LN - first solo? Very many congratulations! Great feeling, isn't it! The feeling won't go for a while now! Hope you can get up tomorrow and have another go!

TJF97 - I can sympathise. Stick in at it here, though. It'll be worth it in the end! I had a lesson cancelled today, which is bloody annoying. Plus I can't fly for two weeks, due to school and work commitments! Was talking to my FI, though and I've booked 2 hours so I can hopefully finish solo consolidation!

At least you get used to the dodgy weather now - it'll stay this way when we've passed!

Well done on the solo!

John.

Gertrude. Thanks for the info ref Cambridge - it's an airfield I will not have visited until the day of my QXC, so any info is welcome. I'm quite used to operating in and out of a busy commercial airport since I fly out of East Midlands. I don't think anything of it now, slotting in between 737's, Airbus 320's, and even the odd Antonov, but visiting an airport like Cambridge, solo and for the first time will make me sit up and take notice!!

Thanks again.

Lister - great news, it is an amazing feeling eh, and it gets even better when you start Navigation!

Well done :ok:

Thanks Mazz,and I've still got the buzz and am now going to write up my log.
No flying today as it's blowing hard straight across the runway,I spoke to the instructor this morning and he said "why spoil what's been a good weekend?"
I'm studying for the nav exam as it probably won't be long before we start doing practical nav flying lessons.
Lister:D

first solo today - first PPRUNE post too, so make that two firsts in one day
 

Firstly I must say I like this thread a lot - well done mazzy for starting it. It's been a great source of inspiration for me and, no doubt, others too.

Well, I did my first solo circuit today at YPJT. A beautiful day with 15kts at 260 and blue skies. I've been waiting for it to happen for the last three hours or so, but every time I've gone up I've wound up doing something (or not doing something) that perhaps rattled my instructor a bit and put him off sending me out.

Today was IMHO, no different. I did an hour of circuits late this afternoon and was making an approach on one of them when ATC gave a guy clearance for 'immediate take off' whilst I was well into my final approach to 24L. This was also given him when the last plane to take off was about an inch off the deck too. My instructor muttered 'I don't believe he just did that' under his breath so it was go-around time.

No dramas really, except it was a busy circuit and I was flying up the live side (parallel runways) with two climbing planes below me and understandably getting a bit nervous about the situation. Probably should have asked my instructor before, but I put in a request for an early turn, which was approved with a long instruction to make no.2 to a Cessna somewhere mid down-wind. It caused my instructor to have a small fit and it put me off my stride a bit (a lot actually). Wound up delaying my early turn and then struggling a) to sight the traffic on downwind and b) (after a quiz from FI), to remember whether it was to be no.1 or no.2. to said plane. It shortly looked obvious what to do (I think) so I slotted in behind a plane and continued the circuit. Well, no planes fell out of the sky and I didn't hear any desperate RT trying to make the best of a mess, so I think I did OK (just!). I did get an ear bending about doing 'clever stuff' and 'I haven't taught you to do that'. etc

In retrospect, I'm nearly certain I should have left it to the ATC to shuffle everyone around whilst I was doing my go around and so rather than exchange the devil of a situation that I did know, of nervous anticipation for ATC instuctions for an unknown devil of me having to find my way into a new spot in a busy circuit and where everything suddenly begins to look like a Cessna!

Anyway, after a couple more conventional(!) circuits and some (what I thought were) pretty average landings, my instructor requested to ammend to a full stop. He took control on the ground and we did a Schumacher impression off at the first taxiway and headed for the runup area. It was at this stage pretty obvious what was going to happen but surprisingly I didn't feel any sense of trepidation or nerves.

We came to a halt and A, my FI packed his kit up and climbed out, giving me a few instructions to do one circuit for a full stop, go around if I had any proplems, a caution about the change in performance one-up etc etc. and then a last minute reminder about leaving the clever stuff out.

I re-did my pre-takeoff checks and then taxied off, successfully crossing the undershoot of a busy 24R and then cleared to line up after on 24L. To be honest, the only time a nervous thought went through my mind was when I went to full power. "I've got to get it right now!" The rest of the circuit was a non-event. The climb performance was impressive (for a 152!) and I was following a Singapore Airlines 172 around so absolutely no issues with finding traffic, keeping separation etc. The approach went well but the landing turned into two, although I managed to get the hold-off sorted for the second one. Then it was all over. It must have been a non-event, because ATC didn't even acknowledge my ground call as a first solo - in their defence they were pretty understaffed and overworked to today, even with a note on ATIS to that effect.

Well, that's my first milestone, with 20-something hours or so (I dared not add up my logged time just yet) and now for something a little different, more of the same!

Anyway, sorry if it's a bit rambling. Keep the diary entries coming guys and gals. There's probably 10 times as many people reading and gaining from them as the number of those posting.

Cheers,

Andrew

Andrew - what a great post, thanks! Well done mate and welcome aboard! I hope you can share your future experiences with us!

Enjoy your new achievement :ok:

Lister - I have my Nav exam on Saturday, which if I pass, is all the exams done - no more ground study (apart from refreshers and going over GFT etc). Best of luck with yours ;)

Lee :ok:

Andy,good post and I'm afraid I never was a terribly good letter writer!
I've just added up my hours to solo and it is 20 hours 40 minutes,so have posted this in case any new students think they have to do it in 10 hours or they are slow/useless/thick etc.
My instructors reckon there is no normal time, it's anything from 10 to 20+hours but they do say you young un's crack it quicker than us old un's!
The main thing is we're all enjoying it so much whatever our age etc.
Lister:D

EXAMS
 

Lee. I was surprised to see your School allowed you to take your QXC prior to passing all your exams. I've been told by my school, that you have to have ALL the exams in the bag before you are allowed to do this - I was under the impression it was a CAA regulation? Maybe I'm being fed a line to encourage me to get my last exam (Aircraft General) under my belt!! Any thoughts on this??

Mike

Cheq - I see your point, I think these are school regulations and not CAA. It's strange actually when I talk to different people and they say "I had to do this and this". For example, I know a person who was allowed to get signed off for their QXC by any instructor, and not the one that they went dual with, whereas, I had to take time off work (no problem with this) in order that I could do my QXC on a weekday when my instructor works (he doesn't work weekends) due to the fact that I could not fly solo on another instructors license unless he had seen me fly.

Also, I had to do 3 hours solo in the circuit as a priority and was not allowed to do anything else until I had done so (which I am glad for now!) - I do believe this is not a mandatory requirement from the CAA either.

A prime example is that you should pass Air Law before your first solo, and again, I don't even think this is required by the CAA.

It would be good to hear of any others that people may have, and I am sure if I have been incorrect in any of the above, I shall be corrected :=

Lister, you have made an extremely valid point, one that everybody ponders over before they make their first solo!

Cheers all,

Lee :ok:

My school does not allow you to go solo until you have passed Air Law.
I think the other exams can be taken later in the course but not too sure as the school keep pulling my leg.
eg,you only have to if your name begins with L or N !
Lister:D

Lee. It's a bit of a lottery, it seems, regarding exams! It's also a real lottery ref weather at the moment!! I was due to do a solo nav today at 10.30 - woke to a beautiful clear sky, but would you believe it the E.Mids winds are just outside the 10 kt crosswind limit for solo flights, Grrrrrr!! The plane is available at 12.00, so I'm waiting for the later TAF/METAR reports to see if it calms down a bit. The school decides these things, but 210/13 kts for runway 27 is VERY close to being OK. My school is VERY strict on these things, and will not deviate. They've never had an accident in about 20 years of operation, so perhaps their approach is admirable!!!

Quite right Cheq - limits are there for a reason! It's not just the schools or the aircraft's limit, but it's also your own - you have to decide what you are comfortable with, and I wouldn't be (on my own) with a 13 knot cross wind!

I have been thinking of setting up a web-cam at Liverpool, purely because when I'm at home and I look out the window, it looks perfect, however when I speak to my instructor who is at Liverpool, he informs me that it's crap! There's only about 12 miles distance too!

Hey Mazzy are using the PPL Confuser or the AFE Q & A. I've found a store that will post to USA and dunno whether to go for the full AFE package or just the five manuals and the confuser. :confused:

Cad - I would definitely go with the confuser - I have got the AFE question book but never used it (I have heard quite a few times that it has mistakes in it). If you study the material well enough, you should be able to test yourself with the confuser and use it as a brush-up for the real exam. Bear in mind that the exams have recently changed, so make sure you get an up to date version of everything.

Best of luck :ok:

Cheers Mazzy.

Just been reading a thread about PPL equipment to get you started

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...t&pagenumber=1

and now I'm having problems deciding whether to go for TT Manuals or AFE. Some people reckon that if you are thinking of going pro later then go for the TT manuals as they are more in depth. Manuals 1 - 4 plus the confuser to start.

Should work out at the same price (ish)

Don't think I need Radio Telephony as I've found a free pdf for CAP413 which lays out the radio telephony stuff. It can be found here http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP413.PDF

Any recommendations would be great.

Carl :ok:

Ah the famous AFE vs TT debate. I have only seen the AFE ones so can't give an unbiased view - do a search on this, it has been hammered on prune!

Hi, I managed to get a hour in today. I was doing circuits (badly!!) Actually I was doing ok but I'm still having trouble landing, I'm flaring too early which is starting to annoy me!!
Any way I'll see how I get on tomorrow

TJF97

TJF97 see this thread from the instructors forum, they are discussing flare points on this thread.

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...hreadid=196364

:ok:

Thanks mate!! I've read it a couple of times and I can't wait to practice, trouble is the old weather has reared its ugly head again today (too windy) and I'm grounded until tomorrow.

TJF97

That's a good one that. I wait until I can see tyre marks on the runway and then start the flare. When your higher above the threshold, they aren't as apparent as when you are lower down - works for me :=

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!!

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 :eek:

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

Cheq - I knew that would throw up some confusion :p

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) :ooh:

I knew that Mazzy.....only kidding! Hey, and the weather looks a bit better tomorrow - might just get my solo navs in!!

Hehe :cool:

Hope you manage it, I will keep my fingers crossed :)

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.

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 :ok:

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:D

My god :uhoh:

I didn't know about that - its HUGE

Mazzy have you seen this!! These guys should have no probs with x wind landing :cool:

http://www.raymondstacy.com/pics/hv.wmv

Cad - what a BRILLIANT video - thanks for the link, truly amazing.

Well, if I ever win the lottery............

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

Not so sure about that, mate!! ;)

http://www.geocities.com/kookabat/offthewing.jpg
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!!

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.

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!! :E

Nice pic ;)

So you actually have bad weather in Australia :eek:

:E

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 :{

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...

http://www.mydata.co.uk/photos/eastcoast.jpg

http://www.mydata.co.uk/photos/scarborough.jpg

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.

Nice pics Data - cheers :ok:

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!

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.