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: 

1. Getting to the academy at least one hour before our briefing
2. Check the weather forecast and ATIS
3. Complete Mass and Balance and Performance sheet 
4. Check the squawk book to see if there are any technical problems
5. Do the pre-flight checks
6. Brief with instructor
7. Flight
8. Debrief

Control surfaces and hinges look okay to me

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.

The studying doesn't end at ground school

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. 

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. 

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...

Dreams can come true

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.

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 :)

Landed everyone safely

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. 

My room

How am I supposed to fill a wardrobe this big?

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.

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.

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.

Diamond Simulator

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.

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. 

In the lake with some dinghies as you do

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.

Police Academy

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.

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...