Learning to Fly – Hour 49 1st Solo Cross Country

After the low level session that morning, I had requested that I undertake my first cross country flight, Rob seem apprehensive,
 
“The weather does not look that good at the moment GT, I think, the wind is going to pick up mate. Lets see how it pans out this afternoon,… where did you have in mind, Holmbeck Farm I replied, hmm, ok file the plan, Rob said…..”
 
So it was on the old dog and bone to Alex, another rookie, “ Alex you great big cock monster, get ya arse down the airfield, its solo time (the beat to MC Hammer, playing in the back of my mind), will Rob Let me go, do you think, well I suppose you had best ask him, i replyed. I passed the phone over to Rob. Twenty seconds later, I was talking to Alex on the phone again, I’ll be there later, wohey!
 
Now, it was down to business, I selected my ¼ mil map and located Holmbeck Farm, and worked out the triangles of velocity. The wind today at 2000ft was 260/15. I studied the airfield plate and saw that the runway to use would be runway 29.
 
I then tried to ring the Bob, who is the owner, but unfortunately there was no answer, so I made a note of the radio frequency which is 135.475 MHz, this is known as ‘SAFETYCOM’ and it is what Holmbeck use.
 
After studying the route, and working out the fuel I needed, I was just admiring my handy work, when Alex burst into the Office. “Hey up Dude, hey,.. we’re going flying mate”, yes if you get your arse in gear and the plan sorted out. Alex flies a Quantum 912, which he has lovingly restored to its current condition. 
 
So there is Alex trying to sort out his route, Rob is in the circuit in the Eurostar, “Finals for runway 30”, oh shit, if I don’t get this done, he will knock me on the head… verrroooom, Rob does a touch and go… Come on Al, get this fucking thing sorted, hey man, I’m trying to dude….
 
Soon Rob was back on the deck and Alex had completed his route.. OK GT, are you confident you can navigate to Holmbeck”, of course Rob easy mate.. OK lets see the route.
 
First thing, he spots is that I have not wrote the bloody degrees on the fucking map… shit! “What speed will you be traveling 60mph, what did you work the route out in, Knots I replied, OK, what 60mph in knots, 56kts boss, mmmmm mutters Rob… OK GT, one thing, if the shit hits the fan, would you be able to land on runway 30, “of course Rob”, "if the wind is to much and you cannot make a landing, come back here.  Also on your return if you cannot land here, go over to Rogers, and attempt a landing there...mmmm OK GT bugger off out of my sight…
 
I popped into Rob’s office where Alex was finalizing his route, good luck mate, and you GT, see you in the loop Alex…
As I walked over to Gunny, I felt a little apprehensive, not of the flight its self, it was the landing at Holmbeck that concerned me.  As I prefighted Gunny, a funny sense of excitement and fear came over me, I sat in the cockpit, and thought “comon GT lets get this baby in the air, I paused for a moment as I attached the map board to my legs, OK I said to myself, lets do it…
 
With prefight checks complete, I taxied off to the threshold of runway 30, once lined up, it was full power, and Gunny’s Rolls Royce Olympian producing 65,000 pounds of pure thrust, we screamed down the runway, after 50ft we were vertical and going ballistic towards the clouds..  it was at this point came out of my day dream, and continued with the preflight checks.
 
Not to long later, I was actually airborne, on a left hand circuit, and climbing into the overhead. Once at 2000ft I turned Gunny onto 270 degrees and the cross country, was well on its way… phew!
 
Ahead and below, I could see the old mast and the edge of Hemel Hempstead, and the A41.  As I glanced at the map, I was trying to match where I was in the with relation  to the map.  This is not an easy skill but one which I am comfortable with, however, I think I will have to get some specks soon as sometimes it’s a little difficult to read the small text, which can be a complete arse if you are asked your location.
 
With in about 4 mins I was on the edge of Hemel, which is also Luton Airports airspace, but as long as I kept on this heading I would pass over bovingdon and beyond where my waypoint was located.  As I flew along, I could see other aircraft buzzing around and feeling rather smug, as Cessna 152 approached on the port side I tipped (waggled my wing), my wing, and blow me, they did the same.
 
I turned starboard onto 322 degrees and headed on the second leg, with hemel now on my right.  Also just to my right and ahead was Berkhamsted, and to my left was Tring. I must admit, everything looks really different in the air, and looks different too as the months go by too.
 
As I looked ahead I could see, coming to wards me was I rather big Cumulus cloud with a black flat base, it was to big to fly around, so I descended to 1500ft, but even at this height I could still feel the buffeting. Once at 1500ft, I wondered if that was the safe and right action to take.  Should I have flown around it; as it was a hazard… mmm don’t know.  I understand that any CB clouds you encounter, it is best to flyway from them as fast as you can, but this one I thought would be safe enough to just pop under a little and then climb a again, once I was clear, nevertheless, all went well and I continued on route.
  
Now on my right I could see Luton Airport, and sticking out like a sore thumb, was the easyjet hangar which is painted bright orange (a good VRP if I have seen one on a VFR Flight). Another 10 mins or so saw me changing frequency to 135.475, making the call to Holmbeck traffic, “Holmbeck Traffic, Student Pilot, Golf, Golf Tango, inbound from south for a over head join, for runway 29”. I then took 400ft off the altimeter for the QFE of Holmbeck.
 
I am now thinking to myself, come on GT don’t fuck this up mate, my head is now going left and right, looking for other joining or transiting aircraft. Now over the airfield I could see that the wind was straight down runway 29, I commenced my descent for a right hand circuit.  At Holmbeck, like Plaistow’s they have pylons everywhere, however,, as long as I kept to the circuit height of 800ft things would be ok.
 
Holmbeck Traffic, Student Pilot, Golf, Golf Tango, downwind for runway 29, now carried out my downwind checks, Security, Fuel, and hand throttle off.
 
The other thing about Holmbeck is the little houses around the approach so, as I am lead to believe, you must try not to fly over them, so one as to weave a little for the approach. Now on the approach, I carried out the finals checks, Holmbeck Traffic, Student Pilot, Golf, Golf Tango, finals for runway 29, nosewheel straight and brakes off.
 
Trying to remember how to fly is not hard, as you may well know, what is hard at times is having confidence in ones self to do the job… so back to the approach. At Holmbeck, runway 29 is on a slope, and its best in the flexy to land on the crest.  The approach is looking good, and as the wind was a little strong, I had a tiny amount of power on just to keep us moving in the direction I needed to travel. Now over the threshold and with the runway raising up to meet me, it was into the glide, and what a landing, fucking ace!  I taxied off to the grassed apron, and shut down… WOOOOW !! , I did it, I got out of the cockpit and jumped up and down like a friggen nutter, I then realized that someone could be watching and slowly put my arms to my side and walked to the blind side of Gunny with the biggest grin I have had for ages.
 
 I then rang Rob and told him I had got there safely, and he told me that Alex was now on his way, and should be there in about 30mins or so. “have fifteen mins GT and then make your way back home mate, OK boss see you soon I replied.
  
It was just then that the owner Bob, came over, Hello he said my name is Bob, yep I know we met sometime back when I was looking for spot to for a my flexy, that’s  right Bob said.  Then he told me he had just spoken to Rob, and that my landing was good, and that he would like to see more youngster flying in and more traffic generally.  I said that once I had got my license, I would use him as a base if I was flying around the area as I only live in Houghton which is less than 12 miles away.  No worries, fly in as many times as you like son.
 
With that I paid Bob, my £3.00 landing fee, and climbed into Gunny’s cockpit for the trip back to Plaistow’s. Not too long later I was back in the air, and back tracking my steps, spotted Alex off my starboard bow, wished him luck and that I would see him back at Plaistow’s.
 
Soon I was over head at Plaistow’s and it was a semi crosswind landing on runway 30. So now on the dead side, I descended to 800ft to cross over the threshold of the cross wind leg. Not long after this I was in the circuit, “Plaistow’s Traffic, Student Pilot, Golf, Golf Tango, downwind for runway 30, Fuel, Throttle and security” Comon mate, you can do this, I was talking to myself, I must be mad, now on base and still scanning the skies, looking at he runway, where Derrick Brunt, the owner was meticulously mowing the runway, I then heard Rob on the Radio advise him that I was inbound for rw30, Yes copied that, said Derrick.   now on the final approach,  “Plaistow’s Traffic, Student Pilot, Golf, Golf Tango finals for runway 30, nose wheel straight and brakes off.
 
With the approach to runway 30, it like Holmbeck as a dip at the beginning and you also have to ensure that you do not fly over anyone’s house, as they get somewhat pissed off I am lead to believe…
 
Looking at the home turf, and some 300ft off the deck, and 150ft from the threshold in to the glide I went, bar back, to drop some height, then forward to keep the speed to 55 to 60 mph, and now the round out and hold off “MWAW” the rear wheels kissed the grass, with slight touch of the brakes and the bar into my chest, Gunny and I slowed and vacated the runway and taxied off to the grassed apron.
 
After shutting down, and walking over to Rob, he stretched out his hand and shook mine, “Well done GT, that landing was a peach mate, I could not have done better myself”, I don’t know about that Rob, I replied, feeling a little embarrassed. Then Derrick came across and said that I would be giving everyone a bad name if I keep doing landings like that, feeling twice as embarrassed, but very proud, I went into the office and booked in, and made a brew for us.
 
To conclude, things that could have gone better. The track was not quite true to my calculations, but I adjusted them in flight, I suppose I made good my track error.  The CB cloud, I need to read up on Met, (this is my last exam) and see what the best thing to do.
 
All in all a fantastic first cross country flight, and now its GFT revision.. god more bloody expense.
 
Happy Landings
 
GT & Gunny Flexwing