1) Doing run up checks
on 08 – I know I’ll get the plane stuck somewhere or end up pointing nose
first, inches away from a Porter, meaning that both of us will have to get
towed. I have a very vivid mental image of this happening. "A" found the entire concept hilarious!
2) Visually checking
the fuel in the plane. Even with my milk crate I find it an athletic feat
almost beyond my ability. Bob helps, but he can’t on my flight test. What is
going to happen if I end up in SAR or JPM that have missing steps?
3) Getting lost. It all
looks the bloody same up there. The thought of a cross country flight on my own
fills me with terror.
4) Decision making on
the fly (pun intended). I make good decisions usually, mainly because I have a
mind that will spend ages agonising over all possible scenarios and planning
accordingly. Faced with something happening quickly and unexpectedly I’m not
confident I will deal with it well.
5) Runway 33 – I’ve
never taken off from it – I’ve only landed on it once. I don’t know how to taxi
to it. I will probably get lost
6) hmmm, there doesn’t appear to be a number six …..
Ok so when I started this post I assumed I would come up with a list of about 20 stupid, minor things that freak me out. I only managed to get to six, believe me for a person who carries around as many neuroses as I do, that’s nothing! I’ve come to the conclusion that nothing big or insurmountable really bothers me. Any of the manoeuvres/skills that I need to master for my flight test will come to me eventually. I’ve resigned myself to taking about twice as long as most people but hey, who cares? For the most part at least the learning is fun! I wrote the first part of this post yesterday, now I’m looking at each point objectively to see what I can do about them, maybe it’ll help, I dunno?
1)
I guess I just need
to “bite the bullet” and “suck it up”. I don’t end up on 08 very often, there’s
probably more room than I think and if I get there first then it’s the Porter’s
responsibility to give me enough room to move I guess. I should not be
intimidated by the big boys! The next time I’m out with Bob on 08 I may ask him not to help me or answer any of
my questions about “where do I point it?”* Let’s see how I get on by myself.
2)
This is a tricky one;
it is not just a height thing. Physically I’m clumsy (there’s no way to say it politely!).
I could be six foot tall and I’d still fall off the fricken wing. I just don’t trust myself to place my feet in
such a way that I’m not damaging the plane and not damaging myself (interesting
order of priorities there don’t you think!) I find ladders problematic. I really do lack the physical coordination to tackle this kind of stuff (hang on I'm sure I said that about flying at some point!)
3)
Ok this one is a
genuine concern. It could happen so easily. The trip from City to Muskoka to
Peterborough and back might as well be to the moon** as far as I can tell. I’m never going to manage L
4)
Decision making –
actually might not be as much as a problem as I think. I have actually made
some sensible decisions up there. I decided not to land on a runway that still
had a plane on it, that was a smart move. When Bob pulled the power back on the
take-off climb I landed the plane first before cursing him out and shooting him
my best filthy look, that was also a smart move. Most decisions come from
experience and I’m fortunate that I have both my experience and RTH’s to draw
from. RTH is incredibly gracious in that he will let me question every decision he
makes, understanding that I’m genuinely interested in the thought processes
behind his decisions, that I’m not questioning his judgement. Even when I had
my little wake turbulence incident. I was smart enough to realise that I needed
to fly a couple of circuits straight afterwards or I’d end up never flying
again. I guess the thing that really concerns me is my ability to discriminate
between “get it on the ground NOW” emergencies and “get it back to an airport
as soon as you can” situations. The last thing I want is the owner of the
school asking me why I put his plane in a field just because of a faulty radio!
5)
I guess I’m just
going to have to go with the flow on this one. Maybe I’ll get a chance to
practice on it with Bob. I know he’s not a fan of it either. Of course if I
nail my crosswind technique I may never have to use it! ***
6)
Get over yourself
WMAP and just fly the damn plane!
* Obviously I’ll expect him to intervene if I’m about to wipe out a Dash 8!
** As previously mentioned I have more faith in my ability to accurately plot a course to the moon than a local cross country flight
*** For those of you unfamiliar with CYTZ, runway 15/33 is a shorter runway that isn’t used by the main commercial traffic. It is never the main active runway. ATIS will sometimes give you the “runway 33 is available” info. I think you could probably get away without ever using it if you wanted.
I have a general answer for 1, 2, 3 and 4. It comes from something I read in a book written by a former British Army Warrant Officer. It goes something like this: "prior planning prevents pi$$ poor performance"
ReplyDeleteWorried about getting the wrong aircraft for your checkride? Stash a step ladder somewhere in the Flying School Office where you can get to it handily if needed.
I have two suggestions for the nav bit. 1) Flight Planning is like a military campaign, so take as much time as you need to ensure you have a course of action for every eventuality. I try to have large distinctive landmarks (lakes, rivers, hills and railways/highways are good examples) every 10nm on my map so if I get lose I will know roughly WHEN I got lost. That is always a good thing to know when trying to figure out where you are. 2) ATC are your friend, and you are not truly alone when there is someone getting paid to watch your radar return on their scope and assist you if required. It is OK to say, "XXXX control I am unsure of my position. Please advise"
At the risk of sounding flippant, people tend to make decisions when their life is on the line. The hardest part of deciding what to do is exactly that, deciding on a course of action. That's where the prior planning comes into play. Brief yourself on what you will do if something happens. That way you save precious seconds and just react instead of sitting there vacillating while the plane flies you somewhere you shouldn't be going.
Get out there with Bob on a quiet (as quiet as your airfield gets) and fly some dual circuits on 15/33 just to get used to it. If Bob thinks you can manage doing it solo, then fly some solo circuits. Have a plan in place for when the examiner asks for 15/33 upon your return from the checkride.