From Zero to Forty Five - my PPL Diary
Join Date: Jan 2005
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Blimey Mazzy, at East Mids if you flare when you can see the tyre marks on the runway, you'd land on Kegworth village, some half mile short!! (or am I misunderstanding you?!)
Double lesson canned again today, wind/low cloud. I've got two single slots booked tomorrow, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon, to try to get my next two solo navs out of the way, but it doesn't look too promising.
The problem is with this, that you mess up an entire day waiting to see if things improve. Invariably they don't!!
Double lesson canned again today, wind/low cloud. I've got two single slots booked tomorrow, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon, to try to get my next two solo navs out of the way, but it doesn't look too promising.
The problem is with this, that you mess up an entire day waiting to see if things improve. Invariably they don't!!
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Stuck In Sosua :-(
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Hi Guys 'n' Gals
Found a good pdf document showing all the low flying and transistion areas in the UK (any that not show are new or are temporary etc are show in NOTAMS). Of particular interest are the Military low fly training areas. This will help with Nav exercises and avoiding these will probably help prevent an nasty unexpected shock as you poodle along your planned track
http://www.ais.org.uk/aes/pubs/aip/pdf/enr/6_5_2_1.PDF
You many have to register with NATS but it is free and has loads of good info
Found a good pdf document showing all the low flying and transistion areas in the UK (any that not show are new or are temporary etc are show in NOTAMS). Of particular interest are the Military low fly training areas. This will help with Nav exercises and avoiding these will probably help prevent an nasty unexpected shock as you poodle along your planned track
http://www.ais.org.uk/aes/pubs/aip/pdf/enr/6_5_2_1.PDF
You many have to register with NATS but it is free and has loads of good info
Spicy Meatball
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Cheq - I knew that would throw up some confusion 
I don't mean the huge tyre marks that the big boys leave behind, but the smaller ones, that aren't quite visible until you get closer. It's hard to explain with words!
Cad - That's a useful piece of info, cheers (good to see that most of my flying is done in an AIA)
I don't mean the huge tyre marks that the big boys leave behind, but the smaller ones, that aren't quite visible until you get closer. It's hard to explain with words!
Cad - That's a useful piece of info, cheers (good to see that most of my flying is done in an AIA)
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Mazzy
Just want to tank you for recording all of your flights. I have been reading this for a long time, and now i know what i am in for. I find it a bit funny reading about how bad the wx is becuase down in sunny Australia is is always 8/8 oakts blue. Still have a 15knot crosswind everytime i fly.
Booked in for my first solo in a few weeks - on my 16th Birthday. Just have to wait until i am old enough now.
Just want to tank you for recording all of your flights. I have been reading this for a long time, and now i know what i am in for. I find it a bit funny reading about how bad the wx is becuase down in sunny Australia is is always 8/8 oakts blue. Still have a 15knot crosswind everytime i fly.
Booked in for my first solo in a few weeks - on my 16th Birthday. Just have to wait until i am old enough now.
Spicy Meatball
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C152 - welcome aboard mate - your very welcome 
The weather is a funny old thing, but by the sounds of things, you will become very good at crosswind landings!
Let us all know how you get on - it seems daunting at first reading about Nav etc, but if you look at some of my earlier posts, I was scared too at the start - it's amazing what you can learn and in X amount of months/weeks time, you will be saying the same.
Regards,
Lee
The weather is a funny old thing, but by the sounds of things, you will become very good at crosswind landings!
Let us all know how you get on - it seems daunting at first reading about Nav etc, but if you look at some of my earlier posts, I was scared too at the start - it's amazing what you can learn and in X amount of months/weeks time, you will be saying the same.
Regards,
Lee
Join Date: Sep 2005
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Download
We do not have broadband as we live a long way fron the exchange and have two phone lines running off a DACS splitter.
To look at all this post would take me days, then I saw the download button at the bottom of thread.
Brilliant.
Sorry if this is obvious to everyone else but I thought I would post it as it may help some forumistes.
Lister
To look at all this post would take me days, then I saw the download button at the bottom of thread.
Brilliant.
Sorry if this is obvious to everyone else but I thought I would post it as it may help some forumistes.
Lister
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Mazzy have you seen this!! These guys should have no probs with x wind landing 
http://www.raymondstacy.com/pics/hv.wmv
http://www.raymondstacy.com/pics/hv.wmv
Join Date: Jan 2005
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For once the weather played ball!! What a fabulous day, cold (0 degrees at 3000), but sunny, clear and with fantastic visability - a few scattered at 3500, but that was it. I managed to get in the two solo navs I've been trying to complete for what seems like weeks (well, about 3 actually). the first, this morning, I found I was a bit "edgy" (it was my first solo nav), but it went well, except for getting my call sign wrong a couple of times (I usually fly in Oscar November, but for the first time in several months I was in Romeo Yankee, and habit kicked in. This rather confused the tower controller who did not have me booked out as G-CDON ("are you sure you arn't Romeo Yankee Sir?!"). Red face!!
Later, I repeated the mistake whilst switching to Coventry Approach for FIS, when it ALSO confused another student that was close behind me (in my "normal" Warrior, Oscar November on his QXC, and also talking to Coventry. I saw him afterwards and apologised, and we had a good laugh about it - he told me he had to look twice to be sure he WAS in Oscar November, 'cos my mistake made him doubt it!!
The afternoon nav, was much longer, involving lots of R/T exchange/changes, and a MATZ penetration at Cottesmore. This second exercise was fantastic, everything went well, all the waypoints coming up on the nose (good viz always helps, though the headings were spot on). I was much more relaxed second time, more "on" it, and REALLY enjoyed the hours flight.
Both these exercises were rounded off with a couple of my best landings ever (with no instructor there to witness them - he reckons next time he's going to the edge of the runway with his video camera!) I have to say that I was pretty tired after the exercises - a little under two hours in total, but my advanced(ish) years raised their ugly head!!
I've got a lesson booked tomorrow, weather permitting, and it doesn't look too promising at the moment, when we are practising forced landings - according to our CFI (who is also an examiner), PFL's are ALWAYS the weakest part of anyones Skill Test - something worth remembering. Then it's a long distance solo land away, and the QXC.
Safe flying all.
If you want to see some real skill, take a look at the post on the PPrunes\' "Rumour and News" Forum - the thread is entitled "pod strike at LHR", then see page 3, and the posting by WILEY, and click on the "leathermans" link.
Awesome crosswind stuff with 777\'s
Later, I repeated the mistake whilst switching to Coventry Approach for FIS, when it ALSO confused another student that was close behind me (in my "normal" Warrior, Oscar November on his QXC, and also talking to Coventry. I saw him afterwards and apologised, and we had a good laugh about it - he told me he had to look twice to be sure he WAS in Oscar November, 'cos my mistake made him doubt it!!
The afternoon nav, was much longer, involving lots of R/T exchange/changes, and a MATZ penetration at Cottesmore. This second exercise was fantastic, everything went well, all the waypoints coming up on the nose (good viz always helps, though the headings were spot on). I was much more relaxed second time, more "on" it, and REALLY enjoyed the hours flight.
Both these exercises were rounded off with a couple of my best landings ever (with no instructor there to witness them - he reckons next time he's going to the edge of the runway with his video camera!) I have to say that I was pretty tired after the exercises - a little under two hours in total, but my advanced(ish) years raised their ugly head!!
I've got a lesson booked tomorrow, weather permitting, and it doesn't look too promising at the moment, when we are practising forced landings - according to our CFI (who is also an examiner), PFL's are ALWAYS the weakest part of anyones Skill Test - something worth remembering. Then it's a long distance solo land away, and the QXC.
Safe flying all.
If you want to see some real skill, take a look at the post on the PPrunes\' "Rumour and News" Forum - the thread is entitled "pod strike at LHR", then see page 3, and the posting by WILEY, and click on the "leathermans" link.
Awesome crosswind stuff with 777\'s
Join Date: May 2003
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down in sunny Australia is is always 8/8 oakts blue.
We had canned a longer flight we were planning due that low ceiling and (relatively) high(ish) terrain to the south - but felt like going flying anyway. Stayed relatively close to the airport so if it did get bad we could get down quickly... Beautifully smooth, despite the dodgy ceiling. Great fun!!
Join Date: Oct 2005
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kookabat,
You wouldn't happen to be flying around brisbane in Queensland would you!!
Just looking but are you using some flap.Just board
but i see what you mean about the wx.
You wouldn't happen to be flying around brisbane in Queensland would you!!
Just looking but are you using some flap.Just board
but i see what you mean about the wx.
Last edited by cessna 152 pilot; 10th Nov 2005 at 09:39.
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Nahh mate I'm somewhere near Sydney... and yes, I had flap down, was waiting for that Citabria-like thing to catch up!! 
Read the rest of the thread for my weather-related whinges!!
Read the rest of the thread for my weather-related whinges!!
Spicy Meatball
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Nice pic
So you actually have bad weather in Australia
Cheq - sounds like you had a good time - I have managed to talk on the wrong frequency 3 times now, usuall forget to switch between Tower and Approach, but once asked Liverpool for a MATZ pen instead of Shawbury
So you actually have bad weather in Australia
Cheq - sounds like you had a good time - I have managed to talk on the wrong frequency 3 times now, usuall forget to switch between Tower and Approach, but once asked Liverpool for a MATZ pen instead of Shawbury
Fixed+Rotary (aircraft, not washing lines)
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Today was a momentous day for me in my training schedule. I've now completed the syllabus and notched up the requisite solo hours after having a bimble from Gamston to Scarborough, across towards Malton then back on the VOR to Gamston. This VOR tracking is really good fun - especially when you have two of them to play with.
This is in addition to last weekend's fun when I also managed to get a short amount of night flying in too (with the instructor of course!).
So the skills test is booked, everything is looking good, and barring any poor weather I should be qualified in the coming days / weeks. I'll not let on about the date yet as I don't want to put any further pressure on myself.
And to complete a great day, here are a couple of snaps of the Yorkshire East Coast and of Scarborough earlier this morning...
This is in addition to last weekend's fun when I also managed to get a short amount of night flying in too (with the instructor of course!).
So the skills test is booked, everything is looking good, and barring any poor weather I should be qualified in the coming days / weeks. I'll not let on about the date yet as I don't want to put any further pressure on myself.
And to complete a great day, here are a couple of snaps of the Yorkshire East Coast and of Scarborough earlier this morning...
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Great pixs MyData.
Less clouds over Yorkshire than here in the bloody Caribbean!!!
Missing Yorkshire and doesn't look like I'll be back before Christmas.
Suppose I'll just have to study for the ground school stuff over Christmas now that my manuals are on the way
At least I'll be able to do the exams pretty quickly and concentrate on the flying more when I get home.
Have some Fish and Chips and a few pints of Tetleys for me.
Less clouds over Yorkshire than here in the bloody Caribbean!!!
Missing Yorkshire and doesn't look like I'll be back before Christmas.
Suppose I'll just have to study for the ground school stuff over Christmas now that my manuals are on the way
At least I'll be able to do the exams pretty quickly and concentrate on the flying more when I get home.
Have some Fish and Chips and a few pints of Tetleys for me.
Spicy Meatball
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Nice pics Data - cheers
Do you have two VOR instruments in the aircraft, or do you have one and switch between the two frequencies? I can imagine having two would make position fixing much easier, as you can draw two lines from the VOR and where they meet, should be where you are!
especially when you have two of them to play with
Fixed+Rotary (aircraft, not washing lines)
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Mazzy - two separate VORs (and an ADF thrown in for good measure). Using the two VORs I found it useful to track out on one radial then intercept the other from VOR2 at the right place. A check on the VFR chart shows that I am where I'm supposed to be.
Of course, I'm still flying VFR all the time and aware of position but this makes for a great introduction for using radio nav aids and it all makes much more sense in the air when you can see what is happening in real time. What did help though was a wet and miserable day where I sat in the aircraft with the instructor and we tuned into VORs on the ground, identified them and then turned the heading dials. Once I had this knowledge it made things easier to follow in the air - I'd recommend it if you are located near enough to VORs or NDBs to be able to do some ground based practice.
The other fun I have is to use the VORs to practice my estimating skills for angles. I'll use my current position as a 'diversion' point and estimate the angles to the VOR ground stations as though they were airfields. Then turn the VOR dial until the radial is locked in - and compare notes with my earlier estimations.
All this tuning and reading of books on DME radial turns etc. has really given me an appetite for the IMC once the PPL is in the bag.
Of course, I'm still flying VFR all the time and aware of position but this makes for a great introduction for using radio nav aids and it all makes much more sense in the air when you can see what is happening in real time. What did help though was a wet and miserable day where I sat in the aircraft with the instructor and we tuned into VORs on the ground, identified them and then turned the heading dials. Once I had this knowledge it made things easier to follow in the air - I'd recommend it if you are located near enough to VORs or NDBs to be able to do some ground based practice.
The other fun I have is to use the VORs to practice my estimating skills for angles. I'll use my current position as a 'diversion' point and estimate the angles to the VOR ground stations as though they were airfields. Then turn the VOR dial until the radial is locked in - and compare notes with my earlier estimations.
All this tuning and reading of books on DME radial turns etc. has really given me an appetite for the IMC once the PPL is in the bag.