On ANZAC day Ben Carmine showed me around Wigram and introduced me to some people there, showed me the aircraft and all that stuff so I coudl go out there in my weekends and clean aircraft, and then get taken for the odd flight with people out there.
So this Saturday morning I called em up and was told theres a plane I can clean. As soon as I got there at 1400 I was taken to NZCH with Steve and Ian (i'm prety sure it was Ian) and then flew back with Ian in a Archer he was hireing from the CAC.
Was quite neat as my uncle was going back to sydney so two hours after we droped him off at nzch I gota see his flight, QF46, depart as I waited for Ian to file his flightplan (well I suppose thats what he was doing), just the sight of a 763 can make my day, saw it's anticollision light come on made me very happy indeed
So then we filled the tanks up and got in, I didn't ask if I could do the comms as I wasn't sure excatly what he was planning to do to get to nzwg. I was suprised how alike the real comunications are to what we use online, just went sorta like this, can't remember word for word of course..
"FJT (im prety sure that was the rego, ill check this) Delivly"
"Deliverly, FJT go ahead"
"FJT at the pump request airways wigram, 2 persons on board with information X"
"FJT are you vfr to wigram?"
"thats correct"
"FJT cleared vfr wigram 1500 and below, would you like the rwy?"
"the grass will do"
"FJT taxi hold 1 via E"
"FJT ready at hold 1"
"FJT line up 02 grass"
"FJT cleared t/o right turn out"
"cleared t/o right turn FJT"
there were no comunications untill we were heading dct to nzwg, then I was handed control, I don't recall there being a comunication with twr, Ian switched to nzwg advisory.
So I had control, stayed at about 1000ft, odd thing was the two altimiters were giving differant indications! This was an IFR equied aircraft, it was funny.. I heard the ATIS, it said qnh 1011, I saw Ian wright it down, yet when I setting the altimiter on my side he told me qnh was 1013! I thought I best not argue..
So I enterd left downwind 31, and fly the approach. It was a lovely Nor Wester day, so a bit ruff comeing down. I recall that metars for nzch usualy have winds at 310 on a Nor West day. So I flew us down, I noticed Ian was controling the throtle, it was on his side of the aircraft (he wanted the pilots seat as he wanted to check out all the systems before he took it to nzwn) so I just wroied about controling the yoke. I didn't use the rudders eathier, we stayed prety cordinated the whole time, I suppose Ian thought I didn't know what a rudder was so proably was doing that as well.
The landing was smooth I thought, proably flared a bit late as I was getting told to pull up pull back! I think I flared at just the wright time and it was lovely
Ian didn't say anthing about my flying, or my landing, don't know if thats good or bad, ill ask him next week when I get his full name so I can fill in my log book. (hes an instructor and said I can do so). On the way there steve asked me what flying I had done, I just said intro flight at the CAC and a "youngeagles flight" (where I got 5mins at the controls, and didn't learn a single thing). I hadn't mentioned it was the first time I landed a plane, I didnt say it was my first time
Then Ian taxied us to parking and shut down. I really enjoyed it, expect for one thing really.. The three times iv been for a flight in a small aircraft like this (intro flight, a "young eagles" flight, part of the CAC I beleive, wasn't much fun.. and this) I get the fealing the person im flying with doesn't think I know what to do, sounds prety stopid, but I think they could at least offer for me to handle the throtle, tune radios, switch on the transponder. Just frustrates me a bit I think.. like, im sitting looking the tx still off as we commence taxiing, I know damn well the tx shoudl be on stby to warm up, I thought, hmm I coudl reach out, tune that to 1200, and switch it to stby. I thought, na, I best not. I pointed to it, and Ian lent across put it on stby and tuned 1200
Is a bit hard to comunicate with the headsets and the engine noise, so coudln't really say "you want that on stby 1200".... thats just an example, is like that threw the whole flight.. but I seem to be rambling about that don't I Apart from that I really enjoyed the flight and was very grateful of Ian to take me, awsome being let to land an aircraft, even without control of the throtle.
So after that I went up into the flight school room, wanderd around for a whil reading the CAA posters on the wall, all sorts of facsinating things like airspce calles etc.
Then Emma took me out side and demonstrated how to clean a aircraft. Spray bottle and rag, spray surface rub away dirty and bugs. Easy, and blody good exersise getting some of those bugs of the leading edges!
So I cleaned CUH, a PA28, took me two horus.
I really wish I had taken a camera. The norwest sunset was just brilliant. Would have been so awsome to get some shots of all the aircraft parked up there, with the sunset in the background. I even saw MAT there! From tauranga, the 172. Parked up with the sun behind it, just lovely. Yes, I did clean while I was at it
but yeah, really wish I had my camera. ah well, was just butiful out there anyway.
So I finaished cleaning CUH just in time, mark came and anothor instructor (didnt get his name) pulled it back into the hanger and I left. not long waiting in the car park and emma mark and the other guy (lol) left too. Then mum picked me up just before some drunk looking creep walked up to me as I was waiting in the dark car park and I went home
So that was my Saturday, and hopefully very similer for weeks to come.
Thanks for reading
James
Ill see what Admin can do...