Jingle Bells, Batman Smells

So Christmas is just around the corner, and I must say it feels decidedly un-Christmas-y. I made Christmas biscuits, but I haven’t put a tree up yet (I was going to do that today, but I decided to go flying instead).

I’ve finally hit the 100 hour mark. It took me a while, but I’m hoping that I’ll get my 200 hours in no time. I also had to do my PPL Renewal thingamajig, which went quite well (I actually remembered the CAT’s, CAR’s, AIP’s, AIC’s, and I even did calculations using the C152 handbook; I haven’t used that thing in ages!).

So that’s the good news. The bad news is that I will need to write Met. Again. It will be the third time. I think I’m going to leave it for last now. The next exam sittings are at the beginning of February, so I should hit the books, but there’s always something better to do; fly in the VSAAF (Virtual South African Air Force), build model aircraft (I now have three that I’m busy with), lie in the sun, reading, and sit at the airfield. I have little discipline when it comes to self-studying.

I’m going camping in Saldanha this weekend, so after that I’ll try get back to the studying.

Hmmm, ok, cheers fellow readers.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How Much Do You Like Pie?

Image
Enough to want get up at 5am and drive an hour, only to park your car at a random campsite, hop on your bicycle and cycle 35km one way to have a pie? And then cycle back. Well, I like pie… so that’s exactly what I did! I started to hatch this plan after Facebook told me about the Greyton Pie Run, happening in September. This is an annual event during which people cycle from Greyton to Riviersonderend, and eat pies and drink coffee from the Ou Meul Bakery. Bicycles, pie, coffee, I was keen! But, the dates clashed with other stuff happening in my life, and while the entry fee was pretty reasonable, it was a rather unnecessary expense (what with these strange times and being unemployed). And then, the cogs started to turn and I realised that I don’t need to sign up for an event to do something like this- I can go by myself! Spurred on by my genius, and the growing need to escape and take a break, I set about planning my route (there were only two to choose from really), finding a place to...
Read more

Sunday Snow Search

Image
Saturday 29 August was bitterly cold across the Western Cape. The type of cold that only comes when there is snow on the mountains. We don’t often get a lot of snow in the Helderberg Basin, but when we do, it is normally a pretty decent amount.   I didn’t get to see any of it, as each time I had a chance to peek out of the window, dark grey clouds had settled on top of the mountains. But, there was no lack of photos on Facebook and Whatsapp, so at least I got some idea of the coverage.   I declared Sunday a rest day. No admin, no DIYing, no worrying about the to-do list. I even slept in until 07:00, but as I sipped my coffee something told me to head to Radloff Park. So I did. It was a beautifully crisp and clear morning, and I could see the Hottentots Holland Mountains capped with snow. Even The Dome of the Helderberg Mountain still had a light dusting. Now that doesn’t happen often!   As I walked around Radloff trying to find the best vantage point, and the caffeine sta...
Read more

Flying the Airvan

Image
The most expensive conversion I’ve done so far, not just because of the cost of hiring the aircraft, but because it also involved a flight to Port Elizabeth, where the aircraft in question is based. Before I talk about the Airvan, I’m going to waffle on about my trip to PE. Flying with SA Express, I did the online check-in thing for the first time in my life. This meant that when I arrived at the airport, all it took was 12 minutes for me to drop off my luggage, go through security (where I set off the metal detector thing for the first time ever, oops), make my way downstairs, and sit at the gate. Pure bliss. The only long wait was while standing on the bus waiting to be driven to the aircraft, a De Havilland Dash-8, Q-400. This is the first time I’d be flying on one of these, so I was quite excited (there were a lot of firsts on this trip). Seated by the window, and just in front of the propeller, I had a great view. The aircraft itself is very nice, and the only complaint I ...
Read more