Interesting training experiences

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In a similar vein to Paul's TIF thread, I would like to recount a couple of interesting incidents from my training days, while training for my unrestricted private licence.

 

The first took place on a dual low level nav exercise. We took off from Moorabbin, and flew to Ballarat where we turned without landing, dropped to 500 ft agl and flew to Derby, which is nothing more than a level crossing where the Calder Highway crosses the railway line, between Bendigo and Ingleburn. Our return leg was via the Kilmore gap and Lilydale. As we approached Kilmore gap, the storm clouds were closing in and we managed to scrape through just before the gap was closed in. There was a very heavy thunderstorm over the metropolitan area, so we made an unscheduled landing at Lilydale. We stood in the clubrooms and watched the numerous lightning bolts hitting the ground all around the south and west.

 

After about an hour, there was a small break towards Moorabbin, and it was getting rather late. My car and my instructors' car were both at Moorabbin, so the instructor said "Lets make a dash for it." We cranked up the Beech A19 Sport and took off. The plane was being tossed around like a bucking bronco, to the extent that the microphone flew off the hook and landed on the floor. We navigated by following the suburban streets, and I can clearly remember looking down on a KFC which was close enough to read the signs. Meanwhile, lightning bolts cracked all around us and the static on the radio was deafening.

 

As we passed the monastry, now Police Academy, we could see the setting sun shining off runway 22, so called inbound for a straight-in approach. We landed without further incident, and as I crawled out onto the wing I looked up at multiple forks of lightning, which looked like some Hollywood disaster movie. I could hardly believe I had just flown through that.

 

The second incident was on my final solo cross country to qualify for my unrestricted license. Again flying a Beech Sport, I took off from Moorabbin, flew to Mangalore where I performed a touch and go, then headed for Kerang. It was a warm summer day, with lots of thermals, so again the plane was bouncing around. I was navigating via the directional gyro and trying to locate ground reference points, but one place looked pretty much like the next.

 

My planned track passed between Pyramid Hill and Kow Swamp, a reasonably large lake which should have provided easy reference points. When I should have been abeam Pyramid Hill off my left wing, there was nothing. After scouring the countryside I located it many miles off my right wingtip. I identified that I was approaching ahighway running roughly parallel to a river, which turned out to be the Loddon Valley Highway and Loddon River which ran up to Kerang. I was around the area of Durham Ox. I estimated a new ETA at Kerang, advised Flight Service and followed the highway to Kerang, where I landed and had lunch.

 

After contemplating what had happened over my cut lunch, (Kerang airfield was unattended), I took off, heading for my next turning point, Stawell. I had to climb to 3500 ft to get air smooth enough to be able to make any sense of the compass ball dancing around like a cork in a washing machine. I soon found that the problem was a badly precessing DG which had led me on a curved track on my way to Kerang. I completed the rest of the trip using the compass and reference to roads, particularly the Great Western Highway.

 

All in all, two exciting trips, and all good learning experience.

 

 

Peter.