The Honeymoon Flights - Part 1

This will be a rather long post, so I will split it up into at least 2 posts, maybe 3.. After 2 months of planning, the time was finally here to take off on my honeymoon flights. The original plan was to be around 25 hours of flight time, as part of my hour building for my CPL. My wife also enjoys flying and we wanted an adventure for our honeymoon rather than just plonking ourselves at a resort somewhere.

I had booked an Archer for the trip and but the week before we were due to leave I was running through some planning with the maintenance guy at my school and he said the Archers would both come due for their 100 hourly during the trip! Damn! The Arrows were out of commission, and I wasn't checked out to fly the Cherokee 6, so they kindly offered me one of the newest Warrior's they have, which are very nice, glass cockpit and quite new.
I really wanted the extra 10hp and the weight allowance, as well as the auto pilot. I wasn't planning on doing too much with the auto pilot as I am honing my skills for my CPL but it would have been nice on some rather long legs.

The plan was Bankstown- Dubbo- Broken Hill - Coober Pedy - Kingscote- Mildur - Canberra.
The day we were due to leave there was a blanket of low cloud covering the entire NSW coast, so we waited it out for the day to see if it was likely to move. As it turns out it was holding for at least 2 more days, so we looked at our options. We were locked into a rather expensive house on Kangaroo Island in 3 days time but the other bookings were movable.
I rang a few flying schools in Melb to see if any would have an aircraft at the last minute for our trip. I had 2 schools agree pending a flight review, one in Bendigo and one in Moorabbin. We decided to go to Moorabbin (MMB). So we booked some RPT flights to Melb and that night stayed in a hotel before getting an early train out to MMB in the morning for an 8am review.

The review flight was pretty straight forward, negotiating the class D around MMB and then a few circuits. The aircraft was quite new and had just been reassembled after being purchased from the states. Talk about spoilt!

I then needed to replan, re do my weight and balance and performance calcs before we could hit the sky. This took some time as things kept being added to the W & B, like a box full of food, and a mallet for banging in the tie down pegs!

As we took off, the wind was picking up and I knew it would be hot and bumpy. MMB lies near the dandenong ranges and with the overlying Class C you actually fly beneath the height of the hills, add to this a descent wind and convective air and you get, well, a roller coaster!

At one stage I had full aileron deflection just to maintain straight and level! I rode that part of the trip with one hand on the dash holding on for dear life and the other on the controls.

First stop over the hills was Bendigo, finally I had time to eat and drink, as the OAT was 36degC we found shelter under the wing of the plane in the shade.

Next we continued on to Swan Hill where we decided to call it a day, by this stage it was around 6pm and I'd had enough for one day, and I still needed time to plan the following day.

There was a trough covering the whole continent from North to South and was just west of Adelaide and so I thought we should make a run for the island. The next morning we got up early, photographed some Kangaroos and headed to the aircraft. This flight was thankfully much smoother than the previous day although there were still lots of thermals and it was still crazy hot!

First stop was a little town called Nhill, near the border of South Australia, and it turns out that is an apt name for the town! Not a lot to do there! After a quick look at an old bomb and cheesy photo, apparently it used to be a RAAF base for a brief period, we were off again.
Once we hit the coast we tracked along the water to Goolwa, beautiful coastline with crystal clear water and white sand, this part was definitely a highlight of the flight. After a brief chat with the locals and a top up of the fuel as there is no AVGAS on the island, we were off before the build up closed off my minima.
The crossing is 18nm, which for me is the longest water crossing I've done in a single engine aircraft and I felt like I didn't breathe for the 4.5 minutes! It was a surreal experience, but a everyone says, the plane doesn't know it's over water!
We did a short tour of the island before landing and Kingscote to more 36deg temps.
Here are some shots from this part of the trip.

Backseat on a PIFR renewal

I was priveleged recently to be offered a backseat on an ex-Qantas captains PIFR renewal, with every approach possible in Australia! I have read the IREX book, but I can honestly say that after running through the briefing and flying the approaches, I now have a much clearer idea of what it all translates to. This is where I think the backseat flying becomes invaluable of course if you choose to learn and not just take photos and enjoy the ride!

We started off with an ILS into Richmond, very cool flying over the top of the military aircraft, I think C17's but don't quote me! Next up we flew an VOR, NDB and a GPS into Mudgee the finally an RNAV (GNSS) into Dubbo.
After a short breather, and briefly being attacked by nesting birds protecting their young, we were off for a few circuits and simulated engine failures in the circuit. Surprisingly the Aztec flew quite well on one engine an we were able to continue with the climb and fly a reasonably standard circuit.
Flying back in the dark, we came close to a number of thunderstorm cells, but were far enough away to be safe. Listening to the radio as we were coming in for a 3 mile final another aircraft was told by the tower to follow but as we watched continued to turn towards us and cut in front of us! We slowed as much as we could and the tower promptly told the other pilot to go around, another one of those moments that being at a busy training airport like Bankstown affords you! div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;">

SAR training in Narromine

To give you a quick heads up, this post could be a long one!

This weekend we gathered 4 aircraft, and 13 members of the Air Patrol an set off on a Search and Rescue training exercise. The aircraft were a 182, 172, 206H and a Piper Lance.

My role was Co-Pilot in the 206H. The aircraft is very new, well kitted out with Garmin 530 electronics, autopilot, very comfy seats and TCAS! There is an incredible difference in flying a newer aircraft when compared to the usual 35 year old birds that hang around the airport!
We arrived and Bankstown at 6am ready for an early departure and a quick hop over to Narromine, as I was co pilot, there wasn't a lot to do, so I spent most of the flight going through the GPS and MFD, learning more about navigating with these systems and how they interact with the navaids and autopilot.
Once we arrived at the Aeroclub in Narromine, it was time for our exercise briefing, coffee (a.k.a. pilot fuel) and some raisin toast provided by the club. We met with the local Volunteer Rescue Association squad who were working with us on the exercise.
We were to locate a red "aircraft" that had crashed not far from the aerodrome. We flew 1 stage of flap at 500ft as it was not a built up area in te 206h my role was to call to the observers when we were on and off the search, and direct the pilot as we performed a creeping line search.
One aircraft went out at a time and we monitored the emergency frequency on one of the radios.
The exercise was great training even though none of the crews managed to locate the site of the crash.
That afternoon and evening we had a quick look at the local aviation museum followed by dinner and some bush poets at the Aeroclub. An interesting fellow joined us who happened to be in town, he used to be a test pilot on The Sabre and is now flying around the country in his little RA aircraft.

The next morning we met for breakfast early and all took a look at the weather.
Forecast cloud on ground meant that we were going to be experiencing fog at Mt Victoria, a decent 15kt crosswind for take off and 25kt at all the lower levels meant we were in for a few bumps.
After take off the PIC asked me to assume control, this was an interesting experience being in the right seat, and flying from there.
I could immediately feel the extra weight of the aircraft and it definitely felt more powerful and stable.
As we approached Bathurst we could see the Scattered had turned into an overcast. We checked the weather for Bankstown, Richmond and Camden and it was still scattered so the decision was made by PIC to go over the top.
As we left the clear sky, I confirmed fuel quantity and flight time and quickly calculated our endurance, of which we had 3.5 hours, plenty for a 20min leg if we need to divert or turn back.
It was a surreal feeling being on top of the clouds, it's tranquil an beautiful yet at the same time scary!
Time seems to go at a different speed and its almost hypnotising, I was glad that we had 3 GPS's on board and I was reasonably sure I had a finger on the map at our position. Hats off to the aviators of old that did it with a set of dividers and charts only!
As we approached Katoomba, it was looking like the forecast scattered had also turned into an overcast, we were also out of airspace vertically as the control step was below us if we went much further. We could have asked for a clearance but I decided to turn around and head back. Halfway through my turn I noticed an elongated hole. The PIC took control and down we went through a series of decending turns through the gap.
As we headed over towards 2rn we diverted a little further south as there was an aerobatic plane at the top of a loop a little too close to us for comfort.
We headed back to the clubhouse for a top up of pilot fuel.

GPS Course & Popped Door

I was lucky enough to get another ride in the duchess, this time back seating on circuits, again I can't say enough how helpful this is. If for no other reason than to see that other people make the same mistakes, and to take it a little easier on yourself.
It was a hot day, with full tanks and 3 decent sized bodies, it didn't leave a lot of room on the w & b. The wind was gusting to 18kt of crosswind and although the duchess is limited to 25kts, we decided to head to Camden where it was only 12kts, to take a little pressure off the early stages of the endo. There was quite a bit of radiation turbulence mixed with mechanical turbulence and thermals, but these days I tend to be quite comfortable in the bumps, I prefer smooth conditions but it doesn't make me as nervous as it once did.
We completed 2 circuits without any issue, then on the third takeoff roll, just as we were about to rotate, we heard a loud bang and it got windy an loud all of a sudden! I heard the instructor say my aircraft, my aircraft and take control, as we had no runway remaining to stop and the engines were fine, we took off, and continued the circuit. The climb performance was seriously degraded with the door open, the other issue was it became quite difficult to hear the radio. We reported to the tower we would be returning for a normal landing and that we had a door pop open.
I wasn't too fussed by this as I have had the door of 152's pop open, along with my seatbelt whilst in a left turn! Which is quite a bit more scary! The POH recommends either having someone hold the door shut and return to land or just leave it and return to land. The airflow from the prop and direction of travel is enough to hold the door mostly closed.
The student was reaching behind the instructor to try and close the door, this was a little more concerning as t this could have distracted or bumped the pilot whilst low and slow with an abnormal situation, not ideal!
Luckily this was quickly rectified and we landed, closed the door and decided it was time to go home.

After this I got started on my enroute GPS endo. This is consisted of sittin in the aircraft going through the basic functions of the Garmin 430 unit. Scrolling through the pages, finding airport information, nearest waypoints and flight planning. We had a quick look through the autopilot and approaches too.
The rest of the endo is reading through the manual and completing a small open book test. Much like a CASA aircraft questionaire, it is most useful to know that people have at least looked at the information once!

Next weekend I have a training exercise/short flyaway so I should hopefully have some good thing to report, as well as riding in the 206H.

Thanks for reading!

Changing flight instructors

At the completion of my PPL I asked my instructor if he could give me a copy of the flying syllabus for the rest of my cpl stage of training, so I could budget for the dual time. He told me that there isn't really one and you just need to get more precise and that's about it, that sounded vague to me so I read through the day VFR syllabus and saw the real criteria to work on. Again I asked my instructor, how many dual navs do we need to do together, I understand it competency based, but just to give me an idea. The answer is approximately 4, ok great, so I'm going away on a 30 hour flying trip through central and southern Australia, hat are the things I need to be practicing whilst on the trip so that I make the most of it?
Ahh just practice holding altitude and heading as well as your one in sixty. This just did not seem right at all, surely there was more structure to this.

As with any pilot, it is my dream, and my passion, and I read, watch videos, listen to podcasts and talk with other people in aviation constantly. Exploring the wonderful world of aviation, but also to continue to learn and be safer and more proficient. I began to talk to other pilots about this feeling I have that my training is sub standard. The response was a resounding yes, and that I should switch instructors immediately. I am a customer of a transaction and if I am not getting the product I want or expect, why should I continue to pay for it?
I hear a lot in the community about casual instructors being lax and building hours, not really interested in teaching, and upon initially meeting my instructor I asked what his direction was, he said he was too old to join the airlines and was happy to just be an instructor, ok that sounded like he was interested in instructing. There were moments on my ppl navs when I thought, is this guy just coming for a ride or what?
The sad reality is that now, I believe he was.
I have since spoken to a friend of mine hat was chief pilot at a school that has since closed, he has shown me the training syllabus that he wrote for his ops manual and helped me source another instructor, that he had trained and worked for him.
At some level, I don't want to create an uncomfortable tension in my flying club by changing instructors, and that has I think stopped me from acting on this sooner. This is far too important whether as a commercial or private pilot, as apart from the financial risk of over paying for shoddy training, there is the ever present risk of your own life, and the lives of your passengers.
It is simply not worth settling because you don't want to rock the boat, or upset anyone.
I know that I am not alone in this situation and I wanted to write this in the hope that if any other student does read this, and finds themselves in this situation, talk to the instructor and if you can't sort it out then change, and interview them.
Thanks for reading, I know this was a soapbox moment, but one I thought necessary.

Back Seat Flying

I was recently given the opportunity to "back seat" a couple of flights with the chief pilot of the Australian Civil Air Patrol. The first was a check out on a Piper Lance with another CPL student, this aircraft is often used for freight and charter as it has a decent useful load or alternatively 6 or even an optional 7 seats. Once again a fuel injected 6cyl engine, 300hp with retractable gear and this time a T Tail.
We did a standard basic handling lesson, a few stalls, circuits and turns. It is interesting to see the degradation in human performance once the stress builds up, it's something I notice in myself when learning a new skill or manoeuvre in the aircraft, but watching another person gives a new depth to it, and normalises it for me.
It was also good to see a different style of teaching than I am used to as well, words of encouragement and communicating the anticipated response of the aircraft is not something I usually get!
The next flight was really cool, it was the first flight of an initial twin endorsement in a Beechcraft Duchess! Finally my first taste of multi engines!
We took this out over towards Katoomba and played with the autopilot, another first for me, and that looks both exciting and a little scary trusting the aircraft as it finds its way. I'm sure it is something I will get used to pretty quickly. We didn't get any assymmetric work in but did a couple of circuits and some stalls.
As we were coming back in to the airport, it was quite a busy Bankstown Sunday and we had traffic to our left and to our right and preceding traffic on the runway. We were cleared for the left when I spotted a warrior on a wide inbound leg for the same runway, suddenly they turn towards us to cuts us off! We made a quick call to the tower for a clearance to runway Center to avoid the collision, not sure what the tower was doing during all this but landing 3 aircraft on parallel runways simultaneously with 3 student pilots was in my opinion a little unnecessary! Despite that we landed with a greaser and taxied back, I'm very much looking forward to getting my multi endo done in jan!
Thanks for reading.

Complex Aircraft Endorsement

As part of my commercial pilot training I need to be endorsed to fly "complex aircraft." Basically what this means is retractable undercarriage and a manual adjustable pitch propellor.
For this I chose to use a Piper Arrow III, SFJ.
After a quick briefing on the ground, running through the safe operating speeds, procedure for adjusting theAP and RPM, we were away off to the training area.
There are a number of differences apart from the weight and power of the engine compared to the good ol warrior.
To start the engine, the mixture is at cutoff until the engine turns over, then is quickly put into full. Prop (RPM) is at full fine for start up, taxi and takeoff.
If you need to prime it, which should only be done when absolutely necessary as I'm told this type of aircraft floods easily and can take up to 2 hours before you can attempt to start it again!
The procedure is as follows:
Mixture Full Rich
Fuel Pump On
Throttle Full Open until you get a stable fuel flow
Then Throttle closed an start the engine!
After take off with no useable runway remaining, landing gear comes up and we set climb power of 25in and 2500RPM along with the other after takeoff checks.
We took off out to the training area for some general handling and emergency training.
I had to really think to remember my HASSEL checks, however my CFMOST engine failure was good. We did a couple of steep turns and the main thing I noticed was how much more stable this bird is, the trim holds well and there was much less fluctuations in the height, or maybe I was just concentrating ;).
Stalls were normal except you have the prop full fine before you start for the recovery and I did lose more height than I'm allowed for in my CPL test so I will need to get out there and do those again to brush up.
Coming back in to land we actually had the nose wheel light not come on, we switched globes around and still no joy. Up goes the landing gear and then cycle back down again and we were in business. Almost a very real situation and I was glad to have an instructor with me, although I probably would have been talking to the tower for guidance.
Best glide is 80kt and once you have your field in sight you can put the prop into full course or "feather" to save on drag. Landing gear is really the last thing you do in case you don't make the field, as it creates a lot of drag and reduces the glide distance.
Cruise power was 23in MAP and 2300RPM so very straightforward, 90kts BRoC which was nice, although we didn't feel it today as it was quite hot.
Vle is 129kt and Vlo is 107. There is 3 hours or so for the endoresement and the first is mostly general handling. Flight number two is circuits. The first two or three circuits I was really chasing the plane, I was spending a long time on the after take off checks with the extra checks. Reducing power after take off to set best climb speed. It was a hot and turbulent day, mostly mechanical and thermal, which was fine but I found it did add a little stress to the experience. The aircraft is slightly faster so I found I was really getting through downwind quickly, of course the light bulbs on the gear extension were playing up so there was the ever present fear that the undercarriage was not actually down!
We did the a glide approach and two flapless.
CASA was also doing ramp checks, the first time I've seen that in 3 years of going to the airport. Luckily we had all the current maps and p charts.
After an hour of solid circuits we headed in to refuel the pilots and have a short briefing on the emergency gear extension procedures before heading back out to the training area.
The procedure for a manual gear extension is fairly straightforward, basically check all the electrics and fuses, then slow down to 87kt and then push the lever down.
If it doesn't extend, try yawing the aircraft in both directions to try Nd lock it into place. If still unsure do a fly by of the tower and ask the tower to have a look and then hope for the best.
I really enjoy being with an instructor and find I get more out of them than I used to.
Thanks for reading.