First solo nears

Since the completion of the FAA written exam last Tuesday (this past week has gone so fast!) it's been a bit of a whirl wind to be honest. Lack of ground school, a humongous increase in free time and the bumper hours of flying has meant this past week has gone so quickly it really is hard to believe that this is our sixth week here already.

Over the next few days the Flybe Liaison Officer for this flight school will be heading out to see us. This will be the first time I have got to speak to him since the interview back in March. As this is the first meeting of it's kind for myself I'm unsure what to expect. It will hopefully be a great way for him to find out how I'm getting on and for me to find out more about the airline.

The 'Pattern': A standard path for all coordinated flights within an airspace.

The flights have been coming thick and fast and I'd like to think that my knowledge and piloting skills have also matched the requirements and standards set. The initial stage of flight training is designed so that you are able to fly a plane within the 'pattern' around the home airport or airfield, in this case Melbourne. The idea is that you are able, on your own, to complete all checks, taxi to the runway, take-off, join the 'pattern' and then land on the ATC directed runway and returning the the ramp. This should be completed three times to constitute the first solo flight. This usually comes after approximately 12 hours of flight (as long as all lessons up to that point have been passed).

The final three lessons leading up to this mainly cover everything within the pattern. This should cover the likes of normal and crosswind landings, simulated engine failures on runway and just after take-off, take-off and landing procedures and much, much more. Having now completed two of the three 'touch-and-go' lessons it becomes very clear very quickly the workload put onto a pilot during the time within an airspace either approaching or departing the airport. The stress levels also reach great heights on occasions, much to the amusement of my instructor.

So, final touch-and-go lesson tomorrow and then as I look at the pre-planned flights for the rest of the week, Thursday could be the big day...

Reality kicks in.

Having attended my medical a few weeks back it was simply a matter of waiting for the results. Before leaving the hospital I asked the chances of failing. The receptionist was very pleasant and just smiled and said "if there is a problem it would be discussed now." Handed me my receipt and then I left.

With this positive attitude I've waited a little over two weeks to hear back from the IAA in Ireland. Good news arrived on Thursday as the postman dropped off the golden ticket. Well, a green A4 sheet with a bunch of scribbles and the all important stamp of authentication.

With less than five weeks to go until departure, my medical certificate in the bag and US visa interview tomorrow the scary thought of this becoming a reality is slowly but surely starting to sink in. As I've mentioned before, it's been a long tiring journey so far and I haven't even left the UK yet!

I still very much have a long list of tasks to complete (which does seem to be getting longer!) before leaving the country. These range from giving up hobbies and professions to personal banking and a whole range of problems in between. It's a very odd situation. I'm used to a full calendar. Work, meetings and social events fill my weeks quite regularly and over the next five weeks I somehow have to reduce that from seven days per week to zero. I'm dropping things I love, stuff I'll miss as well as others which I am very happy to drop! The long term goal will hopefully make this all worthwhile.

So now I await tomorrow - one of the final fences to jump over before departure. By this time next week I hope to have all my paperwork in place for departure to Florida come May.

Paperwork

The word everyone despises - paperwork. I think I hate the answer "it's there for a reason" even more. I'm quite used to it actually and find it bearable - just.

However, this past week I have learnt a new meaning to the word. The USA has one of the strictest boarders in the world, and rightly so. It also has one of the most strictly regulated airspaces in the world. Again - rightly so. On Friday I received all the information I would need to gain access not only to the 'land of the free' but also the skies above it.

We use the word 'paperwork' now more as a term for administration; after all we now live in the age of the internet. The first step I have to take is to apply to fly within the USA. This is focused solely online giving quick turnaround times - great! The second stage however (student visa) is somewhat more drawn out.

When the millions of people from across the world descend on Florida, and Orlando in particular every year, a significant number are usually able to take advantage of the American 'Visa Waver Programme' in force for certain countries which is usable throughout the country. This allows them to access the US for up to ninety days on business or pleasure and avoid the hours of paperwork associated with visas. A fantastic tool for encouraging both enterprise and tourism. However as I'm due to be studying in Melbourne for approximately ten months the government want to know a little bit more about my time in the sunshine.

The process now involves collating all the paperwork needed (thanks to the fantastic people working behind the scenes at the training college it's all brought together for me) and booking an interview at the US Embassy in London. This will then hopefully lead to the country offering me a US Visa for my time in America.

However before all this can take place I still have the small task of completing my medical in Dublin.

One by one I'm knocking down the barriers.