Lesson: 18

22/09/07

Lesson time: 0h35m

Total time: 13h50m

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCF

Instructor: E.Marks

Well this incredible run of 18 lessons without a single one cancelled continues! And what a fantastic morning, with plenty of sunshine and just scattered clouds...... at least that's what I thought right up until I went out to do my pre-flight checks, when I discovered that there was a more significant headwind right down rwy 22 than in the previous lesson. I didn't think much of it, however the difference was noticeable on all four legs of the circuit, but especially on final where I seemed to be going back to my old habit of coming in too high :-( I guess I'm not sure if this was really anything to do with the wind, and I'm reluctant to blame anything other than myself for what turned out to be a less satisfying lesson. The first circuit wasn't too bad (but not as good as those in the previous two lessons). The remaining two circuits (the lesson was curtailed slightly as the slots were running a bit behind schedule) were a little disappointing from my point of view, culminating in a heavy landing on the last circuit due to flaring a bit too high in the headwind. Somehow though the instructor still felt that I was very close to going solo and his last words to me were 'get the air law exam done!' So off I went home to spend the remainder of a warm sunny day (a slightly rare thing in summer 2007) with my head in a book........

Route: Rwy 22 circuit around EGAD.

Weather: Scattered clouds, significant headwind.

Lesson: 19

29/09/07

Lesson time: 1h05m

Total time: 14h55m

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCE

Instructor: R.McConnell

On a murky morning I turned up for my 19th lesson. As I passed Belfast City Airport on my way to the club, I noticed that their runway in use was rwy 04 (it's parallel to Newtownards' main runway) and wondered if Newtownards would be using rwy 04 also. This would make for an interesting lesson as rwy 04 at Newtownards is a right-hand circuit (due to the hills, Scrabo Tower, and the proximity of the Belfast zone). Sure enough, on arriving at the club I saw an aircraft landing on 04. The right hand circuit was new to me and was very interesting. First of all there is a whole new set of visual reference points to take in (although the primary visual reference point is the runway!). Secondly the right hand turns offer inferior visibility when sitting in the left seat. The climbing turn to crosswind was particularly interesting as the runway was difficult to see at all. The last point to note is that the circuit is significantly shorter on the 04 approach, which reduced the time available on base to set up the approach configuration and begin the descent to achieve a good approach. Now the result of all this was that my circuits were ok, although the approaches tended to be a little high (one was a total glide descent - which in itself was good practice for a forced landing or EFATO of course :-). For the first few circuits I believe that I was looking at the 'big picture' and not concentrating on the numbers. In the flare, I am definitely not looking far enough ahead. On the last circuit, I concentrated on the numbers (glancing regularly at the ASI too of course) with the result that the approach was good, the flare was much improved, and the landing was good :-).  Things I need to remember for next time are: (i) Lots of rudder required on the climb-out - keep it in balance!; (ii) Concentrate on the numbers on final, glancing regularly at the ASI to maintain 65kts in approach configuration; (iii) when flaring, look ahead in the distance to the point where the apparent movement of the runway markings stops; (iv) when flaring, keep increasing the back pressure every time the aircraft starts to sink (trying to keep it flying parallel to the runway). Easy :-). On one of the circuits today we practised a go-around. Nothing too difficult here, although after full power is applied loads of forward pressure is required, maintaining level flight until the increasing airspeed allows the flaps to be retracted in stages, after which the climb-out may be commenced. Today I also cancelled one of next weekend's lessons to give me breathing space to study for the Air Law exam. I have been working hard at it this week, but it's not there yet. This has been a much greater effort than anticipated, due to the sheer quantity of material to cover and the apparent necessity to know it in a fair amount of detail (despite the fact that much of it really does not need to be committed to memory for practical purposes). If all of the exams require this much work I may have to reduce the rate at which I am taking lessons (and perhaps give up the original plan/hope of completing the PPL in a year).

Route: Rwy 04 circuit around EGAD.

Weather: Calm but overcast, cloud base very close to the circuit height in places.

Lesson: 20

05/10/07

Lesson time: 0h50m

Total time: 15h45m

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCG

Instructor: D.Hodgkinson

Another warm sunny day - only spoiled (very slightly) by a noticeable breeze. The direction of the breeze resulted in yet another different circuit (rwy 16 - why are there so many runways at EGAD? :-). Now rwy 16 is the 'opposite end' of rwy 34, so it shares some of the rwy 34 circuit's oddities (e.g. the short takeoff/landing distance, the police station mast - now on the approach - ), but not others (e.g. the diagonal path to avoid Scrabo, the approach over the sea wall). This is a left hand circuit, but it overlaps the rwy 22 circuit and at times it feels like you are flying the rwy 22 circuit (16 crosswind feels like 22 downwind, 16 downwind feels like 22 base, etc). Now this made the first lesson on the rwy 16 circuit quite hard work, as I found myself constantly having to remind myself what leg of the circuit I was on and what I was supposed to be doing. Worse still, the overlap with the rwy 22 circuit caused a subconscious tendency to fly parallel to rwy 22 on crosswind, normal to rwy 22 on downwind, etc, resulting eventually in a non-rectangular circuit, a short/hurried base leg and - my speciality - ending up too high on final.... (the instructor warned me about this tendency before the lesson but I still managed to do it - not intentionally of course....). Ah, but if only that was the only thing that went wrong during this lesson! Unfortunately it was not - I managed to forget the final stage of flap a couple of times and also bodged/omitted some radio calls - both mistakes I thought I had long since stopped making. A lesson to forget, I think - were it not for a perceived improvement in the holdoff and the timing of the flare (I seemed to have a better regime of scanning the numbers and the airspeed prior to flare, and looking a few hundred feet ahead during the holdoff. Even then, the instructor commented that I flared marginally too late a couple of times and that I still need to maintain the holdoff a little longer to protect the nose wheel. Now I was off sick for a couple of days this week, had a particularly busy morning at work, and then had to work hard learning and trying to fly a new circuit. I wonder how much effect each of these factors had on this slightly disappointing lesson......? Right now I still feel some way off first solo, but have nevertheless temporarily reduced the number of lessons to one per week, to allow more study for the Air Law exam.

Route: Rwy 16 circuit around EGAD.

Weather: Partly cloudy, light-ish winds.

Lesson: 21
12/10/07
Lesson time: 0h55m
Total time: 16h40m
Location: EGAD
Aircraft: G-UFCH
Instructor: S.McNeill
OK let's keep this one brief :-) Weather: good. Instructor: Another different one! Activity: More circuits (back to good old rwy 22). Progress made: The instructor told me I am now flaring at exactly the right time, and the holdoff is ok, although I still need to hold off for longer. Another thing learnt today was that rather than pull the power completely prior to the flare, leaving a little power on can make the airplane more controllable prior to the holdoff (note, this may not be suitable for all flying conditions). One other thing that must be mentioned is that I still have a slight tendency to release back pressure slightly during the holdoff when the nose goes higher; that must not happen. Now I'm not saying I push forward (I learnt that lesson already and it won't happen again!), just that once the holdoff starts the control column should keep coming back slowly as required (and that's the one remaining bit of the normal landing that I've still to completely master). After touchdown, the back pressure should still increase to protect the nose wheel (resulting eventually in a lot of force being applied). On the approaches, I seem now to be able to pretty much hit the numbers (or shortly beyond them), even if too high on final (which I wasn't for most of today's lesson). Another thing I did right today was better control of rudder on the climb-out, balance was maintained much better with lots of right foot :-) So I'm nearly there! Right... back to the Air Law book......
Route: Rwy 22 circuit around EGAD.
Weather: Cloudy but still warm, light westerly wind resulted in slight crabbing on approach.

Exam: 1

Aviation Law and Operational Procedures
19/10/07
Instead of a lesson today I went down to the club to finally sit the Air Law exam! It went well and was marked by the CFI immediately afterwards. I'm pleased to say I passed with a mark of (I can still hardly believe it as I write this over 24 hours later) ...... 100% :-). Glad to have that over, after a brief respite I now plan to start studying for the Met exam.

Lesson: 22
20/10/07
Lesson time: 0h50m
Total time: 17h30m

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCH

Instructor: D.Hodgkinson

As I arrived at the club the windsock was straight down and aircraft were landing on rwy 22, so I was hoping for a good lesson. However I was told that they were way behind schedule due to someone unexpectedly turning up and insisting he was booked, even though the club had his booking for the next day. Anyway the guy had apparently travelled some distance so they made an effort to fit him in. On what was already a busy morning with several gift voucher customers waiting in the lounge, the result was that it was 2 hours before I was able to fly. Unfortunately by this time the wind had picked up, just a little but enough to require crosswind techniques in the circuit. Now I haven't done much in the way of crosswind landings, so the touchdowns were a bit messy at times! This is another area that I still need to work at, utilising either crabbing or wing-down techniques (or a combination of both). In either case rudder is generally required to get/keep the aircraft pointing straight down the runway for touchdown, and it is essential that this is removed before touchdown, or at the very least before the nose wheel touches down (to keep the aircraft straight on the ground). The holdoff is still not perfect, but how much this was down to the effect of the crosswind (and poor crosswind technique) I'm not sure. Another thing learned today was to keep my right hand on the power during the climb-out until at least at 300ft agl. This is not strictly required on the C172, but apparently on some aircraft there is a chance that the throttle(s) could slip back to idle if not held. I was lifting my right hand off the throttle to trim the aircraft for the climb, but that can always wait until we are at a safe altitude. On a similar note, we did 2 EFATOs today. Now I know (generally) what to do, but some difficulties have arisen. Once in a safe nose-down attitude maintaining flying speed (which to be honest the aircraft pretty much does by itself when the power is removed) the priority is to select a field for the resulting forced landing. On the first attempt today I was too hesitant with my choice, on the second I made a choice but as we got closer I realised that there was a nasty dip in the middle of the selected field. I find myself asking 'can I make such and such a field from here in a glide descent?' or 'that field is still quite far away, how do I know if the surface is ok?'. Obviously EFATOs need more practice too. On a positive note, the instructor commented that in the landing I am flaring at exactly the right time. This is the second lesson, with the second instructor, where I have been told this. I mentioned that I am not aware of anything special I am doing to judge the timing of the flare, but rather that it is all happening subconsciously. He said that that was a good thing.

Route: Rwy 22 circuit around EGAD.
Weather: Partly cloudy, light southerly wind.

Exam: 2

Meteorology
30/11/07

Sat the Met exam today and passed with 95%. Some of the questions were a little tricky & I was very pleased to get such a high mark. A note about the one question I got wrong: I admittedly wasn't sure about the answer but had narrowed it down to two options. The one I had originally selected was correct, but literally as I was walking out the door I changed it :-( Aw well......

After the exam I was offered a bit of flying (as another student had cancelled). The weather was good and there was a hint that solo would be possible. Sadly, I was pushed for time (I'm fortunate to only work a half day on Fridays, however the school run dictates some of the afternoon's schedule). Dang!

Lesson: 28
01/12/07
Lesson time: 0h40m
Total time: 21h45m (0h10m solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCE

Instructor: R.McConnell

A windy day, too windy for any solo flying (still awaiting my second solo). But we went up and did some more dual circuits. The wind was straight down rwy 22, so no crosswind practice today either :-(. The conditions were rough however, but the instructor said that I did really well. Crosswind and base legs required pointing the nose into the wind, while on downwind we were hitting 130kts ground speed (in such conditions power can be reduced on downwind to slow things down if required). The approaches were ok, the wind made a bit of a difference but perhaps the most challenging thing was the effect of the wind passing over a small hill on the 22 approach. Now having just passed the Met exam I am fully aware of the dangers of flying near hills/mountains in strong winds, but the effect of even such a small hill was really surprising. Just after turning final the downdraughts caused us to get a bit low, so add power, no problem. However, once past the top of the hill (at about 500ft aal) the updraughts were encountered, requiring power off and final stage of flap. All of this made it difficult to fly a stabilised approach, but I am now well able to apply the appropriate corrections if too high or too low. In fact we touched down just past the numbers almost every time (except one time when we touched down just before). The touchdowns were quite smooth too (given my limited experience) and used very little runway due to the very low ground speed. On the final landing however a gust of wind caused a balloon, which resulted in a heavier landing (maybe a go-around would have been a better option). Given the gusty conditions, I tried to fly the approach a little faster (70kts instead of 65). After the lesson the instructor seemed pleased and reminded me that he hadn't touched the controls once during the lesson.

Route: Rwy 22 circuit, EGAD.

Weather: Partly cloudy (low sun causing some visibility problems on crosswind leg), windy (est. 25-30kts).

Lesson: 29
14/12/07
Lesson time: 0h50m
Total time: 22h35m (0h10m solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCG

Instructor: D.Hodgkinson

More circuits today, again the weather precluded solo though:-(. The wind was moderate, 15kts, from the south, which meant that there was a significant crosswind on rwy 22. Perfect for practising those crosswind landings! I have to say though that overall this was a slightly dissatisfying lesson. It was necessary to fly slightly into wind to maintain the rectangular shape of the circuit - I know this by now of course but with the exception of the last circuit I'm not sure I did it so well today. That's not to say my circuits were really bad, just not satisfyingly good. But what really surprised me was that after nearly a two week break since my last lesson I felt a bit 'rusty'. I have had two week breaks before, but previously with little effect on my flying abilities. I did feel quite tired today, though, and the flying was hard work in the weather conditions (I guess that this too is all good experience and will be useful to remember once I get my licence). But I do feel that some progress was made today - I made a conscious effort (despite one or two poor approaches) to transition from the crab approach into wing-down and then to flare normally. The landings were generally fairly untidy but the touchdowns almost without exception were smooth. I also remembered (sometimes) to point aileron into wind once on the ground. On the last landing a gust of wind blew us to the right side of the runway while commencing the flare. I was prepared to go around but the instructor wanted me to continue. The resulting landing was again untidy but quite smooth. So the result of this lesson is that I am getting a real feel for how much rudder is required in the sideslip (to keep the aircraft pointing straight down the runway), and how much aileron is needed to maintain the wing-down attitude. More practice needed - bring it on!

Route: Rwy 22 circuit, EGAD.

Weather: Mostly cloudy, moderate southerly wind.

Lesson: 30
21/12/07
Lesson time: 0h50m
Total time: 23h25m (0h10m solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCH

Instructor: D.Hodgkinson

In a few days it will be Christmas and the big day itself will mark two whole months since my first solo. Sadly the weather has not permitted any addition whatsoever to my paltry total of ten minutes solo time. This is just starting to become a little frustrating. I can clearly recall the amazing feeling of flying solo for the first time and the silly grin that persisted for ages thereafter. I miss that feeling and really want to do it again. Aw well, that's our weather I guess, especially at this time of year. I just have to deal with it! The time since then has shown me however that there are a number of other aspects of the PPL course that need more work, and this must be done dual. Today we had a light ten knot wind from the southeast, so great for more x-wind practice on 22. I've found that transitioning from the crab to the sideslip significantly before the flare gives me time to stabilise the last bit of the approach once in the sideslip, freeing up much needed brain capacity for the flare and landing. Today the instructor suggested we try a couple of flapless approaches/landings. In this configuration I apparently found the x-wind landings easier - the aircraft appeared more stable. One particularly satisfying approach/landing was with two 172's holding in the 'triangle' (rwys 16/34 and 08/26, which intersect 04/22). In their full view I approached flapless and wing-down and flared for an absolute greaser of a landing just beyond the numbers :-). Right on the centreline too! So after this lesson I think I am really getting a feel for the crab/wing-down approach in crosswind conditions. Lots more satisfying than last week's lesson, when I was admittedly tired and, to be honest, feeling less confident than today. I *still* crave that second solo, though.......

Route: Rwy 22 circuit, EGAD.

Weather: Mostly cloudy, light south-easterly wind. Visibility poor (just about good enough for circuits).

Lesson: 31
28/12/07
Lesson time: 0h50m
Total time: 24h15m (0h10m solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCF

Instructor: S.McNeill

More circuit-bashing today, and gusty conditions meant that it was all dual yet again. The wind was just 10° off the runway direction, and at 10-15kts it wasn't too strong. So while some crosswind correction was needed on final, it wasn't very much. However the gusts (up to 23kts) made things significantly more difficult - the technique used in the previous lesson of stabilising a wing-down approach significantly before the flare did not work. Instead the approach constantly needed corrections all the way, meaning once again a high load on my CPU for the landing. Now things didn't work out too bad, the landings were quite smooth and with only one exception pretty much on the centreline. However the same comment was made as in the last lesson, that the landings were a bit 'flat', i.e. that more back pressure is required to maintain a more nose-up attitude and protect the nose wheel. But try as I might (and did), the high workload in the final stages of the approach and landing prevented a very significant improvement. The instructor said that I was inclined to over-correct the approach in the gusty conditions. I also seem to have developed a tendency to keep some power on for the landing, maybe not unrelated to the poor conditions I have experienced in recent lessons. Just some stuff to remember for the next lesson :-). The instructor said that my next priorities should be solo circuits (if the weather is good enough), or the first nav flights (if the weather is ok but not good enough for solo circuits). He suggested that I get an instructor to give me a nav brief in the not too distant future. Which reminds me also that I need to finish preparing for the Human Performance exam so that I can move on to reading nav. More work to do... great :-).

Route: Rwy 22 circuit, EGAD.

Weather: Gusty wind, heavy showers in the vicinity, reducing vis to barely acceptable levels at times.

Lesson: N/A
11/01/08
Lesson time: N/A
Total time: 24h15m (0h10m solo)

Location: N/A

Aircraft: N/A

Instructor: N/A

LESSON CANCELLED DUE TO POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS. Well it had to happen sometime! Sadly it was a perfectly calm day, but fog intervened.

Route: N/A.

Weather: Calm but with fog moving in and frost slow to clear, also extremely cold (2°C).

Lesson: N/A
18/01/08
Lesson time: N/A
Total time: 24h15m (0h10m solo)

Location: N/A

Aircraft: N/A

Instructor: N/A

LESSON CANCELLED DUE TO POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS. Seems it's like waiting for a bus then, more than 30 lessons before having one cancelled due to bad weather, then two come along at once :-). I phoned the club first this time, but was told that while they had done some flying earlier, the wind was getting worse and heavy showers were approaching. I was advised that it may be better to leave it for another day :-)

Route: N/A.

Weather: Overcast and very windy, moderate rain showers, 13°C.

Exam: 3

Human Performance and Limitations
22/02/08

Exam time again, this one took longer than expected to prepare for due to many, many different factors, but finally got round to doing it and I'm pleased to say I passed, and with a clean sheet too! With that out of the way I can now give Nav my full attention!

Lesson: N/A
29/02/08
Lesson time: N/A
Total time: 24h55m (0h10m solo)

Location: N/A

Aircraft: N/A

Instructor: N/A

LESSON CANCELLED DUE TO POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS. Another overcast, wet and very windy day. No flying at the club today......

Route: N/A.

Weather: Overcast, wet, gales.

Purchases (these are becoming necessary as I start to read Nav): 1:250000 chart (N.Ireland), 16" scale rule, square protractor, pens, chinagraph pencils, eraser, flight board.

Lesson: N/A
07/03/08
Lesson time: N/A
Total time: 24h55m (0h10m solo)

Location: N/A

Aircraft: N/A

Instructor: N/A

LESSON CANCELLED DUE TO POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS. A windy day, so I phoned before going to the club. They said they were flying, even taking gift voucher customers! When I arrived at the club, the windsock was horizontal. Expecting the inevitable, I went in and asked the receptionist if she was sure they were flying. She said yes, of course, so I went back to the car and got my stuff. However, almost as soon as I got to the lounge the instructor gave me the bad news, the wind was gusting to 35kts and there would be no flying. But all was not lost, we did some more Nav exercises instead.

Route: N/A.

Weather: Partly cloudy, scattered showers, very windy.

Lesson: 33
14/03/08
Lesson time: 0h30m
Total time: 25h25m (0h10m solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCG

Instructor: R.McConnell

Another slightly frustrating day, not because of the weather which was unusually fine, but due to delays at the club. Only one instructor was available, and another pilot had been squeezed in at the last minute to get checked out on one of the club's new glass cockpit 172s. As a result my lesson was delayed for an hour. With time now short for me, I was only able to go up for half an hour. In that time we managed 3 circuits, all dual. Once again it had been some time since my last flight (5 weeks), and this time I felt *very* slightly 'rusty'. This was overcome very quickly though, and the instructor said once again that he wouldn't have known I hadn't been flying for 5 weeks. The first two landings were 'greasers' (the instructor asked if we had touched down yet - ha ha). But he did comment that I had left a very slight amount of power on for these landings. So I decided that all power would come off for the last landing of the day. Now here

Some questions I had on the PFL:

Q: Fields can be mucky especially at this time of year, could the nose gear become embedded and flip the aircraft over?

A: It's possible, but even then you will most likely survive. The big thing in PFLs is making sure you make the field rather than hitting some obstacle, or stalling by not maintaining the appropriate airspeed.

Q: You mentioned that there are a number of disused airfields in the local area. This may be a better option than a field, but if the airfield has been disused for some time you won't know what the surface is like, and it may be hard to tell from >2000ft. At least a field is relatively soft :-)

A: True, but it's all a matter of using your best judgement at the time. The key is survivability, and both a mucky field and a disused runway full of pot-holes are survivable. On the other hand, if the disused runway surface is good, it's going to be much better than a field.

I'll update this summary as deemed necessary, as much for my own information as anything else.

UPDATE (19/04/08): A different instructor has suggested that 1500ft may be nearer the (desired) mark when abeam the desired touchdown point - after all, a bit too much height is better than a bit too little. And 1000ft at that point may be cutting it too fine.

Route: N/A.

Weather: Partly cloudy, light rain, windy.

Well right now I'm wondering how to write up what may just be my most disappointing lesson yet. With an instructor whom I had done some groundwork with previously, but had never before flown with, we started with a PFL brief before deciding to do some crosswind circuits instead. It was rwy 04 too, so a welcome chance to rectify some of the problems encountered in the last lesson, I hoped. But how different things felt today! Last week there was little wind, today there was a moderate (and gusty) easterly blowing, and conditions aloft were quite bumpy. Now the significant headwind precluded the main problem I had in the last lesson, i.e. coming in too high, but a side effect was that we now had a crosswind component of around 10kts. Now like in the last lesson, everything up to and including the takeoff was fine, but it was mostly downhill from there. Concentrating hard on flying the circuit correctly (which I did better than last week), I missed some radio calls. In the wing-down approach, I had trouble keeping the aircraft flying straight down the centreline (particularly just before touchdown). I think I didn't use enough opposite rudder, or perhaps it was just that the wind was gusty - I don't really know. Just prior to the flare, the instructor said I tended to give up correcting the aircraft's track, resulting in some drift towards the left hand side of the runway (this was not helped by the couple of occasions where I forgot to remove the left rudder after touchdown). Touchdowns were generally messy, although I think one of the landings was reasonable, but when on the ground I forgot to use the crosswind landing/takeoff practice of pointing aileron into wind. After this lesson the instructor said I did fine and not to worry about the things that went wrong. We took some time to consider these things but we really didn't come to any hard and fast conclusions as to how they went wrong -which increases my frustration. Today I felt in need of some encouragement - but got the opposite.

Route: Rwy 04 circuit, EGAD.

Weather: Cloudy, quite windy, whatever....

Some additional comments on the last lesson (or the last two lessons, or whatever):

OK, 24 hrs have passed and I've thought a little about the last lesson, not over-analysed it (I think), but have come up with 3 contributing factors to the relatively disappointing end result:

1. Unfamiliarity and lack of practice in the right hand 04 circuit - as all of the other circuits at EGAD are left hand, and rwy 04 is only used in the relatively uncommon event of a northeasterly or easterly wind.

2. My old nemesis, the crosswind landing - which apparently I have not yet completely mastered, especially when the wind is gusty. And I have not had any crosswind practice since last year!

3. An 'instructor' factor. Am I trying to impress a new instructor? (not sure about this). Also, some instructors are more exacting, which makes things a bit less comfortable for me. Looking back over my lessons to date, there is a definite correlation (not 100% reliable of course) between how comfortable I am with the instructor and my resulting performance. But I refuse to 'avoid' certain instructors (even where that is possible, which it usually isn't anyway). Bottom line, some day I will have to fly with an examiner (whom I may not have flown with before) and will need to impress him sufficiently to gain a pass in my skills test.

Let's leave this discussion right here - and get on with it and make the next lesson a good one!

Lesson: 36
25/04/08
Lesson time: 0h40m
Total time: 27h35m (0h10m solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCE

Instructor: A.Miller

Before I start writing up this week's lesson, I want to add something to my comments regarding the previous lesson. After a brief discussion with today's instructor, his comments were 'Oh, in poor weather conditions it's all about getting down safely, it doesn't have to be too precise'. And perhaps that is also part of why last week's lesson was disappointing - I expected too much of myself, when in fact my approaches were fine (or at least not too bad) given the conditions - although there were one or two issues in the landings which will need addressed. Anyway, enough of this. Today we did several circuits on rwy 22, and with a noticeable crosswind. However today the crosswind wasn't as strong, and wasn't gusty, which made flying the wing-down approach fairly straightforward. It was raining slightly though, which affected visibility in the flare and landing. But given the above the landings were reasonably good and the circuits were quite tight. Today the weather conditions were once again poor enough to preclude solo, but that wasn't too important, I was just glad to have a decent lesson. A pragmatic attitude I guess, especially since it is SIX MONTHS TO THE DAY SINCE MY FIRST (AND AS YET ONLY) SOLO.

Footnote to today's lesson: During the lesson we did a 'bad weather' or 'low level' circuit, for the purposes of avoiding (in fact overtaking :-) another aircraft in the circuit. Here is a summary (in words only) of how this is done:

1. Take off normally, carry out after take-off checks and trim at 300ft.

2. Turn left (usually) and level out at 500ft, airspeed 75-80kts (i.e. slower than usual).

3. Continue turning into downwind at about half the normal distance from the runway (half the distance of a 'normal' 1000ft circuit).

4. Once abeam the upwind end of the runway, make radio call, something like 'Scrabo xx, downwind runway two two, low level circuit'. It's important to include the 'low level circuit' since someone else may be downwind on a 'normal' circuit and would subsequently become very concerned about nearby traffic :-).

5. Carry out pre-landing checks - BUMPFFFICH etc.

6. Once abeam the downwind end of the runway, take one stage flap (airspeed 70kts) and begin a left (usually) turn which will end on final.

7. When at 90° to the runway (this would be 'base' in a 'normal' circuit), take 2nd stage flap. Continue descending at 70kts.

8. As the continuing turn takes the aircraft onto final, make radio call 'Scrabo xx turning short final runway two two'.

9. Take final stage flap; approach and land normally.

Route: Rwy 22 circuit, EGAD.

Weather: Cloudy, lightish winds, some rain.

Lesson: 37
02/05/08
Lesson time: 0h40m
Total time: 28h15m (0h10m solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCG

Instructor: D.Hodgkinson

First flight with the CFI for a while, flying circuits on rwy 16 with a moderate and slightly gusty wind straight down the runway. We did 5 circuits, and the old problem with rwy 16 (I refer you to lesson #20) made an initial appearance (i.e. flying a non-rectangular circuit). There is definitely some sort of visual illusion going on with rwy 16! However this improved during the lesson with the last circuit in particular being much better. The approaches were fine, although they varied from quite flat (on one circuit) to fairly steep (on one or two of the others). One comment that was made was that I was occasionally applying some power in the final stages of the approach to correct a falling airspeed, the correct way to deal with this is of course to pitch down (and then apply some power if we are too low). I commented that at 100ft or less there is not much time to do all that! (that was my excuse anyway). The airspeed may have been dropping because of a changing wind near the ground. On a couple of occasions we ballooned in the flare, but they were fairly small balloons so this was corrected rather than going around.

PS Not even going to mention the S-word. I'm absolutely fed up talking/speculating about that, it'll happen when it happens........

Route: Rwy 16 circuit, EGAD.

Weather: Partly cloudy, slightly gusty wind straight down the runway.

Lesson: 38
16/05/08
Lesson time: 0h55m
Total time: 29h10m (0h10m solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCG

Instructor: R.McConnell

I started off with a 'feeling' about today (similar to the feeling I had when driving to the club on 25/10/07 - see lesson #23). Weather was good, I was feeling confident and was due to fly with an instructor with whom I was very comfortable and who had previously been keen to get me 'off on my own'. Could 'this' finally be "the" day.....??? Well everything was fine until we took off and discovered that the 5kt wind was almost all crosswind. No matter, it wasn't gusty. But the first approach was just ok, and the aircraft wouldn't stabilise well in the wing-down approach. Another approach was way too high, even for me, although we still got down just past the numbers. In two flapless approaches (the second an improvement on the first) I had difficulty losing airspeed (haven't practised these for a while obviously). Finally the instructor came up with a priceless nugget of information - in the wing-down approach I am using rudder with opposite aileron, which is correct, but after applying the opposite aileron I am tending to try to re-centre the control column, as if I am in a turn. This results in constant further adjustments and is causing difficulty in flying the approach. In addition, I am tending to centre both the rudder and the control column in the flare, this too is not correct as the wing-down approach and track down the runway centreline must be maintained until the wheels are on the ground. Furthermore it is important to maintain into-wind aileron on the ground in case a gust of wind lifts the into-wind wing. In the wing-down approach the flare must occur with the opposite aileron still on (although any rudder must be removed prior to the nose wheel touching down). The result of my (incorrect) action was late drift off the centreline. Now why the <insert profanity of your choice here> hasn't any other instructor pointed this out to me before now!!!!???? Anyway with this info in mind the last approach and landing were *much* better, but of course more practice is required. Right - that's absolutely all I have to say about today's lesson. Can you sense my frustration? 'Nuff said.

Route: Rwy 22 circuit, EGAD.

Weather: Part cloudy, light southeasterly wind, 18°C.

Recent purchases: ½-mil charts for Nav exam (Southern England; Northern England and Northern Ireland).

A fine day today but with a 10-15kt easterly wind. Hence it was rwy 04 with a very significant crosswind - perfect :-). And for sure the right hand 04 circuit itself went significantly better today, much tighter than before - it's almost becoming familiar now. The crosswind takeoff procedure was necessary, using into-wind aileron until 60-65kts, then centre and pull back almost instantaneously - easy :-). Now for the difficult bit - the approach and landing. We tackled this today in 3 stages:

(i) Use the 'crab' approach until 100-200ft off the ground, keeping bum on centreline - note this is not just as easy at it sounds since the view from the left seat makes you think you are too far right when in fact you are on the centreline.

(ii) At 100-200ft agl, establish the wing-down approach as before, using sufficient rudder to keep the nose pointing straight down the centreline and opposite aileron to prevent sideways drift. Note: the amount of rudder & opposite aileron changes as the ground approaches (wind is different), requiring the pilot to adjust accordingly - this is still difficult for now.

(iii) At flare height, keep the crossed controls and flare normally. Keep into-wind aileron after landing.

With the above in mind, some progress was made, but really I can't believe that after all these months I am still apparently struggling with crosswind landings. They just feel unnatural and unintuitive (instructor says this feeling is normal). And now I am still circuit-bashing (with evidence that more work is required in the circuit) with 30 hrs total time. Honestly, I feel that things are not progressing as quickly as I would like. Furthermore, the cost of flying has recently increased significantly and financially an hour a week is not going to be sustainable long-term. That's not to say that I found today's lesson disappointing - not so, progress is being made, if a little more slowly than I would like. If I *ever* get a calm day I can start building up these mythical 3 hours solo in the circuit, if not then we can do some x-wind practice or early nav flights. And to be completely honest, the groundwork is not progressing at a lightning fast pace either, it's going to be some weeks yet before I am ready to take the Nav exam. Let's see what next week brings.

Route: Rwy 04 circuit, EGAD.

Weather: Mostly sunny, moderate easterly wind, 18°C.

Some further comments at this time:

Well 24hrs have passed since the last lesson & I find myself once again taking a critical look at how things are progressing. In truth, it's a bit much to expect that I could get through something like the PPL without some sort of problems/frustrations/doubts. When I started this diary I did consider the possibility (probability?)  that any honest write-up would have low points as well as high points, but it probably wouldn't be too far off the mark to say that it seems to have been largely downhill since my first only solo flight (with the last 2 months being particularly frustrating). In particular:

- I am utterly frustrated at the circumstances which have consistently conspired to prevent any further solo flying (7 months and counting.....).

- I am frustrated/concerned about the difficulties I am still having with crosswind landings.

- I am concerned about notching up 30 hours total time with absolutely no nav flights done, virtually none of the 3hrs solo in the circuit done, and several other parts of the course not done or not fully done.

- I am concerned that the cost has significantly increased. Originally I was ok with the cost (at that time) of one lesson per week (occasionally two per week at the beginning), but only for the anticipated duration of the PPL training. £145 per hour (currently), once per week, is *not* financially sustainable long-term, and it is becoming blatantly obvious to me that this is not going to be completed in the minimum 45 hours, or perhaps even close (who knows).

So there, I said it, an honest assessment of where I think I am at the moment. I do hope that what I am describing right now is the low point in all of this, and that shortly I will have a much more positive outlook. That's going to depend on significant progress being made in some of the above areas, though. I can't help feeling that if I didn't have the one solo flight (and bear in mind that I believe that one or two of the instructors I have flown with, had I been with them exclusively from the beginning, may never have sent me solo even once), I may have become disillusioned and possibly even packed it in! Not saying that is what would have happened, but if I had no solo at all I may well have been considering my options before now :-(). But 30 hours total reminds me that I have spent at least £4000 to date, now I'm kinda stuck because I can't give up that investment. And let's be honest, on all but the most disappointing days, this has been soooooo much fun :-). So there's nothing for it but to keep plodding on in the hope that the summer provides some great flying weather so that I can progress as I now feel I need to. Anyway, gripe over, just felt I had to vent some more of the frustration. It's up to me (at least partially) to get it sorted.

Lesson: 40
30/05/08
Lesson time: 0h55m (0h25m solo)
Total time: 31h05m (0h35m solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCE

Instructor: R.McConnell

Well maybe, finally, things are beginning to go right :-). The wind was light today, but quite variable between approximately 020° and 090°. So once again it was rwy 04. Not that that is a problem now as I'm finding this circuit almost as familiar as that of rwy 22 (thanks to weeks of easterly and northeasterly winds). So off we (fairly confidently) went. There was little if any wind correction required, so the circuits were quite tight and the touchdowns reasonably smooth. The instructor sprang an EFATO on me, which was interesting on rwy 04 as departure is over a built-up area. There is however a cemetery on a small hill, so that was the obvious aiming point. The instructor explained that there is no need to worry about ploughing through headstones (or hedges, fences or even walls) as such impacts are survivable so long as the aircraft touches down at flying speed. To stall or spin, on the other hand, is unlikely to be survivable (I knew this already). On the third landing the instructor asked me to aim to touch down half way down the runway rather than aim for the numbers (at this point I began to have maybe a vague idea what he was possibly about to do). Well I overshot the mid-point slightly but still landed with plenty of runway to spare (but no chance of a t&g). He then asked me to taxi up to the apron, whereupon he said 'ok then, off you go, enjoy yourself'. So after 7 months' wait I was finally dispatched off on my second solo. He recommended that I do 3 circuits, so off I went, holding for 2 departing aircraft before commencing the long taxi to the rwy 04 threshold. I then had to wait for a microlight doing a touch & go. I gave it plenty of time, waiting until it was almost about to turn downwind before commencing my take-off roll. The 3 solo circuits were if anything tighter than the 3 dual ones, but the landings weren't really any better. I think there was some wind effect, with little gusts as I got close to the ground, but no crosswind technique was necessary to track the centreline on final. Anyway this was finally a really encouraging lesson. Finally I'd just like to say how comfortable I have been with flying solo so far (even if today's landings weren't 100% together). I am definitely more relaxed (in some ways at least) with no one watching over my shoulder. One effect it does have is to focus some attention on other traffic in the circuit, both visually and by listening to the radio. Today there was a microlight and two helicopters in the circuit, although they didn't get in my way at any time.

Route: Rwy 04 circuit, EGAD.

Weather: Mostly sunny, light northeasterly wind, 22°C.

Lesson: 41
06/06/08
Lesson time: 0h50m (0h20m solo)
Total time: 31h55m (0h55m solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCE

Instructor: A.Miller

Good weather conditions again today, so we did two circuits (with smooth touchdowns). On the third circuit the instructor called a go-around, which was duly carried out to his satisfaction. He then announced he would be getting out after the next landing 'so make it a good one'. And a reasonably good one it was, too. Pulling up on the apron, I caught sight of my parents and my son sitting at the picnic area outside the clubhouse (this was unexpected). I told the instructor, joking that I may now be subject to the 'audience effect'. Maybe that wasn't the best thing to say, perhaps it caused him some concern :-). But I told him I was fine with it, so he got out and I did 3 circuits as per the previous lesson (except in the opposite direction - rwy 22 :-). The first two solo landings were just ok, but the third one was good. From where he was sitting it must have looked ok, since he was very pleased (or relieved?) afterwards. One thing I did notice was that the wind, although light, was variable in direction, and on my last two solo circuits I had to crab very slightly into wind on the approach. Just before flaring I used a little rudder to get straight with the centreline and landed pretty much correctly each time. So a bit more solo time on the clock!

Route: Rwy 22 circuit, EGAD

Weather: Mostly cloudy, light winds, 17°C.

Lesson: N/A
27/06/08
Lesson time: N/A
Total time: 31h55m (0h55m solo)

Location: N/A

Aircraft: N/A

Instructor: N/A

LESSON CANCELLED DUE TO POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS.

Now not having got flying until around 3.00, I left the club at about 4.10 and went home, collecting the kids from my parents' house (and having a bit of a chat) on the way. Arriving home, Fiona was already there, and it was almost time to go out again (I had already been given a heads-up that I was being taken out for dinner - with kids and their grandparents - at a very nice local Indian restaurant). So I finished the day with a nice chicken tikka vindaloo (curry - the food of kings - yum!) and a bit of craic at my mother-in-law's afterwards :-).

Route: Rwy 16 circuit, EGAD

Weather: Partly cloudy, fairly light wind straight down rwy 16, 22°C.

Note: Having just turned the page in my logbook I have (on the advice of an instructor) changed to logging decimal hours - which I will do here also. This is apparently the approach recommended by the CAA (despite the 'example' page in the logbook which uses hours and minutes). It's still a matter of choice I guess, but it's a whole lot easier to calculate the totals!!!

Lesson: 49
29/08/08
Lesson time: 1.4h (0.2h solo)
Total time: 39.9h (3.0h solo)

Location: EGAD; EGAA

Aircraft: G-UFCE

Instructor: R.McConnell

Well with another aircraft at Aldergrove I got the chance to fly up there again (and again without having to pay the landing fee :-). It was uneventful both ways this time (thankfully), with routing outbound via Lisburn and back via a route passing just south of Belfast. This time I did more of the radio work myself, although it was still a challenge - with long clearances in particular being very tricky to read back. It may be useful to quickly jot these down (in shorthand) in future. Also at times I found it difficult to make out what the controller was saying. Once again the procedure was: Contact Belfast (City) Approach (130.85) when leaving the Ards circuit; they then passed us over to Aldergrove approach/radar (128.50), who then passed us to Aldergrove Tower (118.30). On the return leg, Aldergrove Tower passed us to Aldergrove Approach, who (interestingly, on this occasion) passed us on to Belfast (City) Tower (122.825), who finally passed us on to Ards A/G (128.30). The runway in use at Aldergrove was 25, so we approached (and departed) in the opposite direction from last time. On arriving back at Ards, we did 2 circuits in light x-wind conditions, whereafter I was sent off for one on my own, completing my required 3 hours solo in the circuit!!!

Route: EGAD - Comber - Lisburn - Stonyford - Nutt's Corner - EGAA; EGAA - South of Belfast - EGAD; Rwy 22 circuit, EGAD.

Weather: Dry but mostly cloudy, light winds, 22°C.

Lesson: 50
19/09/08
Lesson time: 0.6h
Total time: 40.5h (3.0h solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCJ

Instructor: S.Carbery

Well after a 3-week break (which was unavoidable due to school pickup times!) I went down to the club with the first two nav exercises already semi-planned. Unfortunately the cloud base seemed low, so I wasn't hopeful. And sure enough, reading the TAFs at the club, the base was expected to be 1200ft or so in places. With a nav ex ruled out, the instructor asked if I had done advanced turning (i.e. steep turns). Well I had done these once before, but I commented that it would do no harm to refresh my memory, if only for half an hour or so. This became even more attractive when we realised that the only aircraft that would be available was one of the new G1000 (glass cockpit) 172s (which I hadn't flown before). The first thing I found out was that the pre-flight checks for these aircraft are different and I would need to obtain a revised checklist which covered both types of 172s available at the club. Well some time was spent on the ground becoming familiar with the G1000 PFD/MFD (primary and multifunction flight displays). But after a short while it came together and seemed fairly intuitive (I must admit I had a quick look at the G1000 simulator with another instructor about a month ago). So off we went, leaving the circuit and doing our steep turns (which came together quite well given that the last (and only) time I had done them was near the end of last year). Returning to the Ards circuit, we landed on rwy 22, taxied back to the apron, and followed the slightly different shutdown procedure for the G1000 172.

Unfortunately due once again to school pickups, my next booking is 17th October :-(.

Route: Down the Ards peninsula and back!

Weather: Mostly cloudy, light winds, 18°C.

Purchases: G1000/NII combined 172 checklist.

Lesson: 51
17/10/08
Lesson time: 0.8h
Total time: 41.3h (3.0h solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCG

Instructor: S.Carbery

Well it's been 4 weeks since my last lesson but weather was good today so we set out on our first nav ex. Prior to the flight the wind was obtained and the wizzy-wheel used to calculate headings, ground speeds and time estimates. The route was Comber - Bishopscourt - Hillsborough - Comber, the latter part of which requires a transit through controlled airspace (or, failing that, a diversion!). Overhead Comber it was time to take up our first heading. The instructor suggested I remember four T's: Twist (heading bug), Turn (on to heading), Time (log ETD), Talk (ATC). So once on heading, we called up EGAC: "Belfast Approach, Scrabo xx, request zone transit and flight information service". The reply: "Scrabo xx, pass your message", which was followed by: "Scrabo xx is a one seven two, overhead Comber two two, one thousand five hundred feet, nav ex routing Comber Bishopscourt Hillsborough Comber, not above two thousand, VFR". The controller then replied "Scrabo xx, report overhead Bishopscourt, flight information service, QNH one zero one seven", to which I replied "Report overhead Bishopscourt, QNH one zero one seven, flight information service, Scrabo xx". Once on the calculated heading we carried out a FREDA check and adjusted the bug/heading accordingly. Using major and minor features on the chart, we kept track of our position enroute. At the half way point of the first leg, we found ourselves approximately 9° to the right of track. A correction of 18° to the left ensued, and we caught sight of Bishopscourt shortly afterwards. On turning to the heading for the next leg (4 T's again) we reported our position to EGAC, who requested that we report reaching Hillsborough. Again we identified chart features on the ground. Shortly after the half way mark we were approximately 8-9° to the left of track, so turned 16° right. FREDA checks were carried out every 10-15 minutes. Note that the latter part of this leg took us through controlled airspace starting at 1500ft, but note also that on asking us to report Hillsborough, EGAC had effectively cleared us to proceed through this airspace. On turning at Hillsborough (and reporting), EGAC cleared us to transit the controlled airspace ahead of us (which goes down to the surface), not above two thousand, and asked us to report over Comber. Once we reported over Comber, we quickly informed them that we would be rejoining the Ards circuit and would be changing frequency. Whereupon we joined left downwind for rwy 22. Back into circuit mode then, and being a little rusty I sadly made a clumsy crosswind landing, not due to the crosswind technique itself (which was apparently fine), but due to not reducing power completely to idle :-(. But a successful lesson nonetheless. One other thing to remember, once the destination is positively identified (preferably using about 3 chart features), it is possible to fly visually directly towards it - other than this the heading bug is where the nose should be pointing.

Route: Comber - Bishopscourt - Hillsborough - Comber (Exercise 18A1).

Weather: Partly cloudy, light-moderate wind, 13°C.

Milestones: First nav ex (at last)!!!

Lesson: 52
31/10/08
Lesson time: 1.0h
Total time: 42.3h (3.0h solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCG

Instructor: S.Carbery

Well today in glorious autumn sunshine we set off on nav-ex #2, which is in fact the same as nav-ex #1, but in the opposite direction. The added complication here is that the first leg requires the zone transit, so if it is not forthcoming then it is necessary to orbit over Comber and possibly plan a diversion. And that is what happened today - EGAC responded with 'Scrabo xx remain clear of controlled airspace and pass your details'. Well we passed our details but no clearance was forthcoming. Now here is where things get a little hazy. The instructor drew a line on the chart from Comber to Ballynahinch, and asked me to estimate the desired track, which I did with very little difficulty. He then guestimated a heading based on the forecast wind. We took up that heading and confirmed the route from chart features, reporting over Saintfield. At Ballynahinch EGAC asked us to proceed to Hillsborough, 'not above one thousand five hundred', i.e. avoiding the CTA above (only a couple of minutes later a bmi A319 passed above us on final to EGAC). I kept us at around 1400ft to allow a 100ft safety margin. Then the instructor asked me to estimate the desired track to Hillsborough; again I didn't find this too difficult. At Hillsborough we turned 180° and took up our planned heading to Bishopscourt, again not above 1500ft. Once clear of the CTA the instructor asked EGAC if we could climb to 2000ft, since the nav-ex had been more difficult at 1400ft. The rest of the exercise went pretty much as planned, and it's becoming a little easier to identify features (I think). Once over Comber we changed frequency back to Ards, and with rwy 04 in use I elected to join overhead as there was insufficient time to go 'straight in'. Diversions will have to be covered more fully, possibly in the next lesson. The R/T also needs more work as I faltered on the long clearance readbacks today (it's not easy).

Route: Comber - diversion via Saintfield and Ballynahinch - Hillsborough - Bishopscourt - Comber (Exercise 18A2).

Weather: Partly cloudy, lightish winds, cool (10°C).

Comment:

The aircraft that I did my first solo in (G-UFCE) has been badly damaged and may be written off, due to a runway overshoot in bad weather last week. Apparently the fuselage, prop and possibly the engine have been damaged. No one was injured thankfully. This also means that there is only one 'conventional' 172 at the club for now.

Lesson: 53
14/11/08
Lesson time: 1.0h
Total time: 43.3h (3.0h solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCG

Instructor: R.McConnell

If the list of nav exercises is to be believed the next thing for me to do is the same route as in lesson #52....... SOLO! But to me this is too early and I didn't feel I was ready for it, so we agreed to do it dual. It was a cloudy and very windy day (much too windy for solo anyway), so off we went. This time I made a much better job of the radio calls (getting confused only, er, twice I think, in the whole lesson). Climbing out over Comber we contacted Belfast and requested a zone transit. The reply.... 'remain clear at this time'. Great. But it was quiet and the instructor thought it was worth waiting for the clearance (whether or not to divert is of course a call that must be made by the pilot in command). After a few moments we were cleared to Hillsborough. The forecast wind was 245/40kt at 2000ft, so very different from the last lesson. And it was bumpy too, although not too bad. The route went pretty much as planned from there, only on the second leg did we find ourselves a bit off course, and we suspect that may have been due to a DI alignment during a FREDA check (it was hard to keep straight and level long enough to do this). Over Comber, we changed back to Newtownards and I planned to join the circuit on downwind for 22, but with a strong tailwind I found myself too high entering the circuit. The instructor said that it is important to be at 1000ft before joining the circuit as aircraft may be below and therefore difficult to see. Perhaps joining overhead, or on crosswind from the dead side, would have been more appropriate, especially in today's strong winds. Back in the circuit, all went pretty much according to plan, and the wind, although strong, was only 20° off the runway, so left rudder and a little right aileron produced a decent x-wind landing. At the end of the lesson the instructor said that I was ready to do it solo :-(). I'm not so sure!

Route: Comber - Hillsborough - Bishopscourt - Comber (Exercise 18A2).

Weather: Cloudy (base >2000ft), strong southwesterly wind, 14°C.

LESSON CANCELLED DUE TO POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS. It was quite breezy, overcast and beginning to rain, so I phoned the club before leaving work. They said the cloud base was very low and conditions were expected to deteriorate. So no flying today.

Lesson: 58
27/02/09
Lesson time: 1.1h (0.8h solo)
Total time: 47.9h (3.8h solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCG

Instructor: R.McConnell

The weather was good today, although there was a little x-wind on rwy 22. On arriving at the club it was clear that the instructor wanted me to do Exercise 18A3 - the first solo nav-ex, and my first solo flight outside the Ards circuit. So I planned it as he had lunch. First up we did 2 circuits as a check-out. The first was a standard circuit which went ok until the landing, which was a little un-polished. The second was a glide approach, where I made it in, flapless, only because the instructor decided to warm the engine briefly on the descent. Nevertheless, he was still (apparently) happy to send me on my way. Departing rwy 22 I levelled off over Comber at 1800ft and changed frequency to Belfast City (130.85).

Me: "Belfast Approach, Student Scrabo charlie golf, request zone transit and flight information service".

EGAC: "Scrabo charlie golf, pass your message"

Me: "Scrabo charlie golf is a one seven two, overhead Comber, one thousand nine hundred feet, QNH one zero one seven, nav-ex routing Comber - Hillsborough - Bishopscourt - Comber, not above two thousand, VFR"

EGAC: "Scrabo charlie golf, cleared to enter the zone towards Hillsborough, not above two thousand, QNH one zero one six, report Hillsborough, flight information service"

Me: "Cleared to enter the zone towards Hillsborough, not above two thousand, QNH one zero one six, flight information service, Scrabo charlie golf" <(did you spot what's missing :-)>

EGAC: "Scrabo charlie golf, report Hillsborough"

Me: "Report Hillsborough, Scrabo charlie golf".

Sooner or later I'll get the hang of reading back these long clearances!!! Anyway the rest of the exercise went really well, with landmarks appearing as and when they were expected, and ETIs accurate to one minute or so. On two of the legs I was a couple of degrees off track at the half-way points, so adjusted course by double the error, which had the desired effect in each case. Both vis and the overall flying conditions were good. EGAC provided traffic information on a couple of occasions, to which I replied with "copy traffic" or "roger". I reported turning at the end of each leg, although this had only been requested on two of the legs. Reaching Comber, I knew that rwy 22 would probably be in use at Ards, so approached Comber at around 1500ft with the intention of joining downwind at Ards:

Me: "Scrabo charlie golf, approaching Comber, Newtownards in sight"

EGAC: "Scrabo charlie golf, roger, freecall Newtownards radio on one two eight decimal three"

Me: "Newtownards one two eight decimal three, Scrabo charlie golf"

<change frequency>

Me: "Newtownards radio, Scrabo charlie golf, inbound over Comber and request airfield information"

EGAD (my instructor): "Scrabo charlie golf, runway in use two two, QNH/QFE one zero one seven, one aircraft just landed and backtracking"

Me: "Runway in use two two, QNH/QFE one zero one seven, Scrabo charlie golf"

Me: "Scrabo charlie golf, joining downwind for two two".

And join downwind I did, making very sure I was at the circuit height of 1000ft before entering the circuit. The rest of the circuit went well, but the resulting landing was, er, somewhat less than perfect :-(). After backtracking to the apron and shutting down, I went back to the clubhouse where the instructor congratulated me and explained that it was quite common for student nav-ex's to result in poor landings as they tend to relax as soon as they get back in the circuit, rather than once the aircraft is safely on the ground! I think this may have been a factor for me today - and I mentioned before leaving that I was feeling like I needed to do some circuits :-().

Route: EGAD - Comber - Hillsborough - Bishopscourt - Comber - EGAD.

Weather: Variable cloud cover, bases not below 2000ft, some very light drizzle over Downpatrick, sunny at Bishopscourt, 11°C.

Milestone: FIRST SOLO CROSS-COUNTRY!!

Presentation by Air Traffic Controllers from Belfast City Airport on ATSOCAS (Air Traffic Services Outside Controlled AirSpace)

06/03/09

Location: EGAD

A useful presentation on the forthcoming changes to Air Traffic Services, the most important of which to the private pilot are the changes to the Flight Information Service (FIS). From 12th March we will be requesting Basic Service rather than FIS - and we can expect much less in the way of traffic info than we have previously been used to. For more details see CAP 774. This was also a good chance to meet some of the controllers. We were invited to visit EGAC ATC to get more of an idea of what goes on there and I feel it would be worthwhile trying to make such a visit happen at some time in the future.

Lesson: 59
06/03/09
Lesson time: 1.0h
Total time: 48.9h (3.8h solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCG

Instructor: R.McConnell

Exercise 18A4: Comber - Tandragee - Ballynahinch. The first leg was straightforward as we were (almost straight away) given our clearance. We were however asked to report passing Hillsborough, only for this request to be changed later to 'Report Tandragee'. The wind was significantly different to that forecast though - this didn't put us off track on the first leg, but the leg was completed in 18 minutes rather than the estimated 23. By Tandragee the weather had deteriorated and vis was poor, but we were still able to identify the town (and Gilford and Banbridge before that). On the second leg however something went wrong. The resulting error in wind correction coupled with difficulty in setting the DI due to turbulence left us significantly right of track. This coupled with a much lower ground speed than expected, poor vis, and high ground on the nose, led to some concern. There are also few landmarks in the middle of this leg. However the heading wasn't vastly off and having identified the high ground as Slieve Croob, we soon saw Dromara and a few minutes later caught sight of Ballynahinch over to the left. The third leg was very straightforward as I identified that we were a couple of degrees right of track at Saintfield and made the appropriate correction which took us direct to Comber, after which I joined overhead for rwy 16 (there was a student solo in the circuit). Two things to learn from today's lesson: (1) Don't micro-navigate from the chart. Too much head down time on the second leg added to the problems. Instead steer accurate headings and identify landmarks at appropriate intervals. (2) Try to squeeze in an additional FREDA check at the beginning of each leg, to avoid going off track. However if the DI was in error at the beginning of the leg and is not changed throughout the leg, any correction part way along the leg should still work. Setting the DI correctly was difficult today as it was too bumpy.

Route: EGAD - Comber - Tandragee - Ballynahinch - Comber - EGAD.

Weather: Cloudy, becoming more so with low base (we flew at 1200-1300ft for part of the way), drizzle, cool (7°C).

Lesson: 60
13/03/09
Lesson time: 1.2h (0.9h solo)
Total time: 50.1h (4.7h solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCG

Instructor: R.McConnell

Exercise 18A5. This is the same exercise as per lesson #59, but is flown solo. There was a significant delay today, but once flying we went through the usual routine of a quick check-out (since there was a significant crosswind). Once the instructor was happy, he sent me off on my own yet again. Now weather conditions were somewhat less than ideal today, with cloud increasing from the south-west, and I was told "if you are uncomfortable, turn back!". Leaving Ards, I managed 1600ft over Comber, whereupon I called Belfast Approach. Today I had the anticipated content of the clearance written on my flight log and circled the various bits as the controller said them. This helped my readback a little, but I found that it also tended to distract me slightly from the primary task of flying the airplane :-(). Having received my clearance I took up my first heading towards Tandragee. After a few minutes EGAC said something that I couldn't quite make out but which had 'Scrabo charlie golf' in it. I replied "Say again, Scrabo charlie golf". It turned out he was warning me about a shower over Lisburn. Vis was becoming quite poor and there was (briefly) some light drizzle, but I didn't have a problem identifying Carryduff, then Hillsborough. At Hillsborough I estimated I was 5° to the right of track, and since this is the half way point of the leg I turned 10° to the left. In the poor vis I then identified Dromore, Banbridge, Gilford, and finally Tandragee. Gilford was a little tricky to identify as it has very little in the way of identifying features, but it's just before Tandragee which I was able to identify by the railway lines and power lines. Reporting Tandragee, I took up my heading for Ballynahinch. As there are no easily identifiable features/towns for a large part of this leg, I knew it was important that I figured out where I was once abeam Banbridge. I ended up tracking directly over Banbridge, which meant that I was at least 10° to the right of track. With high ground ahead to the right, I corrected by turning 20° to the left. Having flown approximately 3 minutes since Tandragee, I flew another 3 minutes on the new heading before turning back right by 10°. Vis improved significantly on this leg and the high ground was clearly visible. The position of the high ground led me to believe that I was still a little to the right of track (but I continued to fly my heading as I wasn't in danger of flying into it). This was confirmed when the time came to look for Ballynahinch (which I found out to the left). I then flew directly to Ballynahinch, reported, and took up my heading for Comber. At Saintfield (½-way once again), I estimated I was 5° to the right of track, so turned 10° to the left. Actually I could see Comber from Saintfield, but it was nice to see that the new heading took me directly there. Joining the Ards circuit downwind, I did a decent landing in an increased crosswind. Taxiing back, another instructor inbound over Comber couldn't get a reply on the radio, so I answered him "Scrabo xx, Scrabo charlie golf, runway in use two two, QNH/QFE one zero one two". So another box ticked!

Route: EGAD - Comber - Tandragee - Ballynahinch - Comber - EGAD.

Weather: Cloudy, becoming more so with low base (I flew at 1200-1300ft around Tandragee), light drizzle at times, breezy, 10°C.

Lesson: N/A
27/03/09
Lesson time: N/A
Total time: 50.1h (4.7h solo)

Location: N/A

Aircraft: N/A

Instructor: N/A

LESSON CANCELLED DUE TO POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS. Due to strong winds (18G30).

Route: N/A.

Weather: Part cloudy, very windy, 10°C.

Lesson: 61
03/04/09
Lesson time: 1.1h
Total time: 51.2h (4.7h solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCI

Instructor: R.McConnell

Exercise 18A6 (Comber - Lisburn - Nutts Corner - low approach & go-around at EGAA - Lisburn - Comber). We set off in 'CI, a G1000 C172. Departing from rwy 16 due to a significant southeasterly breeze, I turned right towards Comber - but too soon, as the instructor said that I was still in the Ards circuit area and I could be conflicting with other traffic in the Ards circuit :-(. Unfortunately that set the tone for the rest of the lesson :-((. Over Comber, we got our clearance from Belfast Approach (130.85) to transit the EGAC zone towards Lisburn. Strangely, Belfast Approach then called us with a clearance to enter the EGAA zone. The instructor said this was very unusual. We listened to the Aldergrove ATIS (128.2) on this leg, on the second radio, and determined among other things that rwy 25 was in use. Now vis was poor despite bright sunshine, but I managed to identify Carryduff, the position of which suggested that we were dead on track. But Lisburn somehow appeared slightly out to the right. No matter, we flew towards it and reported to Belfast Approach, who asked us to contact Aldergrove Approach (128.5). They asked us to standby, as we approached Stonyford - they were very busy with incoming and departing traffic. At this point the instructor said that he was uncomfortable about he earlier clearance and asked me to hold in an orbit, which I did. He then called Aldergrove Approach who cleared us (officially?) to enter the zone as far as Nutts Corner and report airfield in sight. Reporting over Nutts Corner, they asked us to hold and contact the tower (118.3). Tower asked us to report final. Now we were still at 1800ft amsl, so there was quite a lot of height to lose, but not a problem. The instructor informed the tower that we were executing a low approach & go-around, and not landing. Reporting final, we were cleared for the low approach & go-around, but were then passed a departure clearance (during our approach!) which I couldn't get my head round reading back, so the instructor did it. Anyway the go-around itself went well, and we (as instructed) made a left turn to leave the zone to the south, right over an AN-124 clearly visible on the ground. Reporting reaching the zone boundary (again as instructed), we were asked to contact Belfast Approach (130.85), by which time we were approaching Lisburn. EGAC cleared us through their zone to Comber, but asked that we cross their extended rwy 22 centreline at 90° since they had departing traffic. This allowed a practice diversion. Since we were off our intended track, the instructor asked me to estimate a track towards Comber, and then use the wind to estimate a heading. Which I did, and we soon saw Carryduff out of our port window. Normally we would be able to see Comber from here, but in the poor vis I felt we needed to track about 10° further north. Which resulted in Comber appearing just slightly to the left. Re-joining the Ards circuit, I joined crosswind for rwy 16, but I was too far out over Strangford Lough. The potential safety considerations with regard to this became apparent when I saw an aircraft departing rwy 16 and passing just below us. The instructor said I should have passed over the numbers at the rwy 34 threshold. These things must be remembered!! On base, with the sun shining through the haze, I could not see the runway *at all*, and ended up so high that I had to go around (which is always good practice I suppose). This went fine, and on the second attempt despite still being initially too high I ended the lesson with almost a greaser of a landing just past the numbers on 16, turning off at the intersection having used only half of a 500m runway. *NOW*, what I maybe haven't made clear in the above text is how a succession of problems made this a very difficult lesson for me. I'm not as familiar with the G1000 as with the conventional 172's. Also the radio had a few problems - the squelch didn't seem right on the internal intercom, the PTT button sometimes didn't work right (resulting in ATC asking me to repeat calls that I was already finding difficult), and there was audible distortion in my headset (on a couple of occasions I asked the instructor what the controller said). These were not problems on the conventional 172. As a result virtually the entire nav stuff went to pot and other mistakes (such as forgetting pre-landing checks at both Aldergrove and Ards) were made. Also my R/T was cr*p - I'm left wondering how I am ever going to get to grips with these clearance readbacks. I've arranged some tuition with a controller from EGAA, so hopefully that will help. In short this exercise seems to be a huge step up from the two previous solo nav-ex's. I was completely overloaded for much of this lesson, although as always I suppose once one or two small problems occur, it is very common for the downhill trend to gather momentum from there. It will all come with practice, I suppose. Which I will be getting more of, as this exercise will have to be repeated.

Route: EGAD - Comber - Lisburn - Nutts Corner - low approach & go-around at EGAA - Lisburn - Comber - EGAD.

Weather: Fine spring day, hazy sunshine, but breezy with poor vis, 13°C

Course/tuition: Radiotelephony communications

15/04/09

One of the air traffic controllers from EGAA runs a 3-day course on RT for groups of 3-4 people. Having decided that although expensive, this was a good idea for me, I was disappointed to find out that the other potential participants were unable to confirm their participation for the planned dates over the Easter holidays. However I was fortunate enough to be offered a full day's tuition with the course organiser (at much reduced cost), with the added benefit of having no other students to interrupt! I already had the written exam pretty much covered, so we spent only a short time with the theory before getting stuck into doing it for real. This fairly intense day of practical RT experience covered all the bits required in the practical exam as well as some insight into the exam format/process, and before long I felt my admittedly flaky confidence really building, to the extent that by the end of the day I was really convinced (for the first time!) that I could get through the practical exam without too many problems. And it was all really enjoyable too - money well spent I think.

Course organiser: J.Salter.

Exam: 7

Radiotelephony communications

16/04/09

Well courses are all very well and enjoyable it may have been, but the reality is that to gain the RT licence and complete the PPL groudschool both the written and practical RT exams must be passed. The written one especially for me, since it must be completed by the end of April (18 months from the end of the month in which I gained my first exam pass, per LASORS). Otherwise I would have to repeat Air Law! Actually there are advantages to passing the RT practical exam in this time too, if I read LASORS correctly. Well the course organiser had arranged for me to take the exams at the Belfast Flying Club at EGAA, so up there I went, through the nightmare that is now airside security :-(). And I gained a pass in the written exam with 93%. Then for the......

Practical exam: Radiotelephony communications

16/04/09

Now, this one didn't go exactly to plan! At the end of the previous day's course, brimming (!) with confidence, I had my plan for how I was going to tackle the practical exam. One of the things I had planned to do was to use the flight brief to write down the content of the longer replies (such as those to 'pass your message' and the emergency call), to make it easier to make the calls without forgetting something. You can imagine my horror when told by the examiner that this was not allowed!!! It turns out that this was a misunderstanding between myself and the course organiser, who didn't fully realise that that was what I had been doing during the course :-(. With stress levels already fairly high, for obvious reasons, this put them through the roof, and I was wondering whether it was advisable to proceed. I thought this question was going to be answered for me when the examiner told me he had to fly to Dundee at 11.30 (at this time it was 11.05). To which I said 'no way am I going to rush this in 25 minutes, forget it!'. But there was another twist to this story when he received a call informing him that the aircraft he was supposed to be using, which was on its way up from Enniskillen, had to turn back due to low cloud. At least this gave me some time to think straight. Realising that the solution was only a matter of memorising the call content instead of writing it down, I decided to go for it. And a practice session on the RT simulator, which must be used for the exam, helped (I hadn't had access to the simulator during the previous day's course). So on to the exam. This was (for seasoned pilots anyway) a straightforward route, with a departure from an A/G field, a MATZ penetration, a zone transit through Class D airspace, a position report, an emergency (PAN) call, receiving a Basic Service from the FIR frequency (included getting the weather for the destination), followed by an arrival at an AFISO field (also a possible diversion to an ATC airport including VDF). I was seriously tense after the morning's events (with the result that the period of silence after 'landing' seemed endless!), but before long the examiner re-appeared and congratulated me on passing :-). I was provided with a stamped RT licence application for inclusion in my student records.

Examiner: J.Phelan.

Milestones: Groundschool completed; RT licence exams completed!!

Visit to Approach/Radar room, Belfast International Airport

16/04/09

After a hard morning's work the RT course organiser (who was 'at work') appeared and offered myself and another bloke a tour of EGAA ATC. We didn't see the tower but got a good look around the Approach/Radar room, following (among other things) an Aer Lingus flight from Paris as it made turns during its descent into Belfast, as instructed by the second controller on duty. The flight landed right in front of us just as we left the building. Very interesting and useful visit.

Lesson: 62
17/04/09
Lesson time: 0.8h
Total time: 52.0h (4.7h solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCG

Instructor: I.McFall

Well today, as so often, things looked like they were going to work out, only to go a bit 'tango uniform' at the last minute. The weather seemed reasonably good, and with my new-found (?) skills on the radio (!) I couldn't wait for another chance to kill off Exercise 18A6 (see 2 weeks ago). My instructor was flying when I arrived at the club so I went ahead and planned the route. After this I ended up talking to another student who was heading off on his long solo qualifying cross-country - in 'CG :-(). With the club's only conventional 172 tied up for the next 4 or 5 hours it looked like I would be left with a G1000 again. No matter, I could live with that. When my instructor arrived back from what appeared to have been a trial flight, the news came in that the QXC student was returning to Ards in 'CG, due to low cloud. It turned out that he encountered cloud with a base of 1000ft and wasn't happy to continue the first leg up to Aldergrove due to nearby high ground. Since Aldergrove was where I had planned to go, my plans were also scuppered. The instructor asked if there was anything else I would like to do, so I mentioned that another lesson in PFLs would be useful. He noticed however that I hadn't done Exercise 17 (Precautionary landing), so we decided to do that, using the rwy 16 grass strip as a 'field'. Now this exercise is similar to a PFL, except engine power has not been lost. Instead the aim is to prepare for an unplanned landing at an unprepared location (probably a field in real life). Reasons why a pilot may have to carry out such a landing could be low fuel, weather closing in, or night falling. Anyway the idea is to make one or two increasingly low approaches to the selected site, checking out the suitability of the site for a landing. This is carried out at a low airspeed, i.e. with full flap. Today this was flown effectively as the low level circuit described in Lesson 36 - we levelled out at 700-800ft aal and flew an oval-shaped circuit at 70-75kts, taking the first stage flap on downwind and 2nd stage on base. Then we came in low on the glideslope, using power as required to fly parallel to the 'runway' before going around. The first pass was flown at 500ft, which allowed us to see in general terms if the 'field' was suitable, i.e. if there were any fences, livestock, etc. The second pass was at 50-100ft aal, which allowed us to inspect the surface of the 'field', i.e. holes, bumps, grass length, etc. (Note that it is possible to fly an intermediate pass at 250-300ft if required). On the third pass it would be intended to land if everything appeared satisfactory - the advantage of flying this at the Ards airfield is that a landing can actually be made on the rwy 16 grass strip (yes there are in fact 7 runways at Ards!!). I was excited about this since it would be my first landing on grass, but unfortunately to fly the rwy 16 circuit we had to endure a quite severe crosswind (the designated runway at the time was in fact 04). Combining this with coming in lower than normal and the 'unknown' that is landing on grass (for me at least), the resulting approach left somewhat to be desired in my opinion. I felt a bit better when the instructor had similar problems due to the crosswind (he took control to demonstrate it), although his eventual landing was fine. He told me not to use the brakes too much on grass, but to lift the nose higher to protect the nose wheel, whereupon the aircraft would quickly slow down. But after landing it became clear that he wasn't losing speed as quickly as he would have liked (he said this was due to lack of headwind), and the aircraft rolled off the end of the grass strip onto the tarmac of rwy 04. We then lined up on 04 for short field takeoff and landing procedures. The takeoff is easy - first stage flap, full power before brake release, gently rotate at 50-55kts, gain airspeed and retract flap as speed allows. The short field landing is the same as the precautionary landing - come in low on approach with 2 stages flap at around 70kts, use power to control descent and take full flap to allow a touchdown speed of 61kts or so. He demonstrated one landing and then I did one. My approach was quite good but the resulting landing was a little firmer that I hoped for! But isn't that the idea with a short field landing - get it down as close to the aiming point as possible and don't worry about doing a 'greaser'? In one respect my short field landing was as good as his - I came to a full stop around the same point, using about a fifth of the 2400ft runway. Finally today I did an aborted takeoff - kill the power and use as much brake as possible without locking them (also hold nose wheel off the ground for as long as possible).

Route: In and around the circuit, EGAD.

Weather: Hazy sunshine, but windy with quite poor vis, 13°C.

Runways at Newtownards

Lesson: 63
24/04/09
Lesson time: 0.8h
Total time: 52.8h (4.7h solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCG

Instructor: D.Phillips

Well the story of my PPL training has been one of extensive frustrations interspersed with occasional momentous leaps forward :-(). And while I have come to terms (somewhat) with the frustrations, it's still disappointing when something doesn't go exactly according to plan (be it weather, my own performance, or something else). Today it was the good old Norn Iron weather once again. While much of mainland UK basked in the warm spring sunshine that we had until the middle of the week just ended, here in the west we were forecast to have a belt of rain running north to south which under light winds was not expected to move significantly over a 24-hour period. Meaning that I fully expected today to be a wash-out. Tantalisingly though, the rain hadn't started by this morning, and the sun made quite a few appearances while I was in work. So I went down to the club to find out what the score was. Vis was not great, but the instructor suggested that we could possibly still do Exercise 18A6 (per lesson #61) - in fact the relatively poor vis would further instil the nav techniques of keeping a log and flying accurate headings. So I planned the route (again) and just before our planned departure the instructor checked the latest weather online. Guess what? - cloud down to 800ft and vis in the 3.5km range. So our plans went round the U-bend yet again :-(. Instead, however, we went up with the intention of practicing a few more PFLs. Well we hit cloud at 1100ft (lower in places), but found a few holes where it was possible to practice keeping a defined spot in the same place out of the side window. The purpose of which was the 'spiral' glide approach. After which we returned to Ards where an engine failure was simulated and I was asked to decide whether to try to land on rwy 16 or 22. I decided I couldn't make 16, so prepared for 22, taking successive stages of flap once I knew I was making the runway. The instructor reckoned I touched down about 100-150m past the numbers, and the touchdown was quite smooth. At this point we called it a day since the weather was deteriorating.

Route: Down the peninsula and Ards circuits.

Weather: Mostly cloudy, becoming overcast, low cloud, poor vis, 15°C.

Lesson: 64
01/05/09
Lesson time: 0.9h
Total time: 53.7h (4.7h solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCI

Instructor: D.Phillips

After a wet morning the weather improved sufficiently to allow us to go for Exercise 18A6 again. Unfortunately G-UFCG was undergoing maintenance at Aldergrove, so once again I was 'stuck' with a G1000 172. In fact at first we thought that 'CG may have been ready for collection, which would have allowed me a free landing at Aldergrove and (eek!) a solo flight from Aldergrove back to Ards. But that ended up not being the case. Leaving Ards, I got my zone transit from EGAC and headed off towards Lisburn. Dead on track, EGAC passed us over to Aldergrove Approach before reaching Lisburn, whereupon I received clearance to Nutts Corner (where I was to hold). Once again the headings took us where we wanted to go. Reporting holding over Nutts Corner, we were asked to contact the tower, who (after passing a message to another aircraft) responded 'Scrabo xx, continue to final approach, report final'. I read this back of course, but the instructor said he thought that message was not for us. I said I was pretty sure I heard our callsign. He queried it with the controller who confirmed that it was for us. Reporting final, we were cleared for the low approach and go-around, which went fine. After which we were asked to turn left heading south-east and report zone boundary. Before reaching the zone boundary we were passed over to Belfast Approach who cleared us through their zone to Comber. Now a wee mistake was made here which left us right of track by Lisburn. I had planned a return route from both Aldergrove and Nutts Corner (to Lisburn), but had used the Nutts Corner heading rather than the Aldergrove one (which would have been correct). It wasn't a problem today, on a short leg where we knew exactly where we were going, but could have been a problem on a longer leg. Care needed :-). The final leg from Lisburn to Comber went fine, with Carryduff appearing when and where it ought. Reaching Ards (and changing frequency), we joined downwind for rwy 22. In the circuit however I managed to lose 150ft while doing my pre-landing checks (on downwind), and let my speed drop a little low (just below 60kts) just prior to the flare as I concentrated on dealing with a very significant crosswind. These errors may have been due in part to my relative unfamiliarity with the G1000 172. The landing was fine though, if a little left of the centreline. And today I felt much more confident with my RT and dealing with the EGAA ATCUs. Just need to remember that the radio work is third in terms of priority - 'aviate, navigate, communicate'. So 2 more nav-ex's plus the long cross-country (dual and solo) to go!

Route: As per lesson #61.

Weather: Part cloudy, breezy, 16°C.

Lesson: N/A
08/05/09
Lesson time: N/A
Total time: 53.7h (4.7h solo)

Location: N/A

Aircraft: N/A

Instructor: N/A

LESSON CANCELLED DUE TO POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS. Unseasonably strong winds put paid to today's lesson. So instead we talked through the dual long cross-country (Exercise 18A7), which is booked for next week.

Route: N/A.

Weather: Mostly cloudy, very windy, blustery showers, 13°C. (Which month is this......?!)

Lesson: 65
22/05/09
Lesson time: 1.0h
Total time: 54.7h (4.7h solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCG

Instructor: I.McFall

Time for the return of the PFL. Only had a single slot booked for today so no long cross-country. So we set off down the peninsula and carried out 3 or 4 PFLs from 2000ft. First thing to be aware of in a PFL is the wind, and here the DI can be useful for relating the given wind speed to the current heading. Once again, to summarise the steps involved as practiced today:

1. Maintain 68kts best glide speed, and trim. Speed in excess of 68kts may be traded for distance or height using appropriate levels of back pressure.

2. Select a landing site. Be decisive, there will not necessarily be a field that meets all of the requirements. You can of course select another field later if it is deemed more suitable further into the approach.

3. Prepare the approach based on the wind, your height, your position and the selected field.

NOTE: STEPS 1-3 ALWAYS OCCUR IN THIS ORDER.

4. Check what may have caused the engine failure. This is done from left to right in the cockpit: Magnetos BOTH, Master Switch ON, Fuel Pump ON (simulated - in case engine driven pump has failed), Throttle OPEN (or NOT CLOSED), Mixture RICH, Shutoff Valve ON, Fuel Selector BOTH (or a tank with fuel in it is selected). Attempt a restart (simulated).

5. If restart fails (for a PFL the instructor/examiner will tell you that is the case), make emergency call (simulated): Mayday, mayday, mayday, <station>, <callsign>, engine failure, intend immediate forced landing, <position>, <level>, <heading>.

6. Run through shutdown checks: Shutoff valve OFF (simulated), Mixture IDLE CUT OFF (simulated), Throttle CLOSED, Fuel Pump OFF, Ignition OFF (simulated). Master Switch OFF (simulated) only after last stage flap selected.

THROUGHOUT STEPS 4-6 THE APPROACH MUST BE MONITORED AND CORRECTIVE ACTION TAKEN AS REQUIRED. MAINTAINING A SUITABLE APPROACH SUCH THAT A SAFE LANDING IS THE END RESULT IS BY FAR THE HIGHEST PRIORITY.

7. Fly the approach, taking each stage flap only when you know you are getting in to the field. Initially aim at the middle of the field, then 1/3 in (after 1st stage flap, etc. S-turns and sideslipping may also be used. Note that S-turns were more useful than sideslipping today, where the approach turned out to be far too high. Do not plan to be too high!

8. Prepare for landing and brief the passengers: Master switch OFF, Doors unhatched, seats upright, belts fastened, sit upright, remove glasses, etc, etc. Some of this is not essential for a PFL but may impress the examiner. Touch down normally and keep the weight off the nose wheel.

NOTE: Items marked (simulated) are not actually carried out in a PFL, but would be carried out in case of an actual forced landing.

So how did it go today? Well this was my most successful lesson on PFLs yet. The approaches seemed to happen ok, and I was able to add the initial checks and simulated emergency call. The most difficult bit was carrying out the shutdown stuff when on short final while trying to use flaps, carry out S-turns, etc, as well as knowing I would have to go around (for a PFL). The key to this will be knowing the checks thoroughly so that they can be run through in a few seconds. After a few attempts using fields on the peninsula, we then went back to the airfield and actually landed off a PFL. We did this twice, and the result in both cases was a smooth touchdown just past the numbers on the short rwy 16 (although I was almost short on the second attempt). However due to cloud and traffic we were constrained to carrying these out from 2000ft on a high downwind position. Very encouraging today and I will plan to get some more practice in PFLs shortly. Finally today there was a nice surprise waiting for us on landing as the Team Guinot wingwalkers had just arrived for a display in Moira tomorrow. Any (guys) who have seen them will know why this was a nice surprise (even though they weren't flying at the time) :-))).

Route: Down the peninsula and back to the airfield.

Weather: Mostly cloudy, light winds, 16°C.

Lesson: N/A
29/05/09
Lesson time: N/A
Total time: 54.7h (4.7h solo)

Location: N/A

Aircraft: N/A

Instructor: N/A

LESSON CANCELLED DUE TO POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS. Got really frustrated today. After a gorgeous sunset last night and good forecast for today, I was all ready to go on my dual long cross-country. But I woke up to thick, low cloud and mist. For some reason I went down to the club instead of going straight into work like I should have. Waste of time.

Route: N/A.

Weather: Overcast, low cloud, mist, some drizzle, reasonably warm (not that that matters now).

Lesson: 66
05/06/09
Lesson time: 2.7h
Total time: 57.4h (4.7h solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCG

Instructor: R.McConnell

Well at last the dual long cross-country!!! After a week of hot weather a cold front passed through yesterday, leaving us with more cloud, much cooler temperatures, and a stiff breeze. But the weather was suitable for a dual cross-country flight so off we went. Leaving Ards on rwy 04, I climbed out of circuit height on downwind and positioned over Comber at just under 2000ft, as usual. EGAC had inbound traffic on their rwy 04, but gave me a zone transit with the caveat "this may change"!! Before I had the chance to take up my heading towards Lisburn, the clearance was cancelled. So I informed them I would route via Ballynahinch, outside controlled airspace. They said they could route me through their overhead, but I decided quickly that I would be happier routing via Ballynahinch, so I told them so and thanked them for their help. Before reaching Ballynahinch, where I had been asked to report (and listening to the EGAA ATIS on the way), EGAC cleared me to route direct to Lisburn. Initially I didn't want another change to plan, but Lisburn was in sight so I turned towards it. On reaching Lisburn, I was asked to contact EGAA Approach who cleared me to Nutts Corner where I was to hold. At this point the instructor pointed out that the crosswind of 14kts was 70° off the runway (25) direction and would be pretty much on the limit for the aircraft. He said I could ask for rwy 35. I must admit I didn't really want to do this as the controller had a significant amount of commercial traffic to deal with, but secretly I wasn't greatly looking forward to dealing with the crosswind. At Nutts Corner I was asked to contact the tower, who on contact, yes you've guessed it, offered me rwy 35 if I could hold for a couple of minutes. So we joined right base for 35 and after clearance landed on rwy 35. This meant a more complex taxi (another reason why I was initially reluctant to ask for 35 :-), but I coped fine with the readbacks (which the controller passed in stages). We were initially instructed to give way to an Easy 737, but he had some sort of issue so we were cleared to the GA terminal. Worth pointing out at this stage: THUMBS UP FOR GREAT ATC!!! (both EGAC and EGAA). After shutdown we went to the WEAC office where they relieved me of the £29.97 landing fee. After a quick chat we returned to the aircraft and I listened to the ATIS again, and did my power checks, before requesting taxi. A straightforward taxi this time, to holding point A1 where I had to wait for a landing exec jet. I was then asked to line up whereupon I was given the usual departure clearance and then my takeoff clearance. Turning right towards Toome, I was passed over to Approach. Just before Toome I reported reaching the zone boundary and was given a Basic Service outside controlled airspace. At Toome I took up my heading for Enniskillen. On this leg a tail wind meant that we were there in 25 minutes from Toome, and recognising that I was initially a few degrees off track (when passing abeam Cookstown), I made the necessary corrections. The rest of this leg was uneventful and the corrected heading took me direct to Enniskillen (EGAB). Just before Fintona, EGAA informed me that I was reaching the edge of their coverage and asked me to report leaving the frequency, so around Trillick I changed to EGAB (Enniskillen Radio) 123.2. By the time I got their airfield information I could see Ballinamallard and beyond that the airfield. I joined crosswind for rwy 33 (left hand circuit), flew a not especially tidy circuit and approach (I was unfamiliar with the area), and landed a fair distance down the runway in a significant crosswind. Followed by a backtrack to the apron where I shut down. We then went and paid the landing fee (£11.50), after which we went to the very decent cafe for a cup of coffee and a snack. At this point the break was very welcome, although I felt fine. Leaving EGAB, which like Ards is an A/G aerodrome, I departed rwy 33 and climbed through the overhead to take up my heading towards Saintfield. Again this leg went fine, with the planned heading working well. Initially I tracked just to the right of Brougher Mountain, with its wind farm atop. Clogher was a useful quarter-way point, where we contacted EGAA Approach for a basic service (we had left the EGAB frequency a few minutes earlier). The half way point was abeam Dungannon, and the 3/4 point Lurgan. Just before Hillsborough I was asked to contact EGAC approach, who I asked for a zone transit. This was denied as they still had inbounds on 04. On this occasion I was able to remain on my current heading/track and descend to 1400ft, below the controlled airspace. It was necessary to keep on or to the right of the desired track to avoid the small corner of class D which goes down to the surface, near Saintfield, but this was fine. While passing under the box of class D which starts at 1500ft, EGAC asked me to confirm my altitude. I reported "one thousand four hundred feet on QNH one zero one one", which satisfied them (it occurred to me later that I should have informed them of my intention to descend below 1500ft and remain on the same heading). At Saintfield I reported that I was turning and took up a heading for Comber. Nearing Comber, I changed frequency back to Ards and came straight in on rwy 04 (since there were no other aircraft in the circuit). After shutdown the instructor commented that the exercise went really well and that I was ready to do it solo (he also said that my height and speed control could be better so that's something to work on). A very enjoyable day then, and I felt fine afterwards (I was expecting to be really tired).

Route: EGAD - Comber - Ballynahinch - Lisburn - Nutts Corner - EGAA (land) - Toome - EGAB (land) - Saintfield - Comber - EGAD.

Weather: Scattered clouds, increasing as the morning went on, bases >2000ft. After a week which saw temperatures up to 27°C, today it was a much less impressive 13°C in a significant north easterly wind.

Lesson: N/A
12/06/09
Lesson time: N/A
Total time: 57.4h (4.7h solo)

Location: N/A

Aircraft: N/A

Instructor: N/A

LESSON CANCELLED DUE TO POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS. Frustration continues. With 3 'standard' slots booked for my solo QXC today, and with the weather looking slightly iffy, I turned up to find that I had been double-booked with another QXC student. Since he was booked for the first slot and me for the second, he went on his way while I went into work. After the customary 3-hour working Friday, I returned to the club to find the weather in the EGAD/EGAC/EGAA area much better. However the earlier student had turned back after Aldergrove due to low cloud. I phoned Enniskillen and they said that the cloud base was 1000ft, ending any hope of flying today. So I went out to the office, asked for a 3-slot booking any day this coming week, and was given Wednesday.

Route: N/A

Weather: Mostly cloudy, bases 3000ft and above. Not so good further west.

Lesson: N/A
03/07/09
Lesson time: N/A
Total time: 60.4h (7.7h solo)

Location: N/A

Aircraft: N/A

Instructor: N/A

LESSON CANCELLED DUE TO POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS.

Route: N/A

Weather: Patchy rain, overcast, cloud base almost down to the deck, 17°C. Warm & sunny later of course.......

Lesson: 68
10/07/09
Lesson time: 0.8h
Total time: 61.2h (7.7h solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCG

Instructor: R.McConnell

Today we set out to do the radio nav exercise (Exercise 18C). Due to the terrain around Newtownards, and the unservicability of 2 local NDBs, we used nav aids on the Isle of Man (VOR/DME 'IOM' and NDB 'RWY'), as well as the Dean Cross ('DCS') VOR in Cumbria. In all cases the process is defined by SID - Select, Identify, and Display. (Another one is TIT - Tune, Identify, Test :-). Anyway, I tuned the IOM VOR first and identified it by its morse ident. I then rotated the OBS knob until I had a 'TO' indication and the needle was centred. Note that this is the track required to take us to the VOR station (heading must account for the wind, with the VOR display providing feedback as to how well the selected heading is working). If the needle moves out to the right, adjust heading to the right to centre it again. Since the IOM VOR has a co-located DME, I set the DME to 'remote' and obtained a (slant) distance of approximately 36nm to the station (actually we could see the Isle of Man today in good vis) - an alternative setting for the DME is 'freq' which means that it uses its own tuner. Next I was asked if I could use the information to get a position fix. Instinctively I rotated the OBS knob until I got a FROM indication and the needle was centred, but an easier method is of course to read the reciprocal heading with a 'TO' indication and the needle centred. Along with the DME info, plotting our position (either roughly, using top of thumb approx. = 10nm, or more accurately using a ruler) was straightforward. As an alternative method of getting a position fix, we tuned the DCS VOR on the second nav radio. The signal was quite weak, but I was able to identify it - I was told that if I have a TO or FROM indicated on the VOR display then there is sufficient signal strength for the VOR to work properly. Obtaining two radials from the 2 VORs, our position fix was the point where the two radials crossed. We got a DME reading from the DCS station of around 78nm - note that the source of the signal for the DME (i.e. which NAV radio) has to be selected using a switch in the cockpit. Next we tuned the RWY NDB on the ADF. Here the reception was very crackly, being MF, and I had trouble identifying it, but the instructor said it was ok and I ended up taking his word for it. The procedure is the same, although it is more of a pain to use since the RBI reading must be added to the current heading to get a desired track to the station (and the wind correction must still be applied). Note that this means that the ADF needle will not normally be pointing straight up when tracking correctly - also I found that the needle was a little unstable and wandered about a bit. It is therefore recommended that VORs are used in preference to NDBs. With the radio nav stuff covered, the instructor pulled a PFL on me. Over the water too! I saw some very nice fields just back from the coast of the peninsula, so after trimming for 70kts I picked one and set up an approach. I then stuttered through my restart checks and practice mayday call, didn't get any shutdown checks done, but managed to set up a nice approach to the selected field. The instructor was happy, although I need to get this stuff memorised! It was then decided to do the basic instrument flight exercise (Exercise 19). A special pair of glasses was produced, which have the top half blurred out, blocking my view outside and simulating IMC. Here it is necessary to carry out a 180° turn on instruments, to get out of IMC. This is done by reference primarily to the AI, but also the other instruments. It was reasonably straightforward to carry out the turn, maintaining altitude and using 15° of bank. Rolling out around 5° short of the desired heading. Having taken things this far, I flew the return leg to Ards still wearing the glasses, and the descent and turn on to final (all with verbal instructions from the instructor). On final the glasses were removed and a visual approach ensued. Too high, I pulled the power for a glide approach and executed a clumsy landing on rwy 22.

Route: Training exercise over the peninsula.

Weather: Part cloudy, calm, 18°C.

Lesson: 69
17/07/09
Lesson time: 0.9h
Total time: 62.1h (7.7h solo)

Location: EGAD

Aircraft: G-UFCG

Instructor: R.McConnell

Well I had a solo nav-ex planned for today, to help me get a little closer to the required 10 hours solo time. But, yes you've guessed it, the weather beat me AGAIN. So instead we went up and did some revision - PFLs, radio nav and basic instrument flight (Exercises 16, 18c & 19). We also did some steep gliding turns, which were new to me. Basically close the throttle, roll into the turn and point the nose slightly down for an airspeed of 90kts (approx.). Roll on 45° of bank and you should pivot around a fixed point on the ground. This worked well & was quite easy to fly - height is lost quickly though, 1000ft in a 360° turn. The extra airspeed is a safety margin (since stall speed increases in a turn). Everything else went ok, but there was a strong and gusty wind, which made the approach to rwy 34 very hard work. I coped ok though. The instructor suggested I should think about booking my skills test, but I need 2.3 more solo hours and would like to tighten up a few of the handling exercises first.