight training.

[Dougie_diesel]

Jaycee46 - one of those simple tasks that more complicated the second you're airborne!

In an effort to prepare for all eventualities, I had even written down all the EGPK frequencies which I use every day!

[alex90]

I had even written down all the EGPK frequencies which I use every day!

I do that every time I fly... Just in case my mind goes blank / I suddenly get muddled / I forget my name....

It's quite a good habit to get in, in my opinion anyway.

[Maoraigh1]

I've printed out a kneeboard-size sheet with all the frequencies I could use locally. 42 frequencies. On the other side are distances and mag tracks between likely points.
It sits behind my flight note sheet on my kneeboard-sizesheet. Very helpful for in-flight directions.

[Whopity]

I am required to submit "Original Qualifying Cross-Country Certificate".The CAA has withdrawn the form after they were challenged as to why they are still perpetuating a requirement that has not existed for the past 16 years!

[Dougie_diesel]

The CAA has withdrawn the form after they were challenged as to why they are
still perpetuating a requirement that has not existed for the past 16 years!


Not according to their website.......


SRG1105A Aeroplane - Application for EASA Private Pilot Licence PPL(A) and EASA Light Aircraft Pilot Licence LAPL(A) (http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/modalapplication.aspx?catid=33&pagetype=65&appid=11&mode=detail&id=6321) Current 24 August 2016

[spittingimage]

Nice little story DD .. and congrats ! :D

I no longer fly for reasons various but it inevitably reminded me of my own triumphant QXC flight : Manchester (Barton) - Halfpenny Green - Hawarden and back. Mine, flown in 1975, I am sure was a whole lot less demanding than yours. I think using EGPK would have freaked me out way back then (!), though I have used all 3 of your QXC airfields since. For me, waiting for suitable weather was my main stumbling-block to progress and I consider myself lucky that I did eventually get a good day in November, like you, to actually complete the flights. I had waited about 3 months for decent weather ! No GPS comfort in those days either, of course.

Best of luck with the rest of your training !

SI

[Heston]

"No GPS comfort in those days either, of course."

Speaking of which, what are the rules regarding carriage of working gps equipment on a qualifying cross country flight?

[Dougie_diesel]

Thanks SI,

EGPK is the perfect airfield nowadays, It has all the advantages of a major airport (Long/wide runways, ILS, full time ATC), without the disadvantages of busy commercial traffic!

[Dougie_diesel]

Heston,

Can't find any. Wouldn't it be incredibly difficult to regulate anyway?

What if your A/C is GPS equipped?
What if you iPad has all your plates on it, but also SkyDemon or equivalent?

Even the most basic of smartphones now has a GPS/maps function.

[tobster911]

Congratulations on your "QXC" which I can confirm is still called Original Qualifying Cross-Country Certificate. I submitted all my papers yesterday and fingers crossed I've done it right and it all comes back soon.

Good idea about the Sky Demon in the pocket, and I'm hoping to get a subscription for Christmas to activate when we have some good weather.

[Dougie_diesel]

Thanks tobster!

Congrats to you too!
What was your route? Anything interesting along the way?

I don't think I've even scratched the surface of SkyDemon yet, as I'm still using charts and plogging, but from what I've seen its a good piece of kit.

[tobster911]

Thank you :) My route was EGSR - EGSH - EGMC - EGSR

It was interesting to say the least. I arrived in the morning and weather was marginal. It then cleared up over colchester, and looked like I wasn't going to be doing the XC, so I just went up for a quick flight (taking all my planning with me - still not sure why, but glad I did). As I got airborne, my instructor came over the radio and told me the WX was clearing up, and I could start my journey, which was great news.

As I got closer to Norwich, the cloud base was pushing me towards my MSA, but I managed to stay a few hundred above. Norwich, despite being huge, is notoriously difficult to spot, so I did have to request a bearing to fly from them as I entered their airspace. They even turned on the lights for me, which was very kind. If you're ever that way, I recommend going in. The Saxonair lounge is lovely with loads of drinks and biscuits, and really GA friendly.

After a bevvy or two (orange juice), I set off towards Southend. The weather was clearing up in the south, but still a bit of rain over Norwich, so that was quite interesting. As I got to Wattisham MATZ, the weather became stunning and really bright (I didn't take my sunglasses as I didn't think the weather would become like that - bad decision in hindsight). Flight to Southend was very uneventful bar having to hold for an approaching A319. With that landed, I was cleared onto 05 and had a short break in the lobby before the 15 minute flight back in. Was a really enjoyable experience, and I can't wait to do more cross country stuff.

I've seen the instructor use it a few times, but even on my free trial, I can't really figure it all out. Looks like it will be really useful though, although I will still always use a chart to plan my route too. Technology can and does stop working when you may need it most :)

Best of luck when you do your LST, let us know how you get on

[cotterpot]

although I will still always use a chart to plan my route too

You may think that now, but when you realise how easy it is to do it - even on SkyDemon Lite - and produce a plog, you may find you change your mind.

I do still draw a line on a chart.

[alex90]

I do still draw a line on a chart.

You can even print the pre-drawn lines out of SkyDemon, on the charts, as well as include the weather, plog, weight & balance, fuel calculations... etc... Everything you may need along the way, even including your aerodrome plates, as well as your alternates in a nice "package" by tapping the button "Generate Briefing Pack". In which case you won't ever need to buy real maps ever again! :eek:

The only thing I can't yet do is get IFR charts at the same time - that's when I use autorouter to generate the same path with GRAMET, and IFR charts.

What if you iPad has all your plates on it, but also SkyDemon or equivalent?

EasyJet now does this on all commercial routes (the plates bit). But they do have means to plug in the iPads in the plane, and have spare battery pack(s) in addition to 2 separate backup iPads. But I've been told that the likelihood of 2 iPads failing / breaking / running out of battery was highly unlikely.

I would ALWAYS have a paper copy of the charts / plates (just in case). Also for planning its really useful when in unfamiliar territory to have a slightly broader picture of what is around in paper form. Especially if you can't divert to your alternate(s), and need to pick a new airport to go to.

Even the most basic of smartphones now has a GPS/maps function.

True - but if you're flying at 5,000' you are unlikely get any reception to download the map. A blue dot on your location is a good idea - but only when you have a map to overlay it on! Also be wary of the accuracy of the blue dot, I sometimes find myself several miles / occasionally hundreds of miles away from my actual location.

[Dougie_diesel]

Good info Alex90, and FR have the iPads too, however the latter 2 quotes from my pervious posts have been taken slightly out of context, as they were in reply to a comment about carrying GPS on your QXC.

[Flyingmac]

I lost interest at the first ICAO code. What's up with plain English?


Many moons ago, my QXC was Cambridge-Ipswich-Norwich-Cambridge via Chatteris.
All said without encryption.:ugh:

[Heston]

I also deplore the use of ICAO codes instead of names of places. It sounds like the writer is pretending to be an airline pilot.

Mind you, ICAO and QXC are encryption too, no?

[thing]

Well done DD!

I've printed out a kneeboard-size sheet with all the frequencies I could use locally. 42 frequencies. On the other side are distances and mag tracks between likely points.
It sits behind my flight note sheet on my kneeboard-sizesheet. Very helpful for in-flight directions. I do the same. I've been known to forget the tower frequency of the airfield I've been flying at for years. If it's forgettable, I write it down (so that's everything for me then) and I thank whoever it was that decided that aircraft reg plates have to be in a prominent place on the instrument panel from the bottom of my heart.

I also deplore the use of ICAO codes instead of names of places. It sounds like the writer is pretending to be an airline pilot. Yes, one of my pet dislikes too. Even the passengers do it on the passenger part of the forum. I haven't got a clue where they've been or are going. Makes them sound seasoned I suppose.

[Dougie_diesel]

Thanks for posting anyway Flyingmac despite losing interest after a couple of lines.

I posted codes instead of place names as it seems to be the common practice, and also for fear of having my head bitten off for being unprofessional.

Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

[Jan Olieslagers]

Nobody forbids posting both, e.g. EGPK Prestwick

Too easy, perhaps, for some. Or are UK keyboards extremely sensitive to stress or wear (I almost said "wearable" :) ) perhaps?

As for looking "unprofessional": who cares? You never pretended to be a professional, did you?

[Dougie_diesel]

Valid points Jan!

[The Ancient Geek]

Airfield codes do have an important function in being definitive.
I dont know of any duplications of names in the UK but in South Africa, for instance, Olifantsfontein and Sterkfontein are the most common place names with dozens of instances, most of which have either their own airstrip or one very close by. Some are sizeable towns, many are farm strips, good luck in sorting them out without some other reference.

[Flyingmac]

I've flown to and from several South African strips. I found the codes useful. Stopped me flying from the wrong Square Kilometre Array to the wrong Groblershoop.:rolleyes: