It's All Over Rover

And there it is, the all important sticker in the logbook. What a journey it has been. In keeping with the trend so far, the day did not go smoothly as planned.

Driving out to the airport first thing, I could see that the weather was packing up and by the time I got there rain was falling steadily. Alistair the examiner was aiming to be there at 8:00, so I arrived at 7:15 to give me time to sort out my paper work and to preflight the aircraft (yes, in the rain).

Pretty much on the dot at 8:00 Alistair turned up, and it was straight into the ground work. This involved interpreting the Met (weather reports and forecasts), followed by various questions on IFR law and other items. The last question was "so are we going?". By this stage the weather was not looking good, with my main concern being that yes we could go, but coming back could be an issue with us then having to divert somewhere. So I elected to delay for half an hour to see how the weather was trending. All good, so we waited. And waited. And waited. Finally we got airborne at 1:00. This caused a problem for Brendan who was meant to do his flight test after me, but because of this delay won't be flight testing for another week.

So on to the flight. And what is the trend? Well that would be for the plan to not go smoothly. So it goes like this. Airborne out of Nelson and straight into cloud and rain. Remember that hood which I've been wearing for all my training? Well today I didn't get to wear it at all as I was in cloud for most of the flight. Once climbing out on track Alistair pulls the power on one engine, as to be expected. Went through my engine out drills ok, then continue. ATC then calls me up to let me know that there is a problem with radar, so I may not be allowed into Wellington airspace. Man oh man, this could be a problem. I then get told to hold at a reporting point for five minutes while they sort the radar problem out. Looking at my chart I find that this particular reporting point is not on my route. I call them up to question this, and they then clear me to hold at a reporting point which is on my route. Radar problem is sorted so recleared to continue.

The rest of the flight went as planned, with an engine failure into Paraparaumu, complete the approach and then back to Nelson. Because of the weather and traffic there were a few changes along the way as ATC kept things going, and I think they were still working around the earlier radar issues. Approaching into Nelson I was in cloud right down to the missed approach point, with Alistair telling me that I had visual at this point. Looking up from the instruments I had to strain a bit to see the runway. Yep, weather was not good. To top it off though my landing was nice and smooth, probably my best in the Seneca so far.

Taxiing to the parking area I had no idea how I had done. I knew that I had not done anything wrong, but to be honest there were parts of the flight which were pretty sloppy, and probably on the edge of the fail limits. Parked the aircraft and then Alistair turns to me and asks "so how do you think you went?". Oh man, what a question. So I told him that I think it went ok, but that I kicked myself a few times as it definitely wasn't my best work. Alistair then says "yeah there are a few things which we'll talk about in the debrief, but you did ok, congratulations you've passed".

I tell you what, up to that point I was feeling pretty neutral about it all. The flight was hard but I did enjoy it, and thought that if I had to do it again then so be it. I didn't really care one way or the other. But when Alistair said that I had passed I then realised that I did care!! I just can not describe how good it felt. Three months of training had led up to that one point...you've passed.

So that's the story. Three months and it's all over. It feels particularly good to have done the flight test on an actual IFR day and to have to deal with the various issues along the way.

And now I head back home next week, and begin what is probably the hardest part...finding a job. But that is a whole new story. I hope you have enjoyed this one.

Flight Test Week

Oh man, can we get this over with already. I'm totally over it. Flight testing started this week, firstly with those doing their commercial pilots licence's, then those of us doing our IFR ratings after them.

Originally my flight test was meant to be tomorrow, but due to circumstances beyond our control this was firstly pushed back to the weekend, and now pushed back for another week. Oh man, the tension is getting unbelievable. It is at the point where we just have these inexplicable laughing fits in class, simply for no reason other than we're all just tightly wound springs ready to unleash.

And a few days later...another delay. Our aircraft is now out of action, so we're having to get a replacement from another flight school. So yes, my flight test has now been pushed back further, from wednesday next week to friday, possibly the following weekend. Hmmph. This is unbelievable.

On a brighter note however, the first of our group to have his flight test passed and is now heading home. He's a happy camper. The second to have his flight test had to turn back shortly after takeoff as the aircraft developed engine problems. Understandably he's pretty frustrated at now having to start his flight test all over again in a week or so when we get a replacement aircraft.

As you can imagine it's getting hard to stay motivated. We study hard in preparation for the big day, then it doesn't happen. So then we prepare for another day, and it doesn't happy. Mentally it is just tiring. We had a bit of a night out on friday as we all just needed to chill out for a bit.

Man oh man, will this never end?

The end is near

One and a half weeks to the flight test. Hmmm. Before then I have one flight left to pull it all together. This is going to be some sort of magic show, it really doesn't get any easier. Most of the work left to be done revolves around study, with aviation law featuring quite prominently here. There is so much fine print about what can and can not be done. It's endless. And of course there is a lot of study to be done about the aircraft itself, knowing it inside and out. The list of questions which the examiner can ask on the day is endless. When I did my instructors' rating, if I asked "what do I have to know to pass this test?", the answer would have simply been "all of it". In some respects this flight test and any other flight test is the same. There is no point in going into battle ill prepared, so just learn it all. It's terrifying, there are so many ways to screw it up. I am sure once it's all over I'll look back and think that it wasn't so bad. Yeah right.

When I started this blog I talked about the emotional/psychological aspect of this industry. The best term that I can come up with is "emotional rollercoaster ride". I have tried, but I can not find any other term which sums it up so well. At every step along the way there really is no grey area, it is very black and white. In the past week there have been a few flight tests, and I have seen the total elation of passing, and the despair of having to do it all over again. It's heartbreaking. Even when just having lessons there are not many grey areas. Either the flights were great, or they were crap, "okay" just doesn't come into it.

As you can imagine, while eating sleeping breathing this aviation emotional rollercoaster ride, if the rest of your life is going ok then it's not too bad. However, if a spanner gets thrown in the works of some other aspect of your life then it rocks your world. I saw it first hand a few weeks ago with one of my classmates. It was soul destroying, to be there at the moment when the bottom fell out of his world. Suddenly priorities change, and aviation doesn't seem so important any more. The important thing however is not how these hurdles are dealt with at the time, but that with time we do get back up on that horse and go forth. I am happy to report that he is indeed back on the horse and is riding on.

For myself, this week my world was rocked. I have had several challenges outside of aviation since I have been here, and for each it is a matter of adapting to the situation. This week however was pretty tough. It changes your perspective about what is really important. The reality though is that there is a job to do, so we just have to continue and get it done. One of the subjects we study as part of our licences is Human Factors (aviation psychology). Simply put human factors recognises the human component in flying, whether it be from a purely practical standpoint looking at how the person fits inside the cockpit, or from a psychological view at how factors both inside and outside of aviation affects the pilot. This has become increasingly important as investigators look at aircraft accidents and determine what was the real cause. So it is always important to keep the human factor in mind when flying.

From a practical view IFR requires a clear head. During the flight there is a lot going on and lots of checks and procedures to follow, not to mention a few calculations to be made. So if your head is not totally on the job it ain't easy. I got through, but at the time I just wanted to flag it, to do it on another day. I guess at the end of the day I have a job to do and just have to get on with it. It's all about prioritising. Right now I'll get the job done, and when the time is right I'll deal with the other issues.

Ok, enough psychology. Since my last blog entry I have had three IFR cross country flights, one in the Cutlass, and two in the Seneca. The last couple of flights have pulled it all together, with instrument approaches while one engine is shut down. It's a circus. Actually, an engine failure on the approach isn't too bad. More of a freakshow is having an engine failure shortly after takeoff. At that moment I'm still getting into the groove of the flight and the aircraft is at a high power setting with a high nose attitude, so when that engine shuts down it's all on!

At each stage I have found different areas of the flights difficult. The satisfying thing about this is learning from it and being able to do it better next time. One area I am finding a bit difficult at the moment is having to have several plans of attack in my head for the flight. While flying back to Nelson back from Paraparaumu there is more than one approach that can be performed, and it depends on what the controller will give us at the time as they deal with shuffling air traffic around. My last flight was no exception, with my approach changing a couple of times as air traffic control deal with their own issues and moved us around the sky as they saw fit. Ahhhh it's all character building. And I have a number of characters built in my head all arguing amongst themselves!

So that's been my past few weeks. Rollecoaster ride indeed. And I am sure that it's going to continue on this path to the end. Ohhh yeah, bring it on!!

Busy day

I was going to type that the pressure is now on, but realised that I said that before. It's just that with each step there seems to be more pressure. What am I saying? there IS more pressure.

Today's pressure is that I was informed that it is about one month to the flight test. I really did not need to hear that! One month?! From past flight tests I know that everything does come together in the last week, so I am hoping to follow that same format. Right now however there is a huge chasm in my skillbank between now and that point. I can't think about it. Gotta do more, gotta be more.

The photo above is my current office. A few knobs and dials there to play with, and as we have two engines there are two of each for the bits that have to do with the engines. Fun fun fun.

Busy day today. There are lots of requirements that have to be met in order to gain an IFR rating, one of those being that you need a night rating to the level of your licence. Well I have a PPL night rating, but am one hour short of the CPL night rating. First things first though. Today's lesson was asymmetric circuits. That is basically doing a takeoff, fly the circuit and do a touch-and-go, and in the mean time the instructor shuts down one engine. The immediate effect of this is that the aircraft yaws in the direction of the failed engine, so it is up to the pilot to maintain control, all the while doing the emergency checks and drills and flying the circuit. There were several stages in the circuit that the engine was shut down...shortly after takeoff, down wind, and on base shortly before landing. The circuits in the twin are pretty busy, however with one engine shut down it goes up a notch or three. There were a few moments there where I was simply overloaded. Please sir, brain full. It does get easier though as it is all about following the procedure as soon as that engine shuts down. Remember when Captain Sullenburger landed Flight 1549 successfully on the Hudson river following a double engine failure? He did this by following the procedures, and also by doing a lot of quick thinking. I haven't yet seen an item in any checklist which says "land on the river", but you do whatever it takes to make it work. And he did.

So that was the first part of the day. Second part was getting in that hour of night flying. This was to be done in a Cessna 152 which I haven't flown for a while, so I had to go up with an instructor first during the day to satisfy him that I wasn't going to bend the aircraft. This done, then it was up on my own for a few circuits.

Night flying here at Motueka is a tricky affair as the runway doesn't have lights. This means that we have to fly to Nelson airport during daylight and conduct night flying from there. So had myself some dinner, then we (three other guys were night flying tonight) flew our aircraft over to Nelson to meet the instructors over there. It has been a few years since I have been night flying, so the instructor wanted to make real sure that I was safe for this. Once again this involved going up with him for a few night circuits. All good, then it was up on my own to get that ellusive hour. There was quite a cross-wind tonight which added to the mix, but all good fun. To be honest, night flying is magical. The familiar landscape takes on a surreal quality with the lit buildings and roads interspersed with areas of blackness. Even more surreal are the landings. Just before touchdown there is about a 5-10 second pause where the runway can not be seen, only the edge lighting to either side. It is a matter of holding the aircraft in the landing attitude hopefully on centreline, and waiting for the aircraft to sink on to the runway. Surreal? Spooky. Awesome!!

So what a day it has been. Today's logbook entries show six different flights in three different aircraft. These flights consisted of 1.1 hrs twin, 3.1 hrs in the 152, of which 1.0 hr is the important PIC night hours!! And this gives me another sticker for the logbook, CPL night rating. And that is the last of the VFR flying that I will be doing while I am here. From now to the end it's about IFR and staring at those instruments. Remember that sexy hood I was wearing earlier on? That is going to be my friend.

I see have thrown a few more acronyms and terms with this entry. So if you're curious about what PIC or even the circuit is, hop along to the terminology page here. And please excuse the formatting. For some reason it won't allow me to add spaces between paragraphs tonight. Technology.

Flying the twin

I mentioned when I first got here at the end of last year that I was finding it to be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster ride. This week was no different. Flying is an emotional ride. When I was learning to fly I would either go home feeling ten feet tall and bulletproof from a good flight, or arrive home wanting to dig a hole and bury myself from a not so good flight. There really were no grey areas. Well this week was a hole digging kinda week. Flight and sim rides haven't been going so well, and it gradually just chips away at your confidence. Another emotional factor in this week has been tuesday's Christchurch earthquake. I can't even begin to imagine how it must feel to be living there right now. Every time I see footage on the tv I just want to cry. It's just heartbreaking, the town I grew up in, in ruins.

I could go on, but that is for another time, another blog. This blog is about aviation and my journey thus far. So let's talk aviation. Since my last entry I have flown the cross-country flight that I had practiced in the simulator. The down side of this is flying for 3.2 hours and not seeing any scenery. The upside however is that I found the actual flying easier than that in the sim. The same mind games were employed, with those little instruments making life incredibly difficult. But in the end I made it to Westport and made it back again. No fun was involved, but I guess I'm not here for fun.

Now let me tell you about today. Yes, there was fun involved. Due to the Christchurch earthquake we are unable to fly into controlled airspace for instrument training. This means for us that we have to skip ahead to start doing the Seneca type rating. Once we are proficient at flying the Seneca we will then start doing the instrument flying in this aircraft.

So yesterday I had my first lesson in the Seneca, and second today. This is quite a different story to flying the Cutlass (Cessna 172RG). The Cutlass is a highwing four seat single engined aircraft producing 180 horsepower.

The Seneca is a six seat low winged aircraft with two turbocharged engines, each producing 200 horsepower. 400HP!!! The take-off procedure is to line up at the end of the runway, feet firmly on the brakes bring the power up to 1500 rpm (about 30% power), and then check the engine temps and pressures. Increase the power to about 75%, pause to check the fuel flows, all ok then release the brakes. Unlike other aircraft I've flown which pretty much dribble off the starting blocks, the Seneca tends to lurch forward like a cut cat. At this point the turbos kick in, then it's a matter of going through to full power and keep the aircraft straight down the runway.

It is an absolute rush!! Rotate speed is 85 knotts (160kmh), climbing out at 105 knotts (195 kmh). The power of this little aircraft is unbelievable. I can not wait to get the hang of it. Where the takeoff is exhilerating, the landing is terrifying. It's the speed. Most aircraft I have flown have an approach speed of 65-70 knotts, whereas the Seneca is 90 knotts. That's 166kmh!! At that speed things happen pretty quickly over the fence. Something else which adds to the experience is the noise. The seneca is a very quiet aircraft, but once it gets up and goes with the sucking/whining sound of the the turbos it's a different experience altogether. This aircraft means business!! Like I said, it's a rush.

Speaking of sound. Another experience I had earlier in the week was to sit in the back of a Hughes 500 helicopter while a friend of mine finished off his type rating. The sound of a turbine starting up really is something which will send any pilot into writhing ecstacy! Awesome!!
I mean, check it out...





So it has been an interesting week of sorts. Never mind. Tomorrow is a new monday, with two more flights in the Seneca. Should be fun.

Locked in a box

Ok, the pressure is on. One thing I am finding with this IFR course is that it is a pretty steep learning curve. As each flight is quite expensive, the idea is to maximise the learning potential every time we go up flying. So what does this mean? Pressure. There are no chances to learn something new, then go out and practice it. Each flight builds on what was learnt last time, so while learning something new you are also demonstrating what you were shown before. To be honest it is a bit of a terrifying concept, and yesterday was no exception.

Yesterday was my first cross country IFR flight. The plan was to fly from Motueka to Westport via the Nelson VOR, and back again. Admittedly we didn't actually fly anywhere, but the pressure didn't feel much lighter. I did not really get much sleep the night before. So why did we not go anywhere? Well, for three hours I was locked in a box...

This is the synthetic flight simulator which enables us to log instrument time. The pilot sits at the left seat, while the instructor sits at the right seat and is able to act all god-like, making weather changes and repositioning the aircraft. As well as doing that, the instructor is also acting as airtraffic controllers for the exercise. So for three hours I was locked in a small soundproofed windowless room with my instructor.

Yep, I was a bit terrified with what was instore for me. We have been busy practicing all the procedures on the computers, and have been out for two flights each to practice holds and approaches into Nelson, so that part is coming along nicely. A cross-country flight however is different bucket of onions, as there are so many different radio calls to be made. I had been working hard to work out who I needed to talk to and when, and when it came down to it I found it okay. But at the end of the day I was locked in a box, and the real test will come next Wednesday when we do the real thing.

One advantage of practicing in the simulator is not having to wear this sexy little number...

This is the hood which enables the student to see
the instruments while blocking out the outside view. Yep, it's a big hat. Well I'm not here for a fashion parade.

This is a simple but effective solution to simulating IMC. Previously I have worn foggles, which look kind of like opaque glasses, but with a gap to see the instruments.

A word of warning though. These items will not make you look sexy, no matter who you are...

At the end of the day though I did enjoy the go-nowhere flight. For me, a lot of the mystery of IFR has been cleared up. Just follow the procedures. Of course, I'm currently flying a perfectly working single engined aircraft. The real test will begin in a couple of weeks when we start flying the twin, and the instructor will be throwing engine failures at us while we are midway through an approach.

Oh man, why do we do this? Have to keep the end goal in sight. This is short-term pain for long-term gain. I'll keep telling myself that. As Charlie "Nuwanda" Dalton recited,

Laughing crying, tumbling mumbling
Gotta do more, gotta be more.

Chaos screaming, Chaos dreaming,
Gotta do more, gotta be more.

The first flight.

IFR has begun now in earnest. Had my first flight today. Man oh man. Now, I have been flying for ten years and I think it would be fair to say that I enjoy it. I did sort of enjoy today's flight, but then again there are 120 minutes there which are somewhat a blur. The flight went like this...

Take off from Motueka, 400 ft AGL intercept radial 293 and track towards Nelson. At this time I put the hood on. This is a sexy little number (I'll see if I can get of a photo of someone wearing one) which restricts the vision to the instruments only. So now on instruments the procedure is to get clearance into Nelson Control Zone, climbing to 7000 ft. Once overhead Nelson, join the Nelson hold for three laps. Then an approach and missed approached and head back out to the 15 DME arc before heading back for another missed approach followed by vacating back to Motueka. Simple eh? Well all that took two hours, and if someone had asked me what my name was during that time I would have been fumbling through the procedures and checks to see if it was in there, 'cos I had no idea!

Well now doing all that, while doing quick rate of climb and decent calculations, and figuring out what sort of join in the hold I'll be doing, all the while trying to figure out if I'm inside or outside the arc and trying to maintain altitude and track...the horse is definately part of the juggling act.

When I was doing my PPL and CPL training, instrument flying was never a strong point. We had to learn the basics of instrument flying, so that if we ever found ourselves in a situation where the weather had suddenly turned bad or we'd accidently flown into cloud, then we had enough skills to keep the aircraft straight and level. Flying an aircraft without being able to see the horizon or ground is not easy. To try this without training takes only a matter of seconds before the pilot has put the aircraft in a spiral dive. The body does it's best to think you're tipping over when infact you are upright. So you try to recover from this feeling, and then it gets all bad. Famous occurances of this include the late JFK juniors fateful decision to fly to Martha's Vinyard. Yep, this is something not to be taken lightly.

In one sense IFR is easier in that the pilot has to follow a set of rules and procedures. There doesn't appear to be a lot of grey area here, unlike VFR where individual judgement plays a big part in safe aviating. The tricky part in IFR however is being able to do several of those procedures at once. This is multitasking hell. Just being able to keep the aircraft straight and level on instruments is tricky enough. It's not bad on a good day, but on a day when there's quite a bit of wind thrown in the mix it will get interesting.

Add to this the radio calls, briefing the next procedure to be performed, monitoring the state of the aircraft, making various mathematical calculations (top of decent, rates of climb etc)...yep, it's a recipe for disaster if ya get behind at any stage. And further down the track I'll be dealing with various emergencies that the instructor will thrown at me.

All in all though it is fairly satisfying to be able to get somewhere just by looking at a few instruments. And up until now, being a VFR pilot, I have been restricted to flying only when weather permits, and flying beneath cloud. The idea of being able to fly through the cloud to get on top is pretty exciting. It's always sunny up there!! Well, that's if you are able to get up above it and not be stuck IN it!

One last thing. I'm sitting here thinking that I'm throwing round terms like VFR IFR MEIR etc, which is ok for those who are into aviation. But for those who have no idea what I'm on about, I have created a terminology page. This can be accessed at the top right hand corner of this blog, or just click here.

The circus begins.

Christmas has been and gone, and I'm back in Motueka into the study. Coming here this time doesn't have the same range of emotions for me as it did before. I now know the area, have lots of friends here, and this time have my car with me. And although there are a couple of new faces this time most of the guys here now were here last time. So it's almost like coming home. Hmm almost.

The major hurdle for me though is that I'm here for twelve weeks this time, hence the car. Last time I found it all to be an emotional rollercoaster, this time though it feels a lot less traumatic. So far I have found that I am already getting a decent nights sleep and generally feel a bit more relaxed. So I'm ready for the challenge ahead. Bring it on!

Having got through the theory (well, still one exam to resit, but near enough), now begins the tricky part of actually doing instrument flying. Classes have been going for two weeks now, and so far we have been spending our time in the classroom practicing on the simulators. The setup here is pretty good, with six computers coupled with a control yoke and thottle quadrant which enable us to practice our various instrument manoeuvres. To the casual observer it probably looks like we're doing game testing for Microsoft. These aren't games people, this is serious business!!

Serious indeed, this is hard as hell! A friend of mine commented a couple of days ago that instrument flying in the beginning can be a freak show. I told him that it was the whole circus!! The only comparison I can make is that juggling act that you gave a go when you were at school. You know the one with the egg, bowling ball and chainsaw? I'm sure you tried it. Well this is just like that, except that suddenly someone has thrown in a horse!!

There are several advantages to starting with the simulators before attempting the real thing, the most obvious being cost. The not so obvious is the learning process itself. On the simulators we can position the aircraft wherever we like, can add whatever weather we like, and during a manoevre we can stop the flight and run an animation which shows what the instruments were doing at a particular phase of flight, enabling us to analyse our progress and see where we are going wrong.

As well as the computer setup, there is a certified simulator which enables us to log actual instrument time. So for the first few weeks we spend our time flying computers before attempting to do the same things in an aircraft. And that itself is a graduated step, starting with the single engined Cessna 172RG before moving onto the twin engined Piper Seneca. At this stage I can't even begin to comprehend flying a Seneca on an instrument approach. That's a whole other juggling act, with cows and sheep to keep the horse company. I'm sure I could have picked an easier career choice. As someone once said, we do not choose to do these things because they are easy, we choose to do them because they are hard. Nah that doesn't sound right. I just want to fly planes.

So that's been my first couple of weeks. Let the fun begin, the circus is in town.

Heading Home

8:00am and I'm sitting at Nelson airport waiting for my flight home. I can not believe that it has only been 3 1/2 weeks since I came down here. It feels like a lifetime, and I mean that in a good sense. It's just that so much has been packed into that time that 3 1/2 weeks just doesn't seem possible. On the whole I had an absolutely amazing time, the only downer being that my last exam yesterday didn't quite have the desired result. Never mind, it's not the end of the world. I'll give it another go in a couple of weeks.

The aim of this blog was originally to give those who are thinking about delving into an aviation world an idea of what is involved. In the end though it is turning into a bit of a social commentary. I thought my lasting memories would have been of hours sitting inside the classroom or buried in books. Those are some of the memories of course, but in the end the outstanding memories for me will be of the people. My classmates, those that I lived on site with, the instructors, those in the office and the kitchen. All awesome people.

To be honest I was surprised at how hard it was emotionally, and wonder what it must be like for those who have been here for months, especially those who are new to NZ. It ain't easy. What I found though is that in the end a support network just seemed to evolve to help everyone out. From helping out each other with study and preparing for flight tests, to just needing a lift somewhere, there was always somewhere there to help out.

So what particular things am I going to remember? First and foremost is the laughter. There was lots of it. And being in class trying to be serious and barely containing myself. The weird flavours which would come out of the kitchen on the weekend when we had to prepare our own meals. Brendan and his liberal use of chilli powder seemed to feature. Games of touch. The look of disbelief on the face of those whose cellphone went off in class and the realisation that that meant adding to the number of cakes that had to be brought to class. We're still waiting Arnie. Swimming at the river with the good ol' kiwi swinging rope. Being burnt to a crisp at the beach. And everyone will forever remember Halley and his daily rendition of I want to be a billionaire. Man that guy can play a guitar!! And let's not forget having nights out together and just generally having an awesome time!

I truely hope that at some time in the future some of us end up working together. That would just seem fitting.

Exams

Times have changed. Back in the good ol' days, if there was ever such a time, exams were delivered to the candidates desk by paper. It has been five years since I last sat an aviation exam, and now the medium of choice is computer. Today being my first instrument exam, was my first experience of this computer delivered exam technology. It sure was a different experience, but on the whole an improvement on the historical system. I'll give it 8/10. Of course for the total exam experience I'll give that 1/10. I mean, I have enough trains on this emotional rollercoaster ride right now without this added predicament.

Exams affect everyone in different ways. Where once the wait for results could take days or weeks, now results are available within the hour. Now here's a question. Having just been dragged kicking and screaming through one exam, do you really want to know your results before sitting your next exam the next day? So after arriving back at the college we all sat round unable to answer that. For some it was simple. Yes or no. For others it was a maybe. It was painful. The only comparison I can make is dropping something of value down the waste disposal unit. Do you really want to stick your hand down there to retrieve that shiny gem? It's a conundrum. For myself it was a resounding NO, I'll wait until I get back home. In the end we all had our questions answered, whether we wanted it or not (Sue in the office just couldn't help herself, not saying if we'd passed or not, but just that we wouldn't be disappointed with the result).

I can only say that in the end it was a magical. To be there at the moment when each person found out that the hard work that they had put into this had paid off, was certainly an uplifting experience. The elation was tangible. Unfortunately elation was not to be for everyone. In the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter, for in the end all these exams will be passed be all. Too much work has gone into it to not have another crack.

Today, a good day. Another day in the list of days which moves us all in our chosen direction.

Atmosphere

Nope, I'm not gonna chat about nitrogen oxygen and all those other lovelies which surround us everyday. Today I'm talking about people. So gather round children, let's talk psychology. My favourite subject.

I came to the college to do a spot of learning. What has taken me most by surprise is what I am learning about. The aim was aviation, which yes I am learning by the bucketloads. What I think I am learning most about however is people. I mentioned earlier that I wondered about whether or not I would fit in here. I think though I've fitted in pretty well. The atmosphere feels simply surreal. There is so much energy here, even though at times after a day of practice exams when it feels like the crap has been beaten out of ya. Sometimes I just wanted to sit down and cry, but instead I've ended up having a good side splitting laugh.

Yep, work hard play hard. That seems to be the order of the day, and is the one lesson that I will be taking back with me. It is ironic that I titled this blog Life is not a dress rehersal, 'cos that is exactly what I am understanding more. Why do we forget this? We get caught up in the hum drum paramount reality of going to work, paying bills, cleaning our teeth, and really just forget to live.

Something else I will be taking back with me is a larger circle of friends. These guys are girls here are simply just awesome, and I am certainly richer for it.

Another of my favourite sayings is We don't stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing. Work hard, play hard. Let's do more of it.

Life at the college

It's sunday morning and I have just woken up to another gorgeous blue sky day. There's a sense of irony that for the past year while I have been flying pretty regularly, the days have been far from blue sky. Apart from the obligatory Auckland showers and changeble conditions, for the most part the wind has been the biggest feature. I would have done better to take up professional kite flying. Don't know if there is much call for that. I think Peter Lynn has that market cornered.


So anyway, today yes blue sky. But for me, I'll be hitting the books. Sad but true. There just seems to be so much to learn in such a short amount of time. My desk aint big enough. Hell, my brain .
aint big enough. Perfect flying conditions today and I'll be studying. And to rub it in an R44 has just landed pretty much outside my bedroom window. I guess though as I am here to learn IFR it would be just silly to go flying in these conditions.

Life here at the college does seem to be pretty idyllic for the aviation nut. There are aircraft flying from about 7am. These aren't college aircraft, just the locals who go for a quick flight before work. There is an aerobatic operator who takes punters for the ride of their lives. He seems to give them a good ride, flying parallel to the runway at about 10ft on takeoff before going vertical. I wonder how many brown paper bags he has to replace each week. There is also another operator who tows a hanglider with his powered hanglider. And there are light aircraft and helicopters coming and going all day.

As I mentioned earlier, living on site and just having to roll out of bed to turn up to class is pretty cool. Not having to think about travelling time, or cooking meals, or shopping for food. There is a roster to do basic chores (put the rubbish out, wipe down the tables etc), but on the weekend it's just everyone cook for yourselves and chip in to help keep the place clean. I gather that so far this has been a cause for some discontent. On the whole though everyone just gets on and has a damned good time. I was wondering what it was going to be like for me here. Would I fit in?
But to be honest they've totally included me in the life here. I am having an absolute blast. Life here seems to be work hard play hard. Not a bad motto to live by.

But for now my life is study. So stand aside, I've a flight plan to prepare.

So you want to be a pilot?

I started this blog some time ago, as I figured there are others like me who at some stage dreamed of being a pilot, and wanted to read of others who have done it. So here is my story. What I hope is that I can offer a few clues to those who wish to follow the aviation road, and to make it a bit less painful along the way. And I asure you, there will be pain. But with every ying there is a yang, so there will be a lot of elation along the way too. So, read on fellow aviator / aviatrix.

MEIR week one.

OMG I can not believe that it has only been one week. My brain has turned to mush. I have no idea how on earth I am going to get my head around all this stuff. Each day consists of one class each of Navaids, IFR law, and IFR flight planning. The first two are seemingly ok, but flight planning is somewhat daunting. The final exam for this I think is two hours, and the task of being able to produce an IFR flight plan and then answer the questions in that time is just beyond me.

I am really enjoying it, but it is hard being back in the classroom fulltime.

On the plus side though is living here at the college. All those in my class and those living here are all really cool. Out in the real world it probably gets a bit tedious to hear aviation chatter, but here it's eat sleep breath the stuff, and no body looks at you funny. Everyone here is at different stages in their flying, from those who haven't yet been for a single flight, to those who are about to sit their instructors' rating (and that is a whole other kettle of turnips). So tomorrow it's the weekend, but I think I'll be giving it a miss. Apart from allowing myself the luxury of heading out for a run, I'll be hitting the books. And charts. And flight plans. Oh man. I don't remember school being this hard. Actually that's a lie. It just hurts right now. The only things which will get me through are cans of V and chocolate. Lots of chocolate.

Multi Engine Instrument Rating (MEIR)

Remember when you were a kid and enjoyed collecting stickers and stamps? Well, that's what it is to be a pilot. It seems to be all about collecting stickers and ratings. I have a logbook full of them. Well, a handful of ratings, but a whole heap of stickers. When you're training you get a sticker for each step along the way. You get a sticker at various stages of training.

You get a sticker each time you do a new type rating. A sticker for night rating. A sticker each time your licence goes up to the next level. Hell, you even get a sticker for turning up to a CAA seminar. Well I'm working on collecting a new sticker. This is for my MEIR. For anyone wishing to make a living out of flying, this rating is esential to getting a job which pays more than lunch money. This is the rating that allows you to fly an aircraft with two or more engines on an instrument flight plan. Yep, flying with the big boys. And girls.


As this rating is quite intensive, I decided to go to Nelson Aviation College. I wanted to go somewhere where everything was taken care of. And taken care of I have been. I'm living on site at the airfield, three meals a day are prepared for me, and all I have to do is turn up to class. It's like being a kid again!!

At the moment I am just doing the theory course, which takes three weeks. This consists of three papers with matching exams. This will be followed early next year by 12 weeks of flying, finishing with a flight test. So that's what I'm doing right now. Now let me tell you about my first week...