YRED, White and Blue

[mnewbery]

Australian Aerospace helicopter pilots, I have a bone to pick with you. Do not takeoff from the taxi ways. I'll say it again, Iron Chef style, lest you forget "do not takeoff from the taxi ways". Especially when I am doing a precautionary search and landing overpass at 100 feet above your stupid paid-for-by-someone-else blade slapping flying showroom.

 

I am not a stunt man. This happened at Redcliffe Aerodrome YRED. It "happend" more than once. The pilot got yelled at by me, over the radio. Something about "stay on the ground you ****, I'm directly over you, you didn't look up, you didn't listen to my radio calls and you didn't taxi to the holding point" I seem to recall. Then something magic happened. The helicopter stayed somewhere near the ground until I did an upwind turn. My instructors listened, laughed and said I did good.

 

Note to self. "Professional Helicopter Pilot on board". I also noted with some glee that the rescue helo pilot and the 300CB helo pilot doing auto-rotations and even the Tiger ARH pilot were super nice and super polite and used their radios, even if it was just to say "Hi, I'm passing below and behind you" (he had an american accent and machine guns).

 

Redcliffe Aeroclub (RAC) has LOTS of C172S trainers mostly 2005 or 2006 models. I chose them for an intensive training period to make up for my total absence at any airfield for many months. I did just on 20 hours of training in two weeks plus some ground exams. I would like to say that if you can get accomodation sorted (not too hard, ask the aeroclub and you might score a billet) you will find very high availability and a training area which is a very nice 5 minute flight along the coast.

 

Plus the C172S is just a 21st century 180Hp revelation to fly. No high hot and humid problems for student plus one here.

 

For the southern gent, South East Qld in the middle of summer can be a bit tropical. The instructors were suffering from heat stress, dehydration and unavoidable general sweatiness so I didn't feel too bad if I felt a bit the same. Redcilffe Aero Club briefing rooms are airconditioned and have A/V equipment for the briefings which are being converted to PowerPoint as time permits.

 

Now here is a tip for all you student pilots. I really sucked at Basic IFR, the first time and mostly because I wasn't used to the scan rate. I told my instructor that I brought a PC based flight simulator with me and he said yes go ahead and try that. So I did the whole Basic IFR lesson again on the simulator, starting with 5 minutes IFR and a 5 minute break, working up to 20 minutes IFR with repeated climbing and descending turns just like the lesson I was going to have the next day. You can use a post-it note for partial panel.

 

I passed Basic IFR including partial panel the next day and the instructor complemented me on my improvement. I was exhausted.

 

The aircraft are nice, weather is mostly nice, RAC is nice, airfield is nice, instructors are very nice and I'm starting to sound like Borat.

 

I'm back training at Goulburn, trying to stay proficient while waiting for a crosswind sign off. But that is a story for another time.

 

 

[Coop]

Now here is a tip for all you student pilots. I really sucked at Basic IFR, the first time and mostly because I wasn't used to the scan rate. I told my instructor that I brought a PC based flight simulator with me and he said yes go ahead and try that. So I did the whole Basic IFR lesson again on the simulator, starting with 5 minutes IFR and a 5 minute break, working up to 20 minutes IFR with repeated climbing and descending turns just like the lesson I was going to have the next day. You can use a post-it note for partial panel.

I passed Basic IFR including partial panel the next day and the instructor complemented me on my improvement. I was exhausted.

Yep- I can relate to that. Only time I've ever really needed a deodorant is after 15 minutes of partial panel....

 

Coop