[TopCat]

Just out of interest, how long is it since people have flown? Have some gone many months?

A year and a month so far.

Last September for me. Reval between lockdowns.

Ah. Ok. I hadn't realised some had gone so long. I had an 8 week gap after the first lockdown, then a 7 week gap at the beginning of this year. I've clearly had it easy.

[Rob P]

Just out of interest, how long is it since people have flown? Have some gone many months?

Early in May it would be three months if I don't fly this coming week as I intend.

But that's more to do with cataract surgery than Covid since I missed out on one of our (alternating) engine health flights as I really didn't fancy flying 'unbalanced' with one eye perfect and one awaiting correction. I did drive like this, but with a contact lens in the weak eye.

Rob P

[rikur_]

Just out of interest, how long is it since people have flown? Have some gone many months?

I hadn't flown since early November (combination of EASA-EAD- 2020-0226-E and then lockdown).

I did my first flight back solo, self-briefed, and got 90 minutes bimbling and my 3 take-offs/landings and was generally pretty happy with it all. Just a couple of niggles such as having to look-up the new 8.33 frequency for one of the units.
Second flight was the first with a passenger (my youngest), and similarly thoroughly self-briefed, and again pretty content with it all.
Then relaxed, and went on third flight with an instructor to brush up on stall recovery, PFLs, upset attitudes, etc which was pretty much a disaster from engine start to shutdown! Largely due to lack of confidence and hesitation, and then overthinking things.

[Dodo]

Tbf, I have only just learnt the rejoin checklist so to ask me to fly a cruise descent, level off at 2,000' for the rejoin, keep a good lookout, start the checklist, fly straight AND level, watch the power, align DI, set QFE (after calculating how many 30' hPa's to knock off) and expect me to still be s&l at any point therein was, frankly, taking the P***.

Sorry, T6 Harvard I don't really want to hijack the thread but I am curious. Is that (calculating and setting QFE from QNH and airfield elevation) standard practice where you fly? I've never come across it.

If the airfield only passes the QNH and not the QFE then why not just add the elevation to the circuit height and fly the circuit on QNH at circuit height plus elevation. Mental arithmetic and fiddling with the (I presume only) altimeter sounds like a recipe for confusion, and a way to introduce an unnecessary error.

Mind you I am spoiled as I am based at an aerodrome with 8 foot elevation which passes both QFE and QNH

[JAFO]

Just out of interest, how long is it since people have flown? Have some gone many months?

October for me - combination of weather and other things getting in the way and then lockdown. It might be another month before I fly with one thing and another. So, it'll be around seven months.

[Miscellaneous]

...which passes both QFE and QNH

Not in two separate transmissions, I hope.

[Pete L]

Last flight was October. So few hours in 2020 I needed a test. Any precision in non-GPS navigation has disappeared. And landings were rubbish. For some reason I passed, but I've booked an hour's remedial circuits to increase the chances of reusable aircraft once I find out whether my PMD made it through the system pre-lockdown.

[lobstaboy]

Sorry, T6 Harvard I don't really want to hijack the thread but I am curious. Is that (calculating and setting QFE from QNH and airfield elevation) standard practice where you fly? I've never come across it.

Ha then you've been very lucky! It's very commonly taught, and I was taught to teach it. I didn't.
Apologies to T6Harvard and her instructor, but it's a silly way to do it.
(But we've done this topic to death...)

[leiafee]

RT.
However, yesterday I forgot my call sign and had to read it off the panel.

I did that repeatedly! Not helped by the fact I was renting instead of in my usual machine, and doubled up on not helped by the fact we I to taxy back and swap aircraft after powerchecks because there was a saddening mag drop.

And then there was anothe ‘KY on frequency so I needed the full version most of the way home.

I can only assume ATC units are sighing and waiting it out as people find their tongues again!

[Rob P]

Sorry, T6 Harvard I don't really want to hijack the thread but I am curious. Is that (calculating and setting QFE from QNH and airfield elevation) standard practice where you fly? I've never come across it.

I have, it appears to be a thing. It has popped up here before.

Odd really, because you have to know the airfield elevation to achieve it, so you might as well cut out the calculation and simply wind off that much altitude.

Rob P

[Paul_Sengupta]

Odd really, because you have to know the airfield elevation to achieve it, so you might as well cut out the calculation and simply wind off that much altitude.

Which is fine if you're on the ground, but not so much when you're in the air, distracted by twiddling the altimeter a load of turns and being lifted and dropped in thermals.

[Cessna571]

Sorry, T6 Harvard I don't really want to hijack the thread but I am curious. Is that (calculating and setting QFE from QNH and airfield elevation) standard practice where you fly? I've never come across it.

I have, it appears to be a thing. It has popped up here before.

Odd really, because you have to know the airfield elevation to achieve it, so you might as well cut out the calculation and simply wind off that much altitude.

Rob P

I was taught to do the calculation at first, it helps you to understand what all the numbers mean and why when you first start.

Once it’s all embedded, you realise you can just wind off the altitude, question your instructor about this and they nod!

But in the meantime, you’ve understood the difference between height and altitude, what a hPa is, what 1013 means, what a flight level is, what low and high pressure is, why that matters when you look at isobars.

Better than : “just fly on QNH the whole time” when you’re a student.

Anyone heard of “lies to children”, (that’s not derogatory btw)

[T6Harvard]

Tbf, I have only just learnt the rejoin checklist so to ask me to fly a cruise descent, level off at 2,000' for the rejoin, keep a good lookout, start the checklist, fly straight AND level, watch the power, align DI, set QFE (after calculating how many 30' hPa's to knock off) and expect me to still be s&l at any point therein was, frankly, taking the P***.

Sorry, T6 Harvard I don't really want to hijack the thread but I am curious. Is that (calculating and setting QFE from QNH and airfield elevation) standard practice where you fly? I've never come across it.

If the airfield only passes the QNH and not the QFE then why not just add the elevation to the circuit height and fly the circuit on QNH at circuit height plus elevation. Mental arithmetic and fiddling with the (I presume only) altimeter sounds like a recipe for confusion, and a way to introduce an unnecessary error.

Mind you I am spoiled as I am based at an aerodrome with 8 foot elevation which passes both QFE and QNH

Yep. We get the ATIS from nearby large aerodrome, deduct 15, set QFE. I guess instructor prefers simplicity thereafter, ie see 2,000' for rejoin, 1,000 for circuit, etc. Most times there is no A/G when I am there but it was operational yesterday and so they were giving out QNH and runway (which changed twice!).
I simply do as I'm told. Well, that's not true..... see above brain freeze!

[Rob P]

Which is fine if you're on the ground, but not so much when you're in the air, distracted by twiddling the altimeter a load of turns and being lifted and dropped in thermals.

.

Whilst I would never claim skygod status I don't find winding (say) 190ft off the altimeter hugely distracting. But I can see this might be a challenge for those with tele screens rather than a proper panel - not you, I know.

If there was an outbreak of thermals lifting and dropping me (doesn't happen very often) I'd probably consider flying the circuit on the QNH, but it seems perverse to change a perfectly adequate procedure for 99% of the time just in case of the 1% chance of sudden intense thermals

Rob P

[Capt Edmund]

Well, after almost a year without flying and moving to a new club with different aircraft things weren’t too bad. Trimming and balance was less than perfect but the biggest frustration was the last ten feet. Annoyed that I seem to have forgotten how to do a nice round out rather than flying it on. Need to sort that before I take any students up.