From: Stuart Buchanan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Flightgear-devel] OT: RL Flexwing Microlight General Skills
Test (aka checkride)
To: FlightGear Dev <[email protected]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ascii
> Hi All,
>
> In the tradition of mentioning milestones on the way to a pilot's
>license, I thought I'd mention that I passed my final test for my
>microlight license on Saturday - the General Skills Test. I think this
>is the equivalent of the U.S. check-ride - an examination of your
flying > skills you have to pass before you can get your license.
>
> Since going solo at the beginning of March, I had been very lucky
with > the weather and managed to get lots of flying in - up to 5 hours
per >week. Having my own aircraft helped a lot, as I could do some solo
>flight anytime, as long as an instructor was at the airfield.
>
> As well as lots of circuit training, I also had to complete two solo
>cross-countries, which I did on two consecutive days. Both flights
were >to small private grass strips which really brought home the
advantage >of flying a microlight. I can land and take-off on a 300m
strip no >problem, and less than smooth surfaces are merely inconvenient
rather >than out-right dangerous. While I'm certain that GA aircraft can
and do >use such strips I think the required skill level is much higher.
>
> So, by early May I was just about ready for my test. The airstrip I
>fly from is quite small, and while some GA aircraft visit, in general
>it is microlight only. In contrast, my test took place at Perth
>airport, a much larger airport with much more GA traffic and requiring
>radio. To add to the challenge, I was to take it in a much larger
>microlight (if that isn't a contradiction in terms) that I hadn't
flown >before.
>
> Unfortunately, the good weather I had enjoyed didn't last. My
original >test date was cancelled due to the weather, and when I finally
I came >to do my test I had only had one revision lesson - two weeks before!
>The examiner (also an instructor) took me up for a 30 minute
>familiarization flight, to get used to the aircraft, airport and get
>rid of some of my nerves. This was great and really helped my calm
down >and treat the following flight like any other. We then had a break
>while he examined my friend (who also passed) and before long I was
>once again strapping in and going through the pre-startup checks.
> My normal instructor is quite talkative, so there was quite a
contrast >with the examiner who naturally is not going to be leading you
by the >hand through the various maneuvers. Conditions were quite
thermally - >at one point we were keeping a constant altitude with the
engine at >idle - which meant that judging level flight was quite
challenging. >This at least meant the some of my minor altitude
deviations were lost >in the general "noise".
>
>The upper airwork went pretty well, steep turns, unusuall attitudes,
>emergency landings. The only tricky part was a stall, as this
>particular model simply wouldn't do so without some fairly high
nose-up >pitch. At one point I had the bar right up against the front
strut and >all that was happening was we were slowly descending - not
even a mush. >However, this was a known trait of this particular model
(my own >aircraft stalls more easily), and once I got the nose up high
enough, >down it went and I recovered no problem.
>
>Airwork completel, I was given instructions to head back to the
>airport. What airport? I couldn't see it anywhere. The examiner
>realized almost immediately that I hadn't found it and queried if I
>knew where I was going. Declaring oneself lost is an immediate
failure, >so I said I knew where it was, but hadn't spotted it yet... I
>double-checked the map, and spent a very anxious 5 minutes heading
>(hopefully) towards it, before finally spotting it. As is often the
>case, I was looking in the right direction, but not the right distance
>- it was further away than I expected, due to the tailwind we had and
>the higher airspeed of the aircraft (65mph vs 48mph).
>
>Once back in the circuit, we had some fun and games with engine
>failures all over the place, all of which went smoothly, culminating
in >an immediate engine failure takeoff which I put back on the runway
with >plenty of room to spare. As we taxied back to the hangar those
>wonderful words - "Your flying good - I'm going to pass you."
>
> I still have 25 minutes of flying to do to meet the minimum
>requirements before I can send away for my license, but for the first
>time I'll be flying without an objective in mind, or some specific
>airwork to practise. I think I'll take a flight along the coast and
>look at the Bass Rock and Tantallon Casle. Both modeled in the global
>scenery database BTW - take off from Edinburgh Airport (EGPH) or East
>Fortune (EG32) and head East along the coast.
>
>For those who might be interested in getting their microlight license,
>I'd highly recommend it. For those of us daunted by the cost of
>learning to fly a Cessna and then being able to afford to fly
>afterwards, it's a very good way to get into the air. While it might
>not be quite what you imagine as you fly a Cessna in FG, a modern
>microlight has pretty similar performance to a 152 and is cheaper to
>own.
> Finally - Ralf - good luck with your test!
>
> -Stuart
I am booked to do my biennial revalidation on Thursday and I've chosen
to do it in the PA28-161 which I haven't flown since 1997 due to one not
being available at our club. My last PA28 flight was in about July 1997
in California on a day when it was quite bumpy. I'm hoping the UK
weather for Thursday afternoon is as flyable.
When it comes to finding your way back to the field on a test, I think
that's the examiner's job as she has you quite busy paying full
attention to all the tasks you are being asked to perform - there is
also help for lost position, 121.5 is your friend if you have no
assistance from the person in the right hand seat. I know a lady who
flies jets for a living and was an intructor going back 12 years, when
flying 152's and she got lost she reported that she was a student pilot
lost.
On a 300m strip with say a 152, all you have to do is a constant scan,
airspeed, height, runway, with full flaps on, if it looks wrong make an
early decision to do a go-around - it's your decision unless directed
otherwise by the person who is the examiner. On occasions I've said I'm
going to do a go-around, but the instructor has said that I was OK for
the landing.
While getting familiar with the Katana, my instructor asked me to do a
power-off stall, up and up went the nose and I said it wouldn't stall.
He asked if it was going anywhere and I said it wasn't, that the nose
was just flopping from side to side, it's stalled then, he replied.
Good Luck and have fun.
Regards
Sid.
--
Sid Boyce ... Hamradio License G3VBV, Licensed Private Pilot
Emeritus IBM/Amdahl Mainframes and Sun/Fujitsu Servers Tech Support
Specialist, Cricket Coach
Microsoft Windows Free Zone - Linux used for all Computing Tasks
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