Wings at last

[peterbmst]

At approx. 8.38am local time, on April 2, only about 40 years after looking up at the sky at my first aeroplane and thinking "Wow", and only 26 years after quitting the RAAF Academy at Point Cook, I passed my Flight Test in a trusty Tecnam 92 Echo and joined the ranks of the 'recreational pilot' - a lifetime dream come true after 23 hours of training and a lot of sweat and anxiety. It's not fear of flying that makes learning to fly stressful - it's fear of being a beginner again, and having an expert setting beside you evaluating your performance all the time (with good reason). I discovered something during training - my dominant learning style is to be shown a new skill, and then be left alone to practice it, but of course this is impossible in flight training until well after the first solo. I also discovered that, if I had a 6am lesson, I tended to wake about 3am and not go back to sleep, too busy thinking about it. But for the moment, those days are over. I'm just looking forward to some leisurely hours of cruising about the area at a time I choose, with a vacant right seat and no one but the gods to cut the power on me, pop a circuit breaker or flick off a fuel selector. I'm even thinking of reading books other than BAK, air legislation and radio manuals. And loving it.

 

 

[Tomo]

Peter...

 

It's great to hear that you've achieved your gaol, and now can enjoy what you can do...

 

I hope you have a great time, and many hours of flying around...

 

Have Fun...

 

 

[RetiredRacer]

Congratulations Peter, well done.

 

I can relate to a lot that you have said in your post Peter, especially this quote here.

 

It's not fear of flying that makes learning to fly stressful -

I Now have nineteen and a half hours up of which two and a half of them are solo. Two hours of those solo hours have been off doing some local flying, and while I have been up there by myself just flying around enjoying myself, there have been no nerves at all. But as soon as the instructor jumps back in I become tense and nervous again.

 

I'm not saying I do not want the instructor to be snaping at me, I want him to be tough with me because I want to be a good pilot.

 

But I am looking forward to getting that peice of paper that says I can go flying by myself when ever I feel like it. ;)

 

But because I elected to do my XC first so I've got that endorsement as well when I get my licence, I've still got a few more hours to go yet.

 

 

[Simonflyer]

Excellent work!..

 

It only gets better and more fun from here.

 

Enjoy.

 

:thumb_up:

 

 

[peterbmst]

I must admit, when I started training, I was thinking of jumping into my XC straight away too, but my instructor recommends (wisely) that his students have some fun and get experience just flying first, so that they don't have to think so much about flying in the next phase and can focus on the navs instead. So now I'm going to clock up a few solo hours first, get my passenger endorsement and practice a few basic nav principles myself in the 25nm radius of the field before going into formal XC training. Hang in there - you are so close to that Pilot's Certificate.

 

 

[peterbmst]

Thanks for the congrats, Tomo. As a former teacher at Jandowae SS, I know the skies in which you fly.

 

Regards, Peter

 

 

[peterbmst]

Thanks for the congrats. I see you know the worth of a nice little Tecnam. What a nicely constructed, reliable and forgiving little aircraft to fly.

 

Regards, Peter

 

 

[Tomo]

Thanks for the congrats, Tomo. As a former teacher at Jandowae SS, I know the skies in which you fly.Regards, Peter

G'day Peter,

 

Well if that's the case, you may know my instructor... Bob Keen. or Smokey as he's usually known...

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

On'ya Peter, Tecnams are a nice machine aren't they......................................