Since the night flying it's been mainly IFR and solo cross country flying. The next milestone to follow was my second progress test. As I've mentioned, at Oxford you have four of them, each with different requirements that will prepare you for the huge CPL skills test at the end.
Progress Test 2 mainly focuses on general handling, emergency procedures and circuits with different types of landings. It all depends on which examiner students get too as they all have their own style of examining. By that I mean some will give students the freedom to go to their favourite area and some will give you a specified area to go to. Either way students get assessed on the same criteria.
The first part of the test involved an hour long quiz on the ground, I was asked to brief the weather and weight and balance. I was also quizzed about the airframe, engine and the charts. Wasn't anything too out of the ordinary, although I did have to think carefully when I was asked to describe a naturally aspirated engine! Generally though, students should be relatively clued up about this stuff by PT2.
After the quiz, I was then briefed about what was expected of me in flight. I did the sensible thing and preflighted the aircraft before going in for the briefing, so that saved a lot of time and it meant that we could takeoff a lot sooner. The flight begun with a Chandler departure, which is basically a south west departure involving a transition through Chandler Airport's airspace. Once out in the practice area I did a clean stall and a stall in the landing configuration. On these stalls you're expected to do what's called a HASELL checklist, which stands for Heading, Aircraft configuration, Security (Objects), Location and Lookout. This checklist ensures that it is safe for you to start performing stalls.
After some general handling, my examiner put me under the hood for some instrument time. He gave simply instructions such as altitudes to climb/descend to, headings to turn to, climbing/descending turns. All at rate one of course. After that I was told to go to Ak Chin Regional Airport which is an uncontrolled airfield where I was asked to perform a normal, flapless, glide-in and a performance landing, however as I was en-route the examiner cut the power and said "engine is on fire!". I got straight to it, and covered all of the engine fire checklist, had my pretend landing site in view all the way down. Worked out to be one of the best PFLs I had ever done!
After the PFL I continued to Ak Chin Regional, which was interesting because the runway was very narrow and I had never done a landing there before! After completing all of these landings, my examiner had me do the Chandler arrival back into Falcon Field to finish up. The arrival was very busy and I had to wait a good 5 minutes before I could actually make my first call to inform tower that I was coming in for a full stop!
After successfully touching down, I got my debrief. Overall I was told that it went very well but of course, there is no such thing as a perfect check ride so my examiner did tell me to work on things such as checklists, and more back pressure when flaring since some of my landings were slightly flat. The part that I was most worried about were the practice forced landings since their success depends on so many variables such as: what fields are available, the wind direction, type of terrain and how high you are. Even when you are told to go-around, care needs to be taken when dropping flaps as a lot of other students have partialled due to dropping flaps too early or when specified speed and height criteria have not been met.
Overall I was pretty happy with the test, and thankfully I had no real disaster problems so I can concentrate more on the next progress test which will be on Navigation. As I mentioned, there is no such thing as a perfect checkride or even flight for that matter. We are all human and we make mistakes from time to time, especially during checkrides because so much is going on at the same time. It is important that the criteria are met and that the flying is safe. It is also vital not to crack under pressure, even when a mistake has been made I know that I have to just carry on with the test and not give up because you could be given a chance to redeem yourself, or even a chance to redo a certain exercise to show that you can do it.
The next step from here is more IFR and Navigation flying. I also have several landaway solos which I am really looking forward to, and shall be the topic of my next blog post. Once again, thank you for reading and all the best!
Monday, 18 November 2013
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
Night Flying
Once again sorry for the delay, and I know that I've already apologised for before for the long break in my blogging! I do have quite a few posts to catch up on, however as the titles suggest, I will be talking about the absolutely spectacular night flying.
In the Oxford programme, you do 3 hours of dual night flying, 1 hour and a half of which is cross country, and you also get 2 hours of solo night time which is just flying in the traffic pattern with a minimum requirement of at least 10 landings.
The first lesson I had was a dual with my instructor which teaches flying circuits. I learned how to look for certain visual reference points at night, for example; light signals from airports and how to notice airports in cities. My instructor also made a big deal over night vision, and made sure that I dimmed the avionics as much as possible, even shining a torch inside the flight deck is potentially dangerous because it takes a long time for us to adapt back to night vision, and that's not something to want.
The first thing that struck me was how different everything feels and just how much extra care you need to take. Even with the taxi, I had to really concentrate to keep a visual of the centreline. The actual flying is very alien at first, everything that I was used to using as visual reference points were pretty much non existent, and you have to quickly get used to where certain lit landmarks are. Landing was very interesting too, the papis are evermore important on final approach. When I came to reducing power and flaring for touch down, it felt so different compared to the visual reference that I was used to during the day.
The first landing I made at night was of course atrocious, afterwards that I started getting used to it pretty well. I ended up doing a couple of normal landings, then a couple of glide ins and flapless landings. The next lesson was a night cross country to Tucson International airport. The route I planned was out to the north of Falcon Field, then south with a transition over Phoenix Skyharbor airport. The transition looked incredible, seeing Skyharbor below along with Downtown Phoenix was really something. The rest of that navigation flight was so intense, I found it challenging to read the map and even controlling the lighting from my torch just to be sure that I didn't blind myself or the instructor! The approach to Tucson went quite well. It was the first time I had ever landed at an International airport so it was a great experience to be able to see what it was all about.
The last two flights I had at night were solo circuits. It was so much fun and I remember how enjoyable my old circuit lessons were. I practiced pretty much all the different kind of landings that are expected of me. My second night circuit was particularly challenging because of the winds becoming stronger as I flew, but as you can see, my heart is still beating!
Night flying is something I'll always remember, and I was honestly so sad when I tied that aircraft down after the last night circuit, knowing that I won't be doing that for a while. It was just such a humbling moment as I saw the city lights tilting towards me as I got higher, looking out into the horizon and just see a carpet of what looks like a million fairy lights. Night flying has to go down as the most memorable things to date since I started training.
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| Sunset prior to my first night lesson |
The first lesson I had was a dual with my instructor which teaches flying circuits. I learned how to look for certain visual reference points at night, for example; light signals from airports and how to notice airports in cities. My instructor also made a big deal over night vision, and made sure that I dimmed the avionics as much as possible, even shining a torch inside the flight deck is potentially dangerous because it takes a long time for us to adapt back to night vision, and that's not something to want.
The first thing that struck me was how different everything feels and just how much extra care you need to take. Even with the taxi, I had to really concentrate to keep a visual of the centreline. The actual flying is very alien at first, everything that I was used to using as visual reference points were pretty much non existent, and you have to quickly get used to where certain lit landmarks are. Landing was very interesting too, the papis are evermore important on final approach. When I came to reducing power and flaring for touch down, it felt so different compared to the visual reference that I was used to during the day.
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| The lights over Tucson |
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| Stop at Tucson International |
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| Short final into Falcon |
Tuesday, 29 October 2013
Exploring
As I mentioned in a previous post, you get a lot of free time to travel and see places while you are here. My recommendation for anyone that comes here is to take full advantage of it. This post will solely be about some of the fun stuff that me and some of my classmates have been doing since we've been here.
Flyboarding and Boats
About a month and a half ago, one of my friends here invited me to something called Flyboarding at Lake Pleasant, which is in North Phoenix. I thought to myself "Flyboarding?", seemed like some outer space type thing. However when I looked it up online, it looked like quite possibly the coolest thing ever. See for yourself here: http://azflyboardrentals.com/
How it works is that there is a board with two jets which tie onto your feet. The water pressure comes from a modified jetski which is manned by two people who seem to hopefully know what they're doing. One of the people on the jetski control the amount of power you receive at the flyboard, so depending on your experience level, they adjust the power accordingly. There were four of us that went, with 15 minutes each and although it doesn't sound like a long time, it certainly felt like more than enough since we were all exhausted by the end of it. I don't think I've ever had to use so many muscles on my legs and feet so much before.
You may wonder what else there is to do in a massive lake? Well fear not, there is indeed plenty to do in Lake Pleasant. There are jet skis, fishing and speed boats. There are also canoes but lets be honest, things without engines aren't very interesting. We got jet skis then hired a 300hp speed boat afterwards, it goes without saying that both of those things are amazing fun and with the weather being over 30 degrees Celsius in October, it is perfect for water sports!
Las Vegas
The next adventure after that brought me to the fabulous Las Vegas. I had a very good friend of mine (who himself is an OAA graduate) come to visit me for just under a week. It's the second time I've ever been and if I am to be completely honest, I think it is a place that every over 21 year old must visit at some point in their lives.
We stayed in the New York New York hotel which is on the strip. My advice is to stay anywhere along here since this is where all the magic happens. What I would also highly highly highly highly recommend to anyone who is visiting for the first time is to arrive at night, and by car. This is the second time I've ever visited so we arrived when there was still daylight. However on my first visit last year I arrived with my friends late at night. Trust me, when you drive through the pitch black desert, the first thing you'll see on the 95 is the pillar of light from the Luxor Hotel bursting into the sky. The next thing you'll notice is this surreal panorama of lights. As you get closer it just looks more and more magical. Then you'll drive through Las Vegas Boulevard, otherwise known as The Strip, where you'll see an incredible display of adult paradise. If you're arriving from the south, you'll see these incredible looking hotels and casinos, along with the street vibe and you'll understand immediately why they call it the Fabulous Las Vegas!
We went to grab some dinner at PF Changs, then got ready and partied until the early hours at The Marquee nightclub, which is inside The Cosmopolitan Hotel. I'd say it's probably the best club I have ever been to. If you're into your clubbing, you'll simply be blown away by the sheer size and beauty of this place. Beautiful layout along with beautiful people. It wasn't too different from our second night where we hit XS nightclub at The Encore Hotel. Both nights had high profile dance DJs performing there so all these clubs generally pull in a crowd.
During the day we walked around, I actually had a chance to go to the Old Las Vegas, which is quite a way south of Las Vegas Boulevard. It's amazing to see how much had changed in such a small space of time. There wasn't really much to do there in comparison to what's on offer in the current Las Vegas Strip, but it's something that has to be seen. For me, it was amazing to think of how much time and effort goes into building all these amazing structures and sites for people to just go and have a good time, even to this day. You notice if you have a chance to tour all of the casinos and hotels along the strip, that you don't really fully appreciate the quality of everything. For instance, take a look at the picture I've posted below:
What you see is the garden that they've built inside The Wynn hotel, just by the casino. I mean look at it, those plants are real and breathing. I can't begin to comprehend the amount of work that went into building this masterpiece. Having said all this, Vegas isn't a place for everyone. If you're not a smoker, drinker or clubber then it would probably be your nightmare. It is a 24 hour place and and if you are not that type of person then it is probably not for you.
Tuscon Boneyard
A place I would highly recommend to anyone who is at least remotely interested in aviation is the Tuscon Bonyard, or more appropriately named the AMARG boneyward. There aren't really many bones there, but instead a humongous collection of planes that have come to the end of their lives, ranging from world war bombers to more recent airliners. You could truly spend an entire day walking around and seeing the planes as there are apparently more dead planes here than there are registered and flying in the UK. I have generously posted a few of the pictures I took from when I went.
Grand Canyon
Well the last place I'll talk about is the Grand Canyon. I'd say of all the places I've been to since I've been here, this is the place you should really go out of your way to see. I'm sure you've all seen pictures in magazines and it just looks like a load of red rocks. Let me tell you though, no words can describe what this place actually looks like when you see it in real life with your own eyes. It is simply magnificent. Me and a few others who were brave enough went fairly close to the edge and when I look out into the distance, it felt like I could sit there for hours to absorb the greatness that was in front of me.
I was also fortunate enough to get noticed by the National Geographic! Well, the National Geographic Visitor Center but I only say the National Geographic to people since it sounds like I'm more famous. What had happened was I tweeted the picture that you see below, suddenly after a matter of minutes, the NG replied to that tweet asking me if they could use it on their Facebook page, to which I happily gave them permission. Subsequently a few days later they messaged me again asking if they could use it as their 'cover photo of the week', to which I also said yes. So yes, I am now rather famous since this cover photo has been there for a good month now!
There is quite a lot to see and do here, and there is enough time to do a lot of these activities. Of course the flying comes first, so I stress to everyone who does the flying here that it is intense and that you must stay on top of it. At the same time, most of us fly on average 4-5 days per week so there is plenty of time to still have fun. It's an opportunity of a lifetime so be sure that when you do have the time, make the most of it. If you work hard, you can play hard and you will have the time of your life.
Flyboarding and Boats
About a month and a half ago, one of my friends here invited me to something called Flyboarding at Lake Pleasant, which is in North Phoenix. I thought to myself "Flyboarding?", seemed like some outer space type thing. However when I looked it up online, it looked like quite possibly the coolest thing ever. See for yourself here: http://azflyboardrentals.com/
How it works is that there is a board with two jets which tie onto your feet. The water pressure comes from a modified jetski which is manned by two people who seem to hopefully know what they're doing. One of the people on the jetski control the amount of power you receive at the flyboard, so depending on your experience level, they adjust the power accordingly. There were four of us that went, with 15 minutes each and although it doesn't sound like a long time, it certainly felt like more than enough since we were all exhausted by the end of it. I don't think I've ever had to use so many muscles on my legs and feet so much before.
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| Planes aren't the only way to fly |
You may wonder what else there is to do in a massive lake? Well fear not, there is indeed plenty to do in Lake Pleasant. There are jet skis, fishing and speed boats. There are also canoes but lets be honest, things without engines aren't very interesting. We got jet skis then hired a 300hp speed boat afterwards, it goes without saying that both of those things are amazing fun and with the weather being over 30 degrees Celsius in October, it is perfect for water sports!
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| On a boat! |
Las Vegas
The next adventure after that brought me to the fabulous Las Vegas. I had a very good friend of mine (who himself is an OAA graduate) come to visit me for just under a week. It's the second time I've ever been and if I am to be completely honest, I think it is a place that every over 21 year old must visit at some point in their lives.
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| Las Vegas Boulevard |
We went to grab some dinner at PF Changs, then got ready and partied until the early hours at The Marquee nightclub, which is inside The Cosmopolitan Hotel. I'd say it's probably the best club I have ever been to. If you're into your clubbing, you'll simply be blown away by the sheer size and beauty of this place. Beautiful layout along with beautiful people. It wasn't too different from our second night where we hit XS nightclub at The Encore Hotel. Both nights had high profile dance DJs performing there so all these clubs generally pull in a crowd.
During the day we walked around, I actually had a chance to go to the Old Las Vegas, which is quite a way south of Las Vegas Boulevard. It's amazing to see how much had changed in such a small space of time. There wasn't really much to do there in comparison to what's on offer in the current Las Vegas Strip, but it's something that has to be seen. For me, it was amazing to think of how much time and effort goes into building all these amazing structures and sites for people to just go and have a good time, even to this day. You notice if you have a chance to tour all of the casinos and hotels along the strip, that you don't really fully appreciate the quality of everything. For instance, take a look at the picture I've posted below:
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| These flower are real |
What you see is the garden that they've built inside The Wynn hotel, just by the casino. I mean look at it, those plants are real and breathing. I can't begin to comprehend the amount of work that went into building this masterpiece. Having said all this, Vegas isn't a place for everyone. If you're not a smoker, drinker or clubber then it would probably be your nightmare. It is a 24 hour place and and if you are not that type of person then it is probably not for you.
Tuscon Boneyard
A place I would highly recommend to anyone who is at least remotely interested in aviation is the Tuscon Bonyard, or more appropriately named the AMARG boneyward. There aren't really many bones there, but instead a humongous collection of planes that have come to the end of their lives, ranging from world war bombers to more recent airliners. You could truly spend an entire day walking around and seeing the planes as there are apparently more dead planes here than there are registered and flying in the UK. I have generously posted a few of the pictures I took from when I went.
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| Convair B36 |
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| Airforce 2 - B707 |
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| Not sure what this is |
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| Airforce 2 - B707 |
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| US Navy F/A-18 |
Well the last place I'll talk about is the Grand Canyon. I'd say of all the places I've been to since I've been here, this is the place you should really go out of your way to see. I'm sure you've all seen pictures in magazines and it just looks like a load of red rocks. Let me tell you though, no words can describe what this place actually looks like when you see it in real life with your own eyes. It is simply magnificent. Me and a few others who were brave enough went fairly close to the edge and when I look out into the distance, it felt like I could sit there for hours to absorb the greatness that was in front of me.
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| On the edge |
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| Me being famous |
Monday, 7 October 2013
Navigating
Well the good news is that I'm still flying, rather confidently now. After my first progress test I had two solo circuit lessons which were so much fun. On the first of those solo circuits I had to cut it short since the winds suddenly became rather violent. I came in to do my third touch and go and as I flared this nasty gust blew my aircraft and as the main wheels touched the tarmac, the nose was pretty much facing toward the CAE building (which isn't at the end of the runway). Luckily, my exceptionally fast thinking mind told me to go full throttle and perform a go around. Once I was stable in the climb, I contacted tower for a wind check, I was then promptly informed that the winds were 10011KTG15, and as fast as tower responded, I immediately requested a full stop. I thus touched down safely and I am now able to fortunately tell this tale!
The next solo lesson went much better. Winds were calm, the sky was crystal clear, and there weren't any Goliath thermals trying to push me up into the Tropopause. I managed to do 2 glide ins, 2 flapless landings, 3 normal landings and of course 1 full stop. By the end of it I felt pretty confident in the general handling of the aircraft.
So now my latest venture on this programme is navigation. I was really looking forward to it because I did enjoy flight planning and general navigation when I did it in ground school, so I was really looking forward to applying it practically.
The first few navigation lessons involve basic familiarization with flight planning on our terminal and sectional charts and filling out nav logs. The general planning process goes like this:
- Route planning on sectional or terminal chart the day before the flight and partial completion of nav log
- Completion of planning using winds aloft to give groundspeeds and headings to make good planned track
- Execution of the planned flight!
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| Navigating just like the old days |
The first navigation flight we did was from the airfield to a visual landmark and back again. There is so much going on, you don't really have time to relax. For instance, you need to constantly check your heading, speed, altitude and timing. On top of that, remembering the cruise checklist which is checking the fuel tanks, engine indications, flight instruments and location, and also constantly looking out for where you are, where you're going and making good headings to maintain the planned track. It does sound rather daunting, however you do just eventually get the hang of it all. At this stage I'm no where near perfect, however constantly improving on the ability to look for visual reference points to prove that I'm heading towards the correct turning point, and performing the checklists are slowly becoming second nature.
At first it was quite challenging to find good turning points to plot on the map, but once you become more familiar with the procedures, the planning becomes a lot less tedious and much more enjoyable. It's quite satisfying when you plan your route with headings and groundspeeds adjusted for wind, and you make your turning points at the time you planned exactly.
So that's it really for the flying, unfortunately this week my instructor's been off sick with a neck injury so I've not been able to progress as quickly as I had hoped. My next solo and dual missions are AP25 and AP26 so I've still got much to learn yet.
So that's it really for the flying, unfortunately this week my instructor's been off sick with a neck injury so I've not been able to progress as quickly as I had hoped. My next solo and dual missions are AP25 and AP26 so I've still got much to learn yet.
Friday, 27 September 2013
A Moment I Will Never Forget...
Firstly I'd like to apologise for the month long break from my last blog post, it has been incredibly busy and thankfully after a critical few weeks, I have finally been able to get some time to start blogging again.
The latest milestones for me so far have been the completion of my first solo flight and my first progress test, both of which I shall describe in this blog post.
In my last post I was on lesson AP9 which was essentially an introduction into IFR flying under the hood, so to follow on from that, I'll talk about the lead up to the first solo flight. Lessons AP11 to AP14 all focus on flying circuits. To briefly explain, you must fly in what's called a circuit when practicing take offs and landings. The image that I have conveniently found and placed below illustrates what is involved.
Different flight training programmes have different procedures when it comes to flying in a circuit. Oxford Aviation Academy have their own way which goes like this:
Those three lessons on circuits prepare everyone for there first solo which comes on AP15. AP14 is really an hour where the instructor assesses whether you have the aptitude to handle the aircraft on your own. Of course by then you will have only had 14 hours of experience so not everyone is able to go solo on their first attempt. I needed one extra hour since I found it particularly difficult to learn how to land, especially since I only really started having full control over landings on lesson AP11, and seeing as you are only able to usually get an average of 5 landings in on touch and goes with the occasional go around, it wasn't enough for me to feel fully confident doing it on my first attempt.
After my second attempt on AP14, my instructor endorsed me and I was then able to take Archer N4403N up on one circuit all by myself! I still remember exactly how it felt when he left the aircraft. I remember the surreal feeling when the door was closed and latched, and I was inside the aircraft by myself for the first time. It's still amazing to think that so much responsibility was put in my hands at that moment.
As soon as I was cleared from Dispatch to leave the ramp, I was on my way and it was game face from then onward I didn't stop to think about anything else until I was trimmed and steady on downwind when I had time to fully take in the scenery and pinch myself to remember that I was actually flying an aircraft all on my own. My dream was coming true.
At the end of it I was both relieved and excited to have made it back with all the landing gears intact, then to be greeted by a pleased instructor and a few supportive classmates who watched me the whole time. That is truly a moment that I will never forget.
There is of course a ceremony that takes place for all of the Oxford Aviation Academy students after their first solo. What better ceremony could there be other than being thrown into the swimming pool with your uniform still on by your fellow classmates! On my day several other people did their first solo too, so we had a joint ceremony. It does feel quite strange swimming in the pool with your uniform on.
The next significant thing that came after was the progress test. At OAA there are four that have to be taken before the CPL Skills Test. The main objective here is for one of the senior instructors to assess whether you are up to scratch and meet the required skill level at that point in the course. For the first progress test (PT1) you're simply expected to fly a circuit, perform several touch and goes and a go-around. Of course you're expected to perform the pre-flight brief to the examiner such as weight and balance, performance and weather. As soon as you're in the aircraft, he/she becomes Mr/Miss Silent and you are then left to your own devices. It's pretty similar to a driving test.
There are three grades you can get: Pass, Partial or Fail. I'm assuming that everyone knows what pass or fail mean so I'll explain what is meant by a partial. Using PT1 as an example, there are several assessment criteria under their own group. So for example: Ground Operations, Airmanship, Aircraft Handling etc. And so if you have a scenario where a student does very well in the air but does poorly on the radios, then they've met the requirements for the actual flying but they are still not worthy of continuing due to the lack of skill in handling radio communications. In this case, a partial is awarded.
The good news is that I passed, with a 3 out of 4 grade which I was happy with at that stage. My examiner was a nice chap called Tom Armstrong, who gave a very good debrief after my flight. He mentioned things to look out for in the future such as visual reference points for the circuit and SOP power settings, judicious rudder control when below 300ft. All of the points were relevant to my flight and extremely valuable points for me to take on for my future flying.
Everyone in flight training has their difficulties. For me it was trying to grasp landings in the space of three hours, for others it was radio communications, and the list goes on. The point is that the training in aviation has no end to it. Each stage has gotten more and more difficult, but whenever things do get tough (and trust me they will for everyone at some point) I always think about how fortunate I am to be able to wear the uniform, walk up to the aircraft, preflight, take off and land. When I write it like that it doesn't seem like much, but when I think about the detail that goes into everything, I quickly realise that there is no other job that compares.
Although I've only really scratched the surface of what's to come in training, I do know that each test will get harder, and even when I'm employed I'll still be tested through line checks. This is part of what I think makes this career path so rewarding.
Completing my first solo is something that I will never forget, and passing my first progress test gave me so much extra confidence for my training. Stay tuned...
The latest milestones for me so far have been the completion of my first solo flight and my first progress test, both of which I shall describe in this blog post.
In my last post I was on lesson AP9 which was essentially an introduction into IFR flying under the hood, so to follow on from that, I'll talk about the lead up to the first solo flight. Lessons AP11 to AP14 all focus on flying circuits. To briefly explain, you must fly in what's called a circuit when practicing take offs and landings. The image that I have conveniently found and placed below illustrates what is involved.
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| Left Circuit |
- Take off
- Climb at 76KIAS (Vy)
- After take off checklist at 200ft AGL
- Climbing turn to crosswind before 700ft AGL with a bank of no more than 20 degrees
- Climb to 1000ft AGL and level off at 95KIAS on the downwind leg
- Perform landing checklist on downwind
- Turn to base when 45 degrees from the landing runway at no more than 30 degrees angle of bank
- Power to 1500rpm on turn to base, speed check, flaps to 25, trim for descent at 76KIAS
- Turn to Final, max 30 degrees angle of bank
- Trim for 70KIAS on Final
- Flaps 40 at 500-400ft AAL
- Final checklist and stable approach call at 300ft AAL
- 66KIAS above the runway threshold
Please note that some of this is subject to change as the school are working on a new checklist and possibly new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). This is because some of these have been brought straight over from Goodyear and may not necessarily be suited for operations at Falcon Field which is a much busier airport.
Those three lessons on circuits prepare everyone for there first solo which comes on AP15. AP14 is really an hour where the instructor assesses whether you have the aptitude to handle the aircraft on your own. Of course by then you will have only had 14 hours of experience so not everyone is able to go solo on their first attempt. I needed one extra hour since I found it particularly difficult to learn how to land, especially since I only really started having full control over landings on lesson AP11, and seeing as you are only able to usually get an average of 5 landings in on touch and goes with the occasional go around, it wasn't enough for me to feel fully confident doing it on my first attempt.
After my second attempt on AP14, my instructor endorsed me and I was then able to take Archer N4403N up on one circuit all by myself! I still remember exactly how it felt when he left the aircraft. I remember the surreal feeling when the door was closed and latched, and I was inside the aircraft by myself for the first time. It's still amazing to think that so much responsibility was put in my hands at that moment.
As soon as I was cleared from Dispatch to leave the ramp, I was on my way and it was game face from then onward I didn't stop to think about anything else until I was trimmed and steady on downwind when I had time to fully take in the scenery and pinch myself to remember that I was actually flying an aircraft all on my own. My dream was coming true.
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| My amazing circuit, though I wasn't actually doing 47kts on final |
There was a brief moment of nervousness when I was holding short of the runway and when I flared for landing, but overall I wasn't too nervous. For me I didn't really have time to think about it, and I realised that it was one of those moments that determine whether or not you'll ever have it in you to suck it up, and actually believe in yourself with confidence that you can successfully take an aircraft up on your own.
At the end of it I was both relieved and excited to have made it back with all the landing gears intact, then to be greeted by a pleased instructor and a few supportive classmates who watched me the whole time. That is truly a moment that I will never forget.
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| Back in one piece |
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| Mid throw |
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| Solo pool throwing ceremony |
The next significant thing that came after was the progress test. At OAA there are four that have to be taken before the CPL Skills Test. The main objective here is for one of the senior instructors to assess whether you are up to scratch and meet the required skill level at that point in the course. For the first progress test (PT1) you're simply expected to fly a circuit, perform several touch and goes and a go-around. Of course you're expected to perform the pre-flight brief to the examiner such as weight and balance, performance and weather. As soon as you're in the aircraft, he/she becomes Mr/Miss Silent and you are then left to your own devices. It's pretty similar to a driving test.
There are three grades you can get: Pass, Partial or Fail. I'm assuming that everyone knows what pass or fail mean so I'll explain what is meant by a partial. Using PT1 as an example, there are several assessment criteria under their own group. So for example: Ground Operations, Airmanship, Aircraft Handling etc. And so if you have a scenario where a student does very well in the air but does poorly on the radios, then they've met the requirements for the actual flying but they are still not worthy of continuing due to the lack of skill in handling radio communications. In this case, a partial is awarded.
The good news is that I passed, with a 3 out of 4 grade which I was happy with at that stage. My examiner was a nice chap called Tom Armstrong, who gave a very good debrief after my flight. He mentioned things to look out for in the future such as visual reference points for the circuit and SOP power settings, judicious rudder control when below 300ft. All of the points were relevant to my flight and extremely valuable points for me to take on for my future flying.
Everyone in flight training has their difficulties. For me it was trying to grasp landings in the space of three hours, for others it was radio communications, and the list goes on. The point is that the training in aviation has no end to it. Each stage has gotten more and more difficult, but whenever things do get tough (and trust me they will for everyone at some point) I always think about how fortunate I am to be able to wear the uniform, walk up to the aircraft, preflight, take off and land. When I write it like that it doesn't seem like much, but when I think about the detail that goes into everything, I quickly realise that there is no other job that compares.
Although I've only really scratched the surface of what's to come in training, I do know that each test will get harder, and even when I'm employed I'll still be tested through line checks. This is part of what I think makes this career path so rewarding.
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| There is no other job that compares |
Tuesday, 20 August 2013
The First Few Steps
Hello once again from Mesa! It's been just over three weeks now, and I am now nine lessons into my flying. After the induction week, we were put into groups. The way it works here is that the class is split into groups of 4-5, each group is then assigned to an instructor with their own scheduled days off. So my instructor's days off are Tuesday and Wednesday, and therefore I never fly on those days.
The first lesson we had was a mock pre-flight with a walk through of the Garmin G1000 cockpit system, which was very helpful for getting to grips with what to do before our first proper flight. The G1000 was tough because even the instructors had limited time on it, plus it's the first time that Piper have ever installed the system on the Archer aircraft.
A typical day for me goes like this:
The flights are done as missions. Each lesson covers a range of areas, whilst at the same time consistently practicing the basic skills that you will have learned in the earlier lessons. I've just finished my 9th mission which was an introduction to IFR flying. I am also one week away from my first solo! What I find is that the learning curve is very steep, and there is a lot to cover in a very short period of time. It is important to constantly practice the checklists and emergency drills as if your life depends on it because it is so easy to miss out something, whether it's a minor issue like forgetting to switch off the strobes lights to not sumping the fuel to check for bubbles or big pieces of sediment.
As well as the actual flying, there is a lot ground material that must be studied. Everyone gets given a study material such as: radio procedures, checklists, emergency drills, charts, aircraft guidebook, and aircraft maneuvers. You get assessed four times before you take the CPL skills test where everyone has to demonstrate that their flying meets the required level, and to show that checklists and drills are done properly.
As you may know, we're the first class to come to Falcon Field airport and the first to fly the Piper Archer TX with the G1000 system, so there have been a few teething problems. One of the main issues with these new aircraft seem to be the oil pressure and temperature. It is quite clear being that these aircraft are being flown at temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius that they won't run as well as we'd like them to. The school have been very good about keeping us in the loop with the technical issues that the planes are suffering from, and I have to give praise to the engineers who work unsociable hours to get these aircraft back on the ramp for us.
Despite the issues that we've head, I'm having the time of my life at the moment. I look forward to waking up at 03:00 to go and fly. I love checking the weather, doing mass and balance, performance and the walk around because it makes me feel like a real pilot. It is very intense, but in a good way. I'm constantly striving to get better, and when I make a mistake, I find it a great challenge to keep practicing until I can get it right.
What I love the most though is the view that I get during an early flight. Although it sounds alien to wake up at 3am, I can tell you that it is worth it when you see the sunrise breaking through the clouds after takeoff. When you're in the air and you see that sunshine past the mountains, it is like nothing else matters during that moment in time.
I can safely say now that I am fully confident that I took a risk on my career future to do this. What I've found is that flying gets harder. I thought the Skills Assessment was difficult, then it turned out that it was easy compared to ground school, and now the flying is more difficult than ground school, and from what I've experienced in my introduction to IFR flights, I'm pretty sure that the Instrument Rating will be much more difficult. If you really want it, you'll put the effort in and you'll have fun whilst you're doing it here. More to come...
The first lesson we had was a mock pre-flight with a walk through of the Garmin G1000 cockpit system, which was very helpful for getting to grips with what to do before our first proper flight. The G1000 was tough because even the instructors had limited time on it, plus it's the first time that Piper have ever installed the system on the Archer aircraft.
A typical day for me goes like this:
- Getting to the academy at least one hour before our briefing
- Check the weather forecast and ATIS
- Complete Mass and Balance and Performance sheet
- Check the squawk book to see if there are any technical problems
- Do the pre-flight checks
- Brief with instructor
- Flight
- Debrief
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| Control surfaces and hinges look okay to me |
As well as the actual flying, there is a lot ground material that must be studied. Everyone gets given a study material such as: radio procedures, checklists, emergency drills, charts, aircraft guidebook, and aircraft maneuvers. You get assessed four times before you take the CPL skills test where everyone has to demonstrate that their flying meets the required level, and to show that checklists and drills are done properly.
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| The studying doesn't end at ground school |
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| I wouldn't be happy if I was an aircraft in this heat. |
Despite the issues that we've head, I'm having the time of my life at the moment. I look forward to waking up at 03:00 to go and fly. I love checking the weather, doing mass and balance, performance and the walk around because it makes me feel like a real pilot. It is very intense, but in a good way. I'm constantly striving to get better, and when I make a mistake, I find it a great challenge to keep practicing until I can get it right.
What I love the most though is the view that I get during an early flight. Although it sounds alien to wake up at 3am, I can tell you that it is worth it when you see the sunrise breaking through the clouds after takeoff. When you're in the air and you see that sunshine past the mountains, it is like nothing else matters during that moment in time.
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| Waking up at 3am is worth it for this view |
I can safely say now that I am fully confident that I took a risk on my career future to do this. What I've found is that flying gets harder. I thought the Skills Assessment was difficult, then it turned out that it was easy compared to ground school, and now the flying is more difficult than ground school, and from what I've experienced in my introduction to IFR flights, I'm pretty sure that the Instrument Rating will be much more difficult. If you really want it, you'll put the effort in and you'll have fun whilst you're doing it here. More to come...
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| Dreams can come true |
Wednesday, 7 August 2013
I Could Get Used to This
I know you've all missed me, but you'll be glad to know that I did make it across the pond, and that I am alive and well. Maybe with a little browner than I was a couple of weeks ago. Anyway, welcome to my first blog post from the USA, what I'll write about here is just the general experience so far. I'll keep my flights to separate posts otherwise I'll end up with massive Shakespeare like novels.
Two Thursdays ago, me and 9 other fellow AP344 classmates boarded BA289 to embark on what would be the time of our lives. It was probably the best flight I'd ever been on. None of us slept, probably because we were all so excited. Instead about five of us stood at the back by the rear galley toilets talking for a good 5-6 hours. Even the stewardesses were wanted to join our little gathering.
During the flight we asked if we could visit the flight deck at the end. The Captain was nice enough to say yes, however immigration weren't happy about a whole group going up and wanted everyone off the plane as soon as possible. Shame for the rest of the group, but at least me and one of my friends were lucky enough to get in and have decent chat with the captain and first officers :)
We touched down at Phoenix Skyharbor on time at 17:20 (I think) after which we were promptly picked up by a couple of drivers from the CAE Global Academy who transported us directly to our apartments. Unfortunately we were all separated into 3 different resorts, all with varying distances from Falcon Field which is something that we weren't initially aware of. Despite this, the resorts are absolutely amazing. I'm living with a friend from my course, and the apartment, the surrounding neighborhood and the facilities are just miles ahead of expectations. From the size and layout of our apartments to the 24 hour swimming pool, it truly is a beautiful place to live.
The only snag that we have is that unlike the previous courses at Goodyear, we no longer get given course cars. Nevertheless, there is a shuttle service every 30 minutes, and you can ask them to take you places providing they're available.
We all spent that first evening catching up with the other classmates that we hand't seen for 5 weeks over some Taco Bell and a few drinks. By around 23:00 it was time to hit the sack since we had an early start the next day.
Unsurprisingly since we were 8 hours behind the UK, I woke up fresh as a daisy at around 04:30 so I had no problem getting ready and being on time for the bus. The first day was mainly an introduction to customer service staff, the school and the facilities available to us. It was a pretty relaxed day, everyone was excited and in a good mood. The next week was more serious, starting with an introduction to CAE's online Talon ETA website. This is where we check our scheduled flight times, messages and FIFs (Flight Information Files). On Monday they took us all out to the aircraft where we could see and feel for the first time the aircraft that we would be spending the next 5 months in. It was also a brilliant opportunity for everyone to take some new Facebook profile pictures.
The rest of the week consisted of some more ground school about pre-flight planning, the aircraft, operational procedures and then finally an introduction to our instructors. What they've done for us is split us all up into groups of 4 or 5, and have us pair up so that whilst one flies, the other can backseat. It turns out that pretty much no one got to go with their original chosen flight partners due to issues with weight! Most people seemed to get over it though since the vast majority of people in the class get on very well with each other. The school also bought us lunch for the entire first week which was pretty fantastic!
We also had to give our finger prints for the TSA (Transport security Administration) and we also had to do the FAA Medical. If you've ever done the CAA Medical then you'll have absolutely nothing to worry about, for some reason they are really relaxed. About 30 of us from the class turned up on the same day in two different groups and we were all seen for about 5 minutes.
On the last day of American ground school they took us out to the hangar where they showed us a few aircraft with the cowlings off. They also introduced us to a few of the mechanics and talked about how to squawk an aircraft with a fault or physical damage.
Two Thursdays ago, me and 9 other fellow AP344 classmates boarded BA289 to embark on what would be the time of our lives. It was probably the best flight I'd ever been on. None of us slept, probably because we were all so excited. Instead about five of us stood at the back by the rear galley toilets talking for a good 5-6 hours. Even the stewardesses were wanted to join our little gathering.
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| Step climb to FL380 |
During the flight we asked if we could visit the flight deck at the end. The Captain was nice enough to say yes, however immigration weren't happy about a whole group going up and wanted everyone off the plane as soon as possible. Shame for the rest of the group, but at least me and one of my friends were lucky enough to get in and have decent chat with the captain and first officers :)
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| Landed everyone safely |
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| My room |
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| How am I supposed to fill a wardrobe this big? |
We all spent that first evening catching up with the other classmates that we hand't seen for 5 weeks over some Taco Bell and a few drinks. By around 23:00 it was time to hit the sack since we had an early start the next day.
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| Posing by the Serena Shores lake |
Unsurprisingly since we were 8 hours behind the UK, I woke up fresh as a daisy at around 04:30 so I had no problem getting ready and being on time for the bus. The first day was mainly an introduction to customer service staff, the school and the facilities available to us. It was a pretty relaxed day, everyone was excited and in a good mood. The next week was more serious, starting with an introduction to CAE's online Talon ETA website. This is where we check our scheduled flight times, messages and FIFs (Flight Information Files). On Monday they took us all out to the aircraft where we could see and feel for the first time the aircraft that we would be spending the next 5 months in. It was also a brilliant opportunity for everyone to take some new Facebook profile pictures.
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| Profile picture maybe? |
The rest of the week consisted of some more ground school about pre-flight planning, the aircraft, operational procedures and then finally an introduction to our instructors. What they've done for us is split us all up into groups of 4 or 5, and have us pair up so that whilst one flies, the other can backseat. It turns out that pretty much no one got to go with their original chosen flight partners due to issues with weight! Most people seemed to get over it though since the vast majority of people in the class get on very well with each other. The school also bought us lunch for the entire first week which was pretty fantastic!
We also had to give our finger prints for the TSA (Transport security Administration) and we also had to do the FAA Medical. If you've ever done the CAA Medical then you'll have absolutely nothing to worry about, for some reason they are really relaxed. About 30 of us from the class turned up on the same day in two different groups and we were all seen for about 5 minutes.
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| Diamond Simulator |
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| Inside the maintenance hangar |
It was quite a long first week, however we still had plenty of time in the evenings and weekend to relax by the pool and spend plenty of time absorbing all of that much needed vitamin D that we were deprived of during ground school. Over the first weekend, a few of the guys on my course bought dinghies from Walmart, probably one of the best purchases I have ever witnessed. I volunteered happily to help test the dinghies.
Last weekend, me and a few friends here decided to hire a car to see what Phoenix had to offer. The first thing we visited was the local shooting range. It was the first time I'd ever been near a real gun, and I have to say that it was quite an experience. Seeing the flashes from every shot and feeling the recoil is quite something, and It's pretty scary to know that you have the power to end someone's life at the pull of a trigger.
We also headed down to Fashion Square in Scottsdale which is an absolutely humongous shopping mall. We ended up looking at things that we couldn't afford to buy. On another day we hit up some crazy golf, giving me a chance to show off my Tiger Woods like skills.
In terms of night life, Mill Avenue in Tempe is the place to be. We went as a group last Friday and it is really good. It's a bit strange how the clubs here close at 2am, however it's probably better for our health. People here are very open and approachable. Apparently Arizona State University has seventy thousand students, yes you heard that right, seventy thousand. We're talking ten thousand times seven, that's a lot. So I would imagine that things come to life when they all start again.
So far, words cannot describe the experience. I'm less than two weeks into training and already so much has happened. It's not just the activities and the social life, but the whole lifestyle and the combination of everything including the training. Every time I walk through the front doors of CAE Global Academy or check the ETA Talon app on the phone to see when my next scheduled flight is, it really makes me feel like a real pilot. What I can honestly say now, is that all the hard work that needs to be put in during ground school is worth it when you come here.
The adventure continues...
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| In the lake with some dinghies as you do |
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| Police Academy |
In terms of night life, Mill Avenue in Tempe is the place to be. We went as a group last Friday and it is really good. It's a bit strange how the clubs here close at 2am, however it's probably better for our health. People here are very open and approachable. Apparently Arizona State University has seventy thousand students, yes you heard that right, seventy thousand. We're talking ten thousand times seven, that's a lot. So I would imagine that things come to life when they all start again.
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| He parred this one |
So far, words cannot describe the experience. I'm less than two weeks into training and already so much has happened. It's not just the activities and the social life, but the whole lifestyle and the combination of everything including the training. Every time I walk through the front doors of CAE Global Academy or check the ETA Talon app on the phone to see when my next scheduled flight is, it really makes me feel like a real pilot. What I can honestly say now, is that all the hard work that needs to be put in during ground school is worth it when you come here.
The adventure continues...
Wednesday, 24 July 2013
Pre-Flight Checklist
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| New toys for us |
At first it was a bit strange to go from studying a full 12-16 hours a day, to suddenly having every hour in the day free to do whatever I please. As well as rewarding myself with some absolutely incredible lie ins, I have nevertheless managed to keep myself busy for the most part. For the majority of the time I've been helping my parents out in their business, which is a Chinese Take-Away. So if you happen to be around Broadstairs then drop by the May King for some fantastic food!
I am admittedly a bit of a rocker, and if you like me play an instrument then you will know that no other feeling compares with playing your instrument of choice, and mine is the Electric Guitar. I own an Ibanez RG, which in English is a guitar built for heavy rock and metal. The feeling of picking it up and playing it takes me back to being 17 years old again when Punk Rock and Nu-Metal was huge in the late 90s.
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| At Wireless 2013 |
I have also had an essay to do for Bucks New University, which count towards a foundation degree in Airline Transport Management. The essay was quite interesting and valuable for helping me learn greater depth of what is happening in the aviation industry today. For instance the first essay was a report on the changeable nature of the industry, so it was quite interesting to learn about the economical factors linked to the increasing passenger numbers and decreasing cargo output.
I have of course had to spend some much needed time doing some of the more boring stuff like: planning out my budget for when I'm in Arizona (I'll let you know how that actually goes) and sorting out bits and pieces like currency exchange and a travel currency card.
Most recently, I took the opportunity to help out for the OAA open day, which I talk about in great detail in the previous post. Over that same weekend I ended up covering 455 miles, made even more painful from the fact that my car has a non working 6th gear, meaning at 70mph my car is screaming at 4000rpm, which doesn't really help the fuel economy.
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| My route over the weekend |
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| Admiring the O2 |
So that's it, tomorrow I'll be flying out from Heathrow to Phoenix Sky Harbor to finally start my lifelong goal of flying. I really can't wait for what's to come; the sunshine, the planes, the swimming pool, and doing many other American stuff like firing guns at a shooting range and hiring pointlessly big muscle cars. I hear so many great stories from students who have come back from their foundation flying, now it's my turn to go and come back with some amazing stories of my own.
I'll be sure to update my Arizona experience whenever I get the time. If there's anything you want to know about the course or if you have some feedback, then don't feel afraid to send me a message or comment and I'll help out wherever I can. In the meantime take care, and enjoy the summer!
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