Flight (and additional training) plans for 2020

[Orf]

I consider flying with only one navigation source, foolhardy. Failure is always a possibility and it has happened to me twice due to over heating.

 

When I ordered my aircraft I intended to fly it from both the left and right seats. Consequently, I installed two Dynon Skyview displays, one each side. The intended use of my aircraft, a Pipistrel Virus SW, was to travel all over Australia, which I have done. 

 

I use AvPlan on an iPad, most plans take less that one minute to complete. The iPad is capable of transferring the plan to the two Skyview displays via Wi-Fi, thus giving me three copies of my flight plan.

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

The flying would be fun but I couldn’t handle the drunken frivolity of the races. Went there some months ago, not on  the race day.

 

Isn't the drunken frivolity the whole reason to go.. I hear one has to camp as they don't take accommodation bookings at the hotel these days...

 

 

[mnewbery]

Another flying lesson cancelled today because the visibility was below VFR minimum for Class C for most of the day. This was good and bad because it made the decision to not fly quite easy but the air pollution was easily two times worse than the level considered hazardous.

 

So I was pretty much stuck inside all day unless I wore a respirator/mask/thingy.

 

My instructor is a rural FF volunteer so we had a chat about the North Black Range and Tallaganda NP fires burning since about 27th November. These fires are still burning. Nobody knows what is going to happen next in terms of the weather and this will have an obvious effect for everyone at the school. The log-jam effect will most likely last well into May by which time I expect my opportunities to fly will have evaporated.

 

I collected a very nice used Saitek yoke and throttle quadrant kit on the weekend. This has come in handy but the pedals I ordered will take at least another three weeks to arrive. On top of that AusPost have said "we might not deliver your stuff even if we have it" in this announcement. The list of affected delivery areas changes daily so in three weeks, who knows. I have other deliveries caught up in this mess so there is a bunch of stuff I can't do.

 

I booked as many lessons as I could from the end of January till mid March. The whole thing is a toss-up. I can't say "its a total casino" because that would imply there I am betting against the house. There is no house, its "The Weather".

 

I am not complaining. My house is still standing and the roof doesn't leak (much).

 

Significant rain is forecast for the area over the period Wednesday to Sunday

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Take it easy squire.. health is more important than anything....

 

I understand the frustration of not being able to fly for a long time.. When I was waiting to do my qualifying x-country in the UK, every day I had booked was unflyable - let every day (and I do mean every day) it wasn't booked there was gloriour flying weather.. Even the flight instructors couldn't believe it. Well, I learned something about press-on-itis about that... (I wrote a readers experience that was in the back page of Aussie Flying about it).

 

The TB20 I bought into went into the paint shop at the beginning of October for a repsray.. "Ahh mate. may take around a month if you're unlucky..." The photo below came on Friday.. With any luck, next week they will start putting it together.. And for this time of year, we have had wonderful  flying weather.. right up until about now...

 

I have a theory.. My father hated my flying with a passion... I think after he passed away, he just scraped past the pearly gates and now every time I am about to do something, he bigs the old fella until he caves in and sends bad weather, faulty paint or something down to stop me flying ?

 

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Well, so far, not much flying this year.. though the account to fund flying is building - so that is OK, I guess...

 

Just got an email from the paint shop - er.. they forgot to paint the undercarriage - and given the whole reason it is in the paintshop is because someone belly-landed it, seems incredulous. A 4 week paint job in for our 4 months!

 

A non-equity syndicate in a C172 near me has just opened up - min 6 months membership.. may join that for 6 months while waiting for this to get out of the shop.

[Jerry_Atrick]

Well, this year's plans have been well and truly stuffed.. First a one month bare metal respray taking over 6 months and then the day after it is put back into service, the UK announces its lock-down. With hindsight, I should have hired a local Warrior during the respray but a) it was always just a couple of weeks away; and b) the TB20 costs be £125/hr versus a tatty Warrio/C172 at £170+ per hour or we did have a tatty TB20 made available to us at £250/hr was a big disincentive.

 

So this is what has happened:

• Not much training has been done, though I have passed the IMCr theory test.
  
• The paperwork for the US piggy back licence came through - can't find anyone to do the BFR
  
• Was planing to do aeros in the summer..
  
• Trip to Turkey for the Anzac day memorial cancelled.
  
• Mid June's Italy fly in is looking in doubt.
  
• Didn't get to Liverpool..
  
• Australia trip off until next year (on account of the work situation) - was slack in starting the ASIC application - took ages to find my birth certificate.
  

 

But, there's a sliver lining:

• Spending time with the kids that was sorely missed in pursuit of a living
  
• Going beyond just the IMC theory to full I/R theory (well, actually, ATPL theory).
  
• Spending more time becoming familiar with the POH and TB20 systems
  
• Getting fitter (until the calf tear)
  

 

Sometimes, poop happens and you can't control it, so may as well make the best of it.