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

Moderator: AndyR

  • 1
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 31
User avatar
By T6Harvard
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1843608
Oh that's a great return to flying @Nero , well done!! You are sooooo close now. I am looking forward to reading about your QXC. Will there be cakes to celebrate? Asking for a friend :mrgreen:
By Fellsteruk
#1843623
Who said cake...

Firstly happy birthday, I also celebrated my birthday last week and I know what you mean about not working on your birthday :)

Good news on getting back and glad it went well so good to see and read about everyone starting to get back in the sky, she’s missed us.
T6Harvard liked this
User avatar
By Nero
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1851355
By popular demand: an update!

I've only had two lessons since the latest lockdown ended. This has been due to a family holiday, the resumption of socialising and shocking weather during May.

The first one was a few weeks ago and we just got me current again with a couple circuits of Lydd and then a trip overhead Southend and back to Biggin. That got me my 3 landings.

Second lesson was today. Despite the glorious sunshine, the clouds threatened my lesson due to the often frustrating rule that I cannot solo from Biggin, and the cloudbase was 800ft at Lydd.

Thankfully, after a lot of waiting, the base lifted and I was able to do a solo trip of 111nm around Kent.

Beautiful sights along the South Coast over Eastbourne and Hastings.

Instructor has set a plan of the next lesson being a trip together to Southend, and then the next one will be my QXC

That route will be Biggin - Seaford - Lydd (land) - Canterbury - Southend (land) - Biggin

Biggin do allow QXCs



~ Scott
tr7v8, cjrpaterson, T6Harvard and 1 others liked this
By Fellsteruk
#1851359
That’s great Nero but what an odd rule about not allowing solo but allowing QXC.

Your QXC will be a flight you won’t soon forget if ever, I found it a lot of hard work but enjoyed it so much and I’m excited for you to be close to completing it.

CAS down your end looks mental I don’t know how you do it, I wanna come down south but need to build my confidence first.
User avatar
By T6Harvard
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1851369
Do you mean you put a holiday and socialising before flying?? Tsk, tsk. I've turned down a day's work to fly next Weds!

Great to hear the plan :mrgreen: Keep up the good work.
User avatar
By Nero
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1851448
Fellsteruk wrote:
CAS down your end looks mental I don’t know how you do it, I wanna come down south but need to build my confidence first.


Yeah it is a bit mental. But I'm well used to the part I'll be flying through and it'll avoid (hopefully ) the major London airports. Just need to avoid London City as I come west out of Southend.

It's also no where near the patchwork of Farnborough. Genuinely worried about going that way if/when I pass!

~ Scott
By TopCat
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1851455
Nero wrote:It's also no where near the patchwork of Farnborough. Genuinely worried about going that way if/ when I pass!

FTFY!

The secret to Farnborough clearances is to become familiar with the VRPs that they often specify in the route clearance.

M3 Junction 4 and Tongham (pronounced 'Tong-um') are the most common for N-S transits, sometimes Farnham Castle.
User avatar
By Nero
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1852494
Flew to Southend this morning and landed there for the first time. This also gave other "firsts" of "first parking via marshal" and "first use of stop bars"

Fairly quick lesson but a vitally important cog in the process as Southend will be Stop #2 on my QXC.

Speaking of which, my QXC will be my next lesson! Currently penciled in for next Saturday



~ Scott
tr7v8, T6Harvard liked this
By Fellsteruk
#1852501
Nero wrote:Flew to Southend this morning and landed there for the first time. This also gave other "firsts" of "first parking via marshal" and "first use of stop bars"

Fairly quick lesson but a vitally important cog in the process as Southend will be Stop #2 on my QXC.

Speaking of which, my QXC will be my next lesson! Currently penciled in for next Saturday
~ Scott


Excellent, I always think “am I doing the right thing” when a being marshaled but makes you feel like a real pilot, I mean if it’s good enough for a A320 pilot I’ll take it.

Good luck for next weekend, you’re gonna have so much fun doing the XC, take ya time and enjoy it, you’ll be surprised how quickly it goes, I landed and was like “can I do that again” not a sentiment I shared with skills test flight lol.
T6Harvard liked this
User avatar
By Nero
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1852503
Yep, all booked for next Saturday. He was trying to get me to go tomorrow, but I don't have enough brownie points at home to go flying two days in a row

I don't think I'm actually nervous for it... I've done the route plenty of times in sections, and I'll be on my own rather than being directly judged/assessed..... Yeah, think I'm okay! Probably be different on the day though

~ Scott
T6Harvard, tr7v8 liked this
User avatar
By Nero
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1853357
Morning

So I've plotted out my route in preparation for (hopefully) my QXC this coming Saturday. Picture attached.

I'm very comfortable with the route and what to look for and avoid. Only landed at Southend once but it was very simple and quieter than Biggin Hill, so a calmer relay of information back and forth with ATC.

Weather is looking dodgy over the next few days but Saturday seems to be the calm between rain/thunder either side.

I'll plot this out on my PLOG and map of course but any advice at this stage?

Instructor mentioned getting paperwork signed, so do I get a little booklet to stamp like a treasure hunt?

ThanksImage

~ Scott
  • 1
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 31