So they're done. Four exams and two hundred and ten questions over four and a half hours.
The exams were all taken at the Hilton Hotel in Melbourne over three days. They were conducted by the IAA examiners and concluded on Wednesday afternoon.
Overall I thought they were as expected although the Instruments exam was something else and I'm more than interested to see what that particular result will be! Having spoken to a number of people who have taken the exam in the past the majority seem to find it the hardest to swallow of all fourteen.
Anyway, since Wednesday afternoon it's been four full days off from any form of aviation theory...well almost. In the evening I went out for something to eat with the rest of the class before getting a well earned lie in on the Thursday morning.
Thursday was spent relaxing and just enjoying not having to look in any books! Friday however was a bit different. I was in fact hoping to get a flight with my old instructor in the morning however having arrived at the Flightline there were no planes available.
Instead, we did ground school which was a little embarrassing. When becoming engrossed in the European material it is amazing how much of the American stuff I have come to forget! We covered different subjects regarding airspace, map reading and aircraft equipment - subjects I should really know!
Anyway, in the afternoon I was again hoping to get in the air and back seat a flight to Lakeland but again due to aircraft availability we were grounded. More ground school! I was kind of hoping that I would be able to avoid all forms of aviation related thinking over the six days off however I think it was invaluable to actually get back into it and realise how much I really do need to brush up on!
This morning I woke up early to watch the Manchester derby. Since Manchester City have seen unparalled investment over the past couple of years the team finds themselves the holders of the world's oldest cup, in the Champions League for the first time and making their way towards real title contenders come May. Thirty minutes or so into today's game I fell back to sleep and woke after the full time whistle - thank goodness I didn't want the entire game!
Anyway, having seen Chelsea lose and the thought of going to Tampa this evening (after I finish my flight plan!) on a night cross-country flight I am trying to stay positive.
Hope to have a post up about tonight's flight later in the week - back to ground school come Wednesday!
Come Thursday evening we had fully completed our second week of ATPL ground school here in Melbourne. Twenty four hours of classroom based work over three days was finally finished.
Monday was Labor Day here in the US. It celebrates 'the economic and social contributions of workers' (thank you Wikipedia). It's exactly the same as a bank holiday in the UK. The only difference I noticed was that it gave me another days worth of revision before the four tests we completed this week.
This module we are covering four subjects and in each we must take a weekly test to make sure we are up to date with the constant flow of new information. To be allowed to sit the mock exam (consolidation) I must attain a weekly test average of 65% in that respective subject. The goal then is to get as high an average in the early weeks of the tests so as to avoid having the problem of adding extra pressure in the latter weeks.
So... Tuesday morning, 8am. First test of the week. Aircraft General Knowledge (AGK). The test consisted of twenty five multiple choice questions covering the subjects we had studied the previous week in class and privately over the weekend. The papers are quickly marked and returned: 96%.
The same afternoon we took the Instruments test which again was twenty five questions long and lasted for 30 minutes. Results came out again very quickly with a score of 92%. Although still way above the average I need I was a little frustrated at how I'd misread the two questions I'd got wrong.
Wednesday was Principles of Flight (PoF) and I'm pleased to say I got a score of 100%. Performance followed the next day with a result of 95%.
I'm currently finding the work very manageable. There is very little of grave difficulty however the sheer amount of information that needs to be taken in over such a short period of time is certainly the most challenging part of these six months. It's trying to find a balance in the evening of covering the days topics as well as revising the work done the week previously and then in future the week before that etc. however by becoming immersed in the subjects it does help considerably.
The difference between only three weeks ago and today with regards to how I fill my time has massively changed. Before the days could be (and were!) filled with flying, flight planning, spending time by the pool, shopping, eating etc. Now this has completely changed and the majority, nay in fact all of my time is spent either in a classroom or my bedroom studying for the exams. It has been a bit of a shock but as people keep saying - it's only for six months and the end product is well worth it!
Yesterday, having not been in an aircraft for some time I thought it be wise to get a back seat on a flight. It was really good to get back up again and just try to remember everything that had clearly disappeared in my mind. First flight since the progress test tomorrow afternoon as I slowly dodge the ATPLs in working my way to the FAA PPL.
In other news today is my birthday (which was spent partly revising I must add!) and tonight we're off out for a meal. I managed to get in the United game today which was fantastic only made sweeter by Liverpool falling to the hands of Stoke City.
Sunrise during the pre-flight before departure from Melbourne
Tuesday came and saw me take to the sky for the first time in nearly a week with my new instructor. Having a weekend away in Orlando had taken my mind off of the flying and it wasn't until I actually got into the plane I realised it had almost been a week!
It was great to once again get into the air and continue the training. The first thing I noticed about the new instructor was his different style of teaching. It is almost impossible for me to describe. I can't quite put my finger on it but I certainly think a change is always good and I look forward to seeing what different techniques and advice he has to offer me over the coming months.
Our first flight together was a cross-country flight to Okeechobee. It was very much focused on him being able to get a feel as to where I am in the training and how we can move forward. It was also great just to have a chat and to get to know him a little better also.
Landing in Okeechobee - not my best landing but one I would class as safe and acceptable.
The flight went well down to Okeechobee and on the return I was diverted by my instructor to Vero Beach, an airport about 15-20 miles off course. This involves planning the route from the point of diversion to the arrival airport listing en route the magnetic heading, distance, fuel burn over that distance, expected time of arrival and the minimum safe altitude (MSA) over that distance all while still flying the plane to that diversion airport. My understanding is that to pass the check ride you must fall within 2 miles and/or 2 minutes of your calculations (I maybe wrong on that and someone can correct me!)
After the Vero Beach diversion we headed back to Melbourne to complete a few touch and go's in the pattern. As we approached Melbourne I contacted Tower of our intentions and to receive instruction for entry into the airspace and relevant pattern.
"Melbourne Tower, FIT 42 is currently over Radiation (a VFR reporting point - basically what I assume to be a power station on the ground) requesting to enter the pattern with information wiskey (current weather information)"
The controllers reply was...
"FIT 42, head towards the causeway (another VFR reporting point), expect Runway 27R, report over the causeway."
So off we set to enter the pattern.
"FIT 42, continue north-east over the causeway to avoid traffic landing 27L, you'll be cleared for base after the inbound aircraft has cleared your path. Report traffic in sight."
My instructors initial reaction was to ask the controller the type of aircraft we were looking out for until we saw right in front of us and no more than a few miles away a Delta MD88 pass right in front on finals for the parallel runway. Seeing them on the ground is impressive but air to air has to be the best viewpoint ever. It was a moment where you had to admire then quickly remember you're flying an aeroplane. However, it was nothing on what was about to follow...
In Melbourne for a number of days a US Air Force C-17 had been sat on the ramp and rumour was that the aircraft had gone tech. Before departure to Okeechobee we saw landing a C-130 and a fellow C-17 and assumed both were there to help said stranded aircraft. Anyway, as we were in the pattern and on finals for Runway 27R tower contacted us.
"FIT 42, cleared to land Runway 27R, caution wake turbulence from aircraft departing 27L."
A quick look out to our 10 o'clock saw the rescuing C-17 entering the runway and begin it's immediate take-off roll. Although the following video doesn't provide the best view point due to the bumpiness of the approach (I blame the weather!) it was without doubt the coolest thing I have seen since my arrival here in the USA.
The aircraft performs a short-field take-off, flies level for the remainder of the 10,000ft+ runway (the nearest thing we are going to see to a tower flyby in Melbourne!) and then heads almost vertically into the sky. I have been told this is a military type of take-off that often takes place in war-zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan where ground-to-air missiles are frequent (anyone wish to clarify?) but whatever it was it was bloody impressive. A great end to a very good flight.
So after a couple of hours of flying we landed, returned to the ramp and did our debrief. As I'd hoped he was able to offer me some advice different from that I would have likely have gotten from my old instructor about things to think about old and new. It was also pleasing that he was happy with my flight and I would be ready for my first solo cross country. I must say, I'm very pleased with my new instructor.
Thursday. First cross country solo. I was to repeat my trip to Okeechobee. I arrived early at the Flightline for my instructor to have a look over my flight plan and complete all the relevant paperwork (yes there is more) for me to be able to fly legally before he departed on another lesson with a fellow student.
Being over an hour before departure I dared to look at the TAF (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast) which would give me a text brief of the weather expected over the coming few hours. It didn't look good: VCTS - which quite painfully translates as thunderstorms in the vicinity. It was quite odd actually as I look outside and saw clear blue sky with quite high winds at 11 knots but saw no sign of these thunderstorms that were due locally within the following hour or so. With the weather as it is here in Melbourne it's almost never readable. To add confusion to the decision of whether to go or not go, the radar was showing little cloud, little turbulent air and pretty calm conditions up to my highest cruising altitude of 5,500ft.
I was lost. 30-odd hours into my training and I couldn't make up my mind. To many of you pilots reading that would automatically be a 'no-go' scenario. Play it safe and I was 99% sure of doing the same, as much as it pained me. However, as the new METAR (weather information) and updated TAF came out and the TS had disappeared from the screen it looked more promising. I had a chat with my old instructor who was hanging about between his flights and he agreed it was perfectly fine to go. Having spoken to the weather-briefer on the phone before hand (quite an odd, inefficient system whereby you are able to ring up someone and file a flight plan and gain all the possible information you would/could possibly want to know about your route of flight and areas around it - a twentieth century system that has avoided the chop in an industry obsessed with cost cutting) they said there shouldn't be anything to worry about weather-wise en route.
So paper work completed, aircraft prepared and off I went! After departure from Runway 5 I headed South West to my starting point along my route. Time and fuel logged, route to the next check-point, look outside for traffic, aircraft checks, look outside for traffic, radio changes/checks, look outside for traffic, heading, altitude, speed, look outside for traffic, time and fuel logged, route to the next check-point...That is pretty much the recurring theme along the flight route until approaching the destination airport where further planning comes into play including getting the weather information for arrival and then the current runway in use. At un-towered airports it is the responsibility of the pilots flying within the pattern and on the ground as well as those around the field to make sure they abide by those rules and regulations set. It is often that you are able to determine the current runway some distance away simply by the wind heading however as soon as I'm onto the relevant frequency for the airport it's possible to confirm your arrival route to enter the pattern.
The flight en route was bumpy and I wasn't able to get to my desired cruising altitude of 4,500ft due to the cloud above meaning I had no other choice but to cruise at 2,500ft. Visibility was good, the aircraft was performing well so I had nothing really to complain about and other than the clouds being lower that expected everything else was better than I had hoped for.
Luckily Runway 14 was in operation at this time therefore I was able to head south before making a right turn to enter the left downwind for the runway. Checks complete, aircraft configured for landing. A good landing (If I should say so myself!) and then a taxi back to the runway for departure back to Melbourne. Times and figures noted, radio calls made, aircraft configured for take-off and I was back into the air within minutes heading back north to base.
A complete opposite flight was completed with no problems on the return leg although thankfully the clouds had lifted slightly so I could cruise at 3,500ft as opposed to 1,500ft (although my desired 5,500ft cruise was never going to happen!) Approaching Melbourne I was looking at around 25 minutes of flight time to spare. My instant thought was to practice some crosswind landings in the patter until I got the ATIS.
"Winds 110 at 12 knots."
A bit of a gulping noise preceded my call to tower for entry for a definite full stop landing and taxi back to the ramp.
"FIT 37, make a left 360 and then fly straight in for runway 5, expect late landing clearance."
Runway 5?! A quick calculation meant I would be landing into a crosswind of almost 10 knots on what can only be described as a glamorous taxiway! No thanks!
"Melbourne Tower, FIT 37, can I request runway 9R please?"
"FIT 37 no problem, fly north west, expect 9R."
A sense of relief came over me. 10,000ft of asphalt with hundreds of feet either side of the centreline to play with not to mention an almost direct headwind for landing. I headed north west.
"FIT 37, cleared to land Runway 9R, you're number one."
Lining up with the runway was a bit tricky and involved a considerably amount of rudder work but finally she was in line, two red two white on the PAPI landing lights (a guidance system to help landing aircraft which I will describe in further detail in a future post) and after a bit of a bumpy approach another good landing (they always happen when no-one is there to see them!) followed by a long taxi back to the ramp.
Aircraft shut down, closed and tied up, paperwork complete and back to home base for a rest.
Since Thursday I've been packing for our move tomorrow from our temporary accommodation to the permanent apartments the other side of the campus. Having had a little nosey around this evening while dropping off some of my stuff it was nice to see we'll be living somewhere better than where we are currently.
So, tomorrow we move and Monday is my next flight! Roll on the new week!
Over a week has passed and another week closer to those looming six months of studying. I keep mentioning on here, far too often in fact, that the time is passing us by so quickly but it is so very true. Over eight weeks down here in Florida, approximately thirty two more to go.
With regards to my own personal flying over the past week it has been very much focused on what is known as 'flying under the hood.' This basically constitutes flying with no outside visibility to the student pilot. There are a couple of devices that can be used to do this. Firstly are the 'foggles' which we were issued with during our induction week. These are basically glasses as you would expect a lab worker to wear however the majority of the plastic lenses are covered in a foggy material similar to that of some bathroom windows. The other option is what I would call half a dog collar. It's basically exactly that with an elastic strap around one end which goes around the head and the dog collar covers the view north of level sight. I prefer the latter which is more effective in blocking any outside view and therefore helps combat the temptation of 'cheating.'
The idea of these lessons is to teach us how to fly the aircraft solely on the instruments we have in front of us. Fortunately we have been able to use the glass cockpit aircraft which not only make it easier for working with navigational aids but give that little sense of the future in the airline industry with regards to the tools we will be using. Obviously the depth the systems go into is no where near as hi tech as those in the jets you and I fly as passengers everyday but they're the nearest thing to it - for now anyway!
By using the instruments we are able to learn how to fly and navigate heights, speeds, rates, distances, locations and much more, often multiples at a time. It was quite challenging and very tiring but extremely enjoyable. I've probably enjoyed the past few hours more so than any other stage of my training so far. Having a great instructor also helps.
Anyway, so having completed 10 hours or so in the past week it was great to have a weekend off and it's been quite eventful I must say! On Saturday I again back seated a flight (or four!)
We left Melbourne International at 7am to head down again to Fort Lauderdale and this time we were successful in making a touch and go at the airport. Fort Lauderdale is quite a large airport handling multiple daily scheduled flights across the country and on certain days transatlantic flights so this was my first time of entering airspace such as this. Being a passenger it was great to see what I'll be doing most likely this coming week as I begin my navigation cross country flights.
After departure from Fort Lauderdale we headed in land to cross Florida to Naples on the Caribbean coast.
The state of Florida is not the smallest in the USA but when flying directly over the top of it it can be covered quite quickly, even at low speeds around 100mph. Less than an hour later we made a full stop landing in Naples and headed to the Fixed Base Operator (FBO) to take advantage of their facilities.
Having filled up with fuel we departed Naples and headed north to Tampa. Tampa international is one of the larger airports in Florida taking in hundreds of scheduled movements and thousands of passengers every day. When flying a cross country flight it is always an advantage to take 'Flight Following.' This is pretty much as read. When operating a VFR flight it is not always a necessity to contact Air Traffic Control (ATC). However, by being tracked by ATC at all times it makes the pilot's job that little bit easier. It allows he/she to be directed by the controller on the ground which takes away quite a lot of the navigation and helps the pilot concentrate on flying the aircraft.
In busy airspace such as Miami and Orlando this can be quite stressful however listening to your call sign, directions, vectors, weather advisories etc. Having listened to such frequencies for a few hours now I can start to appreciate how hard it can be however I must always remember that upon returning home I'll be hoping to fly in UK airspace which is without doubt one of the busiest on the planet!
Anyway, with Flight Following giving us our altitudes and headings we could being our approach into Tampa. The airport has three runways, two parallel and one running perpendicular through one of the parallels. It was clear very early on that the two major runways were being used for incoming and outgoing commercial jets and the latter for smaller aircraft needing access to certain FBO's.
On approach we were sent pretty much directly over down town Tampa. Following a left turn onto final we made a full stop landing in Tampa International Airport for lunch.
Final approach into Tampa
Tampa International Airport
After landing we taxied to the Signature FBO (one of the largest ground service companies in the US) who quickly parked us up, sorted out of fuel order and presented us with a free complimentary car for our stay.
One of the perks of flying around the US is the free car hire often available. We then headed over the road to the International Mall for some lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. Definitely recommended!
After lunch we returned to the airport, got our flight information and weather, sorted fuel payment and headed to the plane for the cross state flight back to Melbourne.
The flight back to Melbourne was fantastic in terms of ease. We departed on the opposite runway to our arrival and the runway heading pointed us almost directly towards our final destination. Cross the state there are a number of areas to avoid as either private or commercial airline pilots. The two we encountered en route were the military practice areas and the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over Disney World. However due to our course we were able to stay directly on course and avoid said areas quite comfortably.
As we approached Melbourne we got the Airport Terminal Information (ATIS) for the airport. This tells us the main components of the local weather around the field, the runway information and any other notices that should be known to pilots operating within the area. Luckily for us the winds were favourably meaning we were able to land on the runway we were directly lined up with for over 100 miles.
With a Delta jet ten miles ahead touching down well before ourselves it left the runway completely clear. Auto-pilot was used until on final and after a very good landing by the Pilot in Command (PIC) we were given taxi instructions onto ramp. The final flight of the day complete and a great way to finish. Although I wasn't piloting the aircraft it was fantastic experience for me to get over five hours flight time of just observing what I will be doing over the coming months.
Having had a great day on Saturday, Sunday was just as good. The time we have available at the moment means we have a lot of free time. We are in one of the most beautiful areas of the United States and we are definitely trying to take advantage of this. Sunday morning, nice and early at 8am we left the dorms and headed towards the docks. The morning would be spent on two speed boats wizzing around the river that runs between two land masses. With water skis, donuts and refreshments packed we headed out.
The morning was spent relaxing, exploring and just generally enjoying ourselves. It was great to get out onto the water and have a bit of fun with the boats.
For anyone coming to Florida I would definitely recommend hiring a car and getting out of the usual tourist traps of Orlando and head for the coasts. Melbourne, although not the best tourist resort, there are still some fantastic things to do - this certainly being one of them and for a fraction of the price you would expect to pay back in Europe.
The afternoon was spent resting and recuperating plus I also had my first flight plan to prepare for the following day. Yesterday was my first cross country flight, well all 51 miles of it. Having completed two hours of ground school my instructor and I headed for a popular un-towered airport of Okeechobee to the south west of Melbourne. It was great to finally put into practice what we have learnt and manipulate it into something resembling what our job in the long term will involve. Altitudes, headings, speeds, RPMs, fuel flows, weather and radio frequencies all had to be calculated, recorded and prepared before departure.
The flight went really well and having returned to Melbourne we debriefed on any problems and questions that needed answering - luckily there weren't many!
Today's flight was a complete mix of everything we've done over the past week or so with a new element of diverting while en route. I filed a flight plan the same as yesterday but during the flight my instructor said we were diverting to another airport. While still flying the plane the idea is then to quickly yet accurately plan your route to that new airfield including heading, distance, time en route, estimated time of arrival and fuel used during that time. Although it is a hell of a lot to do at once I did find it quite manageable as we had discussed it in great detail yesterday therefore I was aware of what needed doing and when. Following this we revisited the 'under the hood' work before a simulated engine failure followed by pattern work in Valkaria, a small non-towered airfield south of Melbourne.
Again the flight went really well with only minor topics to cover in terms of development. However some bad news did come today in that I'll be reassigned a new instructor within the next few days. The reason for this is that my current instructor is being taken to concentrate more on the latter stages of the training here in Florida. Having started flying only a few weeks ago the amount I have learnt has been mainly down to him. His teaching style is very suited to me and and I'm quite disappointed to be losing him. Hopefully when I get to the Commerical Pilot License (CPL) stage of my training early next year I'll get him back!
So at the moment I sit in a bit of an odd place not knowing when I'm next flying and who it will be with! Take advantage of the time you have...
