The Flying Fish

On Saturday 18 February, I finally did my Grade III Flight Instructor Test. And passed! Months and months of hard work, trying to cram in studying, writing a newsletter, and re-doing a website, have finally paid off. Now let's hope the CAA gives me my papers!

After passing the instructor's ratings exams, I hit the briefings. On average, someone wanting to be an instructor will complete about 40hrs of briefings before qualifying. Doesn't seem like too much, right? But what people don't realise is the amount of time and effort that goes into those briefings. One briefing can take between 5 and 15hrs to prepare. And then it still has to be presented, refined, and sometimes, completely reworked. But that's still not bad. No, the really tricky bit is making the transition to 'teacher mode'. What's also difficult is trying to pretend that your instructor (the person you're presenting the briefing to) is someone that know's nothing about flying. It's all good and well throwing a briefing together and going over it a few times in front of your mirror or dog, but standing in front of a room with a whiteboard marker in your hand while trying to explain the Principles of Flight in the most simple manner wh...

Another one down, another one done, another one bites the dust! Friday was the day... Applied Navigation and Meteorology was waiting for me, and after taking in the wonderful smell of fresh coffee coming from the kitchen in the Heli building, I walked into that exam room thinking "If I don't pass this, it's my own fault; I should've put more effort in." Well, I passed it. There were 50 questions, most of which were on Meteorology. There were also a couple of Flight Planning ones (take-off distances etc). The Met questions were the usual tricky ones that are so vague the answer could be anything. Eish. During my PPL, Principles of Flight and Air Law were my worst exams. During my CPL Nav, Met and Air Law were my worst exams. And now I've gone and written combinations of those exams and passed first time. It feels good! Hey-yo, it's off to prepare briefings I go!

About 2 days after I passed my CPL Flight Test, I realised how bored I was; there was nothing for me to study. For the last 8 months or so, I've done some form of studying almost every day. And now, nothing... So while completing the somewhat tedious task of preparing a CV and contacting various charter companies in Botswana, I also started studying for my Instructor's Rating. There are 5 subjects, and two exams. Principles of Flight, Law, Flight training, and Applied Navigation & Meteorology. Not knowing what to expect, I spoke to some Instructor's and they said that the exams are easier than the PPL exams. Well ladies and gents, they're about the same as the PPL exams. Do yourself a favour and go to the CAA website and download the list that says what you must study for each subject. Just be warned, they don't mention anything about Flight Planning, but I was asked two questions on it (had to use loading graphs). I wrote the exam at Heli, and I upo...

I thought I’d try giving some helpful information regarding the Com and IF Flight Tests, having just completed them and all that. I’m by no means an expert, but perhaps sharing my experience will help those of you that are nervous or unsure about the test. First things first, go to the CAA website and download the testing forms, as well as the Recommended Ground Evaluation for the Instrument Flight Test. While you’re at it, download the form for the Application of a Rating or License. I’d do all of this at least 5 days before you test. There isn’t a recommended ground evaluation form for the Com test, but it’s quite similar to the PPL ground evaluation, so if you’re really worried, just download the PPL one and go through that (CATs, CARs, AIPs, AICs, NOTAMS, TAFs, METARS, etc). The testing forms outline all the exercises you are expected to do, so go through them and check to see if you’re unfamiliar with any of them. If you are, now’s your chance to ask your instructor for some...

27 August 2009 , I successfully completed my first ever solo. 24 December 2009 , I passed my Private Pilot’s License flight test. End of 2010 , I completed Matric. 3 May 2011 , I passed my Night Rating test. 10 August 2011 , I passed my Commercial Pilot’s License and Instrument Rating flight tests. When I was busy with my PPL, I considered giving up a number of times. But I pressed on, and now, less than two years since my first solo, I’ve earned the right to call myself a Commercial Pilot. While I had done all my training at Stellenbosch Flying Club, I found myself making my way to Mossel Bay to finish up my training (another 10hrs of instrument flying) and test. Wednesday, 3 August, Day 1: Stellenbosch to Mossel Bay. The last time I did this flight, I arrived after one fuel stop at Riversdale, and over 4 hours in that cramped, uncomfortable cockpit. However, the weather was kind to me this time, and I had a 20kt tailwind for most of the trip. While sitting at F...

. . . hearing that you've passed all your commercial pilot license exams. What can I say? I got the news 30minutes ago, and I'm shaking with relief and happiness. The hard work has paid off!

Saturday, 18 June I’ve finally done it! After several days of procrastination and bad weather, I finally got my act together and told myself to go for a flight in a Cessna 152. And I survived! For the past couple of days I’ve been asking myself one question; To fly, or not to fly? Ask any pilot that question and they’ll probably hit you with a large, heavy object. Trying to decide whether or not you should go fly is like deciding whether or not you need oxygen. So why the hesitation? Well, the last time I flew all on my lonesome in a C152 was about a year ago. During my PPL training, I only flew solo after a quick dual flight to make sure that I hadn’t forgotten anything. So this was quite different; I would be climbing into a relatively new aircraft, by myself, right off the bat, and I was scared. I knew that if I didn’t get over my fear soon, it would just consume me. I knew that all I had to do was get in the plane and fly... And I eventually did that (after the thing started). When...

After waiting several weeks to get my paperwork for my Night Rating back, I got fed up and called the CAA. They had received my application, but they just hadn’t posted the stuff I need. They sent me a fax to prove that they had indeed processed my application, and I was Night Rated. A few days later I get a phone call from them. “We can’t process your application because you don’t have the required hours.”... Well isn’t that just fantastic. So I hauled out my logbook, and hey look, I didn’t actually have the required number hours. My instructor and I somehow missed that I only had 4.9hrs actual instrument time (requirement is at least 5hrs). Now what? It’s been over 30 days since my test, so will I have to retest? After calling the CAA for hours my instructor and I finally got through to someone in Licensing, and they said it would be okay if I just get the hours and submit a new logbook summary. Thank goodness! So it just goes to show how easy it is to miss something. Needless...

So after much waiting, pacing, hair-pulling, and listening to excuses from the CAA, I got my exam results. Instruments = Pass. Happy! Air Law = Fail. Here I thought I had aced Law. Just goes to show you that these things are so unpredictable. All that's left is Air Law and Navigation. And I have just under 3 weeks to study. Please, please, PLEASE let me pass these next time!

On Monday I wrote the Law & Ops exam. In true CAA fashion, they asked some strange questions. But luckily there was a total of about 44 questions, so you have room for error. I can barely remember what the exam was like, so I’m just going to have to wait and see if I passed. Instruments, well... I was most worried about the Magnetism side of things, and for the last couple of days I worked hard on those sort of questions. The CAA threw a real curve ball and gave us quite a basic paper; a whole 22 questions, four of which required calculations. I had been so focused on mastering the complex calculations that I forgot to study the basic stuff. So I have no clue as to how well I’m going to do in that exam. I wish I could really relax and be even more lazy than usual, but I still have Nav left, so I suppose I should start studying for that. Ugh. Until next time.

Right, I wrote Navigation and Meteorology last week. Things were off to a bad start before I had even woken up. Why? I overslept. Instead of leaving the house at 0620, I only woke up after 0630. And I had to race across to the other side of town to pick up a friend. Luckily the traffic wasn’t took hectic, and I arrived in time for my exam. Now then, Navigation was first. I was handed my stuff, and as I flicked through it I thought ‘Where’s the question paper? Maybe she’ll hand it out separately.’ We got some more stuff, but still no question paper. I looked back at the others and they also seemed puzzled. When she was finished handing everything out, she walked over to me and I asked where the question paper was. She frowned, went through my papers, and, like me, didn’t find any questions. She did the same to two other people. Well done CAA, you have failed to give us our question papers! Now what? They’ll fax them through. What’s the fax number? Uhm… After much sitting around and twi...

The results are out; I passed Flight Planning and ATG, so I’m ecstatic! Only 4 more subjects and another 100hrs left. Time to hit the books... hard; Navigation and Meteorolgy are next. It's also time to get my x-country hours up. On Sunday I did some circuits at Fisantekraal, then went back to Stellenbosch only to be greeted with a 90 degree x-wind. But somehow I managed to put her down without a problem. Yesterday I made my way along to mountains to Tulbagh and Porterville. Two little towns in the middle of nowhere, but the flight was good and I can add another 2 hours to the logbook. And today, well... that deserves its own post :)

Well, "wannabe flight attendants" is more correct. Monday morning, the day of my ATG (Aircraft Technical and General) exam. About 10 minutes before we received our exam papers, the exam room was invaded by at least 12 flight attendant hopefuls that were writing their exams with us. I think they arrived on a bus, because they all randomly appeared at the same time. Unfortunately some found the task of finding the desk with their name on it to be far too challenging, and resorted to wandering around the room (which isn't that big) looking lost. Hmmm, lets hope they know where to find the exits on the aircraft they might end up working on... Wednesday morning (aka today). Flight Planning exam. I'm tired; I only fell asleep at 0230 this morning. I think it's because I only had dessert for supper (melon and ice-cream, yum), so it was my body's way of punishing me for not eating a real meal. But anyway, I arrived an hour early and sat in the car jamming to Alanis Mo...

Every now and then I find myself really wanting to learn. This morning I was flying in a Super Cub and as I looked at its (few) instruments, I found myself thinking "It'd be really cool to learn about how all these things work." But just last month I was contemplating burning my Instruments notes. And this afternoon I was studying while periodically gazing at my Huey (yes, mine ), and I felt the sudden urge to run to the Flight Shop, grab the book on helicopter principles of flight, and learn about how those things fly. And this evening I attended a PPL ATG (Aircraft Technical and General) lecture in order to brush up on some of the stuff seeing as I'm writing the comm version of it next week Monday. Surprisingly, I found it interesting. The 2.5hr lecture seemed to fly by, and I found it to be a real confidence booster when I could answer questions, and sometimes even explain things to the people around me. I don't, however, have any interest in studying the 29 p...

How many times have you started something, and then not completed it? Like that book, that blog, that song, that website, that portfolio, that DIY project, that degree, that homework (shudder), that shopping list? Guilty of any of that? I know I am. But why do we do that? Why do we start something, and hardly ever finish it? Laziness? Well yes, I am extremely lazy, but I still manage to get some things done. Like sit on the couch, drink coffee and watch TV... Ok, so laziness is definately part of it. But the other part - the more significant part - of the human-being's lack of 'task-completion' is due to a lack of passion (in my opinion). It's really quite simple. Those that go far in life are passionate about what they do (or they've had no other option but to do what they do). It's psychological; you can't be great at something if you don't have the Will, the Drive, and the Passion to be great at it. Take writing a book for example: I'm very good...

Yes, that's right! Today I found out that I've passed Radio Aids. It was by the skin of my teeth, but the actual mark doesn't really matter; a pass is a pass! So that's a huge relief. Now I only need to stress about 6 more subjects, the General Radio License, and the Flight Test. And maybe my final matric exams too. . . Bring it on!

Things have been quite quiet. Well, on the aviation side of things at least. I’ve done very little flying, but last week Wednesday I wrote Radio Aids, and yesterday I decided to take a flight up to Malmesbury. I had the whole of the GFA (General Flying Area) to myself, so that was enjoyable. I've also hit the 90-hour mark (finally!). My Matric final exams have started, but of course every time I sit down to try study, I get bored and end up thinking about flying, naturally. And that resulted in me pondering about the human mind... It’s weird how one’s thoughts, opinions and ideas change over time. A few years ago I was positive that I’d fly for the RAF. Then I decided no, I’m going to be the second female fighter pilot in the SAAF. Every time someone asked me what I was going to do after school, my answer was always “Fly for the SAAF!”, and they’d ooh and aah. But then last year I started to wonder if I should fly for the SAAF; 16 years is a long time, and what are my chances of ac...

Head hung low, brain hurting, I dragged my feet outside as I thought about the exam I had just written; Maths. Ugh! Morale had hit rock bottom, so I took my phone out in the hopes that something exciting was happening on Facebook. I slid my phone open and saw that there was a calender event. Confused (I don't normally set these things), I opened it. "Went solo". A smile instantly appeared on my face as I remembered one of the biggest, happiest days of my life. All thoughts of maths vanished, and there was a spring in my step as I walked to the car. "It's been a year since I first went solo. Woohoo. I'm giving myself the day off! I'm going to go for a flight!" Well, I did give myself the day off, but I didn't get to fly; Murphy was at it again and the wind was really pumping. So I decided to leave the Yellow Beast in her hanger and take photos instead. I wish that I had photos after I'd gone solo, or that I'd been chucked in muddy water, o...

I’d say that July was quite a good month flying - and photo - wise. I took over 600 photos, unfortunately very few of those are actually good, but anyway. I also flew the Cubby, a Piper Cub, and a Tiger Moth. Flying the Cub was quite strange, and the biggest problem for me was that there was a delay when one opened the power, so you have to be very careful, especially when on the ground (brakes don’t work very well). The Tiger however, is an absolute dream to fly, and she’s even a pleasure on the ground, despite the lack of brakes. It’s quite something sticking your head out of the cockpit, wind blasting you in the face as you fly the Final approach, alternating between watching the ground, checking the speed (using the primitive airspeed indicator on the wing), flying, and trying not to be blown away. One also flares a lot sooner in the Tiger as it has ‘long legs’. Awesome! The really cool thing is that I can log the times of both those flights. And I’ve finally started a new page in ...