A room with a view

I’ve been temporarily ousted from my office due to construction work. I’ve moved into my boss’s one while she’s on maternity leave (unfortunately they won’t let me stay permanently). This office has something which my one doesn’t, a view (actually it has a couch as well, but it’s too damn visible to enable me to take a sneaky nap).

Yesterday the weather was clear and I realised that we must be under the flight path for one of the approaches to Pearson (YYZ). I spent many a moment gazing up at the plethora of aircraft circling overhead.  Today I am sat watching snowflakes drift by, content with a mug of hot chocolate in hand, courtesy of our receptionist who was awesome enough to call the entire staff on her way to work and do a Timmies run.

I’m staring at the snowflakes because I’m trying to avoid looking at a 200 page document, which I need to photocopy but some troglodyte has had sat in the bottom of their bag for the past month and now the damn thing won’t go through the document feeder. I’m going to have to feed 200 sodding pages by hand.

Happy Friday!

In my opinion

Yesterday was a bit of fun. I ended up spending about an hour and a half being paid to be highly opinionated. Something which I excel at.

Although I still don’t have any idea how much I’m going to be paid, I’m not too bothered. I am quite willing to be opinionated for free! Somehow I’d signed up to be part of a focus group for a new website aimed at pilots. I sign up for a lot of stuff, especially if it is flying related! RTH and I used to end up doing a fair bit of market research in the UK. Our local high street was a haven for people armed with clipboards asking for your opinion on the latest product/ TV commercial. A lot of people were rude to them. We weren’t. Consequently we used to get asked a lot. So much so that they recognised us and would actively seek us out. You’d often get some small token for taking part, vouchers or office supplies. I kept an entire classroom in free pens.

When I got the phone call asking me to take part, I was mildly surprised that they still wanted to talk to me. The call didn’t exactly get off to an auspicious start; they probably thought I was trying to be funny with them. Before I tell you the details, you need to know that RTH and I have cell phone numbers that are only one digit different. This was the case in the UK as well. Occasionally I forget which number is mine and which is his. It isn’t inconceivable that one of us has given out the wrong number. It isn’t helped by the fact that in the UK mine was the first number numerically, in Canada RTH’s is. The call went something like this

Person calling: Hello, can I speak to Mr. WMAP

Me: You are speaking to Mrs. WMAP, can I help?

Person calling: Oh I’m from xxxx company, Mr. WMAP signed up to take part in a focus group

Me: Actually that was me, Mrs. WMAP

Person calling: Oh, so you’re the pilot then?

Me: errm , actually no. Mr. WMAP would be the pilot. I’m the student pilot. But it is me you want!

Things got slightly better after that. I agreed to take part in a phone conference thingy, evaluating a website and content. It was kind of interesting to be on a call with other much more experienced pilots, just to get a different perspective on what they consider to be useful. For instance they were very keen on the interactive course being offered for various inflight emergencies, as it was something they felt they were rusty on, whereas I’m thinking I do forced approaches or engine failures or something every fricken week. It’s a tame lesson if something doesn’t “fail” on my plane. I forget that “normal” flying doesn’t actually involve stalls or precautionary landings. When learning to fly you spend 90% of your time practicing the stuff that only happens 0.1% of the time! It is though, a very nice feeling, knowing that you can hold your own in a conversation with the big boys!

I think I had some pertinent stuff to contribute. I feel I made a valid point about some of the rebadged AOPA content they are promoting. As a student I get nervous when I see anything that comes from the States, as I know enough to know there are differences in the way things operate, but I don’t really know enough to know what all the differences are. Consequently I tend to avoid anything that is blatantly American. I think I was also able to offer some constructive and professional points of view with regard to video length, pacing and clarity from a pedagogical point of view.

The website isn’t quite fully functional yet. There is a placeholder with some “coming soon” content and some articles at http://www.smartpilot.ca/ I’m not being paid to plug this, but it does look promising, especially if they take on board some of the points we raised last night.

 

One day, I too shall ask a favour

One of the highlights of today’s flight was that I finally managed to get ATC on my side. Part of that, of course, is linked to the fact that I can actually follow what the hell is going on up there now. Even to the point where I can anticipate what ATC might ask me to do.

I think as a consequence of that I sound a little more polished on the radio and might even fool them into thinking I know what I’m doing. There were a couple of times today where I kept it in really tight at ATCs request (they also gave me the option to extend it out a fair bit.)* At one point it felt like I was still doing my turn to final over the threshold, at the time I was talking out loud and described to Bob as “eww! Bit of a squirly approach here but I think we can salvage it!” And we did, kinda, a bit bouncy but that was par for the course for that particular lesson.

I was cooperating nicely with ATC, keeping it in super tight when needed, even anticipating their request to widen it out on turn to final so they could squeeze a Porter out in front. For my troubles I got a “Thank you for helping us out S.A.R”. High praise from ATC, such a rarity that I’ve saved the audio file from LiveATC.

Just remember though guys, one day I too shall ask a favour of you! One day I’m gonna be lost, confused or just a little behind the ball. Help me out without too much attitude and I’ll do my best to pay it forward!

 

* If I was on my own I might have been tempted to widen it out, it was a little too tight for my comfort.

New found confidence.

It may sound weird to say this but the fact that I royally effed up my landings during my last solo flight has helped my confidence no end. You see when things go wrong it bothers me. Not the fact that they go wrong but I’m constantly second guessing my ability to deal with them. I didn’t react well during the wake turbulence incident (something I will blog about in the future I promise*). That was the thing that shook me up the most, not reacting to it properly.

Today though, all that changed. I botched those landings and knew it. I also knew what to do about it. I didn’t break the plane. Once I realised that I was a little too bouncy and that the bounces were getting bigger not smaller. I was totally in control. Throttle in and away we went. I appeared to have time to think, evaluate and deal with the situation, even when in reality it was a split second thing. I even remembered to bring the flaps up in stages, nice and controlled instead of my typical fling them up in panic manoeuvre. Shame Bob wasn’t there to finally witness me getting that right!**

Even more importantly, I knew why my landings were a touch on the kangaroo side. Too fast, full flaps and no headwind plus a newby pilot made for a springy time! Ok it took me a couple of goes round to finally figure that out. But figure it out I did.  Again my reaction to these events was totally different to how it has been.

Before, the fact that I wasn’t able to land would have, quite frankly terrified me. I mean it is every student pilot’s nightmare, getting it up and then not being able bring it down! I actually found it amusing though. I laughed, believe it or not! I said to myself (out loud, I often talk to myself) “WMAP, you are going to have to land this thing at some point you know!” The mischievous part of my mind briefly considered requesting a “bounce and go” from ATC but I wasn’t sure how good their sense of humour was. They must have seen my appalling efforts though, probably gave them a bit of a laugh!

Obviously I did land (just a minor boing) and I felt invincible. Today, right from the outset I was in charge of that plane. For 0.5 hours that plane was mine to fly. I was the pilot in command, in control of my own little piece of flying equipment. And command it I did. Looking back even in my dual circuits, Bob was a passenger in MY flight. I’ve broken such an important psychological barrier. Solo time doesn’t scare me now. The next step is to enjoy it. I’m excited at the prospect of what’s to follow.  Sometime soon I’ll be off to the practice area on my own. The whole sky will be mine. I simply cannot wait!

 

*I’m kind of ok with the incident now; I wrote some pretty strong blog posts at the time. Looking back I massively overreacted and I’m kind of embarrassed about that. I need to find the right time to post them. Now isn’t it because I’m on such a positive roll.

 

 **I’m sure when I tell him, he’ll believe me. I don’t lie to Bob. I even admitted to him about a bounce on my final landing that he didn’t see. I don’t see any point in lying to him. He’ll figure it out eventually. Trust works both ways and  I’m always brutally honest with him.

Bad landings make for a good lesson

My landings today were atrocious, truly some of the worst I’ve done in the last few months, but I’m really not worried. The fact that my landings were so bad actually made for a really good lesson.

Bob had kicked me up there solo with instructions to do two or three circuits and then bring her back (the unspoken implication being “in one piece.”) We both knew that previously my landings had been a bit on the flat and springy side!

I was nervous about going up on my own but probably less than I thought I was going to be. I was a little anxious, a bit wary but mostly just hyperaware of what was going on around me but not in a “paralysed by fear” way. This is a definite improvement.

I taxied out, reminding ATC that I was still on my old transponder code (they got me to change it) and did my stuff in the run-up area. My takeoff briefing consisted of the usual “Don’t break the effing plane.”

Circuit #1 started off great. Fantastic directional and altitude control, reasonable turn to base and approach to final, and then the landing. Oh dear! Boingity boing!

After the second boing, where I came down harder than the first, I decided now was not the time to argue with the plane. I literally said out loud “F@ck this for a game of chess, you obviously still wanna fly.” So I pushed the throttle in and around we went.

Circuit #2 was pretty much the same, bouncity bounce  and around we go. Leaving me feeling slightly bemused and once again talking to myself. “Lovely circuits WMAP but you are going to have to land eventually”

Circuit #3 I concentrated really hard. I knew what I’d been doing wrong. I was coming in too fast and with no head wind , even a few knots over the magic 65 meant that I came in like a rocket, saw the runway disappearing underneath me and panicked, forcing the nose down. I briefly mulled over asking ATC for an extended downwind to give me time to stabilise my approach. As luck would have it traffic meant that they got me to anyway. I set myself up on a nice long final, tried not to drag it in under power and prayed for third time lucky. I bounced a little but it settled down. I kept the column back and exited the runway.

The landings may have been crappy but I made the right decisions in a split second. Having the confidence to know that I do make the right call was a far more valuable lesson than landing perfectly each time.

 

Showing it who’s boss!

A massive difference in my attitude today, for some reason. Bob noticed it straight away. It probably started before he even arrived. I got to the flight school about half an hour before him. I got there, took a quick look at the winds (light and variable) and made the decision there and then that I was going to solo. I got the flight sheet, made the requisite two entries (one dual, one solo) and started my pre-flight. Written in ink for all to see, thus lessening the chances of me backing out.
During the dual bit of our flight, right away Bob said “you’re not fighting the plane today.” He also gave my first circuit a 9.5 out of 10! I pointed out to him that I’d realised that if I fight the plane, the plane wins.

I just seemed to have so much time up there; the circuit flying was a breeze. Good altitude control, really good situational awareness, good solid flying, excellent decision making. All of this despite Bob’s reassurances that it was okay if I was a bit rusty, I hadn’t done circuits for a while.

The landings were another matter, flatter than a pancake and bouncier than a slinky! Still Bob must have thought we were doing OK because he got out shortly afterwards. Leaving me to tame that plane all on my own.

And tame it I did, sort off, kinda, maybe!

No escape

Phenomenal lesson today, no other word to describe it! So much learned and gained. After having spent all week driving my co-workers crazy about the chance of some solo flying this week, I finally got the opportunity to.

I haven’t soloed since the end of October and it’s become a bit of an issue for me to be honest. I’d only ever done single circuits when soloing and as I’ve mentioned before, I got myself into a bit of a “any idiot can manage it once” mindset when it came to the inevitable time that Bob would require me to fling it round more than once. I didn’t think I could do it. As I was explaining this at work , E looked at me in semi-disgust and said “ are you psyching yourself out again? Get up there and fly the plane. I know you can do it, Bob knows you can do it. YOU know you can do it.” I get such sympathy from my friends!*

The problem was, I knew I needed to do some solo work but the weather had failed to cooperate for a long time now.  At the start of this week the weather and the winds were looking really promising. I both looked forward to and dreaded the fact that I’d probably be going solo. Then Friday hit and the winds looked screwy. From the North, which meant R33. I’ve never done circuits on 33. The runway itself is problematic in that you end up crossing the active runway that the commercial traffic is using. It’s just messy. By Friday afternoon I’d convinced myself that no solo this time.

And then Bob texted with his cunning plan. The winds were due to change in the afternoon. So he had the bright idea of going down in the morning for our usual time, seeing what the wind was doing. Solo if able. If not we’d do our usual stuff in the practice area and then book me in for another flight in the afternoon!  No escape for me! One way or another I was going to solo.

And I did! More later. Torn between exhilarated and exhausted at the moment.

 

* She did have the good grace to say “OMG now I feel guilty, what if you crash and die? It’ll all be my fault!”