Learning to Fly – Hour 54 & 55, 2nd Cross Country

I suppose, as I winged on my last blog about how bad I felt about the dual revision, I suppose I best write about some positives.
 
For some the prospect of flying around the skies in areas that they know nothing about can be very daunting, for others its whats flying is all about, and that’s where I fit in to this sport suppose. After the dual session, I enquired to Rob if I could possibly get my second solo in, “If the weather is good enough GT, why not”, Ok Rob, I have the paperwork sorted to tell me what the weathers going to be like, and I passed the sheets to Rob.
 
For those of you who have just started, prior to flying off into infinity and beyond, to ensure that it is safe to do so, its best to have a look at the following, just ensure that the weather gods have sorted it out for you.
 
The documents to check are on the net are as follows:
 

• Met Office Aviation briefing service (F214 & F215 and TAFs)
• NATS Aeronautical Information Service (what’s going on in the skies around you)

 
Armed with these documents, you have a better understanding of what the weather is doing and what is sticking up in the air or flying around that could cause you harm if you were to run into them. These could be very high cranes, low flying military aircraft, displays etc. Basically forewarned is forearmed, and Rob like you to know that you have looked at these documents.
 
Anyways, he scans his beady eye ( Rob only has one eye, he lost one of them as a kid playing cowboys and Indians) over the paperwork. “OK GT, sort out the flight plan for a return trip to Oakley near Oxford, and when I get back from the next sortie we shall have a look at it, and if all is well, including the weather, you can go”, result I thought …..hooray!
 
It took about 20 mins to sort the route, by this time Alex Craven, aka eddie the eagle aka, Craven the raven aka etc, etc, another rookie who is at the same level as me arrives, “Hey Dude what’s happening, going cross country I said, Oh I want to go, but I know Rob as other plans, I still have to do some more revision and there is the problem with the springs on the carburetors. (Alex has had a fucking nightmare with his carbs. When in the air the throttle has been sticking and at times he has had to shut down the engine and make a dead stick landing, he is very good, and has nerves of steel, now aka “ICEMAN”),  OK mate lets see what the score is with Rob on his return.
 
Unfortunately, the answer was no and Alex was reeled in for another hour dual, poor sod! His little face looked so sad, it was hard to leave him behind.. oh fuck it he would leave me behind I thought, so I booked out leaving Iceman behind, walked over to Gunny and carried out the preflight on her, and climbed into the cockpit.
 
The route I was about to fly was 54nm round trip, the wind was 300 at 15kts, so it was going to be a long flight there but a scream coming back.  I taxied off to a safe area carried out the engine checks, then called up on the radio, stating my intensions to taxi and take off on three zero. 
 
Soon I was hurtling  down the runway, at 45mph I was airborne, the wind was lifting me up like a paper bag. Into the over head I flew and at around 2500 ft, I picked up my heading and headed towards the unknown, well Buckinghamshire…
 
Towards me there was a fair bit of low cloud, and as you know we need to be able to be at least a 1000ft above the ground, and be able to see it too, and be able see at least 3km ahead us. At one point, I was going to turn around, but just before that point arrived the viz improved and the clouds parted, I felt like the preverbal Mosies. So I flew, looking for as many reference points as I could, to ensure I was on the correct track.
 
It normally takes me 6 or 7 mins to get to Bovvy, which was 6nm away, today it took me 11 mins so that’s another 5 mins on my ETA at Oakley I thought. I turned right onto my next heading and this leg was 21nm, and I had estimated 32 mins for this leg. The wind had picked up a little, I could tell this by the way things were slowly moving on the ground, so I increased the speed a little, Gunnies 912s powered us on towards Alyesbury.
 
Not long after this, I was on the edge of RAF Holton’s MATZ,, and could see about three aircraft whizzing around, one of them seemed to becoming my way, I turns rights, to move out of his way, he also turns to his left, fuck, as he turns he dives and what probably seems a very close near miss, he must have been about 300ft below me, but still, these GA pilots should know better, I had my front nose wheel light on, and that’s pretty bright.  (note to self, buy a strobe).
 
Soon I was flying over Long Crendon and in the distance was Oakley.  I am told this place use to be an RAF Station once. I was to land on RW29, so the approach was near enough straight in. I made the call to Oakley Traffic, but had no reply, so into the over head I flew. Below me right on the runway intersection was the wind sock, and confirmed a RW29 approach and landing.
 
The circuit was a right hander, and I descended to circuit height. The problem with Oakley is that a electrical pylon line goes right through the airfield, a right twat really. Soon I was on the approach, all looked good, until the wheels hit the deck. Two bloody dogs ran towards the flexwing from my left, and chased me down the runway. I taxied off to a safe area shut down the engine and clambered out of the cockpit.  The two dogs were labs, lovely things, jumping up at me saying hello. Then I caught sight of their owner, so with my sandwich I wondered over to him, in fact it was a old couple having a picnic.
As I was chatting to them, and asking them if they could just keep hold of the dogs as I taxied and took off, the chocolate lab stole my chicken and pork stuffing sandwich, in two gulps it had disappeared, oh how we laughed (not), have a pork pie said the old fellow, no thanks I replied, sorry said the old girl, ah worries not see ya later..
 
As walked over to Gunny I chuckled to myself, as it reminded me of our lab, Ben was no different, he would eat shit if you would let him… bless.
 
Soon after that I was airborne and heading back to Plaistow’s, the flight back was quick in fact the outward flight took me 52 mins, but the return took me just under 19 min, an F16 couldn’t have caught me and Gunny, voooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrroooooooooooooom! Was that a bird!, a man! No… its GT & Gunny the marvel of the skies!
 
As I approached Plaistows, there were aircraft flying in from everywhere, this is so and so joining from the east, this is someone else on finals, here I am over here for a join for runway 33, from 2500ft above it all, it looked liked a scene from the Battle of Britain…
 
Once on the deck, I signed in and wondered off to the office, trying to get in there was another battle, Coffee GT said Andy (one of the soon to be fixed wing instructors), yep sure do boss, How did it go GT said Rob,…. Good Rob, very good indeed.
 
Ok GT once you have had your coffee, I want you to go and do another hour, and practice all the areas that we did this morning, OK!
 
To reflect on today’s events. The process of flying off somewhere seems easy enough to do, as long as you are methodical in the preflight planning, your acquisition of information and the process of navigation.  Navigation is the hard bit, the rest of it, is easy peasy lemon squeezey..  
 
Happy Landings
 
GT & Gunny Flexwing