Good Luck Lister :ok:

Lysander

Yes, good luck indeed Lister, I've got my fingers crossed for you!

This next bit is lifted directly from "the other place". Sorry, I'm just too tired to type a different post!

"Just returned from a fantastic few hours of flying.

I'm very tired now, so will post a little report tomorrow.

However, I've done my QXC and I'm well chuffed! Because I hadn't flown in a month or so, I needed a checkout. Was decided to do a fairly full one, including steep turns, PFLs, stall, spiral dive and a couple of landings. That was 55 minutes, and my QXC was 2H35. So I am indeed very tired after an enjoyable 3H30 flying! Route was Newcastle - overhead Silloth - Carlisle - Teesside (now known as Durham, very confusing!) - Newcastle.

Well chuffed! Watch this space.

Cheers!"

:D

Happy flying everyone!

:ok:

Solo
 

First solo today! In a Citabria :D

Iain

Congrats Iain - you didn't choose an easy way to learn. More fun that way I reckon, should have done the same thing (ab initio on tailwheel) myself.

Tailie conversion coming up eventually.... promise!:O

First solo
 

Kookabat

You've correctly pinged my motivation - to have fun. I expect it to become a means of transport at some future point, but I've been dreaming of flying for a long time and there's a romance about tailwheelers that's hard to beat. It's also meant to teach good rudder skills.

Of course if someone had taken me aside at the start and told me it would take about a bazillion circuits to learn to keep it straight I might have thought twice. :hmm:

If you want a laugh over some of my earlier efforts, follow the links back from my solo flight here: http://www.iainhosking.com/flying/training/lesson23.php

Iain

Skills or no skills!
 

Did my skills test today with mixed results.
The navigation Old Buck-Spalding-Little Gransden went well,turned onto Gransden leg and was diverted to Sheperds Grove near Honington via Lakenheath,everything was more or less spot on and I was very chuffed.
Examiner said it was well done afterwards.
Then the flying bit,most of my stuff was OK but I was let down by steep turns losing 300 ft in the first one,I regained it before completing the 360 but that was too late,Stalls I thought were OK but was told I left putting full power on a bit late,then some probs with a couple of landing configurations,lots of crosswind but I normally cope quite well with all of these exercises.
I didn't sleep too well last night,I suppose I was thinking about it too much and the whole test took 2hrs 35 mins so I was absolutley knackered by half way through.
Any way the upshot is I need an hours re-training to sit the three failed exercises again,probably do this on Monday and sit the 1 hr partial test in next week or so.
I am obviously very dissapointed, but as several pilots have said ,I am 90% there and to be glad of that.
Lister (Shattered)

You're probably 90% of the way there, Lister. The hard works mainly done, just go and finish it off next week. Well done on the partial.

Chin-up Lister, at least you haven't got to do the whole test again. Sounds like you were wound up like a spring. Try to relax more and remember that the examiner wants you to pass.

C23.

Congrats on the partial pass Lister
 

People forget that not everyone passes their skills on the first go. I know many who had partials (or nothing at all!) and passed on the second. Maybe lots of different things made up one big thing that meant you didn't fly as you'd like today. After monday, no doubt you'll have it covered :ok:

ffw

Quite possibly... I know I was $hitting myself leading up to my flight test last year.
It pretty much guarantees better performance the second time around I'd say. Having at least been in the whole skills test environment before you'll have no worries this time.

And a partial is better than a kick in the teeth!! :ok:

Hehehe.... Cherokees don't have rudder pedals... they have footrests!! :O

Nice write-up there, by the way mate

Thanks Kookabat, glad you liked the writeup.

If you get to Curtis for tailwheel stuff, mention my name - they'll know who you mean.

Cherokees seem very practical. A friend has one, and we're planning a trip up to the Hunter Valley when I'm allowed out.

Cheers

Iain

Well done on the navigation Lister, at least that's out of the way. Steep turns are a bu**er sometimes (most of the time in my case), but I'm sure you will be fine next week.

Keep smiling :)

Lysander

Lister, WELL DONE AND CONGRATULATIONS! You're nearly there, and you will be in a very short time. I know just how disappointing it is; nearly all my tests - PPL, CPL, FI rating - haven't been straightforward; they've been conditional on a bit of extra training, or told I just made it but didn't do well, or something like that. It's common. It's just that after all the build-up, you feel awful about it; the adrenaline wears off and you just feel exhausted and depressed. Been there! And most people don't post about it, so the rest of us don't know. And not all of us can fly for nearly three hours and still be able to keep going - it's a bloody endurance test, not a flying test!!!!

I'd wish you luck for next week, but you won't need it. :ok:

Thank you all for the good wishes,this really is a worthwhile forum.
I feel a lot better today,spoke to CFI this morning and have a flight booked for 0930 tomorrow.
It is a truly beautiful day and I've been gardening most of this morning,just got my old Riley Special out of the garage and after lunch I'm going up to Felthorpe for the AGM and hopefully a flight in the Tiger Moth or Chipmunk.
It's not all that bad is it!:D

Re posting "bad news",I'm sure it must help new bods to know that not everyone passes everthing first time or in minimum hours etc etc.
At Old Buck yesterday there was a Stearman fly in and barbecue, I was talking to several pilots about my partial pass, several said they had or knew pilots who had re-tests,fails etc,so as Whirly says ,maybe the majority of those keep quiet.
I never was too good at that;) ;)
Lister

Well ,today went up to Felthorpe and tried my hand at the Moth controls,I've done this several times before but not with a lot of input and not for many months, there was a experienced pilot on board with me.
Really responsive compared with the PA28-180 ,I tried steepish turns etc,and I reckon one could get into a spot of bother without realising it!
The Felthorpe group have a Chipmunk that is one of the Red Sparrows group and I will be going with as a non competing co-pilot to some very interesting airshows this year.
Must pass that last test ASAP.
All good stuff ,but how many r's in interesting?;)
Lister:)

Wretch!
 

Lister - keep going mate, and I agree about bad as well as good news being posted on this increasingly brilliant thread.

Well, it was finally hour three for me on Saturday, after a cancellation for weather the week before. I remembered some of the stuff, took ages over the pre flight checks, and then got up there.

There was a vague smell of vomit in the plane, and when I questioned this I was told that an earlier trial flight and one student had had some 'problems' due to the turbulence, that really was quite rough. Now, I have never ever had problems with travel sickness, sea sickness or anything, so confidently boasted to the instructor "oh, don't worry about me, I can handle this". How wrong I was.....

We did 30 degree turns, and the move itself wasn't too bad, didn't lose too much height and started to get a good feel for what was required on the controls. And then it hit me. The worst feeling of nausea I have felt in many a year!! The plane was being buffeted all over the place and I had turned green.

Sadly, the rest of the lesson involved me concentrating not on straight and level flight, but on ensuring that I didn't pebbledash the cockpit with the steak baggette I had for lunch. I can't find any reference to this exercise in the Trevor Thom books!! Anyone help?!;)

Anyway, its not put me off and I'm back up next week weather permitting. I'll be investing in some travel sick tablets and plastic bag, just in case!

Cheers
Mark

What is your instructor doing taking up newish students in weather like that?!!!! It may not have put you off, but it could put some people off.

Next time, tell your instructor how you feel. We're not psychic, and feedback helps. Maybe you could have done something else, or abandoned the lesson and not wasted your money.

Be careful with travel sick tablets. While it's OK legally to take medication if flying dual, you'll find that a lot of fairly innocuous drugs will affect either your concentration or coordination when learning to fly. Stay off them! Herbal tablets are OK if they work for you, as is ginger (the crystallised stuff tastes best). But basically, don't fly in conditions that make you feel ill. It gets easier as you do more flying; trust me on this; I'm a weak-stomached aviator, and I know about it. But knowing you have a sick bag to hand helps, as it takes away some of the tension, so keep one in your pocket or your kneeboard. :ok:

Thanks Whirlybird re: the medication advice. Didn't think of that, and I really don't like popping pills for anything if at all possible.
To be honest, if the instructor had asked me before hand if I was ok to go up I would have said I'd be fine as I never have suffered before. I was warned it would be a bit bumpy, but thought nothing of it.
I agree about the sick bags, and will have a supply next time. My instructor was very sympathetic when up there, and I was fine once we got back down. And I didn't actually 'vom' thank god.
Probably just one of many of surprises and challenges I have ahead over the next many hours to come!! :ugh:
Cheers
Mark