Thread: Started Flight Training

Wow, missed this thread. Solmanic, Congrats on your progress. I worked at RQ for 6years, finished up there in 2009. Hope they are treating you well out there. I remember Steve doing his PPL through the Academy course when I was there. Once you get your GFPT go get tail wheel endorsed in the Citabria with Don Mitchell, thats when the real fun starts

Well it's been a while since I updated this thread...

GFPT - done!

It took me a while. Up until this week I had only been for three flights since last December . This has been due to the dodgy weather (lots of it - and always strategically on the days I booked for flying ), floods and holidays - both mine and my instructors. I did my first flight since early March only Friday a week ago, then a standards check, then we discovered I was still short on required solo hours - by 10 minutes! So I did an hour of circuits on Wednesday and booked the test in for yesterday.

So the big test was yesterday and my brain is still fried. 10am - 5pm, straight through. Missed lunch.

For those familiar with RQAC, Don Mitchell administered the test. It was a strange experience as I can't quite work out whether he went easy on me, or he just likes to make all students feel as though they only scrape in by the skin of their teeth. There were a lot of little and some major things he wanted me to do differently to what I had been taught. A lot of the preliminary briefing questions were very much Don giving his take on regulations, beyond the information contained in all my learning material. All good and informative stuff, but it certainly got me feeling like I really didn't know anything by the time we went out to the aircraft.

We conducted the majority of the flight OK, but he caught me out a couple of times with an emergency landing drill where I picked an enormous (and perfectly adequate in my opinion) field just below the aircraft when we were actually within gliding range of the local training strip. Doh! He had me do it again and glide to the strip for a glide approach. After my attempt he undertook to show me how he would do it. I was amazed at how differently he handled the aircraft to my regular instructor. The evidence of many, many more years experience was obvious. He flung the Cessna around with what bordered on reckless abandon doing a limit turn at 300ft back towards the airfield to demonstrate just how far you could glide even when you thought you were just about in the weeds.

Then we did a precautionary search & landing drill where I did the routine number of passes over the field with radio calls etc etc, then assessed the field as OK to land - given the scenario he had described with minimal visibility and deteriorating weather. Wrong decision. He took me back for a super-low pass over the field and pointed out water in the cow tracks on the field and said he wouldn't land there. I wasn't going to argue but thought the scenario required a decision to land.

We then returned to Archerfield and I did three of the dodgiest landings. Two were meant to be short field approaches so I set up as I had been taught but he said I was too fast and high both times. Then an average flapless approach which I thought was OK until I got a viscious nosewheel shimmy after touchdown. That was something that routinely happens in the particular plane I was in so not really my fault. I pulled back to fix it but each time I put the front wheel down again off it went like a shopping trolley!

He then demonstrated his low level circuit and short field approach. All his approach speeds were 5kts less than what I had been taught. Again I was amazed at how he handled the aircraft at speeds so slow my regular instructor would have been reaching for the throttle. I then did two more copybook landings which I guess were enough to prove to him that I could actually fly.

So in the end he signed me off but with plenty of advice. He also called my instructor in to the debrief because I think he wanted to let him know there were things I was being taught that he didn't necessarily agree with. Point taken and I shook his hand as he handed me my log book but I can't help feeling somewhat less capable now than I did going into the exam.

Time for navigation flights but I think I will be doing a lot of solo circuits just to sharpen up on what he taught me. I also plan to do about a million emergency landing drills as Don informed me that so far in his career he has had seven emergency landings but never scratched an aircraft. As Don and I agreed, they are inevitable and Murphy was an optimist.

The training continues...

Originally Posted by solmanic

Well it's been a while since I updated this thread...

GFPT - done!

It took me a while. Up until this week I had only been for three flights since last December . This has been due to the dodgy weather (lots of it - and always strategically on the days I booked for flying ), floods and holidays - both mine and my instructors. I did my first flight since early March only Friday a week ago, then a standards check, then we discovered I was still short on required solo hours - by 10 minutes! So I did an hour of circuits on Wednesday and booked the test in for yesterday.

So the big test was yesterday and my brain is still fried. 10am - 5pm, straight through. Missed lunch.

For those familiar with RQAC, Don Mitchell administered the test. It was a strange experience as I can't quite work out whether he went easy on me, or he just likes to make all students feel as though they only scrape in by the skin of their teeth. There were a lot of little and some major things he wanted me to do differently to what I had been taught. A lot of the preliminary briefing questions were very much Don giving his take on regulations, beyond the information contained in all my learning material. All good and informative stuff, but it certainly got me feeling like I really didn't know anything by the time we went out to the aircraft.

We conducted the majority of the flight OK, but he caught me out a couple of times with an emergency landing drill where I picked an enormous (and perfectly adequate in my opinion) field just below the aircraft when we were actually within gliding range of the local training strip. Doh! He had me do it again and glide to the strip for a glide approach. After my attempt he undertook to show me how he would do it. I was amazed at how differently he handled the aircraft to my regular instructor. The evidence of many, many more years experience was obvious. He flung the Cessna around with what bordered on reckless abandon doing a limit turn at 300ft back towards the airfield to demonstrate just how far you could glide even when you thought you were just about in the weeds.

Then we did a precautionary search & landing drill where I did the routine number of passes over the field with radio calls etc etc, then assessed the field as OK to land - given the scenario he had described with minimal visibility and deteriorating weather. Wrong decision. He took me back for a super-low pass over the field and pointed out water in the cow tracks on the field and said he wouldn't land there. I wasn't going to argue but thought the scenario required a decision to land.

We then returned to Archerfield and I did three of the dodgiest landings. Two were meant to be short field approaches so I set up as I had been taught but he said I was too fast and high both times. Then an average flapless approach which I thought was OK until I got a viscious nosewheel shimmy after touchdown. That was something that routinely happens in the particular plane I was in so not really my fault. I pulled back to fix it but each time I put the front wheel down again off it went like a shopping trolley!

He then demonstrated his low level circuit and short field approach. All his approach speeds were 5kts less than what I had been taught. Again I was amazed at how he handled the aircraft at speeds so slow my regular instructor would have been reaching for the throttle. I then did two more copybook landings which I guess were enough to prove to him that I could actually fly.

So in the end he signed me off but with plenty of advice. He also called my instructor in to the debrief because I think he wanted to let him know there were things I was being taught that he didn't necessarily agree with. Point taken and I shook his hand as he handed me my log book but I can't help feeling somewhat less capable now than I did going into the exam.

Time for navigation flights but I think I will be doing a lot of solo circuits just to sharpen up on what he taught me. I also plan to do about a million emergency landing drills as Don informed me that so far in his career he has had seven emergency landings but never scratched an aircraft. As Don and I agreed, they are inevitable and Murphy was an optimist.

The training continues...

Congratulations.

In forty-five years of flying, I have had one emergency landing - and managed to make it at an airport (Wagga), thanks to my penchant for cruising at 9 - 10,000ft! One precautionary landing due to weather in PNG. This last I was saved by a habit of noting every possible landing spot (in this case a mission airstrip not on the map) - and then realised I was landing downwind, went round, did a 180 at 300ft and a perfect three point landing, about a minute before the weather closed in completely.

John

Solmanic, I know, and have known Don Mitchell both as a professional pilot and instructor and also as a friend. I could not think of another person to go to, to get fine tuning and instruction. Every time he flies he has a glint in his eye and he always has a glint in his eye for his students. The harder Don tests you, the more respect he is paying to you. I would be interested to know how many students he has taught to fly and if any instructor in australia has taught more.

Originally Posted by ramblingboy42

Solmanic, I know, and have known Don Mitchell both as a professional pilot and instructor and also as a friend. I could not think of another person to go to, to get fine tuning and instruction. Every time he flies he has a glint in his eye and he always has a glint in his eye for his students. The harder Don tests you, the more respect he is paying to you. I would be interested to know how many students he has taught to fly and if any instructor in australia has taught more.

It was pretty obvious to me that he loves his flying. He was quick to grab the controls and demonstrate stuff and like I said, he was very fluid with his technique. I feel priviledged that he took the time to teach me even whilst he was testing me. There definately seems to be two types of instructors at RQ - Don and the other guys.

So this morning I had what was probably the MOST important flight so far. More important than my GFPT, and even more important that first solo or my PPL test when it comes up. I took Mrs Solmanic up for the first time!

What a glorious morning. Clear skies, light winds, CAVOK and the possibility of some whales off the coast of North Stradbroke Island.

SWMBO was quite nervous. More nervous than she expected. She has only been in a light aircraft once before, and never actually landed in one. The first time we jumped out! I left her in the "lounge" while I did my pre-flight. My regular instructor was not there to sign me out so he lined up one of the others. After plenty of paperwork and a thorough check over the plane we were ready to go.

I retrieved said wife from the lounge and escorted her to the plane. As required I did the mandatory passenger briefing - no smoking, exits etc etc. Then we strapped in and I ran through the pre-start, after-start, taxi checks and all that. Despite the perfect conditions there was hardly anyone else out. I saw only one other plane in the circuit.

We took off like a rocket. SWMBO doesn't weigh much and I didn't have full tanks so we were at 500ft before we even crossed the end of the runway! We tracked out to the bay over Macley Island then climbed up to 3000ft with a clear view all the way down the coast and up. Had some interesting chatter from Brisbane radar. They wanted me to confirm my altitude to "test" their radar? I confirmed I was at 3000ft and they said thanks and advised there was other VFR traffic in the vicinity. SWMBO then spotted a Qantas turbo-prop about 1000ft above us and I said I didn't think that was who they were talking about - but it was. Apparently the Qantas plane was on an unusual flightpath and must have been getting some discrepancy in reading our altitude and BNE radar wanted to confirm it.



Look at those instruments. 3000ft, 100KIAS, like a machine with my eyes looking where they should be - outside!



We then tracked up along the coast looking out for any whale activity. SWMBO spotted one spout but couldn't actually see anything else. I didn't want to stray too far outside the training area to find out and it was high tide so the beach would have been interesting if we needed to do a forced landing. Brisbane radar then made contact again to thank me for listening on channel and helping out with the traffic. He then proceeded to start talking about how nice the weather was?!? Obviously the guy wanted to be in the blip on his scope, not just looking at it.





Looooong final to 28L. Easy-peasy Japanesy.

We then turned left and headed back in via the Target inbound reporting point. A straight-in approach with a nice 12kt headwind made for a beautiful, easy touchdown on 28L. All in all it couldn't have been a better introduction to flying for SWMBO and positive justification for all the time and money spent .


Dipping the tanks at the end. 1hr flight - 30l used. Pretty economical.

Originally Posted by solmanic

So this morning I had what was probably the MOST important flight so far. More important than my GFPT, and even more important that first solo or my PPL test when it comes up. I took Mrs Solmanic up for the first time!

What a glorious morning. Clear skies, light winds, CAVOK and the possibility of some whales off the coast of North Stradbroke Island.

SWMBO was quite nervous. More nervous than she expected. She has only been in a light aircraft once before, and never actually landed in one. The first time we jumped out! I left her in the "lounge" while I did my pre-flight. My regular instructor was not there to sign me out so he lined up one of the others. After plenty of paperwork and a thorough check over the plane we were ready to go.

I retrieved said wife from the lounge and escorted her to the plane. As required I did the mandatory passenger briefing - no smoking, exits etc etc. Then we strapped in and I ran through the pre-start, after-start, taxi checks and all that. Despite the perfect conditions there was hardly anyone else out. I saw only one other plane in the circuit.

We took off like a rocket. SWMBO doesn't weigh much and I didn't have full tanks so we were at 500ft before we even crossed the end of the runway! We tracked out to the bay over Macley Island then climbed up to 3000ft with a clear view all the way down the coast and up. Had some interesting chatter from Brisbane radar. They wanted me to confirm my altitude to "test" their radar? I confirmed I was at 3000ft and they said thanks and advised there was other VFR traffic in the vicinity. SWMBO then spotted a Qantas turbo-prop about 1000ft above us and I said I didn't think that was who they were talking about - but it was. Apparently the Qantas plane was on an unusual flightpath and must have been getting some discrepancy in reading our altitude and BNE radar wanted to confirm it.



Look at those instruments. 3000ft, 100KIAS, like a machine with my eyes looking where they should be - outside!



We then tracked up along the coast looking out for any whale activity. SWMBO spotted one spout but couldn't actually see anything else. I didn't want to stray too far outside the training area to find out and it was high tide so the beach would have been interesting if we needed to do a forced landing. Brisbane radar then made contact again to thank me for listening on channel and helping out with the traffic. He then proceeded to start talking about how nice the weather was?!? Obviously the guy wanted to be in the blip on his scope, not just looking at it.





Looooong final to 28L. Easy-peasy Japanesy.

We then turned left and headed back in via the Target inbound reporting point. A straight-in approach with a nice 12kt headwind made for a beautiful, easy touchdown on 28L. All in all it couldn't have been a better introduction to flying for SWMBO and positive justification for all the time and money spent .


Dipping the tanks at the end. 1hr flight - 30l used. Pretty economical.

Woohoo what a hoot!

Great feeling isn't it? Well done.

Great stuff, well done. It's great to be able to shaare the fun.