Mon Oct 16, 2017 8:48 am
#1565479
Well, it's been a long 2 Years, and 4 months - but I finally completed my skills test. Still feeling a little bit shell shocked, to be honest - it's been a long road and there were definitely times I didn't think it was going to happen!
Doing all of 9 hours in 2016 certainly didn't help, but my logbook total (Including test) is 61:15.
Test went well, which was a surprise given my appalling mock. I was incredibly nervous prior and this was my third booking - weather was, once again, marginal. On the basis that it was just about "good enough" and everything pointed to either staying the same or improvement I decided to go for it. Once I was in the overhead it was clear that we were going into good solid VFR weather I certainly felt my nerves disappear.
Nav was tricky as the winds were completely different on the first leg and we were WELL (Like, insanely) off track within the first few miles. ID'd it quickly and had to just fly at a landmark and try again - exactly the same thing happened again, and we noted almost zero drift despite the forecast being a strong crosswind. Fortunately, by that point I was half way so did my double track correction and got away with it! Second leg was very featureless, but I'd taken some VOR radials which turned out to be very useful (and saved me a position fix later) and the diversion was fine.
As ever repeated, the examiner made clear he was looking for safety and good decision making - not sheer perfection. I took that and my instructors advice to slow down and breathe to heart and I think that was certainly key. As was mentally separating each task - no good thinking about your nav when doing stalls. Before each maneuver I really did "chair fly" it in my head first and, I've got to say, pulled out my best. Hit my wake on the steep turns which I don't think I'd ever managed before and the stalls went well which was something that really needed improvement as part of my test preparation lessons.
PFL wasn't amazing - certainly didn't play out how I'd practiced as my first choice turned out to be a bad choice once we got closer, but I made some decisions and threw the pattern out of the window in favour of a decent and viable landing site. Examiner seemed happy with that and content that we would have made it with a solid chance of walking away. EFATO came on the way out which was swiftly dealt with.
And then it was finally back to the airfield for a few circuits. Ended up using the shortest runway, of course, but I've always enjoyed circuit work so nothing too interest to report there.
So yeah, not too bad though I'm in on rush to do another one!
Doing all of 9 hours in 2016 certainly didn't help, but my logbook total (Including test) is 61:15.
Test went well, which was a surprise given my appalling mock. I was incredibly nervous prior and this was my third booking - weather was, once again, marginal. On the basis that it was just about "good enough" and everything pointed to either staying the same or improvement I decided to go for it. Once I was in the overhead it was clear that we were going into good solid VFR weather I certainly felt my nerves disappear.
Nav was tricky as the winds were completely different on the first leg and we were WELL (Like, insanely) off track within the first few miles. ID'd it quickly and had to just fly at a landmark and try again - exactly the same thing happened again, and we noted almost zero drift despite the forecast being a strong crosswind. Fortunately, by that point I was half way so did my double track correction and got away with it! Second leg was very featureless, but I'd taken some VOR radials which turned out to be very useful (and saved me a position fix later) and the diversion was fine.
As ever repeated, the examiner made clear he was looking for safety and good decision making - not sheer perfection. I took that and my instructors advice to slow down and breathe to heart and I think that was certainly key. As was mentally separating each task - no good thinking about your nav when doing stalls. Before each maneuver I really did "chair fly" it in my head first and, I've got to say, pulled out my best. Hit my wake on the steep turns which I don't think I'd ever managed before and the stalls went well which was something that really needed improvement as part of my test preparation lessons.
PFL wasn't amazing - certainly didn't play out how I'd practiced as my first choice turned out to be a bad choice once we got closer, but I made some decisions and threw the pattern out of the window in favour of a decent and viable landing site. Examiner seemed happy with that and content that we would have made it with a solid chance of walking away. EFATO came on the way out which was swiftly dealt with.
And then it was finally back to the airfield for a few circuits. Ended up using the shortest runway, of course, but I've always enjoyed circuit work so nothing too interest to report there.
So yeah, not too bad though I'm in on rush to do another one!
Last edited by vw-dan on Mon Oct 16, 2017 12:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.