A day of mixed results to be honest. I had been going over my checks quite a bit between this and the last lesson, but I had a complete blank, so obiously I didn't know them enough.
First 2 cicuits were pretty shocking, alot of height was lost during my turns, gained when downwind, and I need to pick better reference points. My turns onto finals were a bit slow so we had to make one quite steep to make it straight in.
Last two circuits were quite good, I didn't lose as much height and my approach was much better. I am also judging my flare properly, which is good. Unfortunately I have exams coming up in a couple of weeks so I wont be flying until they're over, next lesson is booked in 2 weeks time for more circuits.
I have been reading other bloggers archives and they think it is important to set goals in aviation to ensure that you are always going somewhere. Obviously my initial one is going solo, which should be achieveable within 8 (ish) lessons, but its hard to tell. Once exams are over I will be able to have 2 0r 3 flights a week, so my hours will get up quite quickly. After solo I will be heading towards my longer term goal of gaining a PPL. I have also considered an aerobatics rating, however alot of dual instruction is necessary, and more of a goal for the next 3 or 4 years.
When will I finish my PPL? Sometime next year I hope, possible halfway through, it just depends on finances. I spose a 172 rating will be needed shortly after to allow me to fly more than one passenger, and I guess also an Archer rating would be a natural progression after that.
Better start saving, I think.
Flying time: 0.7 hrs
Total flying time: 11.25 hrs
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15 comments:
Greetings Kiwi Flyer! Welcome to the online aviation world. Good to see another club member blogging too. I don't have any time in the Alpha's, but I hear they are fun to fly. If you want to go up in an Archer or 172 just drop me a line on my blog and we'll sort something out.
Hi there. I found your blog through Euan's.. And I'm also glad to see another local pilot blogging his adventures.. I'll be adding your blog to my favourites list so I can keep an eye on your progress, and if you need advice or encouragement let me know. Now honestly I'm not trying to out-do Euan's offer, but if you want to come for a fly in an Arrow let me know...
I just want to pass you some advice about going solo. Yes its good to set it as a goal, but at the end of the day, the only two people who will determine that you are ready are you and your instructor. Never set yourself a time limit in terms of hours, that places too much stress on your shoulders. Just concentrate on flying the plane and the rest will come eventually. At the end of the day it doesn't matter how long it took for you to go solo, the fact you can fly an aircraft all by yourself is far more important.
Yeah, I took longer than most (85hrs or so) so don't feel bad if it takes more than the 50 everyone expects it to take!!
Two things: I think I got my PPL at 90 hours (better check my logbook :p) and that was mainly due to me doing a lot of what I call discretionary flying (competitions and revision etc..) which wasn't strictly part of the syllabus. At the end of the day, I knew I was more than ready for the PPL flight test and I think that helped calm the nerves.
The second thing: I'm interested in what you think of flying a 172 or an Archer and how they compare with flying the Alpha. You would think that the natural progression from an Alpha would be to the Archer but I am not so sure. Between Chris and myself I'm sure we can get you up in them to see what you think.
Just thinking about what you wrote about having trouble remembering checks, and I thought I should mention how a wise old instructor taught me to remember my checks:
TMFIHC:
T - Trim for takeoff
M - Mixture set
F - Fuel on and flaps set for takeoff
I - Ignition on both, instruments checked
H - Hatches and harnesses
C - Controls full and free.
TMFIHC is best remembered as:
Too Many Flying Instructors Have Crashes
I certainly haven't forgotten that one - makes life a LOT easier and you start your flight more relaxed and confident...
Haha thats a good one Chris, yes I must get my checks together before lesson on Saturday.
Interesting what you say about the Arrow, you'd think it would be fast all round. Guess that's the price you pay.
Could always go the whole hog with the Twin Comanche, you know...
Good luck with your flight, let us know how you go..
All the checks and stuff will come - I only mention one method to remember them because it works for me, but before you know you'll be solo and droning round and round and round in the circuit :-)
P.S. I'm off probably to Tauranga in the Arrow on the 17th and I'm sure there will be a spare seat if you wanted to come for a blat..
Oops, I meant the 16th :-)
Thanks mate, weather looks good for tommorrow...
Darn it, sorry I work Sundays, thanks very mucy for the offer though. What time were you planning on leaving Chris?
That's allright, I'll switch it to Saturday, doesn't matter which day I go. I was thinking of going over and coming back pretty soon after. Maybe pop in to the museum for a bit then come back??
Sounds great Chris, but honestly if you prefer Sunday, go ahead.
I'm happy to contribute to flight costs. Never flown to another airport in a light plane before so it'l be awesome.
Looking forward to it!
Thanks very much for the offer! Cheers, Jarred.
It should be good fun.. Tauranga's a nice place to fly to... I have no preference for Sunday over Sat so I will rebook the plane for Sat.
Awesome, thanks very much Chris.
Should be able to get some nice pics, too. Let me know the details once you have them and we'll work from there.
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