Radio Calls and New Year's Resolutions

It was the last day of 2010, so I figured "Hey, the weather isn't too bad, I should go fly." Great. After visiting Fisantekraal for a circuit and a go-around, I decided that the wind wasn't doing anything for me, so I made my way to Paarl. After that I thought a cruise around Franschhoek Valley would be nice.

It was nice, but it was also slow. Leaving the Valley was great though because I had one heck of a tailwind. I felt like I was in a jet. Okay, not quite, but the Cubby hasn't flown that fast for a while.

Anyway, when I got back to Stellenbosch the real fun started, and it was in the form of some idiot that is incapable of talking on the radio. I was doing circuits and minding my own business when this dolt came overhead, not bothering to tell me what he was going to do; "I'm overhead the runway," doesn't really help me.

But he finally decided on what he was going to do and slotted into the circuit behind me. Cool. We were out of each other's way and I had a rough idea of what he would be doing. But then he did the unexpected.

While I was on short final for runway 01, this oke (who had landed, taxi'd halfway to the clubhouse, turned around and taxi'd back to the runway) decided to enter the runway in front of me. BIG no-no! And this was right after I made my radio call stating that I was on final. Needless to say that ruined my day.

The purpose of radio calls is simple and easy to understand... You need to tell people "Who, What, Where, Intentions". Four little things, but it seems that even that was beyond this oke. Incidents like this make me wonder about the standard of training.

Apart from that, it was okay. Now for New Years.

I think I made a New Year's Resolution once, many many years ago. And because I forgot my resolution about 20 seconds after I made it, I decided that there wasn't much point in me making any resolutions. But then again, ever since then, I've said I'll make a resolution, and every year I've made the resolution to make a resolution. So I suppose that I have been sticking to my resolutions.

Yeah ok, studying is killing my brain. Which reminds me, I better get back to it.