Day Thirty-Two – Precautionary Landings

Okay, for those of you who thought I had given up on flying due to the time lag between recent posts – never fear! I worked out my jitters and got back into the swing of things today with precautionary landings. Let’s say the weather is closing in on you, or maybe your passenger has decided to start throwing their lunch all over the back of your seat and you want to land quickly before the situation gets any worse. Southern Manitoba is covered in farm fields and nice straight roads, any one of which can serve as your runway. The challenge is that you’ve probably never landed on that particular field or that particular road before. Who knows what kind of shape it is in or what power lines might be lurking along its borders. A precautionary landing basically involves two circuits around the intended landing site. The first is a high level inspection pass designed to give you a complete overview of the area and to ask, “Why shouldn’t I land there?” The second is a low level inspection pass designed to look the site over in much greater detail and ask, “Why should I land there?” It sounds pretty simple, but it is probably the most frustrating thing I’ve done so far. My biggest challenge seemed to be to keep the correct field in sight while I performed the circuit. They all look the same to me and at least once I somehow managed to do my high and low inspection passes on two different fields. Sigh.

Day Thirty-One – I Scared Myself

Shortly after beginning flight training, a friend and former private pilot asked if I had “scared myself”, yet? I really didn’t know what she meant - until today. I’ll spare you the ugly details, but basically I was practicing circuits this morning (solo) when one of my landings went bad. Real bad. Let’s just say it involved a bounce, a crosswind gust, a bit too much pitch down attitude and the nose wheel. I’ll leave it to any pilots reading this entry to imagine the sequence of events that followed. In the end, I did as I was taught and stabilized the situation, applied full power and performed an overshoot. My aircraft and I emerged unscathed.

The sketchy landing itself wasn’t really what scared me. Okay, yes that really scared me, and technically it wasn’t a “landing” per se. What scared me was the amount of time it took me to make the decision to overshoot – and we’re taking mere seconds here. I’ll never know if I simply got lucky today, but I know that my decision making will be a whole lot quicker next time.

Day Thirty – Solo Flying

I tried to practice short and soft field operations today, but it just wasn’t going my way. The circuit was very busy and the controllers weren’t often able to accommodate my requests for rolling takeoffs, backtracks, static departures and stop-and-gos. I did what I could and took the opportunity to practice regular touch and go landings. I also got to practice a fair number of unusual circuits, as ATC juggled the traffic.

Day Twenty-Nine – Quick Trip Back to Churchill

I flew back to Churchill last night for a quick work-related meeting today. Ironically, my commercial scheduled flight was delayed while we swapped planes because the flaps on the first one wouldn’t retract prior to take off. I now have enough aeronautical knowledge to recognize these things. Sometimes ignorance is bliss…

Day Twenty-Eight – Short Field Operations

Today, my instructor and I worked on short field take offs and landings. In many ways, short field operations are similar to soft-field operations. The approaches seem to be a bit steeper, as you are trying to touch down as close to the threshold as possible, with as little speed as possible and brake as hard as possible. The biggest challenge is trying to do it all at once. Especially on touch-down when one arm is pulling back on the control column as far as it will go, the other arm is reaching down to lower the flap handle and your legs are stretched out in front of you jamming on the brakes. I’m thinking that if this flying thing doesn’t work out, I might just take up the accordion.

Day Twenty-Seven – Scheduled Day Off

Today is another day off, so I thought I would give you a little tour of the Piper Cherokee PA-28-140 cockpit. Most people imagine an airplane cockpit to be a mysterious and complex environment of knobs, dials, gauges and instruments. It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but once you get to know your aircraft, it all makes sense.

The left seat (where I sit):

The dials (from left to right) are: the clock, airspeed indicator, artificial horizon, and altimeter. I have no idea what the gauge next to the altimeter is (just kidding) – it has to do with navigation which we’ll talk about later. Below them are the: turn coordinator, heading indicator and vertical speed indicator. The control column, or yoke, is front and centre. On the right side of the yoke are the engine gauges (oil temperature, oil pressure, fuel pressure) and the fuel gauges (left tank and right). To the right of the engine gauges are the: master, electric fuel pump, landing light, and anti-collision light switches, along with panel light dimmers. Below the yoke is the key/ignition/magnetos switch, tachometer (engine RPM), and primer knob. The black lever is the throttle control, the red lever is the mixture control, and the black lever is the carburetor heat. On the floor are the rudder pedals and brakes. The black handle is the parking brake.

The right seat (where my instructor sits):

Not nearly as interesting is it? I guess he’s supposed to be paying attention to me or something. Seriously, the blank space leaves room for additional navigation radios required for more complex instrument navigation. The radio stack contains the radio where you dial in the frequency of who you want to talk to (ground control, tower control, emergency frequency, etc.) and the transponder (provides ATC with information on your location and altitude). The dial to the far left indicates vacuum pressure for the operation of gyro-based instruments (e.g. artificial horizon) and the meter below that records engine running time. Below the right yoke are the circuit breakers. The dial on the lower left is the ammeter, an indicator of electrical power just like in your car.

Day Twenty-Six – Soft Field Take-Off and Landing

Today’s exercise involved learning how to operate from soft fields (e.g. grass strips, gravel runways, snow). I won’t go into too much detail, other than to say that the goal here is to not get stuck or bogged down. You don’t want to end up like Petroni (George Kennedy) in Arthur Halley’s “Airport”. You know what I’m talking about - classic aviation cinema…

In order to be successful, you must not stop or slow down too much when moving on soft fields, you must keep as much weight as possible off the landing gear (especially the nose gear), and you need to get off the ground as quickly as possible. Full aft control column helps keep the weight off the nose gear and flaps help you get off the ground quickly. Trouble is that you’re airborne before you have enough speed to properly and safely climb. So, once you’re off the runway you level out and fly close to the ground using ground effect (imagine a cushion of air) to help keep you aloft while you build your speed to the point where a normal climb is possible. This last part can be tricky, especially when you consider that many soft fields can also be short and have significant obstacles at the end of the runway.

Day Twenty-Five – FIRST SOLO!

After completing the check ride this morning, and of course it not going as well as my last few flights did (but obviously well enough), the chief flight instructor sent me back out to the plane for my first solo. No special instructions - just go and fly one circuit and come back when you’re done. “Good luck,” he said. Actually, the more I think about, I’m not sure he said anything at all.

“Let it be known that Michael Andrew Goodyear without disruption to air traffic, or endangerment to either ground personnel or grazing animals, did, forthrightly, with indomitable fortitude and courageous spirit, venture into the wild blue yonder alone in a flying machine.

Furthermore, this skilful individual did safely land said flying machine at St. Andrews Airport incurring no significant damage to self or machine, thus completing a first solo flight.

We salute you!”

Date: September 23, 2010
Aircraft: C-GQPN Cherokee

Day Twenty-Four – Rain!

Arrggh! My check ride was cancelled today due to heavy rain. It has been re-scheduled until tomorrow.

Day Twenty-Three – Getting Close

There are hints and allegations that I may be soloing in the next few days. I notice from the booking sheet that I am scheduled for a check ride with the flight school’s owner and chief flight instructor tomorrow. I’ll keep you posted.

Day Twenty-Two – Runway Changes and Unusual Circuits

There are three runways at the airport in St. Andrews: 18/36, 13/31, and 04/22.

Note: runways are numbered at each end with the magnetic heading of the direction they are facing, rounded off to the nearest 10 and omitting the last zero. So, a runway oriented north-south would be numbered 36 at the south end and 18 at the north end.

In most cases, you want to take-off and land into the wind, so the active runway is usually the one most closely aligned with the current wind direction. However, air traffic control may change your runway or ask you to alter the normal circuit pattern at any time to accommodate other traffic or improve spacing. As a pilot, you need to be able to understand and follow their instructions quickly and accurately. For these drills, the instructor simply contacts the tower shortly after take-off and gives them permission to screw you around as much as their black little hearts desire.

Quebec Papa November - follow Cessna at your two o’clock, establish right-hand circuit runway 31, resume left-hand circuit after takeoff, turn 360 degrees to your right, report when re-established downwind, cleared for touch-and-go runway 36, correction runway 04, number five behind Cessna, Westjet 456, whooping crane and Graf Zeppelin.

Day Twenty-One – Emergency Procedures

You have just taken off and are climbing out on runway heading at 75 kts towards circuit altitude. At 1300 ft above sea level (a mere 540 ft above ground level), you lose engine power. What do you do?

You are cruising at 4000 ft when noxious smoke pours out from behind the control panel. What do you do?

Shortly after receiving ATC clearance into the control zone, you notice that you don’t hear any other traffic on your radio and all calls to the tower go unanswered. What do you do?

These are just three of the many emergency scenarios a pilot must be prepared to deal with at any time. These are also three scenarios I was asked to demonstrate today, without warning, while flying the circuit. In the first scenario, my instructor reached over and pulled the throttle back to idle (he later told me that he once had a student reach out and push his hand and the throttle back forward again, so strong was the student’s instinct for self preservation!) I remained somewhat more calm and went through the standard procedure: lowering the nose to maintain an optimal glide speed of 69 kts , applying carburetor heat, checking the fuel selector switch, checking that the electric fuel pump is on and mixture is full rich. Attempt a restart. Doesn’t work? Well, you are now too low to do anything but try and find a suitable landing spot, straight ahead, making only shallow turns to avoid obstacles. My instructor advanced the throttle back to full before I had to start dodging hydro lines. How long did this all take? Less than 30 seconds.

Day Twenty – Scheduled Day Off

No flying today. In local aviation news, Exchange Income Corp. has purchased Bearskin Airlines. From the CBC Manitoba website:

A Winnipeg holding company has bought Bearskin Airlines for a cash and share deal worth $32.5 million. Exchange Income Corp. announced Wednesday that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire Bearskin Airlines, a regional carrier headquartered in Sioux Lookout.

"The acquisition of the business of Bearskin Airlines will help to accelerate the next phase of our growth and is strategic on a number of levels," Mike Pyle, president and CEO of Exchange Income stated in a news release.

"Most notably, it allows our aviation segment to expand its operations into select markets in northwestern Ontario that are generally under-served, including Thunder Bay, Sioux Lookout, Kenora, and Dryden.

"Equally important, it complements a number of our existing routes in Manitoba, providing opportunities for increased synergies and efficiencies for all of our aviation segment subsidiaries."

Exchange Income Corp. (EIC) already owns three other regional carriers: Perimeter Aviation, Calm Air, and Keewatin Air.

Read More Here

Day Nineteen – Happy Landings

Well, I got back from Kenora just in time for my 3:30 pm flight. My instructor thought that after a few days break I would probably find that my landings had improved. He was right. How about that? Despite a slight crosswind, my landings were actually very smooth. The round-out and flare are coming to me much more naturally now. My approach could use a bit more practice, though. I still tend to come in too high and too fast. A few times I had to fight my way down to the runway, bleeding off excess altitude by slipping. I’ve talked a little bit about slipping before, but I’m not sure if I mentioned just how wrong it feels. I find that it takes quite a bit of discipline to hold the slip all the way to the threshold. I suspect that if my instructor wasn’t there beside me telling me to hold it for just a little bit longer, I would surely chicken out at the last minute. Rounding out with one wing lower than the other, and touching down on one main wheel, just does not feel right.

Now that my landings are under control, I’ll be moving on to emergency procedures next week. This is one of the last steps before soloing.

Day Seventeen and Eighteen – Lake of the Woods

I will be taking a break for the next few days on Lake of the Woods houseboating with friends. I hope the weather is as nice where you are. Talk to you in a few days.

Day Sixteen – What Colour is Your Parachute?

It seems that my dear Sister was concerned by my post yesterday. “How,” she asked, “does one abandon the aircraft? Do you have parachutes?” Well, first of all, the danger in this case was an engine fire on “start-up”…on “the ground”…so I suppose I would have just climbed out the door. Actually, I probably wouldn’t have even had to open the door myself, seeing as how the Cherokee only has one door - on the right side where my instructor sits. Don’t worry Jen, I would have used him to break my fall. Who knew my blog would be such a great way to stay in touch and tease my younger sister at the same time?

Contrary to popular belief, we do not carry parachutes in the aircraft, even while training. In fact, an important aspect of training is learning how to land your aircraft without any power. In the unlikely event of an engine failure (see, I’m not even a licensed pilot yet and I’ve already got the “in the unlikely event” part down pat) we simply establish the best glide angle – 69 knots – and start looking for a good place to land. More about that later…

Day Fifteen – The Pre-flight Check

Before taking to the skies, it is the pilot’s responsibility to insure that his/her aircraft is in excellent working condition. There’s no pulling off of the road at 4000 ft when something goes wrong. So, before each flight, the pilot conducts a pre-flight inspection known as the walk-around. This is an opportunity to make sure that all the control surfaces are secure and moving freely, that the engine oil and brake fluids are at the correct level (these engines are air cooled, so no coolant to check), that there is no contamination in the fuel, no chips on the prop, etc., etc.

Today, while conducting the walk-around, I discovered a problem with the engine. One of the primer lines, where fuel is injected into the cylinders prior to start up, had broken away from one of the four cylinders, most likely as a result of vibration. Not a critical problem affecting flight, but had the engine still been hot from the previous flight, it could have started a small engine fire on start-up with the first push of the primer knob. Ten minutes to fix and we were on our way – a very good reminder of the critical importance of the pre-flight check.

As it happened, I had just been studying emergency procedures, including engine fire on start-up. What would I have done? Well, according to the Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH):

Starter...CRANK ENGINE
Mixture...IDLE CUT-OFF
Throttle...OPEN
Electric Fuel Pump...OFF
Fuel Selector...OFF
ABANDON AIRCRAFT IF FIRE CONTINUES

Day Fourteen – Crosswind Landings

Those of you familiar with southern Manitoba know that there always seems to be a stiff breeze blowing. Flying straight into the wind, or with the wind at your back, doesn’t pose too many difficulties for flight, other than slowing you down (headwind) or speeding you up (tailwind). Winds at any other angle can make directional control difficult, especially on take-off and landing, two situations where good directional control at slow speeds is particularly important.

The wind today was steady from the west at 12 knots, gusting to 25 knots. The wind direction wasn’t too far off the active runway (310 degrees), so the crosswind component was within limits. We made the decision to go ahead and practice crosswind landings. Note: every aircraft has a maximum demonstrated crosswind limit and the operating manual includes a chart to help determine if a landing should even be attempted under certain conditions.

It was definitely challenging, but everything went well enough. I was the only aircraft in the circuit, which made it much easier to concentrate. The trick is to line up with the runway using a side-slip. In this case, the wind was on the plane’s left side, so I had to lower the left wing into the wind while at the same time applying opposite rudder to prevent the resulting turn. The aircraft touches down on the left main wheel first, then the right main wheel and then the main gear. Or at least that’s how it’s supposed to go. I managed a few smooth landings, but also a few hard ones. No damage, no casualties, no problem.

Day Thirteen – Regularly Scheduled Day Off

I just wanted to say hello and thank you to everyone following my blog. I hope you are finding it interesting (or at least informative). If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line via the blog or direct to my email.

Day Twelve – Rain and Thunderstorms

Low ceiling, rain, high winds and chance of thunderstorms. No flying today.

In honour of passing my Radiotelephone Operator’s Restricted Certificate (Aeronautical), here is the phonetic alphabet – in its entirety – just because you never know when it’ll come in handy:

A – Alpha                       N – November
B – Bravo                       O – Oscar
C – Charlie                      P – Papa
D – Delta                        Q – Quebec
E – Echo                         R – Romeo
F – Foxtrot                      S – Sierra
G – Golf                          T – Tango
H – Hotel                        U – Uniform
I – India                          V – Victor
J – Juliett                        W – Whiskey
K – Kilo                          X – X-Ray
L – Lima                         Y – Yankee
M – Mike                        Z – Zulu

Day Eleven – Short Day

It was a short day today. Paul and I went up and did two touch and go’s and one full stop. The crosswinds were making things difficult for us – correction – for me. Looking out on the field now I see that the wind sock is flying straight out. This means that the winds are blowing at more than 15 knots. The recent aviation weather report puts it closer to 17 knots gusting to 25. My crosswind landing is shaky enough as it is. No more flying today.

Here is a picture of some Cessna 152s hiding in the hanger.

Day Ten – Busy Morning in the Circuit

The circuit was pretty busy this morning, with many aircraft coming and going. In addition to a training airport, St. Andrews is also busy with commercial traffic – Keystone Air, Northwinds, Mission Air, etc. Several times we were juggled in to, out of and around the circuit by ATC to accommodate commercial traffic. These planes are much faster than us and for them, time is money. They don’t need to be held back by slower training aircraft like ours. All I can say is that something new was thrown at us during every circuit. At one point we were told to simply leave the circuit, do a 360 degree turn to kill time and come back when the other plane had landed. Another time, I was already on final approach when the tower instructed me to pull up and go around because the Cessna 152 ahead of us was still putt-putting along. Yes, that’s right – a guy in a Piper Cherokee who hasn’t even soloed yet making fun of another student in a Cessna. I have no shame.

This afternoon I ran C-GQPN out of hours. Better than running it out of fuel! Seriously, all it means is that it is company policy that every 50 hours each plane undergoes a regular inspection. This takes it out of service for a few days, unless something untoward is discovered and then it can be longer. I just happened to be the last student before the inspection. Hey Jim, whatever you find wrong with the landing gear – I didn’t do it!

Day Nine – First Circuit

Today the wind speed and direction allowed for us to begin practicing the circuit with a series of “touch-and-go’s”. A touch and go involves landing, a short ground roll, the application of full power and takeoff. It is a great way to practice takeoffs and landings in a short amount of time. A normal circuit only takes about seven minutes to complete, but I am here to tell you that a LOT happens in those seven minutes. Landing checks to perform, radio calls to be made, and always an ear for what the controllers are telling you and other aircraft.

Contrary to popular belief landing is pretty easy – one way or another you’re coming down. Making a GOOD landing, on the other hand, takes some practice. Cherokee 140s are tough little planes and their landing gear must be even tougher to handle the abuse we put them through. Final approach – keep the numbers above your windscreen by increasing or decreasing power. Keep your speed at 69 knots – raise or lower the nose. Now watch how the runway expands in your peripheral vision – level the wings. Focus on the end of the runway – raise the nose. Not too much! Watch the runway expand again – raise the nose again and wait for the flare. Touch down, ground roll, full power and away you go again. Climb at 75 knots. Seems so easy doesn’t it?

Again, the winds picked up in the afternoon and my instructor and I decided to cancel our afternoon booking and wait it out until tomorrow.

Day Eight – Introduction to the Circuit

A circuit is the path aircraft must follow when operating in the airspace near aerodromes. It allows for the orderly and safe movement of aircraft and is managed by ATC or the “tower”. A circuit is actually a rectangular series of paths or “legs” that begin with takeoff and end with landing. After takeoff you climb straight ahead to about 1300’ and make a 90 degree left-hand turn to the “crosswind” leg. On the crosswind you continue to climb to circuit altitude (approx. 1000’ above aerodrome elevation) which in the case of St. Andrews is 1600’. Another 90 degree turn takes you on the “downwind” leg running parallel to the active runway. Once you are well past the end of the runway, another 90 degree turn brings you onto the “base” leg where you begin your descent. One last 90 degree turn brings you back in line with the runway for landing. Most circuits are left-handed (Roger would be pleased to learn), meaning each turn is to the left, but it can also be right-handed. Of course, planes come in to and out of the circuit in many different ways depending on circumstances.

Unfortunately, the wind was gusting to over fifteen knots today. Paul tells me that mastering the circuit is one of the more challenging aspects of training. He didn’t think it would be a good idea for me to start learning in such challenging conditions. Putting theory into practice will have to wait.

Day Seven - A Good Day

Today was one of those days when everything just seems to go right. I felt more coordinated and managed to hold my altitude and heading much better during the exercises. Takeoff was smoother and landing only needed a few nudges on the controls from Paul. My radio communications with ground and tower controllers are improving. We spent the morning and afternoon sessions practicing slow flight, stalls, spins and spiral dives. These manoeuvres are “undesirable flight attitudes” and are taught simply in order to recognize and recover.

[Mom, you can stop reading now]

In a spin, the aircraft rotates around all three axes simultaneously pitching, rolling and yawing. All this while pointed straight down, corkscrewing to earth with the stall horn blaring and losing several thousand feet in the process. The good news is that since the wing is stalled, speed is relatively slow and recovery (for most aircraft) is pretty straightforward. I REALLY like spins!

Spiral dives, on the other hand, involve high speed. If left uncorrected, the aircraft’s speed will increase to the point where the wings tear off and the airframe disintegrates. Paul tells me that they don’t allow students to practice this manoeuvre on their own. I’m fine with that.

The only misstep I made was during engine shutdown. When I turned the key to perform a “live mag” check, I inadvertently pressed the key in. Have you ever tried to start your car while the engine was already running? Aircraft mechanics really don’t like that sound…

Day Six - My Instructor’s Day Off

Today is my instructor’s day off, so I guess it’s my day off, too. Thought I’d tell you a little bit about the airspace in which we practice. The “practice area” is designated airspace to the northeast of St. Andrews Airport. It more or less runs from East Selkirk-Tyndall-Garson-Beausejour in the south to Libau-Scanterbury in the north. It encompasses some mighty fine country filled with farm fields, gravel pits and cows.

Travel to the practice area is via one of three air routes at an altitude of 2500’ out and 2000’ back. With two flying schools based out of St. Andrews, the airspace in the practice area can become very active. Prior to entering the practice area, we make a general radio call on 122.75 MHz “looking for the advisory” basically asking where everyone is and what they are doing. We then decide where we are going to go to stay out of their way.

When you’re not looking at the controls, you’re looking all around you for unexpected traffic. Prior to any manoeuvre involving reduced visibility or significant changes in altitude, we always complete a series of 90 degree turns to scan the area. On Friday, I spotted a plane rapidly approaching our position at a lower altitude. It wasn’t a near miss or anything, but definitely WAY TOO close. The plane was from another flight school. They either didn’t properly broadcast their location and intentions or the call was somehow missed. An important reminder of the adage “see and be seen”!

Day Five – My Two Left Feet

Today was one of those days when everything just seems to go wrong. My takeoff was all over the place and I imagined the tower controllers slapping ten dollar bills onto the table betting on whether I’d end up in the sewage lagoon or the trees. It’s all very overwhelming trying to simultaneously control ailerons, rudder, elevator, and power settings, not to mention make radio calls and try and maintain a flight path at least close to the designated airway. I have to remind myself that I’m only four hours into my training and that I have a competent instructor in the seat beside me.

On a positive note, I wrote my PSTAR this afternoon and scored 98% or 49/50. The only question I answered incorrectly was: Avoiding wake turbulence [wing-tip vortices produced by aircraft – especially large aircraft] is

a) the sole responsibility of ATC [air traffic control].
b) the responsibility of the pilot, only when advised by ATC of the possibility of wake turbulence.
c) a responsibility shared by both the pilot and ATC.
d) the sole responsibility of the pilot.

I second guessed myself and answered “c”. And while it is true that ATC does provide separation between large aircraft and small aircraft (and provide wake turbulence warnings to pilots) the ultimate responsibility is, of course, the pilot’s. As someone said, “It’s YOUR butt!”

Glad that’s over. Now I just need to study for the “Radiotelephone Operator’s Restricted Certificate” and the “Air Law or PALAW”, and the “Navigation or PANAV”, and the Meteorology or PAMET”, and the “Aeronautics-General Knowledge or PAGEN”, and the practical flight test, and the…

Day Four – Weathered In Again

The weather crapped out on me again, so I spent most of the day studying for my Student Pilot Permit or “PSTAR” for short. The PSTAR is a mandatory written test required by Transport Canada prior to a student being allowed to solo. It is a series of 50 multiple choice questions covering procedures, communications, air law, collision avoidance, etc. You must score a minimum of 90% in order to pass. It is similar, in some ways, to a learner’s permit for driving a car and hopefully insures that you won’t be a menace to your own safety or that of others.

In addition to various written tests, student pilots must also complete a Class 3 medical exam. The medical is fairly standard, with a lot of emphasis on vision for obvious reasons. Now, I don’t have any problem with my eyesight, but I am red-green colour blind. Unfortunately, this means that I have a restriction on my licence prohibiting me from flying at night. I’m sure Transport Canada could give you all sorts of good reasons why this should be the case. While I don’t have any aspirations of making a career out of flying, I can’t imagine how devastating it must be for young men (colour blindness is mostly a male condition) with dreams of becoming airline pilots or fighter jocks. Not much good at either if you can’t fly at night. Although, theoretically I guess I could fly bush planes in the summer north of 60 and in the winter down at the southern tip of South America...

Day Three – In the Air, Finally!

Okay, finally made it up today! The weather smartened up long enough for me to put in two sessions with my instructor Paul. After a short pre-flight lesson it was time to reacquaint myself with the walk-around of the Cherokee 140. Nothing came apart in my hand, so all good.

My first flight up was just the same feeling as last time around. I didn’t feel nervous and I didn’t feel overly excited, I just felt comfortable. We practiced straight and level flight, climbs, descents and turns. I found my way around the controls without too much difficulty and began to learn the quirks of each particular aircraft. Depending on when I am booked and what is available, I could be in G-CQEX, G-CQPN, G-CQPR, or G-CQPV. On one, the airspeed indicator reads 5 knots high. On another, the tachometer reads 100 RPM low. The radios are slightly different in some. Some you are permitted to do spins in, others you can’t.

Each day I have a 1 hour flight at 11 am in the morning and a 1 hour flight at 3:30 pm in the afternoon. With pre-flight and post-flight briefings, each session runs around 1 and 1/2 hours. I fill the time in between with studying and preparing for the next lesson. Once I solo, the mornings will be more dual instruction (with my instructor) and the afternoons will be time to practice on my own. Eventually, I will have to fly a series of cross country flights in and around southern Manitoba for navigation training. I’ll try and take some pictures from the air soon. As you can imagine, flight time is valuable and there isn’t much time for sightseeing.