From Zero to Forty Five - my PPL Diary

[Hampshire Hog]

Hi all.

Sorry for not having posted for a while. I did have a lesson a couple of weeks ago, steep turns etc. Great fun. I thought I wouldn't like them, but found them surprisingly easy. My joy was tempered by a near miss with a Cirrus which I spotted just in time and pointed out to my instructor who put us into a rapid descent!

HOWEVER

The I am pleased to announce the arrival, on Sunday at 0047 of a Hampshire Piglet, named Annabelle and at a weight of 8lb 9oz. She's made a good start in life; when I was driving her home my wife insisted I stop so she could sort a minor sickness event in Annabelle's car seat. The nearest safe place to stop was Blackbushe Airport - so introduced to GA at less than 24 hours old!

Goodness knows when the boss will release me back to my PPL training though

Safe flying all.

HH

[mazzy1026]

YOU BEAUTY !

Many congrats to you and the missus on your new bundle of joy!

Brilliant.....

Lee

[jamierwilliams]

I am starting my flying lessons next week. I am ridiculously excited and I am hope to take first solo on my 16th birthday (23rd July), which I think will be managable since I already have about 3/4 hours experience.

Great thread by the way!

[MyData]

HH - Congratulations, and well done in introducing your new arrival to GA so quickly!

Jamier - welcome aboard! If you are planning your solo so soon don't forget that you will need to have passed your medical and in some cases there may be quite a wait to get to see the doctor so book in sooner rather than later. Also remember to study and pass the air law exam... Good luck, keep us updated on your progress.

[mazzy1026]

Welcome aboard Jamier - good to see a new poster!

Hope this thread has been useful to you, and dont forget to writeup your progress hehe.

Best wishes,

Lee

[MichaelJP59]

As mentioned in another thread, I passed my skills test last weekend, a great feeling after 18 months of lessons - total hours so far, 47.5

Just posting to say thanks to the detailed posters in this thread - I haven't posted myself, can only plead lack of time, but it has been interesting and useful reading other people's experiences.

Anyway, good luck to those still working towards their PPLs - you won't regret all the hard work!

[mazzy1026]

Thanks Michael

Enjoy your new privilege

[Blinkz]

Hey all, I've now had a check flight down here and am now allowed to fly as a PPL in the pa38, altho I've STILL not flown P1 since I got my licence lol.

Hopefully next week!

[MyData]

More solo cx

What a fantastic day for flying. CAVOK and zero wind. Route planned for LBA->Humber Bridge->Carnaby->Scarborough->LBA.
This was my first completely solo expedition, once I was airside at LBA I was on my own. And the PA28 needed oil and fuel so I had to make to call to the agents.
A great start to the day as I was getting refuelled - the BBMF made a low flypast along R32. Cool. I wish I had had my camera.
Take off, and soon en-route. Switching to Church Fenton. It was busy today - must have been the weather. Heading for the Humber Bridge in near perfect conditions, as I crossed the M62 I switched to Humberside Radar (learning this R/T all the time as I go along!).
As there was no discernable wind I flew the heading as the track and was soon over the bridge - a spectacular site.
Routing 020 to Carnaby there was much traffic about - some of it not in contact so had to keep my eyes open as another aircraft passed below me on almost a similar track (probably 040) and headed out over the sea!
Turned at Carnaby, used in WWII as an emergency landing field for returning bombers, and north to Scarborough.
Flew over Scarborough - the sea and beaches looking fantastic in the sunshine. I turned back to Leeds at the north end of the town. I could see the Fylingdales radar and didn't want to encroach there - having heard Humberside asking a pilot if he knew he was in a danger zone earlier!
Route home to Leeds was routine until I came across gliders at Rufforth. Those things can move and climb! After getting visual with one I decided to give it a wide berth as I saw just how agile they are.
At the East of York I had been given clearance to enter the zone at Leeds so was well prepared as I arrived over Eccup. Instructed to join right base for R32 and report final.
After almost 1hr 50m at the controls I must have been feeling tired. My approach was very poor, I was going to request a go around but as LBA R32 is so long I decided to continue with the approach and touched down way down the runway, so far that I had to exit on Foxtrot (shame on me - those who know LBA will agree).
But another great solo nav in the book, and flying on days like this is so amazing - you just want to share the experience with everyone.

[veetwo]

Fantastic stuff mydata!!!!

I passed my JAR-FCL PPL Skills test at Leeds yesterday... best feeling in the world!! Weather was superb... examiner was a lovely chap and it all came together stunningley well if I do say so myself. I was expecting to make more mistakes than I ended up making (even though I did at one point make a position report using the wrong callsign, oops )

It is going to be a LONG 3 weeks waiting for the license to come back.... but patience is something you learn flying GA in this country.

V2

[mazzy1026]

Everyone is passing! Well done v2

Data, good stuff mate. It does get tiring but is great to look back on after such an achievement.

Got my aircraft general exam tomorrow - wish me luck!

Lee

[MyData]

Congrats veetwo. How long in advance did you have to book your test?

I'm supposing that test flights are only during the week and so if the weather isn't too good you have to keep on postponing and then putting more practice in at the weekends, but if you have to book weeks in advance it could take a while to get the opportunity. Thinks - should I start thinking of making a booking in Sept/Oct today?

Lee - good luck today. I've just booked my R/T practical for next Friday 8th. Once that is complete I'll have everything covered apart from the real flying tests...

[veetwo]

Mydata,

When I finished my actual flight training about 3 weeks ago, I asked about skills tests. I was told that there was a waiting list and I was number 6!!!!

I couldnt actually "book" a test in advance, I just had to wait for a phone call saying there was a slot free. I didn't actually know I was taking my skills test until 0930 on the day of the test itself! (I had to fly a couple of revision flights between my actually being ready for the test and actually taking it, just to stay current).

As it happens I think it worked out well, because the short notice gave me no time at all to work myself up into a panic about things...

V2

[squeaky1026]

Hi Mazzy, and all. I have just booked my first lesson at Liverpool Flying School, Sunday 1800Hrs. Should be fantastic. I'll keep you posted. Good Luck.

(P.S, I have noticed you guys have been discussing the use of Flight Simulator, I have recently joined a fantastic network called VATSIM. It allows you to talk to real-time ATC at many airports across the world. I.E, if you were to go to O'Hare in flight sim, you would get a controller from chicago. They follow as close to real world ATC procedures as you can get. I am already pretty hot on circuit procedures before my first flight (except with the air cadets). It really makes FS, 10 times more realistic and with the VFR scenery, your laughing. If anyone is interested post here and i'll give you some more details.)

Yours Squeaky

[squeaky1026]

Hi Guys, My first flight was fantastic. Liverpool Flying School are a really great flying club. Very friendly and a proffesional atmosphere. Great Stuff, Can't wait to get back in the air. How are you getting on mazzy. Hopefully i might see you down at the club sometime. Fantastic!

Yours

[Blinkz]

Hey guys,
well I've FINALLY flown solo with my PPL. and I had my first problem! Altho it was on the ground and nothing serious.

Basically came to the a/c and did the walkround as usal and got in and started the pre-engine start checks. First thing that caught my attention was that the electric fuel pump didn't do anything. Well, it made a noise but there was no fuel pressure. Tried it a number of times, still no pressure. hmm, little werid i thought. Decided to start the engine and see what happened. Cranked it for about 10seconds and it didn't catch, then tried to crank it again. Nothing. prop flicked a little, but barely moved. Doh, flat battery! Went back into the club to tell them. Out came one of the instructors with a high capacity pack to jump start it. My pa38 doesn't have a proper external power port so had to jump it directly under the hood. So had a guy standing about a foot away from the prop. Never good. Anyway got it started no problem and did all the checks, everything fine. Altho the ammeter sat on 30 nearly the whole flight! Only flew for 30mins since it took a while to get started. I also only did circuits since the cloud base was about 1500. Went ok and am looking forward to fly at some point, not sure when that will be.

Blue skies y'all!

[MyData]

Squeaky - congrats on first flight - now just many more hours to go and the chance to experience first hand the changeable UK weather ;-)

Blinkz - spooky co-incidence on failures. I was all prep'd and ready to go from LBA yesterday on yet another solo CX. A-Check, startup checks, taxy to first hold then expected to do power checks. However the airport was v. busy with GA traffic so it was an expedited backtrack along R27 (across R32), exit then hold. I did so and at the hold I started the power checks. Was then instructed to go on the apron, do a 180 degree turn and hold. I received departure clearance, finalised the power checks and intended to report ready for take off.

It was at this point I did my final round of checks and noticed the HSI hadn't moved! It wasn't aligned with anything remotely like the direction I was in. I checked the compass and of course my heading relative to R27. This thing was not operational at all. Checked the CBs and various switches. Nothing. So had to tell ATC I had a problem and needed to return to the GA apron and flying was cancelled for the rest of the slot :-(

I should have been checking instruments on the taxy, but was busy getting into position. But this was a very valuable lesson in continuing through the checklist line by line to the very end. My method is to talk out loud as if explaining to someone what I'm checking and why. This time I pointed at the HSI and confirmed that it indicated the reality outside. 100% of the time until now it had done, but this one time it didn't.

[Blinkz]

Sounds like you did the right thing Mydata. Altho the HSI is vacuum operated and so thats the first thing I'd look at, was the AI working? What turned out to be the problem?

[MyData]

Blinkz - suction was good as it is something I check twice in the checklist. AI was apparently OK (i.e. level), same for turn indicator, but I don't recall checking the turn indicator while taxying. I'll find out what the problem was next Sunday and report here if it was anything significant.

Time for my R/T practical this week. For those who have done it are there any tips or info on what to expect. I've been told that the test takes 2-2.5 hours, during which I'll be tested on: MATZ penetration, LARS, Arrival and departure procedures, VDF approaches, Mayday and Pan calls, frequency and transponder settings and the various differences in talking to ATC, AFIS and A/G.

Now I've also been informed that this is done using two computers with maps and an aircraft tracking along the screen.

Questions:
1. In the simulation does the aircraft fly itself - or if I get a heading instruction do I have to do something on the simulator or simply acknowledge correctly and the simluation moves on?

2. VDF approach - that's new to me, looking in the CAP 413 it shouldn't be too difficult.

3. Is the purpose of the test to check that you respond exactly by the prescribed manner in CAP 413, or that you get the message across in an unambiguous way. E.g. response to pass your message - I'll try to get the correct order, but would it be a failure point to not get everything correct?

4. As a different example to interpretation in (3) I read the CAP 413 and correct responses would be e.g. "Barnsley QNH 1008", in my training my instructor has said that I should simply respond "QNH 1008", or even "1008" as the context of the conversation (e.g. leaving the zone) would indicate that the ASR is known by all parties, and that the pressure setting is QNH. I'm going to try to remember the full "Barnsley QNH 1008" but might sometimes forget...

5. I expect that pencil and paper are available - or should I take my kneeboard?

6. Is the communication direct (face to face) or is it via a head set with the examiner out of view? - I just want to get a feel for what to expect on the day...

[Blinkz]

Mydata, you got msn? If so PM me your address and we can have a chat about the RT exam. Its not quite as bad as your making it out to be, but it can be a little. tricky. If not then I'll post here abit of it. If you scroll back thro the thread I also posted about my test so there should be some information in that too.

-edit- just looked and actaully didn't wirte anything lol.