Simonflyer

Its just the start too!It can go as short or as far as you like. Enjoy the ride, and remember how much you hate the exams when you set them for the kids! Congrats:thumb_up:

Surely with all the technology we have available these days, planes could be fitted with a device kind of like a GPS that lets you know when you are on a collision course with any other aircraft gives both aircraft a simple visual fix as to where the other is..?

Sleep well the night before if you can..Drink plenty of water..Remember to breathe And enjoy the hell out of it!:thumb_up:

Thanks for the responses.. i guess im in that position that some of you will probably think is crazy, but coming into this industry at 32, i really felt like i should get a move on if i want to have my experience built up enough to get the better paying jobs before im 80 years old. My thoughts were that if i just go hell for leather and finish the cpl within the next 12-15 months, then i can start working for peanuts, and then possibly in a few years be in a position where i can go for slightly better pay and conditions etc.The other side of the coin being that i slug it out for the next 4-5 years, and then end up working for a further five years to be in the same position i just spoke of..its a balance no doubt!And a risk, but it does look like i have instructor work on offer as soon as i can get qualified which is certainly something that is spurring me on.. Cheers Simon

I understood every word apart from the static..

One other thing is....I Always use the calculator!I dont know if you've read "fate is the hunter" by Ernest Gann, but he talks about the days of "happy guesswork" being over..Its a good point and a great read so far..good for passing the time on the ground:thumb_up:.. The point is i use a calculator for even simple sums..Its allowed in flight and in exams, so i say why not use it?

Thats tough doing your first nav in an unfamiliar plane.. glad you hit the targets though:thumb_up: When i made it back from my first solo nav the instructors said they couldnt believe i made it and didnt get lost.So much for support!

Hi Brett. This is probably obvious, but keep quizzing your instructor...learn as much as you can about the whizz wheel..ask any other instructors around the school lots of questions..I have recently moved to a busier school while i do the GA stuff, and its been great to have other qualified people to squeeze info out of.I dont care if im a pain in the butt, im gonna keep on asking!the fact is they are a wealth of information in the air and on the ground and i have much to learn from all of them.:big_grin: Do you use a flight planning sheet for you navs?? It will hopefully come down to your whiz wheel, distance, time, your fixed reserve and the amount your plane burns per hour.If theres something ive missed apologies.. In the Tecnam i know it burns approx 20 litres per hour and it hold 90 litres so that gives it an endurance of 4.5 hours(270 minutes).then its just a matter of working out how many minutes i will be in the air on my nav after doing all the distance/wind/GS calculations on the whizz wheel and then to finally work out the difference (safe margin we hope!) between full fuel and what im going to use including the reserve in minutes and litres. Im not sure how clear that was, but it makes some sense to me..

Im sure this will be one of the age old questions regarding flight training, but ive hit the wall financially speaking, and im really frustrated.Im quite close to finishing my PPL, and i want to go on and become and RA instructor while i continue on through the commercial subjects, and then further on down the track again do a GA Instructor rating and so on.basically i do want to go on and work in the field.. I guess my question is how did YOU do it, and can you give me any tips on whether its worth trying to finance the whole lot, or slug away at it for the next five years, or approach schools and see if they will offer some form of a scholarship on certain parts of training if i will stay and work for them for a period...From what i understand, even once i get my CPL, i will spend a number of years building experience to work for "real" money..Although thats not why im doing it, it would be just good to see some of the outlay come back into the pocket at some stage as im not in the fortunate position to be supported by wealthy family or work in a current career that is a huge earner... Basically im sitting here with about 3 navs to go before im a PPL grumpy as hell that im grounded.I would love to hear any thoughts ideas or just shared experience.. Cheers

Ive heard from my instructor of people grabbing the stick and freaking out before...Seeing as im headed towards an instructor rating, im not really looking forward to that happening to me, and i reckon i may well be driven to go for the clip around the ear(or nose)! For me, no serious emergencies so far, but i did attempt to land once with my nav board(a4 size) still on my lap..When i went to flare the stick pushed into the lapboard which very soon after met my stomach..very difficult to get a nose high attitude doing that!.I managed to suck the gut in enough to put it down no problem, but unfortunately i was on my Nav exam when i did it and it was noted by my tester!..(i must have been nervous because i always get it out of the way for landing and any circuit work)

Hi Bob its just the Standard version.. Cheers

Tis a great day!Congrats..:thumb_up:

I cant go past the Bob Tait PPL book.Easy enough to understand, and plenty of workable problems. Also the "Flightplan" app for your iphone is a really good thing to use to back up the info you gleam from your flight computer..Getting used to working out the various uses for it and then double checking via that app. Get a really good system going for the in flight phase so that you can manage the workload well.Once you have something really clear and concise going on it makes it much easier to manage particularly when diversion are thrown in, or you find yourself off track and need to do a correction. Just sit with your maps, and get really good at defining what is what, and imagine what things will look like from the air as you make each track change.In particular what landmarks etc will you be looking for to make sure your on track. I know you were looking into getting x-plane, and i ended up "flying" the navs i had planned before i actually did it right down to clearof's and other checks i would do on the go.even though what i saw out of the window wasnt nearly as good as what i saw when i actually flew it, major landmarks were in, and it helped quite a bit flying into airfields i didnt know. Hope some of that waffling helps..:thumb_up:

Hi Marty. welcome..They now call the restricted licence a GFPT(general flying progress test). I hope you enjoy the site. Cheers:thumb_up:

That makes me drool...

Hi Des. Welcome and enjoy..:thumb_up:

Im doing the GFPT in an Archer..i forgot to mention that in the post.. the Archer is 150/215 and the tecnams are 120/180 (i think)

Hi Yall. Today i completed (and passed) my GFPT..I started it on Sunday, but could only get the ground stuff done.It seems if you want to break a drought, book a NAV,Airshow or a flight test! I flew pretty well considering how nervous i was.. I started by forgetting the run up!But i remembered with a gentle nudge(id left my checklist at home).I then forgot to do the short field T/O he'd asked for!A nervous start, but from there on i was on fire! I Nailed the steep turns which was unexpected as ive had trouble keeping them as accurate as i can in the Tecnam,stalls were good,instrument flying was nothing special, but passable,Forced landing might have been the best ive done, as was the prec search. Joining the circuit was busy, and i had to make a few quick decisions which he said later he was very happy with.I decided to go number two to a tecnam in the circuit and i tried to slow the plane down, but caught up just as he was putting down for a touch and go.Another 20 seconds and i wouldve been fine, but had to do a go around once again he was pleased with how i handled that.Im glad he was as i was sweating like hell! Anyway a couple more circuits ,parked the plane without dinging it and it was over.. We had a bit of a chat about a few things i could work on and then he shook my hand.:thumb_up: Now on with the show!PPL theory first and then onto the PPL prac.When i can rob a bank to get the cash!

Thanks Bla..Much Appreciated..It did kinda rub me up the wrong way, but I may have been just a touch rich on in response:blush:. Now back to the Flying chatter!:big_grin:

I was wondering if it was shot on a super 8 camera..They give everything a very cool old school look...Just like that footage

No Pizza before a flight on that thing..:yuk:

Im not sure of the operations there at Temora, but it doesnt sound quite right and really it should come down to your skills which they obviously havent seen yet.. Im doing exactly the same thing at the moment but am lucky enough to have done my RA stuff at the same school, so they are clear on my strenghts and weaknesses.. There are several factors that could change things First up, did your RA training work pretty closely to the GA Syllabus? because if it did, then it will be a much easier transition for you.If the CFI can look in your logbook and see a very similar training program to what they run, then they may may feel it will take less time, but if they think large chunks are missing, then theyll assume it'll take a bit longer to get you there. How many hours have you done RA all up?? because they all count towards your GA flying, and there are minimums that need to be reached which i cant recall right now(you will need 2 hours instrument time for GFPT).. You will need to sit your GFPT, and i have just done that transition, and it took me about 8 hours(not including the test-I also wanted to do a bit of solo-ing)..I have heard of people doing it quicker but for me the time consuming thing was getting familiar with the GA plane itself(i went form a high wing Tecnam to a low wing Piper archer which was a bit of a change.) I enjoyed doing most of the flying syllabus again all be it brief, as i just feel so much more assured of engine failures and other emergency situations, and i doubt there any such thing as too much training for that kind of stuff. I think overall GA planes are easier to fly than any of the RA planes, and apparently us as RA pilots need to be very good "stick and rudder" pilots due to the lack of inertia in teccy's, jab's, drifters and the like whereas once you set a piper or cessna on course it pretty much sits there..:thumb_up:The only thing is there is a bit more to them inside, and it is a real help if you know what youre gonna be flying so as you can look at checklists/speeds etc and do the work before you fly at all. As far as the PPL bit goes..well you can make some decisions there..If you dont want a CTA then it will save you a bit of cash, and really if you are a confident nav'er then it really shoudnt take more than a few flights..The main thing is to get all your theory done asap, because that will hold you back if its not done, and my last tip is train up to a point where you can sit the licence and sit it very soon thereafter.try not to leave large gaps between prepping for a test and doing it because ive experienced going backward due to gaps of time between things, and its frustrating and expensive:confused: Good luck:thumb_up:

Thats some classic footage.. Super 8? :thumb_up:

A Real bush pilot would just eat them surely...

Il tell you something else about Facebook.You cant leave!..You can deactivate your account, but you cant remove your information from them.they(facebook) will always have that info on hand.I think that is just a bit wrong and possibly criminal.they also own all images and anything else on the site, and they can use it as they please.And there is definitlely the whole general privacy issue. Facebook=:devil: