Start PPL on the 28th

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longintheleg

551 posts

142 months

Sunday 5th October 2014
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That's some impressive stuff and thanks for the video. That JB chap sounds like the perfect instructor; let's you keep control unless he feels you can't handle it, brilliant.

Hopefully the weather predictions will change and you'll be able to clock up a couple more hours over the next couple of weeks.

Well done. thumbup

HoHoHo

14,980 posts

249 months

Sunday 5th October 2014
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Great video and well done :thumb up:

Bookmarked the thread to make sure i don't miss any installments!

POORCARDEALER

8,523 posts

240 months

Sunday 5th October 2014
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Good luck with it, I was 36 when I did mine, I went everyday for a month, very addictive.

ccr32

1,968 posts

217 months

Monday 6th October 2014
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I do hope you didn't execute a right turn at 70ft after rotation.... I think you may be missing a zero there smile

All sounds like it's going well though. I'll hold short of giving any further 'tips' at this stage as it sounds like JB has got plenty to keep you busy, so just keep up the good work!

ecain63

Original Poster:

10,588 posts

174 months

Monday 6th October 2014
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ccr32 said:
I do hope you didn't execute a right turn at 70ft after rotation.... I think you may be missing a zero there smile

All sounds like it's going well though. I'll hold short of giving any further 'tips' at this stage as it sounds like JB has got plenty to keep you busy, so just keep up the good work!
You are quite right, it was 700ft and not 70. 70 would have been interesting for JB!

I've provisionally booked in for Sunday afternoon, weather depending so hopefully i'll get another session cracked before i start suffering withdrawl symptoms. I think a flight over the Isle of Wight is part of the next session.

mattdaniels

7,353 posts

281 months

Tuesday 7th October 2014
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Great stuff sounds like it's going well. I know exactly what you mean about taxying being harder than flying - it's something that seems so simple, but keeping the nose wheel on the yellow line using your feet is harder than it sounds (well it was for me anyway).

Interesting comment about the "power check for brakes" - I was always taught to test the brakes immediately you roll off the stand, and the power check at run up is nothing to do with brakes but is to test the left and right magneto at a certain rpm and back at idle, but it's been a few years since I learned.

Fingers crossed for the weather, hope you get some more hours in before it turns properly grotty. Mean time - how's your air law coming along? Have you bored yourself to tears with the book yet? smile

ecain63

Original Poster:

10,588 posts

174 months

Tuesday 7th October 2014
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mattdaniels said:
Great stuff sounds like it's going well. I know exactly what you mean about taxying being harder than flying - it's something that seems so simple, but keeping the nose wheel on the yellow line using your feet is harder than it sounds (well it was for me anyway).

Interesting comment about the "power check for brakes" - I was always taught to test the brakes immediately you roll off the stand, and the power check at run up is nothing to do with brakes but is to test the left and right magneto at a certain rpm and back at idle, but it's been a few years since I learned.

Fingers crossed for the weather, hope you get some more hours in before it turns properly grotty. Mean time - how's your air law coming along? Have you bored yourself to tears with the book yet? smile
The magnetos get tested at various RPM at 3 different points during the pre flight warm up. It's not a check i fully understand yet, more just a tick-off until i'm taught the reasons for it. A lot of the checks are pretty self explanatory but some are less so. Ive video'd the checks so i'm trying to learn them by video memory rather than racking my brains looking at the check sheet.

Haven't started looking at air law yet. I'm only a couple of chapters into 'principles of flight' thus far. Any more than that and my brain my pop. JB tells me what to read in prep for each lesson so i'll stick to that. He's the boss!

CharlieCrocodile

1,186 posts

152 months

Thursday 9th October 2014
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mattdaniels said:
Interesting comment about the "power check for brakes" - I was always taught to test the brakes immediately you roll off the stand, and the power check at run up is nothing to do with brakes but is to test the left and right magneto at a certain rpm and back at idle, but it's been a few years since I learned.
Same here, check the brakes immediately and get the instructor to check his too.

ecain63

Original Poster:

10,588 posts

174 months

Thursday 9th October 2014
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Yeah brakes are checked as soon as you roll off the start line, but a brake check during an 1800rpm burn is done at the pre taxi point / departure point Juliet at Bournemouth Flying Club (terminology not 100% I know).

mattdaniels

7,353 posts

281 months

Friday 10th October 2014
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Yes I guess it's kind of implicit that the brakes are working if you are holding at 1800rpm doing a power check laugh

Fat Albert

1,392 posts

180 months

Friday 10th October 2014
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Great write-up and good luck on your PPL, don't rush it, enjoy it!

The Flyer Forum is a great resource and there is a no flaming rule on the Student section.

I got my PPL in 1986 mainly through an RAF Flying Scholarship, but I let it slip after I left the RAF in '89. In 2006 I walked out of my job and went contracting deciding to work to Live and as part of that get my currency back - the guys on the Flyer Forum were a big encouragement and I got a lot of suppoert (and some great flying experiences) from them

I haven't flown for almost 2 years due to school fees, etc, but I am aiming to get my currency back again in the spring, where I will get back to flying a friend's pair of Rallyes off a Farmstrip, the kids are desperate to get back flying with me too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emjfbO2pakM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeMVI5Dctag

A sporting arrival at the strip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLNDhizKr7o

Papped arriving at Sywell with my son:


Spuffington

1,203 posts

167 months

Friday 10th October 2014
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Great thread and good luck to you.

My old man got his PPL when I was 11 and I spent a lot of time in the years following going on XC jaunts with him and started to become a reasonably capable accomplice who was very much up for doing PPL post-Uni. Unfortunately, somewhere in that time I also started to get a bit of a fear of heights which put pay to that and has hampered a few of the trips I've been on with him since.

All that said, I'm 35 now and recently I've started to get the yearning back for getting up in the air and, dare I say it, thinking about doing my PPL. Wife is very supportive and I know my Dad will be, but I'm not keen on the upper air work - love general handling, circuits etc but hate anything >3,000ft. frown

In the meantime, until I sort out my confused head on this, I'll live vicariously through you and your exploits on this thead! smile

ecain63

Original Poster:

10,588 posts

174 months

Saturday 11th October 2014
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Thanks all above for your support. PH really is a great place to put this thread.

Looks like tomorrow should be fine for flight number 3. It's probably going to be quite breezy but so long as it doesn't gust above 19kts I should be airborne by 1430.

Update to follow.

ecain63

Original Poster:

10,588 posts

174 months

Sunday 12th October 2014
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Despite the weather we did complete PPL lesson 3 / ex 4.2 today. I got there at 14.00 and did about 45 minutes of ground school, which consisted of a teach about the relationship between engine rpm and air speed. Coupled with that was instruction on the further effects of engine speed, such as torque steer and pitch. We also talked about carb heat and the issues of ice and fueling lean / rich. Some instrument explanation and fuel system explanation to finish with and then it was time to check the weather, book out and get airborne.

The weather was coming in fast from the Channel (10 miles and closing (my French instructor did get a few pokes about his lot offloading their st weather on us)) so I had to leave the majority of the pre-flight checks to JB as if we'd gone through at my pace the tower would have stopped the flight before we'd even started. We were up and running quite quickly and off to the opposite end of the runway due to wind direction (runway 26, departure point M). Then the rain started. Hurriedly we got onto the runway, checked brakes, full power, and airborne. I'm now in command of the control column AND the rudder so life is slightly (but not hugely) more complicated. I even taxi'd in a more linear manner today which is good progress. Despite the extra dimensions JB noted that i'm far more confident and aware of the aircraft's characteristics so the extra duties i'm performing haven't hindered my ability to perform a decent take off. Actually, today i got away very cleanly with no deviation from the centre line.

Looking out to the South East we could clearly see the big wet warm-front coming in over the Isle of Wight. 'Avoid that!', was the brief. At 700ft we banked left and began following the River Avon up toward Ringwood. After Ringwood we were free of controlled air space so we got some time to put into practice the theory learnt during ground school. The Robin isn't great for demonstrating the effects of torque steer due to it's small powerplant but demonstrating the effects of flaps etc is more obvious and beneficial. All boxes ticked we stayed up for a further 20 minutes just cruising about the area, climbing and descending to practice using the throttle and trim as an altitude adjustment tool. We were pootling along at about 1400ft and at a steady 100knts when a swallow / swift flew over the wing coming the other way. JB has never had a bird strike in all his hours of flying but that was close enough to be noted. Shot by like a rocket!

At this point it was raining quite heavily and vis was dropping. JB wouldn't normally play number 2 for a noob in these conditions but I assured him i was more than happy to carry on as every minute with my hands on the controls was a minute put to good use. We flew further west with a view to come back in to EGHH in the same direction as we left. As we got into local airspace we had to loop back round due to traffic (which i was happy with....more time in the air) and as we turned away from final they switched on the landing / runway lights due to the inclement weather. First time i'd witnessed it from the cockpit of any aircraft, let alone from the captains seat. Around we went and again began our descent toward the runway. The wind was pretty steady at first but the lower we got the more turbulent it became. It wasn't terrible in my view but we were told to expect gusts up to 20knts. Last time i came in the wind was around 11knts and crossing the runway. To me that was a little choppy for the little Robin and it's school boy pilot.

In the end the wind was kind to us and i made a near perfect and straight approach / landing keeping 90% of the time within the 2-white / 2-red landing light guide. JB was pleased and in turn i was also happy not to get any negative feedback or have the controls taken from me mid run. We taxi'd back to BFC and had a quick debrief before retiring for coffee, logbooks and then home.

So, 3 lessons on the books and all is going well. I'm not sure when my next opportunity will be as the weather looks bleak for a while yet. One thing i will say though is that this game is addictive. I cannot wait to get the PPL and associated tickets under my belt. The only thing that'll keep me out of the seat then will be funds so I'd best make sure i keep working hard in my other life if im to get best use out of PPL when im going solo. The missus came down today too which was good, she even said she might go for a fly with JB just to see what all the fuss is about.

Sorry there are no pics or videos today. I don't want to be a flying tourist every flight so i'll keep the David Bailey stuff for when it's appropriate or beneficial for my training.

Updates next time,

Eddie

mattdaniels

7,353 posts

281 months

Monday 13th October 2014
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Nice write up cool

longintheleg

551 posts

142 months

Monday 13th October 2014
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Excellent stuff Eddie. It sounds like you're making some good progress.

Thanks again for sharing and look forward to reading more.

HughG

3,539 posts

240 months

Monday 13th October 2014
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Fantastic write ups, please keep them up. I will do mine one day having been brought up with stories from my Dad and grandfather who flew from Guernsey after moving there in the 70s in a Cherokee 140 (Romeo Zulu but I don't know the rest of the tail number).

I was lucky to do several air experience flights from Wyton in Grob Tutors when I was with the RAF section at school and loved every minute. I will do it one day.

CharlieCrocodile

1,186 posts

152 months

Monday 13th October 2014
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Might be worth signing your wife up for the co-pilots course when you've finished if she's interested.

ecain63

Original Poster:

10,588 posts

174 months

Friday 17th October 2014
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Xray-Kilo booked for Sunday 4pm. Might try to get 2 lessons / 2 hours cracked this time around as next weekend i'm up north seeing the folks.

Eddie

ecain63

Original Poster:

10,588 posts

174 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
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Lesson 4 (exercise 5 and 6A) in the bag today. Topics: Taxi (ex. 5), which I pretty much covered during lesson 2 and 3, but received a teach about the theory of taxiing and procedures to carry out should anything happen during the taxi. ie. actions on no control or seizure of nose wheel. Actions on no rudder. Actions on fire during start up and taxi. And some other bits. Exercise 6A was 'straight and level flight'. Theory again first, which included firstly how to maintain straight flight and the procedures involved in correctly adjusting your yaw error. Then a teach on level flight and procedures used to correct pitch and altitude error. Then, how to combine the two! Simples!

Following the classroom stuff and booking out i was back out prepping and then going through my checks on Xray Kilo. Today she started up at the first turn of the key which was good. Every time so far she has been a bit unwilling to fire up. Checks all done, radio coms established etc and we were off round the taxi route to the runway (runway 26 today). The sun was just on the horizon and the wind was blowing 17knts with gusts up to 26knts so the take off had potential to be a bit fruity in my little Robin. 2000rpm and a little right rudder and we began to weave our way down the strip. 2450rpm dialed in and before long the nose was lifting and we were airborne.

We must have been getting a lot of up-draft from the runway as we lifted because the nose wanted to point up all the time. Flaps up at 300ft and it was still fighting us until we got to 1000ft where it seemed to go very quiet all of a sudden. JB spotted a break in the cloud to our right and we made a turn under full power and climbed through the hole all the way to 3000ft. At this altitude the view was fantastic. The sun was setting to the west and the cloud base was as white and soft as cotton wool. For the next 40 minutes we practiced our straight and level exercises, which were pretty simple to complete successfully.

As darkness was falling we headed back to Bournemouth airspace and requested to resign. Runway 26 was our instructed runway and we made our way around the Tarrant Rushton VFR and on to Christchurch where we turned to heading 290 and then adjusted on to the final approach. The wind was as per departure, 17knts and gusting to 26knts. Bournemouth's runway lights were all on and in my eyes i'd have classed this one as a night landing, but as i'm not at that stage yet it goes on to my book as a day landing. A good experience though. Long story short, it was a very smooth approach and a landing that would not have woken a sleeping baby. The only criticism that JB had was that i need to learn my pre-landing checks off by heart rather than consulting my crib sheet. A short taxi off the runway to BFC, shut down procedure, cover up the aircraft and into the debrief before the missus starts wondering where i am.

I think i did pretty well today given the ground conditions. Above 1000ft it was pretty easy going but i feel i got more out of the departure and arrival sections than anything else. 5 grade 1's and 2 grade 2's can't be bad either (he meant landing and not 'luck' in his notes btw. Language issuse of a Frenchman)

Got a landing video but it's still uploading.




Eddie