Briefing/debriefing.

It’s always kind of weird when I’m soloing without a currency flight with Bob beforehand. It’s getting weirder as well, to be honest when the first part of our briefing consists of him asking me “So, what’s the plane for today’s flight then?” The balance of power has really shifted since I started; gradually everything is becoming my responsibility now.

I talked him through my plan of action: Steep turns as part of HASEL check, slow flight, power off stalls, forced approach and back. Bob seemed happy with that. He then started to question me about various emergency scenarios, a little like a game show I guess. “I’ll take ‘how not to crash my plane’ for $200 please!”

Once we’d established that I understood that a low fuel annunciator light might not necessarily  mean low fuel  and that I was aware of what instruments would go if the vacuum system packed in, Bob released  me to the practice area , sans instructor!

Afterwards, we met for a short debrief. This is where the trust factor really comes in. I could lie and tell him just how wonderful I am and that everything was immaculately performed to the smallest of tolerances, or I could be truthful and tell Bob exactly what went on, complete with the “I did something really stupid out there” that came with today’s flight.

So I chatted about what I’d done and how it went, Bob listening intently.  He’s happy with me, not just with the flying but with my ability to analyse what’s going well and what I need to work on. Consequently even though my next flight will be a dual one, I’ve had a lot of input as to what I want to cover.