Three cheers for Shoreham ATC...
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Three cheers for Shoreham ATC...
For gently correcting this pilot on my first PPL cross-country when I was about to make a real mess of joining the circuit. Very much appreciated.
On the way there, the rubber center of the yoke and push to talk button fell off into my lap. On the way back, 'transmit' stopped working on my radio (eventually plugged my headphones into the copilot's radio sockets and it started working again) by which time I had taken such a detour to avoid ATZs and orbit trying to fix things that I was out of hours for the airfield. After landing, I unplugged the GPS and the cigarette lighter socket came out of the dashboard with the plug.
Ah, and I just got home and found the aircraft keys in my pocket...
Quite a Friday 13th.
On the way there, the rubber center of the yoke and push to talk button fell off into my lap. On the way back, 'transmit' stopped working on my radio (eventually plugged my headphones into the copilot's radio sockets and it started working again) by which time I had taken such a detour to avoid ATZs and orbit trying to fix things that I was out of hours for the airfield. After landing, I unplugged the GPS and the cigarette lighter socket came out of the dashboard with the plug.
Ah, and I just got home and found the aircraft keys in my pocket...
Quite a Friday 13th.
Last edited by abgd; 14th Apr 2012 at 06:31.
gently reminding you of something 
Would you like to share the reg of that aircraft, just in case we are offered a flight in it?
Thread Starter
Not a student any more... Except in the sense of still being near the start of the learning curve.
First time I've been out with a GPS. My first thoughts on it were that the screen wasn't large enough to navigate by, but I like the security of being warned if I'm about to infringe airspace. Also, it gives more in the way of road and place names which I found useful when talking to ATC.
I'd rather keep the registration between myself and the organisation who hired it out. As far as I can tell, the rest of the aircraft seems in fairly good condition - the airframe is less crumbly than many, it drinks oil fairly slowly, and aside from the radio all the instruments were operational... which is more than can be said for many flying school aircraft. I think it was an unlucky day, but also that if you hire something from the early 1980s... Caveat rentor. So long as the challenge is the radio not working rather than the tail falling off, I'll be quite content.
It wasn't a bad experience all things told, though I did feel utterly drained by the time I got home.
First time I've been out with a GPS. My first thoughts on it were that the screen wasn't large enough to navigate by, but I like the security of being warned if I'm about to infringe airspace. Also, it gives more in the way of road and place names which I found useful when talking to ATC.
I'd rather keep the registration between myself and the organisation who hired it out. As far as I can tell, the rest of the aircraft seems in fairly good condition - the airframe is less crumbly than many, it drinks oil fairly slowly, and aside from the radio all the instruments were operational... which is more than can be said for many flying school aircraft. I think it was an unlucky day, but also that if you hire something from the early 1980s... Caveat rentor. So long as the challenge is the radio not working rather than the tail falling off, I'll be quite content.
It wasn't a bad experience all things told, though I did feel utterly drained by the time I got home.
Last edited by abgd; 14th Apr 2012 at 13:35.
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Shoreham ATC are excellent.
However, flying today, I hope that all pilots in the circuit carry passports because some were flying the base leg for 02 in French airspace
I can see why some people fly big circuits but today was pretty amazing.
abgd - well done
but do report the crap radio to the owner of the school. It is only by moaning that anything gets fixed. I had a radio failure in the circuit during my PPL, and immediately bought the Icom radio which still lives in my emergency bag...
However, flying today, I hope that all pilots in the circuit carry passports because some were flying the base leg for 02 in French airspace
I can see why some people fly big circuits but today was pretty amazing.abgd - well done
but do report the crap radio to the owner of the school. It is only by moaning that anything gets fixed. I had a radio failure in the circuit during my PPL, and immediately bought the Icom radio which still lives in my emergency bag...
Avoid imitations
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A chart drawn on the bank of someone's hanky
Hanky Snotty Bank Chart....
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Seriously, well done but I am genuinely amazed you found an aircraft that recent in the UK fleet ...
I know where you're coming from, but these training aircraft do get used up and perhaps some of the materials used in the cockpit aren't the most durable.
Real pilots remember the sextant.
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Dead reckoning is not hard if the wx is good and you have to look for an island in the sea and there is no CAS to bust 
For example to find Ireland when flying out of NY you need to fly a heading withing about +/- 10 degrees, ish.
For example to find Ireland when flying out of NY you need to fly a heading withing about +/- 10 degrees, ish.
Come on, Peter. Even I could hit Ireland starting in Newfoundland (weather permitting of course) 
When Chichester left Cape Reinga, he was aiming at a 3 mile-wide dot 400 nm away. That's about 1/2 degree wide. If he missed it, he would have ditched and probably died.
And having done that, he did it again, finding Lord Howe Island 480 nm away.
When Chichester left Cape Reinga, he was aiming at a 3 mile-wide dot 400 nm away. That's about 1/2 degree wide. If he missed it, he would have ditched and probably died.
And having done that, he did it again, finding Lord Howe Island 480 nm away.
Last edited by India Four Two; 15th Apr 2012 at 08:52. Reason: speling
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Not to take away from his achievement, if you're at 10,000 feet you can see - visibility permitting - over 100 miles in each direction, which means effectively that you have a considerably larger target.
South sea islanders used to go by sea-birds, working out where the land was by the direction they seemed to be coming from.
South sea islanders used to go by sea-birds, working out where the land was by the direction they seemed to be coming from.
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Navigation
... On similar lines to Chichesters navigational achievements comes to mind Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan - and their final flight when they
flew over 2400 miles to aim for a small island in the vast Pacific Ocean.
Athough what actually happened towards the end and wreckage of the Lockheed has yet to be found it is generally thought that they were very close to the Island when they finally ran out of fuel.
...
flew over 2400 miles to aim for a small island in the vast Pacific Ocean.
Athough what actually happened towards the end and wreckage of the Lockheed has yet to be found it is generally thought that they were very close to the Island when they finally ran out of fuel.
...
Thread Starter
Well, the service ceiling for a tiger is 13,400 feet. But the real point is just the principle that you can see further when you're higher, weather permitting. Even 5000 feet should give visibility of over 70 nm.
