From Zero to Forty Five - my PPL Diary
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you basically take the angle between the runway and the wind (so for runway 27, wind of 230 degrees, the difference is 40 degrees). (Lets say the wind speed is 30kts) Then you count backwards from 40 using the 4 i.e. 3....2 - and this reversed gives you 2 over 3 (or two thirds). Then, two thirds of 30 is 20, so the xwind component is 20kts
Hampshire Hog - we've all been there. Sometimes it's just a bad day. I remember it from my interminable Ex12&13 days and was reminded of it recently when I seemed to regress during one session in my night training. Needless to say, all was well in the end.
I remember my first instructor saying that people who turn up expecting to go solo often fly worse. Whether this is subliminal because you're nervous about soloing or that you're putting pressure on yourself to get it perfect so you can and become too tense I don't know. I believe some instructors don't even mention the possibility in case this happens.
Whatever the case, I find that banishing expectations good or bad and concentrating on the job in hand does help with flying (after PPL as well).
Hope next week's weather is better!
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I remember when I was about two hours from the end of the PPL course, me and my Instructor we doing a practice diversion / dummy skills test. After I completed it he just looked at me and said "what the hell was that". I dropped my chart, wasn't holding height or direction and messed it all up - purely nerves, however 3 hours later I had passed!
Spicy Meatball
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Aprian - Welcome! I like that version, simplicity at it's best
HH - dont get too down about it mate, it happens to us all - just learn from it and the next time you have a good flight you will realise.
Penguina, hey nice to see you here again - it's been a while. How are you doing and how is the night flying coming along?
Been such a crappy weeks weather so hopefully will get airborne next week for my first flight 'out of the cage'!
Lee
HH - dont get too down about it mate, it happens to us all - just learn from it and the next time you have a good flight you will realise.
Penguina, hey nice to see you here again - it's been a while. How are you doing and how is the night flying coming along?
Been such a crappy weeks weather so hopefully will get airborne next week for my first flight 'out of the cage'!
Lee
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Well, after my last post, I'm pleased to say that my lesson today banished my angst and that I have now completed my first solo with my dignity intact and the aircraft still usable
However there was one minor excitement - an incident with a learning point for us all I think (see below). Sorry for the very long post that follows, but after a 1st solo ...
Penguina, I read your advice after the lesson, but I think you make a very good point. I was nervous about my expected solo, whereas today I felt really relaxed and had no particular expectations - much better.
Apriana, my instructor made exactly the same comment, 'what the hell was that', after one of my botched landing attempts several lessons ago. A short reminder of how important it is to remain calm and in control I think!
And Mazzy, thanks for your kind words as well.
So, what about the lesson and that learning point?
Well, after thoroughly checking the aircraft (I'm a stickler for this) and noting a slightly low oil level (my instructor promptly filled it), I managed a perfect readback on the taxi clearance and off to the hold. Power checks and pre-take off fine, followed by a nice relaxed take-off (thanks again for that earlier advice c-bert). Up to 1000' and into what my instructor had previously described as 'wispy cloud'. Could I see where I was? Only intermittently. Now, some people have suggested earlier on this forum that flight sim can be a bad thing for student pilots (which is true), but put a student with loads of sim exerience into cloud and I recon they worry about it a lot less. My only concern was getting lost. Flying the aircraft without an external horizon etc. holds few fears (although I haven't experienced turb in cloud yet!). Anyway, we ultimately elected to fly the circuit at 900' (which gives us only 100' separation from the helicopters and so requires constant vigilance) with far better vis. 3 touch-and-goes all great. Nice stable approaches. On the 4th, my ever kind instructor pulled the throttle, just to check I had remembered that SEP aircraft go downwards when the engine cuts. Then he suggested we do a couple of full stop landings. Back into the hold (power check area) and (I suppose I was expecting this really) he then asked if I thought I could take it around myself. What do you say in reply to a question like that? I decided to take my chance, before I regressed again!
So, there I am, sat in the LHS on my own. Yes, I know it's been said before, but it's an odd feeling (a friend of mine who is now an A320 captain told me recently that she burst into tears when her instructor offered her first solo!). I wasn't about to cry, but I was determine to do things right and make a safe return to Earth. I ran through the pre-take off checks twice, checked the mags (just for good measure) and called 'ready'. With an immediate take-off clearance I had little more to do than a quick check up the approach path, line up and start rolling. Again, I know it's been said before, but the Warrior feels like a jet fighter unsticking when you haven't got a nice heavy instructor sat next to you. I was expecting it, but it still surprised me how sprightly this aircraft could be. Up to 900' in no time and I was pleased to discover that I still knew where I was in the circuit! As some suggested before on this forum, having a quick sing-song to myself helped me to stay relaxed, completed the downwind checks in good time (I kept carb heat on for longer than I do with my instructor present) and called downwind. There was one ahead of me turning base, so I slowed a little to give him time for whatever (we have to backtrack after landing on the hard runway at Wycombe during the winter). All still quite relaxed. He then said he was on final for a touch-and-go, so I put the speed back on again and prepared to turn base. The plane in front was on final but he was going to do a touch-and-go so no problem.
Now here's the thing. The plane in front did become a problem (well a potential one anyway). His instructor reported that they had landed and that their engine had stopped. The no.1 was now blocking the runway. I stayed relaxed, monitored the situation and thought through the go-around that might be necessary. I heard the tower tell the disabled aircraft that if they managed to get restarted they could move onto the grass to let me (on first solo) land. I was down to about 400' on final they did just that (pity really, I was enjoying myself!).
I landed, slightly fast, but comfortably with no balloon or bounce, with clearance to backtrack and a nice compliment from the tower, not to mention a very big grin! Taxied back to the apron and managed to park the thing without hitting anything (parking it alone, for me, feels more unnerving than going solo!).
My instructor came out and, as we walked back to the clubhouse, we had a chat with the instructor in the plane that had suffered the engine failure. They concluded that the cause had been carb-ice. The instructor also explained that they had ballooned and had just been about to open the throttle to go-around when the engine cut - so committed to land anyway!
Made me think:
1. I'm glad I took more hours rather than less to go solo - my confidence in the circuit, experience of monitoring the radio and of many go-arounds (as a result of my numerous botched attempts during previous lessons) meant I wasn't panicking about the unfolding events, just monitoring and planning my next actions depending on how things played out. It's taken me a total of 19 hours, but I just wouldn't have wanted to be there 4 or 5 hours ago.
2. Maybe we should use carb-ice more. I have always tended to keep carb-heat on for longer than typically taught (especially on final) for two reasons. First, when you think about how long it takes to melt a block of ice with a hair drier, the 10 seconds of carb-heat many instructors encourage is almost certainly inadequate and, secondly, there are a load of factories under the approach to our runway 24 and I'm not planning on landing on them any day soon.
So, thanks to everyone for their support up to now. Can't wait for the coming lessons and all that solo consolidation, but not in the wind howling around my house right now!
HH
However there was one minor excitement - an incident with a learning point for us all I think (see below). Sorry for the very long post that follows, but after a 1st solo ...Penguina, I read your advice after the lesson, but I think you make a very good point. I was nervous about my expected solo, whereas today I felt really relaxed and had no particular expectations - much better.
Apriana, my instructor made exactly the same comment, 'what the hell was that', after one of my botched landing attempts several lessons ago. A short reminder of how important it is to remain calm and in control I think!
And Mazzy, thanks for your kind words as well.
So, what about the lesson and that learning point?
Well, after thoroughly checking the aircraft (I'm a stickler for this) and noting a slightly low oil level (my instructor promptly filled it), I managed a perfect readback on the taxi clearance and off to the hold. Power checks and pre-take off fine, followed by a nice relaxed take-off (thanks again for that earlier advice c-bert). Up to 1000' and into what my instructor had previously described as 'wispy cloud'. Could I see where I was? Only intermittently. Now, some people have suggested earlier on this forum that flight sim can be a bad thing for student pilots (which is true), but put a student with loads of sim exerience into cloud and I recon they worry about it a lot less. My only concern was getting lost. Flying the aircraft without an external horizon etc. holds few fears (although I haven't experienced turb in cloud yet!). Anyway, we ultimately elected to fly the circuit at 900' (which gives us only 100' separation from the helicopters and so requires constant vigilance) with far better vis. 3 touch-and-goes all great. Nice stable approaches. On the 4th, my ever kind instructor pulled the throttle, just to check I had remembered that SEP aircraft go downwards when the engine cuts. Then he suggested we do a couple of full stop landings. Back into the hold (power check area) and (I suppose I was expecting this really) he then asked if I thought I could take it around myself. What do you say in reply to a question like that? I decided to take my chance, before I regressed again!
So, there I am, sat in the LHS on my own. Yes, I know it's been said before, but it's an odd feeling (a friend of mine who is now an A320 captain told me recently that she burst into tears when her instructor offered her first solo!). I wasn't about to cry, but I was determine to do things right and make a safe return to Earth. I ran through the pre-take off checks twice, checked the mags (just for good measure) and called 'ready'. With an immediate take-off clearance I had little more to do than a quick check up the approach path, line up and start rolling. Again, I know it's been said before, but the Warrior feels like a jet fighter unsticking when you haven't got a nice heavy instructor sat next to you. I was expecting it, but it still surprised me how sprightly this aircraft could be. Up to 900' in no time and I was pleased to discover that I still knew where I was in the circuit! As some suggested before on this forum, having a quick sing-song to myself helped me to stay relaxed, completed the downwind checks in good time (I kept carb heat on for longer than I do with my instructor present) and called downwind. There was one ahead of me turning base, so I slowed a little to give him time for whatever (we have to backtrack after landing on the hard runway at Wycombe during the winter). All still quite relaxed. He then said he was on final for a touch-and-go, so I put the speed back on again and prepared to turn base. The plane in front was on final but he was going to do a touch-and-go so no problem.
Now here's the thing. The plane in front did become a problem (well a potential one anyway). His instructor reported that they had landed and that their engine had stopped. The no.1 was now blocking the runway. I stayed relaxed, monitored the situation and thought through the go-around that might be necessary. I heard the tower tell the disabled aircraft that if they managed to get restarted they could move onto the grass to let me (on first solo) land. I was down to about 400' on final they did just that (pity really, I was enjoying myself!).
I landed, slightly fast, but comfortably with no balloon or bounce, with clearance to backtrack and a nice compliment from the tower, not to mention a very big grin! Taxied back to the apron and managed to park the thing without hitting anything (parking it alone, for me, feels more unnerving than going solo!).
My instructor came out and, as we walked back to the clubhouse, we had a chat with the instructor in the plane that had suffered the engine failure. They concluded that the cause had been carb-ice. The instructor also explained that they had ballooned and had just been about to open the throttle to go-around when the engine cut - so committed to land anyway!
Made me think:
1. I'm glad I took more hours rather than less to go solo - my confidence in the circuit, experience of monitoring the radio and of many go-arounds (as a result of my numerous botched attempts during previous lessons) meant I wasn't panicking about the unfolding events, just monitoring and planning my next actions depending on how things played out. It's taken me a total of 19 hours, but I just wouldn't have wanted to be there 4 or 5 hours ago.
2. Maybe we should use carb-ice more. I have always tended to keep carb-heat on for longer than typically taught (especially on final) for two reasons. First, when you think about how long it takes to melt a block of ice with a hair drier, the 10 seconds of carb-heat many instructors encourage is almost certainly inadequate and, secondly, there are a load of factories under the approach to our runway 24 and I'm not planning on landing on them any day soon.
So, thanks to everyone for their support up to now. Can't wait for the coming lessons and all that solo consolidation, but not in the wind howling around my house right now!
HH
Congrats Paul!
Won't be long and you'll be pinging all over the place solo. Now there's a thought.
I'm booked in again tomorrow so I hope this gale/rain/cloud clears....BBC assure me it will.
Won't be long and you'll be pinging all over the place solo. Now there's a thought.
I'm booked in again tomorrow so I hope this gale/rain/cloud clears....BBC assure me it will.
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Well done Hampshire Hog!
An interesting first solo then .
It is strange looking to the right and just seeing a headset sitting where the instructor should be, but when I got up I just started to sing and focus on flying.
If carb ice conditions are present, then 10 sec is not long enough to thaw it out, so your right in getting it on just as you turn downwind.
An interesting first solo then
.It is strange looking to the right and just seeing a headset sitting where the instructor should be, but when I got up I just started to sing and focus on flying.
If carb ice conditions are present, then 10 sec is not long enough to thaw it out, so your right in getting it on just as you turn downwind.
The Original Whirly
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Congratulations, Hampshire Hog. Good to know we have another pilot in our midst.
Bloody hell; who's telling you ten seconds is enough? 
While there are many, many different views on use of carb heat, and a thread I started a bit back if you want to do a search and read some of them, one thing is certain - 10 SECONDS IS DEFINITELY NOT LONG ENOUGH. Thirty seconds is more like it. And a little too much carb heat won't do any harm, unless you're trying to climb. Why, why, why do some instructors do this? What do they have against carb heat? If in doubt, use it.
Good to know we have another pilot in our midst.
Maybe we should use carb-ice more. I have always tended to keep carb-heat on for longer than typically taught (especially on final) for two reasons. First, when you think about how long it takes to melt a block of ice with a hair drier, the 10 seconds of carb-heat many instructors encourage is almost certainly inadequate and, secondly, there are a load of factories under the approach to our runway 24 and I'm not planning on landing on them any day soon
While there are many, many different views on use of carb heat, and a thread I started a bit back if you want to do a search and read some of them, one thing is certain - 10 SECONDS IS DEFINITELY NOT LONG ENOUGH. Thirty seconds is more like it. And a little too much carb heat won't do any harm, unless you're trying to climb. Why, why, why do some instructors do this? What do they have against carb heat? If in doubt, use it.
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c-bert - hope the weather clears for you.
Re. carb-heat. I should add that I didn't mean to suggest my instructor teaches short bursts. He's quite sensible about it, but many instructors do teach the 10second burst and I don't think it's long enough. I agree with the line 'too much rather than too little'.
I believe our club is considering changing its procedures so that carb-heat is kept on until landed - but turned off for a go-around. Must be the safer option.
HH
Re. carb-heat. I should add that I didn't mean to suggest my instructor teaches short bursts. He's quite sensible about it, but many instructors do teach the 10second burst and I don't think it's long enough. I agree with the line 'too much rather than too little'.
I believe our club is considering changing its procedures so that carb-heat is kept on until landed - but turned off for a go-around. Must be the safer option.
HH
Thanks HH.
I have been taught to put carb heat on when I put the first two stages of flap down on base, and the carb heat then comes off when the third stage of flap is put down on final. That way it is already off for a go around, but is on until fairly close to touch down.
I have been taught to put carb heat on when I put the first two stages of flap down on base, and the carb heat then comes off when the third stage of flap is put down on final. That way it is already off for a go around, but is on until fairly close to touch down.
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Congrats HH, glad you made it. Its a great feeling!
Where abouts you fly from in Hampshire?
With carb heat in the circuit I will put it on when I start my descent (so mid-base leg) and will then turn it off whilst doing the CRAP checks at 300ft, unless the conditions dictate otherwise(low cloud/humid etc)
I agree you should err on the side of caution but there are other things you need to think about. You should try and avoid using carb heat on/near the ground as it is not filtered and so can allow all kinds of crap into the engine, and if you need to do a go around then you really should have full power availble instantly and not have to be fumbling with the carb heat switch first.
Just my 2p. Congrats again HH!
Where abouts you fly from in Hampshire?
With carb heat in the circuit I will put it on when I start my descent (so mid-base leg) and will then turn it off whilst doing the CRAP checks at 300ft, unless the conditions dictate otherwise(low cloud/humid etc)
I agree you should err on the side of caution but there are other things you need to think about. You should try and avoid using carb heat on/near the ground as it is not filtered and so can allow all kinds of crap into the engine, and if you need to do a go around then you really should have full power availble instantly and not have to be fumbling with the carb heat switch first.
Just my 2p. Congrats again HH!
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Hi Blinkz,
Thanks for your comments. I use carb-heat on base and I prefer to keep it on during final until fairly close to landing. Yes, there's a risk of forgetting to turn it off, but I think the risk of ingesting crap into the engine in that case must be lower than the risk from an engine failure on final.
Although I live in Hampshire (near Blackbushe - where I started flying) I now fly from Booker (Wycombe Air Park). Bit of a drive, but for all sorts of reasons I prefer it.
HH
Thanks for your comments. I use carb-heat on base and I prefer to keep it on during final until fairly close to landing. Yes, there's a risk of forgetting to turn it off, but I think the risk of ingesting crap into the engine in that case must be lower than the risk from an engine failure on final.
Although I live in Hampshire (near Blackbushe - where I started flying) I now fly from Booker (Wycombe Air Park). Bit of a drive, but for all sorts of reasons I prefer it.
HH
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this is only my 7th post..... so no-one will knowme but i thought i'd put my 2p worth.
i always use carb heat from the moment i drop the power to start my desent (and take 2 stages of flap).... i leave it on until i touch down.... in the case of a touch and go. Get rid of all my flap , carb heat off then full power and rotate at desired airspeed. and for a go around, full power, carb heat off, drag flap away pos rate of climb 2nd stage away, pos rate of climb 1st stage away.
as for carb heat on my downwind checks, its the first thing i do and the last thng i do.... so it stays on for my entire check. as you say.... too much is better than too little.
PUT - Stapleford in Essex
i always use carb heat from the moment i drop the power to start my desent (and take 2 stages of flap).... i leave it on until i touch down.... in the case of a touch and go. Get rid of all my flap , carb heat off then full power and rotate at desired airspeed. and for a go around, full power, carb heat off, drag flap away pos rate of climb 2nd stage away, pos rate of climb 1st stage away.
as for carb heat on my downwind checks, its the first thing i do and the last thng i do.... so it stays on for my entire check. as you say.... too much is better than too little.
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Congratulations and all that, but do please remember ...
... that the average life expectancy of a non-instrument qualified pilot in cloud is 178 seconds, as discussed here from time to time, whether or not they've played with toys on PCs, the occasional lucky one notwithstanding.
Up to 1000' and into what my instructor had previously described as 'wispy cloud'. Could I see where I was? Only intermittently. Now, some people have suggested earlier on this forum that flight sim can be a bad thing for student pilots (which is true), but put a student with loads of sim exerience into cloud and I recon they worry about it a lot less.
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Yeah, once you start reading all the literature about on that, it puts you off taking risks with straying too close to IMC unqualified... 
HH - congratulations! That was quite an eventful first solo! BTW - I told you so!
Mazzy - hello, and I'm doing very well thanks. & you? Very remiss of me not to make my presence felt more on this thread, but in my defence I've been busy. 
The night training... well lets just say the weather's helping me spin out every last second of pleasure - and I am enjoying it no end so I am quite glad in a way! Finally managed to solo last week, so I just have an hour or so to complete now. Enjoyed the solo very much. A rather attention-seeking wind, a game of hide and seek with a bizjet, three satisfying landings then home for tea and medals.
Then I left the airfield and got on the wrong bus. Non-essentials off and all that!
HH - congratulations! That was quite an eventful first solo! BTW - I told you so!
Mazzy - hello, and I'm doing very well thanks.
& you? Very remiss of me not to make my presence felt more on this thread, but in my defence I've been busy. The night training... well lets just say the weather's helping me spin out every last second of pleasure - and I am enjoying it no end so I am quite glad in a way!
Finally managed to solo last week, so I just have an hour or so to complete now. Enjoyed the solo very much. A rather attention-seeking wind, a game of hide and seek with a bizjet, three satisfying landings then home for tea and medals. Then I left the airfield and got on the wrong bus. Non-essentials off and all that!
The Original Whirly
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... that the average life expectancy of a non-instrument qualified pilot in cloud is 178 seconds, as discussed here from time to time, whether or not they've played with toys on PCs, the occasional lucky one notwithstanding.
Spicy Meatball
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WARNING - "alcohol induced post"
Firstly, Paul - nice one mate, well done. Great isn't it and it only get's better from here on. You have done very well but I will reiterate what Whirly and Gertrude say about the clouds (especially in the circuit) - please do be careful, I have seen many horror stories on prune about flying IMC when not qualified, and Jeremy Pratt (AFE books author) is hell bent on not doing it. When you think about it, 178 seconds is just under the life expectancy of a Royal Marine in a full war situation (according to a marine friend) - so take care mate
With regards to the carb heat - I never used to have it on at all - only for a few seconds in the downwind checks (now there's a worrying thought) but after some more instruction, I now have it on from just before I reduce power for descent, until I reach 300 ft. I find sometimes that this can cock up the approach as you gain some RPM when you turn it back off, but careful throttle management overcomes this.
Penguina - no need to apologise. Having just one post from you is a pleasure
I'd have paid to see your face upon realising that
Tony - welcome aboard. Nice to see you in here posting. Please do continue
I think on one of my next lessons, I am to do the situational awareness training - where I close my eyes and have the instructor perform manoeuvres - I then have to figure out what we just did. I am betting I will get a lot of it wrong - and this emphasises the fact of staying out of cloud until qualified.
Thank you again,
Lee
Firstly, Paul - nice one mate, well done. Great isn't it and it only get's better from here on. You have done very well but I will reiterate what Whirly and Gertrude say about the clouds (especially in the circuit) - please do be careful, I have seen many horror stories on prune about flying IMC when not qualified, and Jeremy Pratt (AFE books author) is hell bent on not doing it. When you think about it, 178 seconds is just under the life expectancy of a Royal Marine in a full war situation (according to a marine friend) - so take care mate
With regards to the carb heat - I never used to have it on at all - only for a few seconds in the downwind checks (now there's a worrying thought) but after some more instruction, I now have it on from just before I reduce power for descent, until I reach 300 ft. I find sometimes that this can cock up the approach as you gain some RPM when you turn it back off, but careful throttle management overcomes this.
Penguina - no need to apologise. Having just one post from you is a pleasure
Then I left the airfield and got on the wrong bus. Non-essentials off and all that!
Tony - welcome aboard. Nice to see you in here posting. Please do continue
I think on one of my next lessons, I am to do the situational awareness training - where I close my eyes and have the instructor perform manoeuvres - I then have to figure out what we just did. I am betting I will get a lot of it wrong - and this emphasises the fact of staying out of cloud until qualified.
Thank you again,
Lee
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Now listen folks,
Please don't think that in my 'first solo' inspired post I was suggesting anything close to overconfidence. I first took up flying because I was scared of it! Safety is everything to me (you should see how carefully I check the aircraft) and I have no intention of deliberately straying into cloud - sim experience or not. I guess my point was that many instructors criticise sim pilots for constantly looking that the instruments rather than outside. After entering cloud instruments are necessary and I suspect those same sim pilots are more used to looking at them.
Having said that, I was comfortable with the situation because I absolutely trust my instructor. He is a retired 747 captain with thousands of hours of experience on aircraft dating back to the end of the war. If I find myself in cloud with him sat next to me - I have every confidence that he can get me out of it.
I have no intention of exceeding my capabilities (and I am all too aware that 1 circuit does not a flying career make).
Nonetheless, you were all absolutely right to make the point and put my slightly ill judged comments in their place.
HH
Please don't think that in my 'first solo' inspired post I was suggesting anything close to overconfidence. I first took up flying because I was scared of it! Safety is everything to me (you should see how carefully I check the aircraft) and I have no intention of deliberately straying into cloud - sim experience or not. I guess my point was that many instructors criticise sim pilots for constantly looking that the instruments rather than outside. After entering cloud instruments are necessary and I suspect those same sim pilots are more used to looking at them.
Having said that, I was comfortable with the situation because I absolutely trust my instructor. He is a retired 747 captain with thousands of hours of experience on aircraft dating back to the end of the war. If I find myself in cloud with him sat next to me - I have every confidence that he can get me out of it.
I have no intention of exceeding my capabilities (and I am all too aware that 1 circuit does not a flying career make).
Nonetheless, you were all absolutely right to make the point and put my slightly ill judged comments in their place.
HH
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Hampshire Hog,
Glad to hear that. And I didn't mean to sound critical; I was just concerned.
If you look way, way back, if the search function lets you do that and you have lots and lots of time, you might find a thread where someone said something to the effect that all good pilots flew by the seat of their pants anyway, and could therefore fly in cloud. I explained why that didn't work without visual references. John Farley posted and agreed with me, and then the guy listened. I just wanted to make sure someone else wasn't making a similar mistake.
Glad to hear that.
And I didn't mean to sound critical; I was just concerned. If you look way, way back, if the search function lets you do that and you have lots and lots of time, you might find a thread where someone said something to the effect that all good pilots flew by the seat of their pants anyway, and could therefore fly in cloud. I explained why that didn't work without visual references. John Farley posted and agreed with me, and then the guy listened. I just wanted to make sure someone else wasn't making a similar mistake.
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Mazzy
Hi Folks
I read this thread when you first started, congratulations for having the guts to do it and for getting as far as you have it's not easy.
I started a couple of years ago and am no spring chicken, I have now 100 hrs + night and IMC rating most of it done in the dark/in cloud. That is scary...
Dont let the moaners put you off, they are entitled to their opinion
you dont have to listen !!!
Keep at it (it gets worse the more you learn ! )
Fly Safe.
I read this thread when you first started, congratulations for having the guts to do it and for getting as far as you have it's not easy.
I started a couple of years ago and am no spring chicken, I have now 100 hrs + night and IMC rating most of it done in the dark/in cloud. That is scary...
Dont let the moaners put you off, they are entitled to their opinion
you dont have to listen !!!
Keep at it (it gets worse the more you learn ! )
Fly Safe.