Week 34: PPL Flight School Week 3

Third week gone and we see some action. Had two days of mass brief to refresh us on the knowledge of Principles of Flight. After being so free for so long, it took some effort to get used to the classroom environment again. Good thing that I didn't fall asleep, although the classes were only half a day long.

One of the lessons included the introductory to pre-flight checks. Damn that day was cold and the wind was blowing like hell the ailerons wouldn't stop flapping. We went through all the checks needed before the plane is deemed safe enough for flight. It is quite a handful to be honest and will probably take a lot of practice to be proficient in it. One trouble I anticipated when my turn comes is my ability to work in such cold conditions.

Soon after the lessons came the simulator training two days later. It marked the very first time we meet our instructors. Excitement fills the air but we are eager to impress and not screw up. Checklists are the first things we have to "learn". You basically run though a list of tasks to bring the aircraft to different stages of the flight, right from the parking bay all the way back to the parking bay. Quite an extensive list considering how small and simple the C172S is. Can you imagine if it is the Boeing or Airbus?

I managed to take-off and land the aircraft in the simulator, just like a computer game. The perception of flying is very different as compared to being a passenger in a huge jetliner. I get to see ahead and know where I'm heading to. I know the airspeed, the altitude, the attitude etc etc. It feels good to be in control of a flight, but that control is not one easily mastered. The one hour of simulator training breezed through before I know it. There will be another hour of it before I'll start on a real flight.

You miss Asian stuff when you're in an non-Asian country. Garlic chilli is such a god-sent item

Air is so dry here I have to moisturize religiously everyday

Dinner 171113

Dinner 181113

Dinner 201113

 

Lunch 21113. Laksa!!

Dinner 211113

CASA issued AVID. Gonna need this for every flight training I go

Model C172 in class

Circuit training

Training areas

One of the many checklists of the C172

Virgin simulator experience

Hour collection book

What a way to end the week with Top Gun showing on TV. This show never gets old, with all of us in the house gathering in front of the small 21" TV enjoying every minute of it