I'm Back!/Update

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Member for

19 years 9 months

Posts: 690

Hi Chaps + Chappettes.

Been away from the forum for a bit - changed jobs etc., so got distracted from this flying lark...

As we all know, you may get distracted but it never goes away so I'm getting organised to start the PPL properly in 2007 - the goal for this year is to go solo...

Ebay has been scavanged for ground school materials, and I suppose I'd better get a class 2 medical booked.

School of choice is Almat in Coventry.

Up and away!

JC

Original post

Member for

20 years 7 months

Posts: 2,623

Hey John

Welcome back, glad you have a goal for 2007, I'm sure you will achieve it no problems, let me know what equipment you need, I may have some lying around here I can bequeath you.
Can't comment on the school, infact I have never heard of it LOL

Speak soon

Dean

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,606

Hey John, well done. Been fettling any CF stuff recently? For a Class 2, Dr Busby nr Wellesbourne is a good old boy though he will talk the pants off of you.

Almat are based at Coventry. A former colleague dd his PPL there years ago flying evenings throughout the summer. Aircraft he learnt on were tired (he had to press the radio in the panel to transmit) but probably about the cheapest on the airfield. They have a seemingly decent PA34 at about £250/hr, which compared to other commercial trainers is good. So I recently enquired about a MEP by e-mail but have received no reply. Seems good ol' phone or face-face is still the way to deal with flying clubs :)

I'm probably going to do my FI after graduating ground school in March. You never know John in a cruel twist of fate I could end up teaching you to fly. Cue demonic laughter :dev2:

Member for

19 years 9 months

Posts: 690

Bluerobin: Not been physically working on the CF stuff for a while (long and very complicated story! Did get a flight in G AMPY before Xmas though. Strange feeling having nailed her together!). Spent News Years Eve with the owner of Almat's Seneca, so might be able to find out directly if you'd like. It had gone tech before Christmas so that may be why you haven't heard anything.

Deano: thanks! I've got (so far!) a whiz wheel, square protractor, old issue 30 half million chart (to practice nav on), Vol 1 - 3 of Thoms, 2004 issue of LASORS and an old PPL confuser!

Any suggestions on what I should add to this haul of (it has to be said cheap) stuff? By cheap, I mean that the total for the above is around £30! Don't you just love Ebay? :) I will track down the other 4 Vols of The Air Pilots series. Kneeboard is also on the shopping list.

Nice to be back.

JC

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,606

A5 kneepad. Doesn't matter which one. You could easily make your own.

Headset is you could stretch, ANR is you can stretch further. ANR takes some of the noise stress out of flying.

Member for

19 years 9 months

Posts: 690

Funny you should mention headsets... I managed to bag an ASA one for £26! Never used apparently. It was described as a BSA Headset, but a quick surf around identified it.

Really rather pleased with myself!

JC

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 1,077

John C,
Good luck in your quest, I too am on the PPL road, although I am trying to re-gain my currency after a 17 year break.
I too have been using eBay to obtain useful items, my 99p Warrior Checklist is my best buy so far!

I did my first proper lesson yesterday, exercises 3-9 (I think!) basically everything up to changing speeds in level flight, next lesson (3rd Feb) is Stalling and then it is circuit bashing to get re-Soloed (is that what it is called?).
Started to feel natural yesterday, which was really re-assuring, although I fluffed my throttle control on landing, which was really annoying as it was my first mistake all flight!

I am really enjoying the Warrior, such a nice stable platform and Rudder trim too!

Have fun, some bits will seem really daunting, but once you have the eye-brain-hand wiring in place it suddenly all makes sense.:D

Member for

20 years 3 months

Posts: 1,452

Good luck! I'm getting to close to solo myself. Just a small matter of passing Air Law first.......... Just how much do I hate that subject?

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 1,077

I have agreed with my CFI to Re-take Air Law, as that is the bit most likely to have changed in the 20 years since I last took it. Apart from gening up on tropical storms, meteorology hasn't changed much:D

Member for

19 years 9 months

Posts: 690

One thing that is concerning me about Air Law - My copy of Thom's Volume 2 is quite old (as is my copy of the PPL Confuser), about 1993 I think. One of the disadvantages of Ebay!!

Has much changed? I assume there must have been changes (esp after Sept 11, 2001).

I figure that the majority of the stuff is still valid...

My £26 headset turned up this morning. Looks good, just need to scrounge a flight to check it out!

JC

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 1,077

Biggest change after 9/11 is the requirement for all Aircraft Captains to know the procedures for formating with a Fighter escort.
Remember in a Cessna the Carb Heat must be 'off' otherwise you will not be able to keep up with the Tornado;)

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,606

Nah the biggest change is JAA, which happened about 1999. Get an up-to-date book for Air Law.

There is on pprune a UK PPL student who went to Florida recently with old books, studied there whilst flying but failed his Air Law. So he was jeopordising the three week period he had allowed for in the US. On the same post, he admitted to using a really old textbook then asked for help. The solution was really simple :p

Don't need to scrounge a flight. Pop over, grab someone with another headset and do a radio check on an aircraft.

Member for

19 years 9 months

Posts: 690

Nah, think I need a flight (stay with me on this one!) - how else will I know if it's quiet enough and comfortable enough? ;)

I'd better see if I can sneak another copy of Air Law under the wire without SWMBO seeing...

Anyone want a first edition Trever Thoms Air Law and Met? :diablo:

JC

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,606

John, have you got a flight computer yet? I have a yellowing AFE-make CRP-1 whizz-wheel if you want it.

Member for

21 years

Posts: 137

John. Didn't go much on my instructor.:eek: :mad: :( Hope you fair better.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,606

wrong verb there?

Are you Almatting also, Ewen?

Member for

19 years 9 months

Posts: 690

I have a whizz wheel - ASA E6-B (Ebay again!!). No idea if it's going to be fit for purpose as yet. It is, however made of aluminium and really shiny :o £10.00. Figured that if it was no good, I could always pay up and get a CRP 1.

Ewen, I've heard wildly differing opinions about my chosen school! A couple of people have really raved about them though so I thought I give them a shot. I have done 3 hours with Midland Air Training and liked the set up and instruction, but they are little more pricey.

Just letting the bank balance recover after christmas and my Ebay raids before I do anything else!

JC

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,606

From what I've seen of the ol' faithful E6B, it will last longer than the plastic, British CRP1 due to it's choice of material ie metal. Should be suitable but don't quote me!

For marking the computer and your charts, stick your foot down and use washable OHP marker. If you say wish to remove part of your track line to read a frequency or feature, how then are you going to do so if using permanent marker? Unless you waving your chart around in the rain, non-permanent marks will stay there until you rub them off. This is easily done compared to the fuss created with meths/solvent and permanent marker. No solvent means one less thing to carry around.

Likewise pencil marks on the computer can be difficult to shift. Non-permanent OHP pen can be washed off easily with fingers if need be. If the marker starts to build up, a Staedtler Mars plastic eraser will easily shift any gunk.

Chinagraph by the way is old hat comparitively, expensive and you get through the pencils very quickly.

New southern half mil charts by the way are to be issued mid-March iirc.

Member for

17 years 2 months

Posts: 118

hope everything goes well for you John!

i am also attempting the PPL road at present.....progress is, at the moment, being hampered by both academic work and getting the funding together. i am also attempting to self teach myself the ground school......its working o =k at the moment, but may become more complex when it comes to Nav......get a PPL confuser, they are really good for the theory!

all the best

Sam

Member for

19 years 9 months

Posts: 690

My Confuser is a bit out of date to tell the truth, but it'll do for now!

Thanks for the advice on the pens - I'll grab some next time I'm near staples/smiths/wherever!

JC