Grant's flying

Pre Cross Country Solo

All my world travels have been slowing down my progress towards my Private Pilot license. I finally got back in the air today and did a navigation exercise from Bankstown to Wollongong then onto Crookwell returning to Bankstown via Camden. We went in the Tobago TB10 (pictured), a 190HP variable pitch prop French plane I endorsed on late last year. It's got more knobs, dials and procedures (and of course things to go wrong) than your basic Grob. It was 40 degrees outside today, hot in the cabin and sluggish climb performance in the clear but smokey summer sky. We stopped at Wollongong and had lunch at a nice little restaurant at the airport with a very cute little waitress who Lawrence seemed to like a lot. After lunch I went to start the TB10. You guessed, it would not start. I tried a few different things, but the starter just would not kick in. Like I said more knobs is more to go wrong. As it happened I had accidentally kicked the circuit breaker for the starter on my earlier exit from the cabin, so learnt something new! Took a while to figure out though, and I was glad I was on the ground to do this learning.

I also learnt to deal with Flight Services Australia today. Lawrence described them as our "flying buddies on the ground". As a variation on flying a fixed flight plan, Lawrence asked me to do a course diversion, which required me to do in-flight recalculations then radioing flight services that our plan had changed and our SARTIME needed updating (that's the time after which they come looking for pieces of us strewn over the western plains :). Having arrived over the Blue Mountains high at 8,500 ft (the highest I have flown myself!), I continued to be high coming into the Sydney 'steps' (you need to keep well below the jet traffic into Sydney airport). I did a descending turn over Camden to lose height from 4,500 to 2,500 at the last "step" and then did a normal approach via 2RN. There was a brisk 21 knot cross wind on arrival at Bankstown and I did a very nice, smooth cross wind landing, requiring a lot of rudder to stay straight and near the TB10's maximum rated cross wind component of 25kts, always a challenge after 3 hrs of flying when you are quite tired. Fun!

So Lawrence has signed me off for my cross country solo. Before I can do it, I've got to renew my class 2 medical. (So I've got a boring and expensive week ahead attending my GP, DAME, path lab and Specialist, then my accountant to figure out how far out of the city I need to live to allow me to afford my expensive flying habit). I'm at 73 hrs flight time (do the math at $220 per hour plus medicals and exam fees). I've got 2 more solos and a pre-license check, then I can sit my Private Pilot License exam and practical.

So flying, can't be that hard? Its not really, easier than riding a motorbike I reckon :). I should say that another student of Lawrence's is at 140 hrs and he has not approved them for navigation solo yet, so I'm certainly not his worst student.

I'm starting to seriously plan what I will do with my full Private Pilot License which is seriously within my sights now! First, I'm going to borrow Bret's KAJ and fly it out of Wederburn just because I can! Next I'm going to rent the Tobago, and fly down to Orbust where Mick and Robyn have their holiday home. Mick and I are going to track up the Snowy River just because we can. Finally when Mick pulls his finger out and passes his PPL we will take some time off and fly around Australia together, again because we can. Ambitious? There was a guy in the flight school today, about 20 who Lawrence introduced me to. He got his PPL at 16 then proceeded to fly solo around Australia, quite an achievement for a young man. So, I think circumnavigating Australia in a Piper Tomahawk before my 50th Birthday is a wonderful and achievable goal.

By the way, if you think cross wind landings are routine, take a look at this little video:

posted by Grant @ 2:58 PM