[T6Harvard]

It's great, isn't it?!!

Your first solo nav will blow your mind

[Antjrice]

Passed my Nav exam today and pleasingly got 100%.

I found a combination of Easy PPL and the Pooley's Exammination Preparation book very effective in terms of teaching the skills in addition to preparing for the exam (whiz wheel notwithstanding ).

[T6Harvard]

Nice!!

[Milty]

All sounds like great progress. Hearing radio while foggles on is a good indication. I was the exact opposite (although we were in cloud rather than foggles). Instructor started shuttering to Brize radar and I’d heard nothing incoming. For me, it was a good lesson in human performance and ears stopping first.

If you do get the chance and there’s a radar controlled area near you, it’s worth seeing if you can get 15 mins in cloud with your instructor. I found it very different than foggles.

Every step from here on in is great. Solo nav I found weird but great (I felt very grown up being allowed away from the area you know on your own). First solo landaway is when I first felt like a proper pilot. Enjoy it all. At your progress rate, I’d guess it will be over soon. I really missed the lessons so cherish what you’re in.

[Antjrice]

PFLs today for the first time and some EFATO practice. I'm really enjoying being out of the circuit and flying in some lovely conditions. It was later in the day so chasing the sunset was beautiful.

I also found my general handling was as precise as it's been so far, following my instrument lesson.

All generally good on the PFL front. I didn't appreciate before that by being very methodical, there's relatively good time available as long as you follow each step well. Granted, warming the engine gives a time boost but in terms of learning what's going to happen on the test, all seemed in order.

Also did a PFL from the overhead to land which was fun. I went a bit long as i turned onto base earlier than is ideal but had enough runway to land and slow down without much fuss. The last time i did a glide approach, i'd left the turn too late so i think I was a bit too conscious of that even with the extra height.

Really pleased with how things are progressing. I must get sharper and clearer on my checks. I'm doing them all without being prompted but sometime miss an engine step or two on the FREDA.

FI also said today "Did you realise, the last couple of times, you've said VRF to the Tower?". No idea where that's come from but i thought up a profanity laden mnemonic on the way home to iron that strange habit back out

Cramming Met currently as i'd like to take that next week. I'm hopefully ready to leave the circuit solo in just over an hour.

Total time: 29h20m (55m P1)

[T6Harvard]

Vee eff ahhhhhh. There you go

Sounds like a great lesson. Exciting that your first solo nav is on the horizon, as it were!

Can you learn me PFLs, Mister? Please??
I'm still not consistent. Bonkers really. No idea why I'm not putting it all together more than once per lesson. It's all I have to do now

[Antjrice]

Vee eff ahhhhhh. There you go

Can you learn me PFLs, Mister? Please??
I'm still not consistent. Bonkers really. No idea why I'm not putting it all together more than once per lesson. It's all I have to do now

Either here or elsewhere, would you mind describing how you find it, and where the pinch points are? It would be really good perspective for me and i can share my thoughts, albeit only 5 PFLs deep.

[Duncan M]

Vee eff ahhhhhh. There you go

Sounds like a great lesson. Exciting that your first solo nav is on the horizon, as it were!

Can you learn me PFLs, Mister? Please??
I'm still not consistent. Bonkers really. No idea why I'm not putting it all together more than once per lesson. It's all I have to do now

PFL, the real world!

Huge bang and everything goes quiet.
Immediate actions:
1. Look across to the RHS hoping the instructor hadn't just stepped out for your first solo.
2. Hope that you wake up and it was all just a bad dream.
3. Ask.....why me? Why now?
4. Why didn't I just have that ice cream at lunch instead of being good.
5. Wonder what turn out will be like at the funeral?
6. Hope the AAIB will find a fault in the aircraft and not point the finger at me!

Alternatively,
1. Quick assessment of problem, can it be fixed straight away, by changing fuel tank, switching on fuel pump, carb heat application, mag check.
2. Best glide speed, turn into wind.
3. Look for a safe landing place reasonably close to your position.
4. Set up for a safe let down to that position.
5. Further assessment to see if problem can be fixed.....decision!
6. Commit to land in your chosen field. Passenger brief if necessary.
7. If time, make a radio call (ATC, D&D........whoever could offer best help)
8. Fly the aircraft until it finally stops.

By their very nature, forced landings are an unknown quantity and the exact actions may vary depending on the type of problem the aircraft has.
But the priority is to give pilot, crew, and passengers the very best chance of walking away from the forced landing.

Caveat, I am not an instructor so take their advice in preference to mine.

[Antjrice]

Another lesson today in the most stunning and calm conditions. First time ever I had a "Wind variable, 2kt wind". The aircraft was flying beautifully.

Practiced some overhead joins from both directions and a bit of side slipping.

The overhead joins were great fun, and I seemed to plop it into circuit height pretty well once at cross wind.

Made a pretty daft mistake when setting off however. Was so conscious of being as thorough as I could be on the full list of checks, and not saying "VRF" when making my call, i made 2 silly mistakes - I didn't actually set QNH on the Altimeter, which i didn't realise until i was climbing and it read 100ft when i was about 200ft. Also the DI wasn't working at all. FI was happy to continue as we were flying in the generally area of the ATZ but by being preoccupied with that, i didn't set the Transponder to ALT after my power checks.

These were two pretty fundamental checks that I missed because of distractions. Easy enough to think that i'd iron it out next time but i'm bothered by it and even though it's a while until the skills test, i wouldn't want the preoccupation of that day to throw a silly spanner in the works. To overcome this, i've downloaded a digital checklist app onto my phone which has allowed my to type in each step in the way I articulate it to myself (no deviation to the detail of each check, just slight nuances and verbal cues) and i am going to chair fly it to pieces.

In summary, really happy with the quality of flying, but need better quality on the flight governance, as it were.

[AndyR]

Don’t beat yourself up about small errors. Learn from it, but don’t let it overshadow the good stuff.
You will forget something in every single flight. Far better to know what controls and levers and buttons you are moving and why, rather than using a checklist as a to do list. It is just that, a checklist. Do and then check.

[Antjrice]

Don’t beat yourself up about small errors. Learn from it, but don’t let it overshadow the good stuff.
You will forget something in every single flight. Far better to know what controls and levers and buttons you are moving and why, rather than using a checklist as a to do list. It is just that, a checklist. Do and then check.

Cheers - you’re totally right.

I’ve just been thinking about the Altimeter whereas the view over the sea at about 16:45 when I turned 180 in the overhead (to get dead side) was one of the most stunning things I’ve ever seen. I even said out loud to my FI “That’s why I’m doing this”.

[lobstaboy]

I even said out loud to my FI “That’s why I’m doing this”.

…and hearing you say that is one of the reasons they do it

[TopCat]

Can you learn me PFLs, Mister? Please??
I'm still not consistent. Bonkers really. No idea why I'm not putting it all together more than once per lesson. It's all I have to do now

I've told you already - more glide approaches.

Seriously.. how do you expect to be able to fly a landing without power under the pressure of a forced landing if you've done hardly any glide approaches?

After I first went solo, about 50% of my approaches were glides from then till the flight tests. They were easy by then.

Your skill test will probably be in benign conditions. What if your actual forced landing is on a windy day, and you haven't developed the instinctive feel for range in different conditions?

Learn to feel the descent angle regardless of wind.

[lobstaboy]

Can you learn me PFLs, Mister? Please??
I'm still not consistent. Bonkers really. No idea why I'm not putting it all together more than once per lesson. It's all I have to do now

I've told you already - more glide approaches.

Seriously.. how do you expect to be able to fly a landing without power under the pressure of a forced landing if you've done hardly any glide approaches?…

Learn to feel the descent angle regardless of wind.

Assuming the difficulty is in judging the flight path and approach to your chosen field then I agree that lots more glide approaches will be some help
But how do you ‘learn to feel the descent angle’ from 2000’ some way from the field? I don’t think you can - although you can learn it for the last 1000’ or so, assuming you’re still high enough for it to work.
No, you are not trying to judge the perfect flight path to glide to your field from the moment the engine stops. What you need to do is pick a close field that you can see you can get to easily with height to spare. It’ll be very close! Maybe even stupidly close. Do the restart and other actions while you fly at best glide roughly to down wind or base for your field. You should be definitely too high so you can open up the circuit a bit to make it right. Now you’re close enough and low enough that you can judge properly, so use S turns, flaps and side slips to get the height right - aiming to be well inside the field. At this point the field will look huge and easy to get in.
It doesn’t need to be elegant or precise, just safe.
Don’t be afraid to use well banked turns if needed (but keep the speed up and the ball in the middle).
Keep your field in sight all the time.
Doing all the checks and actions is important, but don’t do them until you’re certain of your field.

[T6Harvard]

Don't want to hijack this thread, but sound advice above, so thank you.

My issue was that I was not getting far enough away on DW and at my 1000' point! On one attempt there was a superb ground feature so both my instructor and I could know exactly what we were referencing. I thought that should be me 1000' point.
When I said I needed to be over the pond, he said No! And gave me another easily seen reference that was much further out. That was a great help and my next attempt was much better. The handling and doing the checks at the same time is fine, just need to get my head to accept the pattern.

@Antjrice , you'll crack them. Previously I have seen the 3D pattern I need to fly, did some little adjustments as needed, and nailed gliding into land in the circuit. I'm just having a last minute wobble