A typical flying day (part two)

Once I’ve survived the barrage of insane taxi drivers and the tourists who can’t fit their cases through a gap I could taxi my Cessna through*. I finally make it to the other side of the water. Exiting the ferry terminal involves dodging behind the tourists to take the back steps out.

I wander over to the flight school and say “Hi” to whoever is behind the desk. Normally I’ve beaten Bob here, mostly due to my obsessive need to be early and a little bit because of my tendency to overestimate how long it takes me to walk places**.  If there is a line up at the desk I’ll grab my PTR and take a quick look at any comments from last lesson.

Once I get a look in at the desk I’ll find out what plane I’m in. Try to suppress a wince when they tell me it’s JES and then fill out the flight sheet.  I grab the clipboard/ key combo and then duck behind the desk to get my cushions.  I have a very specific set of cushions that I fly with, one flatish one underneath my butt and two thick ones behind my back. Apparently it’s leg length that I have the problem with more than height.

Sometimes Bob has arrived by this point, sometimes not. Either way I head out to do my walkround. Basically I start at the front of the plane and check it for anything that is leaking or falling off. You also check that the bits that are meant to move do and the bits that aren’t meant to don’t.  The 172 has fuel drain points under each wing and under the belly. You drain fuel and check that it’s the correct colour***and that there are no bits or water in it. When you drain the belly points you also check your reflexes to see if you can get your head out of the way quick enough to avoid getting fuel in your eye****. While I’m under there I try to notice if there are chocks under the main wheel. The plane taxis much better if you remove them first.

You also check the oil level. If you are tall you can do this without removing the dipstick entirely. I can’t so I usually end up with oil drips on my clothes as well as the fetching “oil ring” design you get on your wrist from tightening the cap.

The final stage involves me poking around the hanger to find a combination of milk crates suitable for checking the fuel level in the wing tanks. SAR has a missing step on one side, which means that what is an easy step up for Bob becomes a mountain climbing expedition for me. If Bob has caught up with me by this point I shove the fuel drainer in his hand and say “here you do it”.

After that it’s back into the flight school to brief for the flight. This can be anything from 5 – 25 minutes depending on a number of factors.

See ,2 posts and we haven’t even sat in the plane yet… next time we might get as far as taking off!

 

 * And I've tried to fit my Cessna through a bloody small gap (and succeeded), more about that if I can ever think about it without cringing and wanting to run and hide.

** This is a hangover from before I had my surgery an was incapable of walking at anything other than a snails pace

***This is not a girly requirement to colour coordinate (I’m sorry the fuel clashes with my hair!) Different grades of fuel have different dyes added so you can instantly tell if you are about the bugger up your engine.

**** I have about a 50% success rate