Learning to fly, one mistake at a time
Flying is simple isn't it? Take off. Land. Repeat. And obviously try not to get the two confused.
I started learning to fly in my early 50s and have never quite stopped being a student. This is my attempt at explaining why I fly. To myself, to Wifey, and hopefully to you.
I hope you find my antics honest, humorous and possibly even inspiring? That last one is a bit of a stretch, I know. But I love flying, and I love seeing others understand why I fly. If that encourages one person into the air, then I've succeeded.
My goal is simple: keep the number of landings equal to the number of takeoffs. And of course, try not to crash. I'm not an instructor - listen to them not some internet influencer (I was once called an 'up and coming YouTuber - Thanks Flyer Magazine'!!), All you will find here is just me and my experiences. Hopefully you can learn from them before I run out of luck, skill or cash.
There are some people you carry with you long after you've stopped sitting in their classroom. Léon Ellison was one of mine.
Léon was one of my electronics tutors at Royal Holloway. A genius and a gentleman, in that order and both completely. The kind of teacher who made hard things feel reachable, and who treated a slightly-lost undergraduate like the engineer he hoped you'd one day become. I owe him more than I ever told him.
It's true. I hadn't flown in months. November last year was the last time I was in the air. There was an abortive attempt to go night flying in December but circumstances canned that idea. So weather, work, more work, and then the annual appearing just as the weather improved all combined to keep me from flying. Well, that is my excuse, but the real answer is I also got a little lazy, finding excuses to not get my flight bag out and plan a flight. It was easier to start up Netflix than start up SkyDemon. The aerodrome was still there. KK was still there. I just kept finding reasons not to be there.
The plan was simple getting kicked out of the house by Caz and go for a solo bimble - first to remind myself which way up KK goes, then meet Jack later for a proper flight. I haven't seen Jack since November, and he's been off doing his ATPLs/CPLs whatknots because apparently more exams is what every pilot needs. Lots of catching up to do, most of it in the air. Caz had the lurgy so no peanuts on this flight.
A neighbourhood in Seattle called Laurelhurst has successfully restricted helicopter landings at the local hospital. Seattle Children's Hospital, to be specific. The complaint? The helicopters are too noisy.
Today is May the 4th. Star Wars Day. The day I get reminded that I used to do something a bit ridiculous before I learned to fly something a bit ridiculous.
Before KK, there was R2-TK.
It seems that British Airways have updated their conditions of carriage. Passengers can no longer film, photograph or livestream cabin crew or other passengers without consent. Break the rule and you could be off the plane at the next landing, with your remaining flights cancelled, and the local authorities involved. KLM have done this for years. Virgin too. I fly Virgin regularly and the cabin announcement on every flight asks you to get permission before filming anyone else on board. So this isn't new. BA are just catching up.
Read more: British Airways Banned Filming The Crew. As A PPL Vlogger, Here's My Code.
I get grief for having a camera in my cockpit. Not constantly, but enough. The implication being that any camera mounted in a C172 doing circuits at Elstree is somehow reckless and dangerous. A distraction. An unnecessary risk. We are all going to die. Well I am.
And then this week a story broke that made me feel considerably better about myself.
Twenty thousand views. For a Short. About a crosswind landing at Elstree.
I genuinely didn't see that coming.
And for the pedantic it wasn't a 25 knot cross wind. It was below the demostrated cross wind limit for my 172. So no need to write to the CAA. again.
If you need to know how to calculate a crosswind, then ask your instructor.
Crosswind landings are probably the thing I get asked about most. Student pilots are terrified of them. Newly qualified pilots are terrified of them. I actually like them. I think. Crabbing in and then bashing the pedals at the right time to straighten up. It's a bit like stearing a boat across a river. Fun if you get it right. expensive on tires if you don't. I'm still not comfortable with the dropping wing method, It still seems to be counter intuative digging the wing into the ground... but 20000 views cannot be wrong!!
