This was the week when I finally got to fly the DA42 (Twinstar)!
My first lesson was a general handling lesson, just to get used to the feel of the aircraft. I took Luke and DJ with me which was fun. We went out over to the west coast to practise steep and medium turns, stalling, simulated go-around's, climbing and descending. I seemed to cope with all that pretty well so we returned to Hamilton to do a few circuits. I did two landings and take-off's and if I'm honest they weren't as smooth as I would have liked. I found the twin quite difficult to land because unlike the single engine planes I've flown so far, you don't need much back pressure on the round out, you just have to keep it coming down on the same profile and attitude then gradually reduce the power and just apply a small check at the last minute to guide it onto the tarmac nicely. My landings were pretty heavy because I applied the same amount of back pressure that's required in a Cessna and as a result got too much sink. I was annoyed by this because the rest of the flight had gone well and I always like to walk away from the flight after a nice touch down.
I was surprised how much rudder was needed throughout the flight. You really need to coordinate your hands and feet well to keep it in balance the whole time. Obviously things happen quicker than in the Katana and Cessna so you need to be thinking ahead of the aircraft the whole time and knowing the speeds and related power settings and memory checks such as after take-off checks - 'Gear, Flaps, Landing light, Altimeters, Radio's'. If all those are done without much thought it makes life much easier!
My second lesson was just one hour of circuits. I was determined to get the knack of landing the thing in this lesson. Luke back seated me for this flight, I couldn't take DJ as well sadly due to the maximum allowable landing weight. My first landing was similar to the ones the previous day, I flared too much again and too high which made it sink too much but after that my next few were pretty good. I knew all my checks which allowed me to focus more on maintaining the right speed and profile which were decent throughout the lesson. By the end I was feeling much more confident with the touch down and obviously the more I fly it, the easier it will get.
Whilst re-fuelling I had a bit of an argument with the fuel pump and got soaked in Jet A-1. Let me tell you, it is the most pungent perfume you will ever smell and you do not want it on your clothes or skin. Even after a shower I could still smell it on myself and luckily I was wearing sun glasses, otherwise I would've received an eye full of it too. So I will try to avoid doing that again.
Tauranga (NZTG) from when I back seated DJ earlier in the week
This week brought an end to my time in the Cessna. The time I spent in it was short but sweet. I really enjoyed flying the Cessna but am extremely excited to be moving on to the aircraft that every CTC cadet wants to fly; the DA42 (Twin Star).
On Monday I completed my solo night flight hours which was fun and went by without any issues. Thankfully it was calm and clear again and there weren't any problems with the aircraft. My instrument panel lights worked properly too this time which made life a lot easier. This flight marked my last ever solo and last flight in the DA20 Katana. The little aircraft served me well but I'm glad to be moving onto bigger and more stable aircraft now. It's a weird thought thinking all my flying from now till the day I retire will be dual!
CP116 then spent the next two days in the classroom, learning about the Twin Star. We covered systems, performance characteristics, differences between the twin and the Katana and learning how to carry out the pre-flight inspection as well as learning the different parts, such as the different aerials. It was all relevant stuff like what fuel to use and how much it can take and burns, the type of engine, how the systems operate different components of the aircraft etc. Mostly quite interesting. We also spent a fair bit of time covering asymmetric flight (flight with one engine). We spend a lot of time practising single engine failure by the sound of things and it seems like quite hard work. It was made clear that we need to be sharp at detecting which engine has failed and how to deal with it properly because if we get that wrong it could be catastrophic!
I finished off the week with my final two Cessna flights. I did the 'triangle of death' on Thursday which is flying from Hamilton to Rotorua, where I did a VOR/DME approach, then to Tauranga for an RNAV (GPS) approach, then back to Hamilton where I ended up doing a visual approach due to timing. It was pretty hard work from about half way to Rotorua till half way back to Hamilton. I had a lot of checks and briefings to do, whilst talking to ATC and flying the aircraft accurately programming the G1000 for the next leg. However, I enjoyed the challenge and came away feeling the flight went well so I was happy.
My final C172 flight was down to New Plymouth and back (again IFR). This was a fun flight because there was quite a bit of time in the cruise where I got to stick the auto-pilot on and relax a bit. It gave me plenty of time to prepare for the arrival and just have a chat to my instructor and back-seater. I did the VOR/DME approach at New Plymouth which was fine then got back up to 9000 feet for the cruise back to Hamilton where I did the RNAV approach. I felt pretty confident on this flight and certainly feel a lot more comfortable with IFR flying than I did about two weeks ago. It's amazing how quickly things start coming together when you're flying regularly.
cruising at 9000 feet
The last two flights were under a condition known as SPIC (special pilot in command). It's basically where we act as pilot in command, even though our instructor is there and ultimately has the final say. It's like an assessment to see how competent we are so they have minimal input. I felt fairly confident with what I was doing throughout the flights but would also check I had it right before doing it, just to make sure I hadn't missed something major and make any big mistakes.
So next week will be back to VFR but this time on the Twin!
On Tuesday I did VOR/DME holding and approaches with a VOR only approach and landing at the end. It was a perfect day for flying, there was practically no wind which meant there was one less thing to think about, barely any cloud and as a result of that it was lovely and smooth which made flying an absolute dream.
The lesson itself was pretty intense (as always). I did all the radio calls for the first time which was a bit scary to start with but I started feeling much more confident with them as the lesson went on. I took off on the instrument departure, did a few laps of the hold, carried out an approach and a missed approach then repeated the process two more times. Then on the final approach for landing I was using the VOR only which is slightly different because you don't have the distance read outs to the beacon so you need to use a slightly different technique. We descended down to the minimum altitude and did a visual circling manoeuvre to line up with the runway. I felt totally spent by the end but it was a successful flight and I certainly gained a lot from it.
My Knee board for the flight
Flying the VOR/DME approach in the 172
Myself and DJ also had the pleasure of spending a couple of hours with Sri Lankan cricketing legend, Chamina Vaas that evening. It so happens that he went to school with a friend of mine from the club I play for out here and he was in town with the Sri Lankan team so was just casually spending the evening round at his house. So I pounced upon the opportunity to meet one of the worlds greatest ever bowlers.
Me and a cricketing legend!
On Wednesday I had my GPS holding and approaches lesson which went well again. I still didn't feel 100% confident with the G1000 but it was certainly an improvement from the sim of this lesson and most of my radio calls were great but on my last approach I messed up two successive calls which really annoyed me. I had to read back quite a lot of instructions given to me by the controller at once and just couldn't remember it all which was very frustrating because I'd been working hard on them. Other than that though the flight went pretty well.
The C172
C172 Cockpit
Thursday was a very busy day indeed for me. I had an IFR flight doing VOR/DME and GPS holds and approaches but due to lack of slots at Hamilton I had to fly to Rotorua to do them which was cool because it was like flying a proper flight from A to B and it was also something different so an extra challenge. It went quite well and I enjoyed it. I then went to watch New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Seddon Park. It was really busy and stinking hot! I was dripping just sitting there in shorts and a T-shirt so the black caps had my full sympathy having to play in black kit!
Our view
Kieron, Me & DJ enjoying the Kiwi sunshine #shocking tan line #I'm not wearing fake tan
Dilshan celebrating his ton
Sangakara and Dilshan
Sadly, I couldn't see the second innings because I had to go back into the centre to do my night flights in the Katana. It was interesting getting back into the Katana and having to use the old steam driven instruments again. I spent about an hour with an instructor doing circuits where he was just checking my competency. There were about six aircraft in the circuit at that point so I had to be very visualant. Thankfully it's easy to spot planes at night so there were no problems. He then jumped out and sent me up on me own, by which point everyone else had landed and come back in so I had the circuit to myself. I got three circuits in before I had to land due to the curfew at Hamilton which means I have to go and do a few more in at some point just to finish it off. I really enjoy flying at night, it just feels so peaceful and you get a different perception on things. I did struggle to see my instruments though which annoying. The lighting wasn't very bright so I was focusing really hard on that and almost going by the sound of the engine to judge my speed. I had to use my torch to illuminate the panel but that created a bit of glare so finding a compromise was the task. All went well though and I was surprised how smooth my landings were considering it had been almost two months since I'd flown a Katana. The smooth conditions obviously played a massive role with that.
Cruising back from Rotorua
In the cruise with the auto-pilot on
Just eight and half hours after I left the centre I was back in preparing for another IFR flight. It was just another VOR/DME and GPS holding and approach lesson, this time at Hamilton. This was definitely my best IFR performance to date. I got all my radio calls right thanks to a helpful tip from my instructor (read back the instructions in the order at which they occur), remembered my checks and at the right time, felt confident programming the G1000, flew accurately and the landing was ok, not my finest but not the worst, so I got out the aircraft feeling quite happy with myself.
With IFR flights you need to be in about two hours prior to the blocks off time. During that time you need to pre flight the aircraft, do the mass & balance and performance sheets, enter a flight plan and if it's a route flight, fill in a flight log, have the lesson brief with the instructor then walk out to the aircraft twenty to thirty minutes before the blocks off time, due to the engine run up time and the time it takes to programme the G1000. You need to be quite punctual because you would have booked a slot with Hamilton and Christchurch control for a certain time window and if you're too far outside of that then you may have to cancel your flight so timing and preparation is extremely important.
An IFR Flight Plan
I was up early again on Saturday, with a blocks off time of 07:30. It was the first IFR routes flight. I planned a leg to Tauranga for an RNAV arrival and approach then back to Hamilton for the same. It was so quiet and calm in the air at that time. There were quite a few clouds so cruising over the blanket was pretty cool. All went well apart from a slight mistake which doesn't seem like much but would have failed me on an IR test. On my descent into Tauranga I left the go-around maybe a second or two late and as a result sank about five feet below the minimum altitude (MDA), triggering the alert, "MINIMUMS, MINIMUMS". I must have been below the MDA for less than a second but it would still be enough to fail a test so I was a bit annoyed with that but apart from that, all good. I only have two more Cessna flights before moving on to the twin star. Very exciting!
As soon as I'd landed I shot off to play cricket, forgetting my socks and trainers, IDIOT! I spent ninety one overs in the field and we conceded 424 runs. It was long! I then had to open the batting and try to see out the rest of the day. Just 1.2 overs into the innings the rain came and the day was finished, with me sat on four not out. That means I'll still be in next Saturday so I think I'll need to have a very nice word with ops to let me off for that.
Sunday was my day off and I went to Aukland for a trip on an actual America's Cup yacht which was so cool! It was used in the 1995 (the year I was born) America's Cup by a Japanese team. There were four crew on board so we all got to get involved with the winching and stuff. I even got to helm it for a bit which was just amazing! How many people can claim they've helmed a genuine America's Cup boat... We even saw some Orca Dolphins. It was a great way to top off another eventful and highly enjoyable week.
Week 50 was certainly one to write home about. I had my final three sim flights for this phase in three days followed by my first real IFR flight in the Cessna 172.
The sims consisted of VOR/DME holds and approaches, GPS holds and approaches and lesson six was a review of everything covered so far which was a very hard and intense lesson.
VOR/DME holds and approaches went better than I expected to be honest. I'd had a long break between that lesson and the previous one so there were elements that were rusty but I was expecting it to be a lot worse. I had spent a lot of time preparing for that lesson though by reading the radio guide, learning checks and knowing pretty much exactly what's going to happen over the lesson by visualising it. The preparation certainly helped. I had to do an instrument take off then enter the hold at Hamilton and carry out an approach, do a missed approach then repeat the process. I also had to start including the appropriate radio calls and checks in this lesson which was an extra challenge but because I had a pretty good idea of what to say and do it freed up some much needed capacity. Those are things you want to be able to do without thinking, otherwise it's very easy to fall behind the aircraft. So there was a lot going on but it was fun and I enjoyed it.
CP116 relaxing by the pool at the local hotel
GPS holds and approaches was actually pretty hard I thought, having heard that it was probably the easiest sim. It was only one hour long so there was time for just one take off and approach. The GPS is great in the sense that it basically tells you what course to fly, when to turn and for how long. You just need to correct the heading depending on the wind. The hardest part is probably programming all the information correctly into the G1000. When you're on the approach you're meant to get the appropriate plate out and brief what you're going to do. I found this really difficult to do properly as I was fighting turbulence on an already sensitive sim and trying to fly as accurately as possible. It was just hard having to take my eyes off the screen for a few seconds to read a plate. I'd then go back to the screen and be off track by a few degrees so I came away from that lesson thinking I could have done better. It was by no means disastrous but certainly not my best performance.
Lesson six was a review of everything covered so far and was two hours long so I was prepared for a tough time. I went into the part task trainer (PTT) before the lesson so I could get used to setting up the G1000 equipment which I knew would make my life a lot easier in the sim. The PTT is just a static sim with no projector which is designed for cadets to go in and use in their own time to get used to certain techniques or like me, the G1000. I think it's well worth using for getting used to the screens but for actual flying techniques I'm not entirely convinced how helpful it is. But it did a good job for me because I felt a lot more confident setting up the equipment and operating it during the flight.
The PTT
I had to start the aircraft up as if it was a real flight this time, going through the full check list, radio calls etc. I was asked to do an instrument departure then enter the VOR/DME hold at Hamilton, carry out a VOR/DME missed approach, then do a GPS arrival and approach which included a couple of laps of the hold as well. I'd spent a fair bit of time visualising and going over this flight the evening before so I had a good picture in my mind of what was coming up next. I'd learnt my calls and checks so I came out of the lesson feeling fairly happy with myself. I'd also organised my plates a lot better than the previous flight so I found briefing much easier this time. As they say, p*** poor preparation makes p*** poor performance.
Later that day my Mum and Step-Dad had to go back to the UK which was sad. I was lucky to have the amount of time off with them to be fair so I'm very grateful to CTC for giving me that time. I'd managed to show them around the airport the evening before which was pretty cool. Sadly I couldn't take them flying though so that will have to wait until I get back home.
Mum and I in the Cessna
The next day was so exciting because I had my first proper IFR flight and it was in the Cessna 172 which I've never flown before. I think this flight is a bit of an introductory to the aircraft. I did the take off and an instrument departure and was just asked to do some VOR tracking around Hamilton. There was hardly any wind so the task was quite easy compared to what I'd been doing in the sim. I then did a few entries and laps of the hold which was pretty cool, although I totally screwed up my initial radio call to Christchurch control. They gave me a list of instructions which I understood but I couldn't remember it all to read back so I just replied "wilco", which was far from good enough for the poor controller having to put up with me. oops! I thought I flew the holds ok. However, we got caught in a few nasty down draughts in a big cloud which was right over the airport which made it very difficult to fly accurately. At one point I had full power and ten degrees nose up and we were descending at about six hundred feet per minute, NOT GOOD! When we were above cloud though it was smooth as anything and just so beautiful. To my surprise I got to do the VOR/DME approach and landing. Considering it was my first time in a Cessna I thought it was pretty good. It felt so good being back in the air and flying for real. It had been a long time!
In the hold above Hamilton
Cloud surfing
Setting the heading bug
Finals for 18L
Clearways on Finals
Over the weekend I played cricket for my local club and we won comfortably which was good. I opened the batting and if I'm honest, struggled a little bit against a ball that was moving miles off a typically poor New Zealand wicket.
Myself and a couple of friends decided to do the Tongariro alpine crossing on Sunday. The weather was perfect and we got some spectacular views! We left Clearways at 6am, stopped for breakfast in Taupo and arrived at the Mangatepopo car park at about 10am. We set off from the base at about half past ten and climbed to the highest point on the trail and back down. It was extremely hard work and my legs are suffering today but it was so worth it! We must have walked about 23 km. We got back to the car at about 5:30 pm and arrived back at Clearways just before 8:30 pm. It was a long day but wow was it a good one! For anyone coming out to New Zealand this has to be done! Wear trainers or walking boots, give yourself plenty of time, have plenty of water, sun cream and snacks to keep you going and have a few extra layers in case it gets cold. Apparently during the winter you need to go with a tour guide because there's lots of snow and ice and the weather can change quite rapidly. It was hard enough in the summer with no snow or ice in sight but must be great fun.
Kieron, Matt and I with Mount Doom in the back drop
A challenging part of the hike!
At the highest point looking at Blue Lake
Posing with Mt Doom & Blue Lake at the highest point of the treck (1990 meters roughly)
Kieron & Matt cooling off
Mount Ruapehu
So a very eventful week indeed! Hopefully more of the same to come.
I've had a pretty quiet time as far as flying goes since my last update. Since December 13th I've done two sims (VOR Tracking & Holding) and one day of ground school.
Airline Prep
I found the last two sims great fun but as usual with IFR, fairly intense. VOR tracking was basically figuring out where you are in relation to the beacon your tracking and how to intercept and fly that particular track or 'radial' as it's referred to as. It's simply lining up the two needles on your screen which sounds easy but when a bit of wind is thrown in and you have to calculate your drift corrected heading whilst flying accurately it becomes more complicated. I found the hardest part of the lesson was carrying out 'spot wind calculations' which is making an estimate of the wind based on your heading, track, TAS and ground speed. If you're not used to it then it takes some time. You then have to use the clock code method to determine how much correction to apply to your heading in order to maintain the desired track.
I really enjoyed the holding lesson, although I was totally spent by the end! 1.5 hours of holding with no auto pilot must be demanding for any pilot. I did a few standard holds in nil wind to start with just to get used to flying the pattern. Then wind was introduced so I had to calculate the wind and determine how much drift to apply. With holding you need to apply either single, double or triple drift depending on the section of the hold you are in and where the wind is coming from. Again, in theory it all makes perfect sense but it's very easy to get things mixed up when you're focusing on flying the aircraft as well and when you're getting a bit fatigued. I was also placed in different positions around Hamilton and asked to do various entries into the hold and then carry out a few more. As I said, I really enjoyed the lesson but it was pretty intense.
Getting into the Christmas spirit
The day after that was Christmas day so the whole company got the day off (a rarity). I encountered my first hot Christmas in the company of a friend from my local cricket club and his family. They really looked after me and we had a great time! I must say, it was weird having cocktails and a BBQ on the 25th of December!
Christmas Day BBQ
On Boxing Day my Mum and Step-Dad arrived in Aukland. It was so great seeing them again. Because my instructor was on leave from Christmas day till the 5th of January I was given time off from the 25th till the 3rd so I spent that time with them seeing interesting parts of the north island. Most cadets weren't so lucky and were back on duty on the 27th till the 31st.
Aukland Harbour from the sky tower
Lovely setting for dinner in Aukland Harbour
On the boat before heading out to find some whales
Following a big whale
Confident baby whale showing off
In Aukland we went up the sky tower and got some great views of the city. We went on a boat trip into the Gulf to see some whales which was so cool! They would swim so close to the boat, one baby whale even swam a few circles around it and did some rolls right under us to show off. We then moved to the east coast where we spent some at Cathedral Cove, hot water beach and a few other nice places. All absolutely beautiful and the weather was great for relaxing on a beach.
Cathedral Cove
Lovely setting for lunch in Tairua
Orokawa beach
New Year was spent on a camp site in Taupo. Sadly it was cold and drizzly on New Years eve and then in the small hours of the morning it tipped down and the cheap tent I had bought ended up leaking like a colander. Not a happy boy!
Our set up
However, the weather improved vastly for the next couple of days and we got to see some good stuff before having to return to Hamilton. The folks hired a little camper van from a place in Aukland which seems to be the cheapest and most flexible way of getting round. All the trips seemed to be pretty expensive, especially being summer holidays but being a once in a life time opportunity I think you just have to take the hit.
McDonald's in Taupo. Genius!
Thermal valley in Taupo
Lake Taupo
Thermal spa in Taupo
Huka Falls
Today our course had ground school briefings on the Cessna 172, which is the next aircraft we are going to be flying and a few more IFR tips, mainly to do with planning and chart reading. Some people have been booked in for their first Cessna flight tomorrow, whist I still have three sims to go until I get back into a real aircraft. I'm sure I'll catch up soon. There are a few other cadets in a similar position to me so I'm not too worried.
So December proved to be more of a holiday month for me than anything else. I did just 3.7 hours of flying (and that was in the sim) and three days of class room briefings. Compared to November where I did over 33 hours of flying! In the two weeks leading up to Christmas I had so much time off due to the sims being very busy and I was getting a tad bored and frustrated with sitting around hoping to get booked in. Hopefully things will kick start again now the New Year is upon us and I'll get back into the working zone.
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