Class of 2012 & Achievements 2012

[DavidC]

Thanks to stevelup for looking after this thread last year. Quite a wide range from first solo, skills tests, and many different ratings. Surprisingly, only 11 PPL skills tests reported last year, so don't be shy - share your success with everyone.

It is traditional each year for someone else to take over and this year I've volunteered to record the glory!

Previous years:
2011 High Fliers
2010 High Fliers
2009 High Fliers
2008 High Fliers
2007 High Fliers

I'll do my best to update this first entry at the end of every month with everybody's contributions to date, so make sure you remember to post your achievements here by adding an extra reply. Please include the date and qualification/achievement.

Class of 2012

First Solo
14/1/2012 - tomshep
28/1/2012 - dalemcquillan
3/2/2012 - flyingboat
19/3/2012 - cyberkryten
21/3/2012 - LD1Racing
16/5/2012 - weirdfish
17/5/2012 - WingedSupra
12/06/2012 - UncleAlbert
5/7/2012 - Ron1962 (in Australia)
22/7/2012 - timcbr
06/10/2012 - bjarvi1
05/11/2012 - Yankee-K
18/11/2012 - subirg

QXC
2/1/2012 - loumate
11/3/2012 - caber0
14/9/2012 - timcbr

PPL
7/1/2012 - DarrenL
14/1/2012 - Rats404 (Revalidated after 17 year break)
23/1/2012 - Lottie
13/2/2012 - loumate
8/3/2012 - nova64
30/3/2012 - andytk58
10/4/2012 - deltaman2
10/4/2012 - andytk58
21/4/2012 - davekes
5/5/2012 - Plan_B
6/5/2012 - CaptCrispy
29/5/2012 - Jude098
18/06/2012 - alexlomas
07/07/2012 - HighlandPark
25/8/2012 - montyorks (revalidation after 7 years)
19/9/2012 - conorstarrs
19/9/2012 - swifty
27/9/2012 - Intel Inside
10/11/2012 - dparnell\
15/11/2012 - timcbr
30/11/2012 - cyberkryten
06/12/2012 - tomshep

JAR Night Qualification/EASA Night Rating
30/1/2012 - joe-fbs
29/10/2012 - denopa

MEP
28/6/2012 - whatsup

IMC/IR(R)
18/1/2012 - FlyingPanda
28/2/2012 - MarkR
11/3/2012 - c0demonkey
14/3/2012 - madgav
28/3/2012 - BobbyD
16/4/2012 - SimonM
12/7/2012 - davekes
04/8/2012 - rats404
1/9/2012 - aldormanndiobla
11/9/2012 - NigelQ
19/10/2012 - TimE
30/10/2012 - (Mrs) denopa
3/11/2012 - mossie

AOPA Aerobatics
6/3/2012 - William

Taildragger
8/5/2012 - Sir Morley Steven
16/7/2012 - cityflyer
20/10/2012 - DarrenL

JAR IR Theory
7/1/2012 - Flyin'Dutch (retaken the lot due to time expiry)

JAR IR Skills Test
27/1/2012 - peter337
25/2/2012 - MikeB
24/5/2012 - jwscud

CPL/ME/IR
27/1/2012 - G CEXO
17/5/2012 - Jon H

AFI (Assistant Flying Instructor)
29/1/2012 - Established Localiser (Microlight)

CRI
25/06/2012 - jollyrog

FI
2/4/2012 - AndyR
10/11/2012 - Firefly
7/12/2012 - KNT754G

IRI
7/9/2012 - Sir Morley Steven

MCC, JOC
10/2/2012 - Mikey

DavidC (last updated 21/12/2012)

[loumate]

Ok, let's get the 2012 ball rolling. Completed my QXC today (2jan), shoreham, Southend, Lydd, Shoreham. All fairly straight forward but three circuit joins that I'd not done before so that made me think a bit.

I've been learning for around a year and was ready for my QXC last March but kept getting weathered out so ended up with longer gaps between lessons and eventually lost a bit of currency so took a break between June an December. Even this time, my QXC was postponed 3 or 4 times...

I've finished all the exams so it's a bit more Nav, some revision and then the GST to look forward to. Hopefully I'll have it wrapped up in a month or so...Fingers crossed.

Good luck to you all in 2012.

Lou

[DavidC]

The wind was quite strong yesterday, so you did well to fit in the QXC especially after having had a long break. Hope you can keep up the pace (the weather will probably be the critical factor) and finish it off. Once you've completed the QXC it can all happen remarkably quickly.

I look forward to hearing an update in the coming weeks...

PS: I'll update/edit the original post at the end of each month, so don't think I've overlooked you

PPS Anyone else?

[DarrenL]

Hi all - guess I should sign in here too!

Started on my PPL training last year actually, so should have dropped in there but missed the boat - currently at the stage where I am waiting for my skills test - did a couple of hours revision on Monday this week to bring me up to my 45 hours, so just need a bit of luck with the weather

[Flyin'Dutch']

Passed the JAR IR writtens once more.

Did the same in 2008 but did not get my skates on in time and ran out of time before I could do the flight test.

Hope not to make the same mistake twice. They are not particularly hard but having to resit them is a bit of a pain and the money would have been better spent on almost anything else.

Hey ho, you live and learn.

[DarrenL]

Well done Flyin!

So I had my JAR-PPL skills test today and passed! So paperwork all done and off to the CAA.

Think I've probably missed the boat on and IMCr now - will wait to see what happens with that.

I guess now I'll make a start on a tail wheel conversion and getting the 25 hours needed on tail-draggers to cover me in the insurance for the MK26B when she's ready this summer.

[Flyin'Dutch']

Congratulations Darren!

And a good outlook for you.

[rats404]

Well, I'm pretty pleased to say that 17 years after my PPL A expired, yesterday I passed my LST and revalidated. It took almost a year (less three days) and about 24 hours. Work commitments meant I had to break my training at times during 2011 and without doubt, that made a big difference in the amount of retraining it took to get to the required standard.

To anyone undergoing training, that would be my single piece of advice. Do everything you can to fly often and regularly - ideally once a week. It will pay massive dividends.

I'm now so excited to start using my PPL to travel around the UK, and am looking at every option to allow me to get the IMC sorted before April - I realise what an important benefit it will bring to my flying. That will be very hard for me given the time available.

I've had some fantastic support from the Instructors and ops staff at Cambridge Aero Club, so I have to say thanks to them all. Cat, John, Susan, Meg and Jo in particular have been wonderful. It is not the cheapest facility in the area, but the quality of training, aircraft serviceability and quality, and communications and professionalism has been exemplary. Of course that is a testament to an outstanding CFI, Luke.

My examiner was excellent, but unfortunately it's prudent not to name them. Thank you Sir.

Best of luck to all training in 2012 - stick with it, it is worth it.

Rats 404

[DavidC]

Congratulations to both DarrenL and rats404 on their PPL Skills tests.

A good start to the year, but I'm sure there must be a few more out there who have something to celebrate. Surely there must be a few IMCr passes/revalidations coming through. Don't be shy, but please make it clear what your achievement was and the date so I can summarise them clearly in the first post at the end of each month.

@FlyinDutch - having heard in some places that the IR theory exams are a bit like root canal work (without an anaesthetic), my hat is off to you for doing these twice. That must take quite some commitment. A few questions (which probably don't belong in this thread). Did you resit all 7 at the same time? How much revision did you need for this second attempt? Did this need classroom sessions, or did you just revise and work through the question bank? Did you have to pay the full £1000 course fee again or just the exam fees? Anyway - I look forward to hearing you join the esteemed ranks of PPL/IR pilots in due course.

[G CEXO]

CPL ME/IR 2012

Now to look for a job

[dalemcquillan]

From my intro thread. First Solo for me on 27th of Jan

Best day ever!! (Apart from wedding day obviously.....)

[FlyingPanda]

Just realised that I can crow about getting my IMCr here with people who will understand (friends and family just smile and look blank!).

Completed everything 2 days before Christmas but the (disappointingly simple) bit of paper from the CAA dropped through my letterbox last week, and is dated as 18th Jan, so I guess that (for the purposes of the forum) we'll say:

18/01/12 FlyingPanda: IMCr

Now we just have to see what EASA do with it

PS: and many thanks to Flintshire Flying School who were excellent as always and worked tirelessly to make sure that I really got the hang of it, rather than just doing enough to get me through the exams. Highly recommended.

[Established Localiser]

I achieved my AFI on Friday & am absolutely made up

I am so looking forward to teaching & can't wait for my first Student , I worked hard for it and will work even harder to ensure I do it right ..

Chuffed isn't the word

EL

[joe-fbs]

Finished my Night Qualification today. Thank you to Ken Evans and his team at Almat, Coventry.

Five an a quarter hours (two hours of them solo) in three evenings in three weeks. Total cost including CAA fee about 850 pounds.

All great fun except the last few minutes tonight when as I flew along base on my final landing of the course, some fecker shone a laser at me. Still, calmly reported it to ATC and still managed a good landing. Just having a cheeky Marstons oatmeal stout to relax now I'm home.

Night flying is highly recommended even though the prospect of a forced landing is pretty scary.

[DavidC]

All these so far are up to date on the "master list" at the top of the thread. Some great accomplishments here, but surely there are others who have achieved something already this year too - there must be more IMC test passes, even at this time of year. Don't be shy - share your celebration with the rest of us, we're keen to hear what you have to shout about.