Saturday 17 November 2012

Passenger to pilot windrushers style


As I sit here writing this post one eye is on my mailbox waiting for my official instructor rating number thingy to arrive. After spending this past glorious Sunday get put through the ringer by our CFI he sees fit to allow me to carryout basic instruction...

Alan Smith carried out my prep work, from motor glider flights for learning patter to 3000' aero tows to carry out stalling and spinning exercises. He signed me off as good to go so I must of held it together.

The course was to be run over two days and consisted of 3 pupils, a full cat to help out (Ian Pattingale) and our regional examiner (David williams) we would be doing a mix of flying and classroom work to help us work around what is sure to be dodgy October weather. Day one was bright and sunny an boy was it windy 40kts + at 2000' the first flight went off on a stalling and spinning flight and quickly got into a scrape back from downwind...eek no time for a circuit. The flights for me went ok, a repeat of the prep flights really I did, being a tight bast**d manage to fit all of the exercises into a single Aerotow with Ian, his head was spinning by the time we landed... As the next day was forecast to be pants we did all the flying in the first day and spent the second in the class room going over the theory of basic instructing. David happily signed off my paperwork and I then had to wait a few weeks to get a Sunday where I could go and do my check flights with our CFI, pulling the bung on an aerotow at 200' was the highlight of my check rides.

ooo the mail has just popped in, I am now able to carry out basic instruction!!!