Completing the Circuit

A couple of lessons until I go solo and things are starting to get serious down-under.  I've had a good run of lessons over the last week or so, and with the weather being mostly kind I'm now fast approaching my first solo flight.  

No instructor, just me. 

It's a nerve-wracking-yet-thrilling prospect at the same time, and I do just about feel ready to go it alone.  By the end of the single engine phase in around 2-3 months time I'll have notched up around 40 hours of solo flying, so this maiden voyage also marks start of what should be some really interesting flying. The 'first solo' does sound quite adventurous, but the run-up to it is three consecutive lessons of circuits and then a 'solo check'. A standard circuit in itself can be fairly simple - take-off, four left hand turns, final approach and landing.  Of course, as well as the flying  there are checklists to run through and radio calls to make while maintaing a good lookout for other traffic around you.  Once all that is thrown together the flying gets a little tougher... but I am feeling fairly well practised now.  

The key mantra is to 'aviate, navigate, communicate', and in the circuit the first few attempts focus on the aviating - i.e. making sure you fly accurately at the correct altitude, with steady approaches and landings.  The radio calls are then added ( the navigation is not too bad seeing as we have a nice large runway in sight at all times) and I can now manage the lot together.  The next few circuit lessons will be about refining my technique, before the last lesson where I spend the first three quarters with an instructor at which point he hops out and I complete one circuit all alone - first solo complete! Hopefully I can report back with that good news early next week. 

Thanks to Matt for capturing me from his room as I made an approach to land

Stalling

The lessons before circuits have involved getting to grips with the general handling of the Katana (the aircraft I'm flying, see above picture), specifically how to execute different types of turn, climbs, and descents.  

The stalling lesson was also highly enjoyable.  Stalling is where the lift produced on the wing is no longer sufficient to support the weight of the aircraft - not a good place to be when you are trying to fly and hoping to maintain altitude.  This typically occurs when the nose points upwards too much and the aircraft speed is too slow, although we are taught to identify that the aircraft is stalling in various situations. 

However, stalling is not as dramatic as it sounds if a standard recovery is used.  The aircraft gives us plenty of warning that we are nearing a stall situation with a loud warning and a buffeting felt through the controls, so as soon as these symptoms are noticed the aircraft can be quickly returned to normal flight.  In this case it's simply to point the nose down and apply full power.  If done well then there is not even any height loss which is the ultimate goal - an important skill to have when approaching a runway at low level and there is not much height to play with.   We practiced this in various configurations (different stages of flap, etc) to simulate stalling at different stages of flight.  Hopefully my fairly brief and crude explanation of stalls gives a picture of what goes on, if your interest has been piqued then this video shows the idea behind stalling and the recovery and clears up the difference between stalling in a car and in the air (mum!)  -  ( ~3:10 mins in http://youtu.be/-s8QeKNTY1E ).

Enjoying the View

I managed to jump on a flight with one of my coursemates who is flying on the Cessna 172, which is another single engine prop aircraft.  The advantage of the Cessna is 2 seats in the back, so I hopped in to help orientate myself with the local area as well as using it as an excuse to take my camera up and enjoy the scenery - only a taster of what NZ has to offer from the air I hear.  We should get to see some stunning scenery once we start our navigation flights. 

Backseating in the Cessna, taking in the view...

And finally...

Life outside of flying continues to be a mix of exploration and watching films / reading books / table tennis - not a bad lifestyle by any means! We've visited a couple of local markets, including the Hamilton night market which had quite a buzz around it, and today myself and a coursemate went hiking around Pirongia again, this time with the aim of crawling through limestone caves (the Kaniwhaniwha Caves). We returned caked in thick clay mud but it was well worth it... Although I fear the stain remover wasn't up to the challenge as I've acquired a rather unsubtle mud-finish to my top.  Seven of us also took a trip to the velodrome just down the road from us which was a great experience and very hard work. Something I hope to do again while I'm here!

Kaniwhaniwha Caves - no turning back!

Can't miss an opportunity for some night shots, especially when there are aircraft on approach into Hamilton Airport.

Clearways accomodation

The Avantidrome, Cambridge