The road to my wings
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| Date | 04-06-2009 |
| Location |  |
| Message | (Thursday 1410) I got my monthly seat check done as it was running out this weekend anyway. The scenario this month was that the prop feathered in flight and couldn't get it to unfeather. So the only option when you cannot glide back to base is to eject. So I went through the ejection, including pre- and post- ejection checks and all was as usual. Afterwards we simulated a fire on the ground so I did the Emergency engine shutdown and the Emergency ground egress. Another check in the book and another month to go until the next one. Monday I hope to fly an IF trip instead of the solo check, just in order to get back in the plane and get comfortable with it again instead of being thrown directly into the fire. With the flight having given us Danes priority, it wouldn't be surprising if I get the IF trip in the morning, a solo check in mid day and solo flight in the afternoon. That would be great but also on the limitations of how much students are allowed to fly in one day. I'll just have to wait and see. /GEA |
| Date | 04-06-2009 |
| Location | |
| Message | (Thursday 0945) As you've probably figured out I grounded myself and I can get ungrounded again tomorrow after having spoken with the doc. I felt that it was the right decision to take as I wasn't fit to fly. I feel much better and I'm pretty sure that I'll be in the air again on Monday, maybe even a quick hop tomorrow afternoon if all goes by the plan. Yesterday another Dane failed his solo check. He had somewhat similar conditions where he was encountered with alot of new things with very little experience in the plane. However he wasn't influenced by any of that air sickness stuff. The selection is getting closer and you can clearly feel it putting pressure on everyone. It really sucks that one of us has to get screened even if we're practically all just as good. Anyway, I just wanted to write a quick update just so you don't think that I've suddenly vanished or anything... /GEA |
| Date | 02-06-2009 |
| Location | |
| Message | (Tuesday 0930) And the coaster continues... Saturday I went in to write the pre-solo written exam. In the middle of the test I got asked whether I wanted to fly my solo check. Big mistake nr.1, I said yes. I was feeling rather fatigued after having stopped the medication but somehow I felt obligated to take the suddenly available aircraft. So I got in the air and now I felt how tired I really was. That medication had really screwed me up. The flight went bad to say the least. There were also alot of other factors playing in. One of them was that the weather was for runway 11, which I had actually never landed on before. Another factor was that the wind was right on the crosswind limit. Now I was in the middle of a bad flight and it was harder to say abort than ever as the instructor would think that I'm using it as an excuse to get a new chance so I didn't say anything. Anyway, to cut a long story short we landed and I had failed the flight. Had I passed I would still have said that I'm unfit to go solo as it became clearer to me. In all the years I've flown I have never failed anything. This was my 5th CH flight this year so the instructor opted to call it CH6 instead of CH9, which is the real solo check. Very nice of him but it's still a big scratch on my pride and more importantly a big scratch on my otherwise perfect flying record here so far. I still feel drousy and I will ground myself today if I don't get better. My new solo check is at 1215. /GEA |
| Date | 29-05-2009 |
| Location | |
| Message | (Friday 1850) So far this course has been an emotional rollercoaster. Today was no exception. Actually it was probably the best and worst day so far. I had two (great) flights which brought my morale back where it should be. However after landing from my second flight I met my friend Len, a Canadian in my class, who has been told that he is ceased from the pilot training. It was a hard blow as we hung out together quite alot while at school. He took it rather well, considering that he's spent over eight months here away from his wife and son, doing his best to make it through the course. At least the good thing is that he'll be joining his family soon back in Ontario. Take care, my friend and I hope we meet again. /GEA |
| Date | 29-05-2009 |
| Location | |
| Message | (Friday 1440) The second flight of the day went very well inspite of severe turbulence. I'm cleared for solo check now, which will probably be on Monday. So far so good: Only snakes on all flights so I'm on the right track. Tomorrow I'm not on the flying schedule but I have to come in for a written exam about the rules and regulations of the base. It also includes aicraft manual questions and airmanship considerations for when you're on traffic conflict for instance. I think I'm on top of the air sickness issue now which is great. It makes life so much easier in the cockpit when you can concentrate fully about flying instead of concentrating on when to pull the puke bag out of the pocket. That's it for now. I have to go see the doc so that he can clear me for solo flying. Have a great weekend! /GEA |
| Date | 29-05-2009 |
| Location | |
| Message | (Friday 1015) I was booked for two flights yesterday. The first one went really well but we had to ground abort the second one during take off run due to a misplaced switch from my side, which in turn gave us less power available and almost fried the engine. Fortunately nothing happened so it was just a lesson learned. Today I'm on for two flights again. I flew my first one at 0800, where I flew to Regina airport, did a couple of overhead breaks and then flew back home at low level (500 feet AGL) at full speed. It was so much fun following the highway seeing the cars going SO slowly compared to me. And when you put on 60 degrees of bank and pull two g's to maintain altitude at low level, it is just awesome! I haven't had so much fun for a long time. It's a good reminder of how much I burn to do this. Sometimes it's important to stop and look at the positive things when everything else is gray. The weather was awesome, almost no winds, great visibility and no clouds. Then we flew back to the area, did some stalls and slow flight and then it was back to base for some straight-ins and overhead breaks. I got a few simulated emergencies and all were handled nicely. My next flight is at 1230 but aircraft availablity isn't looking ideal. But you never know. I'll update as things happen and I have time. /GEA |
| Date | 27-05-2009 |
| Location | |
| Message | (Wednesday 1415) Got cancelled again today due to aircraft unavailability. However I'm already on tomorrow's schedule for two flights. The first is at 0810 and the second at 1430. Otherwise we had two more Canadians passing their solo check today and they'll be going solo later on this afternoon. During flight brief today the instructor said that we'll go to Regina airport on the next flight after this one in order for me to know how to divert if I need to do so on my solo. It's standard procedure to do some visual approaches to Regina before going solo. So tomorrow may end up being a busy day indeed. Later. /GEA |
| Date | 26-05-2009 |
| Location | |
| Message | (Tuesday 2050) I got scratched off the schedule today but I'm on tomorrow's instead. It's CH3 unless the weather turns nasty and we do IF3 instead, but the forecats is quite promising. Otherwise our selection is approaching fast so I can't help thinking about how it's going to turn out. My fingers are crossed and all I can do is keep doing my best and then just hope for the best. I think that the stress from the selection is one of the reasons for my air-sickness problems. There's also another Dane who has the same problem with getting sick in the plane. Apart from that, there must be about five or six of the Canadians in our class who have had problems so far, so it's not all that uncommon. Enough for today. I'll update again tomorrow, probably after the flight which is in the afternoon. /GEA |
| Date | 25-05-2009 |
| Location | |
| Message | (Monday 1745) The flight last Firday went really well, yet I got sick again so I went seeing the Flight Surgoen this morning. The doc gave me some pills which slow my motion senses down and some pills to keep me awake at the same time. I was up flying again this afternoon and they worked, yet they slowed me down much more than I had expected so I felt behind the aircraft all the time. It's like when you're drunk and everything seems to go in slow motion. It's in situations like that when you realize how important it is to know your stuff really well. I almost did everything by heart as my brain was working very slowly. All in all the flights of Thursday, Friday and today ended with a snake and my instructor recons that I'll be ready for my Initial Instrument Test (IIT) in a flight or two from now. Normally the IIT is on your 13th IF trip but it's going well, mostly due to the all the sims we've done so far I think. The procedures in the sim and the plane are exactly the same, yet the experience of being there is somewhat different. Just simple stuff as radio chatter in the background make you work harder to do your stuff and at the same time catch anything on the radio that's relevant for you. Tomorrow I'm on for CH3. I look forward to it now that the air sickness thing seems to be under control. I'll be doing the usual area work, which consits of stalls and slow flight among other things and then we'll probably hit the pattern and do a bunch of overhead breaks. /GEA |
| Date | 22-05-2009 |
| Location | |
| Message | (Friday 1105) I'm scheduled for 1620 to fly CH2. Just like yesterday it'll probably be a good mixture of the flights ahead instead of just CH2 stuff. TOP flew his solo check this morning and he'll be flying his first solo in the Harvard II later on today. It's great to finally see a Dane on a solo slot. Yesterday I taxied out to the runway behind two Hawks. They looked great, especially when they took off in formation. I'll probably get used to that sight pretty soon, but it was nice none the less. It's lunch time soon and as tradition calls, Friday we get pizza for lunch here in Bandit flight. I mean you have to end the week with some healthy food... That's it for now. I'll probably update again later on today after the flight. If not, have a great weekend! /GEA |
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