FINALLY!
Well the time has finally come when I am now able to start my trike training.
I am leaving Monday for Asotin, WA for my WSC-L training with Scott Johnson. Hoping to get in my first 10-12 hours of flying, as well as the ground school in between. I have waited along time for this time to come and I have been studying the written test like I have never studied before.
Just curious, are there any other people on here that are also starting or started their trike training recently or going to soon? Would love to communicate with another student!
Hope to have pix and stories when I return.
Mark
Learning to Fly – Hour 41
The wind was blowing around 6 to 10 knots when I looked on http://www.thehangar.co.uk/metars/index.php
It read:
Latest METAR information for EGGW - LONDON/LUTON
In plain english is....
This is a METAR report for EGGW - LONDON/LUTON .
The report was made 8 minutes ago, at 09:00 UTC.
The wind was blowing at a speed of 6 knots (6.9 miles per hour, 3.1 metres per second) from the South/Southwest (200°).
The visibility was greater than 6.2 miles (greater than 10 kilometres).
There were a few clouds at a height of 3000 feet (914 metres).
The temperature was 15°C (59°F), a dew point of 12°C (54°F) and a relative humidity of 82.2%.
The altimeter setting (regional pressure) was 1,008 hPa (29.77 inHg).
However, I was not scheduled to fly today so I did a bit on Navigation for an hour or so, and then popped to the dentist for a checkup. No sooner had I got home, the dog and bone rang and it was Rob, “just had a cancellation for 3 O’clock, fancy an hour, Yep!, I’ll be there mate, but I will have to use your GT450, as my flycom box has been sent away for a mod, that’s fine, see you at three mate”.
At around 1330, I got in the old car and trundled down to Plaistow’s. on arrival the flex was out, Andy was changing his wheels on the eurostar, as the tyres he had recently bought for the aircraft have sprung crack and splits, not good he said.
Sooner after I had spoken to Andy, and helped him remove the nose wheel, by putting some weight on the tail, the old GT450 landed, and out popped Rob and his latest student. Shortly after that and a coffee and pre flight brief and not forgetting the relocation of a fence (don’t ask) we were taxing for runway 15, with yet another crosswind.
“Comon GT wing down, look at the windsock, Shit, sorry Rob!, you need to switch on mate, I have seen many a flexwing get blown over, you will thank me in the end captain”. Bless him, he is right, in fact, only this year, at the microlight competitions at Plaistow’s, a guy taxiing, was blown over because his wing was not lowered. Apparently, there was no damage but felt a bit of a twat!
Anyways, I digress, we lined up and soon we were zooming down towards 33, with a positive forward movement of the bar, we lifted off into the blue yonder, well grey cloudy stuff. And headed off along the M25 towards south mimms, all of a sudden, “engine failure, cried Rob, off with the power GT, oh fuck!” However, unknowing to Rob I had already started to look for a spot of land, and had also noted the direction of the wind, so off we glided to my newly found runway, keeping my beady eye on the new spot we made a good approach, “OK GT full power, we would have got in on that one mate, well done” .
Off we flew again along the M25, and yet again, the old GT450 had yet another bloody engine failure (he really needs to service his kit more often). This time, even though we just made it into the field that I chose, Rob felt that, if the engine had failed, he believed that we would not have made the landing in the field. The reason we made it, was that the engine was running, and that is how we made it in. OK, good call Rob, I will try better next time.
It’s amazing, how you forget things, Rob requested that I carry out a few stalls, which I buggered up, but eventually got after his instruction, I managed to get them right, things to practice, I feel.
OK GT, said Rob, lets do a few circuits at
The problem with an approach to Roger’s strip is that there’s loads trees, and these as you know cause turblents, so a slight powered approach was the call, … As we approached the turbs were making a my line up jump about, but again, and again I brought the bird back on line.
Over the threshold we flew, and with slightly too long a hold off, we landed, like a pro, (Ohray), but bolloxed the moment when I turned around and failed to lower my wing again, fuck, fuckty fuck, fuck, fuck!, come on you cock sort your self out! I screamed at my self (in my head), “comon GT, sort it out said the guy in the back”
We, taxied off for another takeoff, but this time it will be a touch and go, again the approach was good, the landing was brill, and off we screamed at marc 1, well 65mph, back towards Plaistow’s.
We would be joining for an approach on Runway 15, the wind was, well you know, the way it always is, yep, straight across the runway. “ok GT, business as normal, lets get her down”, I turned into wind and found the sweet spot for the correct engine power for this approach, and the picture looked good, but the old wind was nudging us about, offline, online, offline, online, online, off the throttle, into the glide, over the hedge, bar in, and hold off, and …… touch down! Then Rob said, keep the bar into your chest to help with slowing down, and it did.
Nevertheless, I buggered the moment up, when, I forgot to lower the bloody wing again… are well, you can’t win um all.
After we had parked up, Rob gave me the de-brief, and said “yep captain your ready for solo, we just need the wind down 33, (I have heard this loads of times, and I know he means it, but the weather gods, couldn’t give a toss), you fly the flex lovely, and you have made great progress, well done GT”.
Come on weather, sort yourself out and give me a dam break will ya, or just change friggen direction.
GT
Learning to Fly - Hour 40, Still Touch & Go's
Hi Guys, this an update of where me and Gunny are at the moment.
I have posted a video too, check it out., anyways happy reading....
Whilst Rob has been gallivanting off around
For me it had been around five weeks since I had been up with the seagulls and I must admit I felt that I had grown gills, and had also contemplated selling the GT and buying a boat, but just as I was about to sell the old bird, the sun came out, and any thoughts of selling her disappeared, and my eyes were once again skyward.
Saturday soon came around for my lesson, so off I drove to the airfield, and what a surprise, loads of activity, as club members were off for a flight to either the isle of white or to some open day to a MOD place, (sorry the name eludes me). The weather was over cast and the cloud base was low, I would have said about 700 to 800ft., so the old boys who were off for the weekend popped the kettle on again and patiently waited for the weather to pick up. For me, it was time to rig up Gunny, (Gunny is what I call my GT450, G-CFGT), which normally takes me around 30 to 40 mins.
During this process I met John who flies a Tanarg and Richard who flies a Quantum 912, these were the boys who were off to the MOD place. Once Gunny was rigged, I popped over to the office to see who was up before me, that guy was Nigel, who I had met before.
Whilst Nige was having his lesson, I set about genning up for my Nav exam, it seemed that I had only just got into the book when it was time for me and Gunny.
You may be thinking why has GT not gone solo yet,…. Well I am lead to believe, I am ready, but the bloody wind is always blowing in the wrong direction, and therefore, I have to wait for the conditions to be right. So it was “Clear Prop”, and away to runway 15 for an hour of circuits (yet again).
During the circuits, I saw the two groups slowly disappear south, heading for the seaside, wishing I could go too, but sadly me and Gunny have a long way to go yet.
The first two circuits were, pants, as I wasn’t using enough power to steady us through the turbs, and on one of the finals, over the old “joe anner keys”, I initiated a go around to Robs amazement, he did say that I would have got in on that one, but it was my call, and he wouldn’t knock anyone for going around, then slapped my crash helmet and called me a tossa! Nice.
The remainder of the flight went well, even though some of the landings were a little bumpy, Rob said that my general flying is good, and as soon as the weather turns for better, I should be up there on my own…. Pigs will fly before I go chuffin solo Rob.
Happy Landings
GT & Gunny
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