Learning to fly, or thinking of learning? Post your questions, comments and experiences here

Moderator: AndyR

  • 1
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 17
#1774780
I’ve just read this thread in it’s entirety & got so engrossed that I ran my phone out of charge..

Brilliant read Wicksay, your pure determination & love of flying really shone through & I felt like I was living it with you. Really feel for you, both for losing your new job before you started it & not being able to complete your PPL, courtesy of covid 19.

Also, we’ll done to T1m80 for getting there in the end, again, great determination, especially given the awful weather late last year & earlier on in this one. (So ironic all the fabulous weather we’ve had since lockdown).

Sincerely hope that we will soon be able to get back to dual flying - I’m eagerly awaiting you getting back to training again & documenting it on here.
t1m80 liked this
#1776666
RichK wrote:Hi Guys,

New member here,
I’ve read this thread from the start to the latest post with great interest.

First of all congratulations to each and every of the student pilots and now pilot in one case.

I’m 54 and had 15 flying lessons 12 years ago but due to the recession and losing my wife (I have 4 children) I had to stop. I’m hoping to start again soon as my children have grown and I’m starting a nw job as soon as this virus lets me.

I’ll try to Stay in touch with updates
Rich, thank you for your post. Without the need to say so, my sympathys for the loss of your wife, for sharing that and for connecting with us here with the same ambition and passion, whatever our stories are.

Where are you based and do you have a school in mind? Do you harbour any ambitions beyond getting your PPL?

Stay in touch
Lee
#1776671
white light wrote:I’ve just read this thread in it’s entirety & got so engrossed that I ran my phone out of charge..

Brilliant read Wicksay, your pure determination & love of flying really shone through & I felt like I was living it with you. Really feel for you, both for losing your new job before you started it & not being able to complete your PPL, courtesy of covid 19.

Also, we’ll done to T1m80 for getting there in the end, again, great determination, especially given the awful weather late last year & earlier on in this one. (So ironic all the fabulous weather we’ve had since lockdown).

Sincerely hope that we will soon be able to get back to dual flying - I’m eagerly awaiting you getting back to training again & documenting it on here.
White Light, interesting name... Thank you for your interest and post. I confess I'm at a bit of wall or cross roads amplified by our family lockdown challenges. Being a step family with 3 sons at home all working from home, plus one girlfriend the dynamics are more shared house than family coexistence.

One escape at present is flying a Mercedes Sprinter 30hrs a week. Logbook, checklist, cargo, destinations with various overhead joins, landing strips and navigation aids! A temporary situation for lockdown but now being made permenant. There are currently a syndicate of 3 craft shared between 15. There are two trips per shift with an average of 10 cargo drops per trip. In fact the mere writing this mildy amusing take on my Morrisons Home delivery job is that I could and will aim to approach the new full time role as if I am actually a commercial cargo pilot. Oops a poor start my departure time today is 4pm, better hustle to the field, depot, well store actually.

In the air soon, but this will do for now.
WickiWix
white light liked this
User avatar
By T6Harvard
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1776763
I love your pre-flight briefing, Wicksay. Mr T6 laughs at me (well he laughs at me a lot but here's one example), because I have a landing checklist when I park the car. We live on a steep hill so it goes like this :
Apply handbrake, put into gear, turn off aircon and radio, disconnect navaid and stow, secure hatches, (ie, put windows up), stow visual aids (driving glasses), take quick look round for loose items such as roving shopping, keys from ignition and remotely lock doors.

The latter two reminders I added after a friend hurriedly jumped out of her car to get to an appointment and not only left her keys in the ignition but left the car running (in her defence it was a very noisy road so she didn't hear the engine....). She returned to her car to find a note from the Police that they had taken her keys for safe keeping after turning the engine off and locking the car!

I am awaiting my second ever lesson, will be flying purely for fun and for the challenge. Am also in my 50's. I do wonder why we chose such an expensive mid-life crisis, and one that depends on the weather for goodness sake. We must be mad!

I'll be following your new journey!
#1782289
Drum roll .................................. Major Announcement spoiler !

I applied for a job at the CAA in the GA unit & my first lesson since 02/02/20 was yesterday 8th July!

and ........

on this occasion, both were a washout but, the great thing about preparing for anything is that .... well you feel prepared, and if nothing else, that's a really good feeling in and of itself. Well ok I'm not Donald Duck Rumsbottom and I can only prepare what I can remember or think I know. So there will be lots of bits n pieces I don't know and cant remember or just plan missed.

My next lesson is on Saturday 11th.... my next interview; well who knows? Donald Duck maybe ...? Both possibilities excite me. so onwards we press.

BTW a shout out to a member for a splendid ride in the back seat of their Rans.
JAFO, AndyR, t1m80 and 1 others liked this
By t1m80
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1782500
Fantastic News! Glad you're back in the saddle. Just got home from my club reval - my first flight since 5th Feb and gaining my licence. So I'm good to go. Now just the other issues, time and money, to resolve.
#1782848
So that's what flying feels like .... back in the saddle, well it's not quite like riding a bike, well it is in that just feeling the aircraft in my fingers and reacting to gusts and familiar thermals and nailing 3 landings ... all felt great. But.... mind went blank on radio calls and FREDA!! We did a PFL and a few touch n go's. The PFL went well, but note to self, I really need to spend the time to rehearse the mayday call, the restart procedure and the crash landing procedure - none of which I could remember.

Have to say, coming in to land with a Spitfire waiting for me and see me nail a landing was pretty awesome!

So overall, great to be back in the saddle.

T1m have a great flight on the 25th with Mrs T1m well done on overcoming the 5 month enforced layoff.

Next lesson book for Sat 18th.

Runway vacated .... ;-)
By t1m80
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1783090
Feels like we're getting closer and closer to one day all having that coffee together. Can't wait :-). Snuck in an hour next tuesday morning for some circuits. Can't get enough at the moment and making hay whilst the sun shines.
T6Harvard liked this
User avatar
By Nero
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1783092
Yes the simulator at home has been excellent. I was doing my ground checks from memory where I wasn't before lockdown.

Then he told me off and said I had to use the checklist.. Haha

Can't wait for our first post-student fly in :)
T6Harvard liked this
#1783883
Thanks AndyR,

A friend advised rehearsing the emergency drills while sitting on the loo. That way, by simple association, everything you need to know will be 2nd nature

Nero, T1m, and any of you when te and opportunity allows... Coffee Morning for propheads accepted.

I'm going overhead Southend then Brands Hatch then back to base on Sat. More chance of bumping into Superman than a EZY, I hope!
t1m80 liked this
  • 1
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 17