Hi all, A bit of a digression from soaring experiences directly, to a bit of a soaring related side story.
I've just returned from an across-the-world ferry flight with a new aircraft from Switzerland. In writing the wrap-up note for a series of blog posts I wrote during that trip, I found myself writing what amounts to a bit of a testimonial to the merits of significant soaring experience for those who then wind up pursuing powered aviation in larger/more complicated aircraft later in life - as I have done: http://simonhackett.com/2012/09/04/reflections-on-a-journey/ I have moved up the stack in terms of powered aviation complexity quite fast in the last few years (from my motor glider to a Cirrus SR22 Turbo and then a few months ago, up to a PC-12NG type rating). I'm no longer a teenager, and the learning curve to jump up to the PC-12 was *steep* for me (including concurrently being thrown into the deep end on PC-12 mechanical systems, pressurisation systems, IFR radio procedures, Instrument departures and arrivals, operating out of an international airport, using the airliner grade FMS, VOR, NDB and GPS RNAV systems, etc) I'm convinced that what made it possible without turning into a puddle of overstressed jelly in the process was the depth of experience in the fundamentals of flying that are ingrained into my brain over nearly three decades of flying sailplanes. That investment of time back when I was a student at Uni, in learning to glide, when the notion of spending all weekend on a dusty airfield was easy (in the era before heavy family and work commitments)... ...that is an investment that has paid off in spades for me now, because I'm happy that I can fly safely in a very high end aircraft, with all the fundamentals of how a plane works (under all the complex stuff) being so deeply wired into my head from all that soaring experience. All that said, I also look forward to flying my glider some more again soon. I'm mulling over turning up at the Waikerie 'Orange Week' in November in my Stemme and to try to remind myself how to thermal it decently... :) Regards, Simon p.s. My PC-12 instructor, Pete Tippett, used to fly and instruct in gliders too ... before moving on to flying Mirages in the RAAF and then gaining extensive experience flying PC-12s with the RFDS. _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list [email protected] To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
