Am I the highest hour PPL student ever?

[Pearo]

I started my training, then broke my tibia and ACL (trail bike). Restarted my training then hit a kangaroo on my road bike and broke an ankle. Finally managed to get my RPL. Done about 30 hours private hire since. About to do my last instructed nav, then racing my boat (sailing catamaran) I somehow managed to mangle my finger 2 days before the flight.. The latest injury should only take a few weeks to heal I hope.

 

All these injuries seem to come about 2-3 weeks out from a flight test. Very annoying.

 

 

[Kununurra]

Well look on the bright side of life it can only get better for you fro here on in because so far you have had your fair share of bad luck so good luck cheers

 

 

[Stoney]

Hmmm. Interesting.

 

How many injuries have you had from flying?

 

 

[Guest GraemeM]

The injuries are getting less serious as you go, Leg - ankle then finger, maybe the next one will be a blood nose?

 

Graeme.

 

 

[alf jessup]

Pearo,

 

Concentrate on flying buddy these other hobbies you have seem so dangerous to you lol

 

 

[Pearo]

Yup, nil injuries from flying..

 

On the weekend I decided to put my boat up for sale.... To finance a faster more crazy one

 

Maybe I should consider buying a plane instead. Could probably pick up a half decent one for the same price as a fast racing catamaran.

 

 

[old man emu]

Buy a plane and you'll suffer chronic hip pocket nerve pain.

 

OME

 

 

[mnewbery]

You are not even close to being a high hour student. PM me if you want the numbers. The biggest issue for me right now is weather. It's rained or been hard overcast below minimums for 75% of my lessons since January

 

 

[dazza 38]

Not the highest hours (31 hours to pilot certificate including GA aircraft) but it took 10 years in 4 different aeroplanes. In order , Piper Tomahawk, Huges Lightwing TW, Drifter and solo at 12 hours and flying it to the 16 hour mark. Then a 8 year break, welcome the Jabiru LSA 55, loved it. Got back up to speed and passed my pilot certificate in it 15 hours after a 8 year break. Oh yeah, I like Jabs.

 

 

[Pearo]

Just an update; still have not done my last instructed nav. I am also an asthmatic and ended up in hospital a few weeks back with pneumonia. I was pretty pleased when one of my flights was not possible due to IMC anyway!! See, its not always my fault for not flying! Its all happening tomorrow, fingers crossed, although I cannot for the life of me find my Brisbane-Gold Coast VTC.

 

 

[Kununurra]

Glad you feeling better good luck for tomorrow

 

 

[Robbo]

Just an update; still have not done my last instructed nav. I am also an asthmatic and ended up in hospital a few weeks back with pneumonia. I was pretty pleased when one of my flights was not possible due to IMC anyway!! See, its not always my fault for not flying! Its all happening tomorrow, fingers crossed, although I cannot for the life of me find my Brisbane-Gold Coast VTC.

Good luck, make sure you let us all know how you go :)

 

Just don't injure yourself doing the pre-flight

 

(I Remember jamming my finger in the rudder hinge lol)

 

 

[Phil Perry]

I had a serious head injury from a prop strike . . . . . .

 

I was helping a friend replace his nosewheel, and we had the front of the aircraft jacked up on blocks . . . .

 

I got up without thinking ( as usual ) and struck the top of my bonce on the tip of the prop. . . . . blood and hair all over the hangar floor. . . . fortunately, not that much hair left now. . . .

 

 

[Phil Perry]

On the subject of "Time taken to get a ticket". . . . I am still concerned that my friend Micky has not gone solo yet,. . .after 37+ hours of dual instruction in a Eurostar. . . ( average 1, sometimes 2 hours per week )

 

I've had a "couple" of quiet words with his instructor, whom I have known for over 25 years, . . .My suggestion is that the instructor sends him to a different school, as if he cannot master the last little bit of a landing,. . . then perhaps someone else could perhaps approach the problem from a different instructional angle.

 

I've watched the chap try to land, and sometimes he gets it almost right, but can't seem to do three in a row consistently.

 

I have not flown with the lad, and I wouldn't,. . .this would just muddy the pond. . . .I really truly hope that the school isn't just taking the £110.00 per hour for joyflights,. . .I would be really disappointed if this were the case.

 

Difficult one this. . . the student is a keen motorcyclist, so I don't think that balance comes into it,. . .and drives artics ( Semi trailers ) for a living. . . ?

 

Dunno. be a darned expensive shame if he packs it in now. . . .

 

( Yes,. . .I Know,. . . .not EVERYONE can be taught to do SOME things. . . . . . . )

 

 

[facthunter]

Put him with someone else for a while, for a new slant on it. Nev

 

 

[Deskpilot]

Tell his instructor to get him to fly the runway a foot or so off. Tell him "DON'T YOU DARE LAND IT" He'll make perfect landings every time he tries. Worked for me.

 

 

[facthunter]

Nah, Spin the wheels up on the grass, and then lower it the remaining centimeter onto the surface. Works every time. You can finess it later. Nev

 

 

[Pearo]

Still no good!!!! Friggin weather. Managed to get a landing in at the Gold Coast, before having to divert back to Redcliffe. I knew the weather was going to close in, but decided to attempt the flight anyway.

 

But there was 2 positives, I got checked off on CTA, so they are happy that I am competent to fly class D and C. Got to experience some new ATC interaction due to weather diversions/traffic etc. About the only thing I stuffed up was I missed the clearance to land at GC, they would have repeated it I am sure, but the instructor jumped in for me. I also got to fly absolute VFR minimums and got to do some scud running! Had I not been with an instructor, I would have not flown today. It was a bit nerve wracking in the low vis stuff, but it was a really excellent exercise.

 

Anyway, next friday I am doing a mini nav exercise to get checked off on lost procedure and low level diversions, then thats it. Do a solo nav into CTA and then do a flight test.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Put him with someone else for a while, for a new slant on it. Nev

I agree definitely Nev.

 

Tell his instructor to get him to fly the runway a foot or so off. Tell him "DON'T YOU DARE LAND IT" He'll make perfect landings every time he tries. Worked for me.

My RAF Glider flying instructor, Pilot Officer Bertie Boyden; a man who, it seemed, had at some time gone through a Sense of humourectomy. . . .Never ONCE ever saw him laugh, or even smile. . . .) used to say this to me whlst I was attempting to reinterface a Slingsby Sedbergh glider with the grass at RAF Ternhill in 1963. . . . . Almost exact words Desky ! ! ! !

 

But regrettably, on a scale of 5-4-3-2-1-KRAPP !. .. .Most of the landings were,. . for a while anyway,. . .KRAPP ! - minus 5. . . .!

 

I used to wonder, whilst on the bus on the way home,. . . WHY ARE AIRCRAFT SO EASY TO FLY,. . . . .. BUT SO BLOODY HARD TO UN-FLY neatly ? ? ? ? ? ?

 

I am not really in a good position to TELL the instructor or student to do anything really. . . OK, I gave him ( The Instructor,. . .before he was an Instructor ) an "Insurance" checkride in our group owned and constructed X'Air Mk 1, back in 2002 'ish. . .and this was perfectly legal then, the CAA allowed a checkride supervised by another PPL; providing that the "Checkee" was already fully qualified in three axis aeroplanes. He had no problems with it, and we have been very good friends ever since. . . .

 

I think the safest option at the moment is to keep gob firmly shut. . . . .and see what happens when friend gets back from Florida, where he has admitted to me to have booked some LSA type flying, but NOT told the Fleigenfuhrer. . . .. . . .

 

I hope this works for him.

 

Thanks for the suggestions,. . .I shall pass them on to Micky Student surrepticiously . . .

 

 

[Stoney]

I had a serious head injury from a prop strike . . . . . .I was helping a friend replace his nosewheel, and we had the front of the aircraft jacked up on blocks . . . .

Good thing it was on the noggin Phil.

 

How was the prop? Much damage?

 

 

[Robbo]

One of our engineers was doing a compression check on the good ol lycoming and he got clobbered.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Good thing it was on the noggin Phil.How was the prop? Much damage?

Yeah,. . . .they had to send it away to get X-Rayed for tip cracks. . . .. cost me a fortune. . . .

 

 

[Pearo]

Finally, managed to get my final instructed nav done and signed off on. Weather was still looking ordinary with severe turbulance, but most of it was gone by the time I hit the skies. Got signed off on everything which means I can do my second solo cross country trip now!

 

So close to finishing up now...

 

 

[Pearo]

Finally, after a false start last week due to turbulence, I managed to complete my second (and final) cross country solo!! I have officially completed my PPL training syllabus and can now move onto the testing phase!! Only problem is I go on call next Friday for 2 weeks, then I am out of town for 4 weeks :(. Hopefully the 6 week break is not too detrimental. RAC does a pre-test (not sure if this is a MOS thing or a RAC thing), so if there is any issues I will do some remedial work before the actual flight test.

 

Left Redcliffe for a full stop at Archerfield (class D), all good but got told off by ground because I was not over the holding point when I requested taxi clearance (minor brain fart). Departed Archerfield west for Dalby via Gatton and Millmerran. Got cleared through Amberly (MIL class C) after a bit of a delay, managed to successfully reroute to Gatton after initially heading for the Lake Manchester VFR Route. Full stop at Dalby for a break (well needed by then, it was pretty rough ride, lots of thermals). Last leg was Dalby-Kilcoy-Redcliffe. I tried unsuccessfully to get cleared through Oakey airspace (MIL Class C, RA2) direct to Kilcoy, but no luck so stuck with Plan A. Avoiding Oakey was probably a better idea as I got some more DR practice rather than cheating with the GPS!

 

Anyway, I think I might still be just short of the PPL standard in some areas, but I personally think I did OK today.

 

 

[mnewbery]

Everyone does a pre-test because the L1 instructor (usually the Chief FI) needs to make a recommendation to CASA that a candidate is ready to do the practical exam. Some students fly ok until they are under exam conditions so chucking a less familiar body in the other seat can expose some weaknesses peculiar to that setting.

 

Also if the L1 recommends more than a few students who fail, it's on the instructor and school. It is not unheard of to get both the authorised testing officer and someone from CASA observing the proceedings from the back seat during an exam so it's good to be sure of your weaknesses before that day