First Solo flights today

Sjoe, was landing perfectly on Monday but the paperwork and insurance was not in place for my solo, so managed my first flights on my ace today after work and shortly before the beautiful sun was ready to set after a stunning day in Durban.

Was pretty awesome.. not the most perfect landings on runway 19 but I did ok, the second circuit better than the first. Thanks Noel and Brad for the patience and effort you have put in to getting me to this point. Can only get better. Had to rush off to Pietermaritzburg as the sun did set for the second part of my Radio Course with Sakkie, the ATC at the Pietermaritzburg Airport. So will have to postpone the regulation celebration drinks to the weekend....!!

A morning at Light Flight

Dave takes off at Light Flight

Dave and Kate-Lynn check out the instruments on the Foxbat

Kate-Lynn visits Light Flight

My daughter Kate-Lynn came to watch me flying last Saturday and the top photo is the first of me up in the sky taken from the outside.

Getting ready for cross-country



Flying over Grassroots with Light Flight behind 



Getting ready for my first dual cross-country I have been flying in to the neighbouring airfields - Emoyeni, Grassroots, Rob Mirtle and back to Light Flight ... all within 5kms of each other. It's a process of learning to recognise an airfield from the air and adjusting to the different altitudes of each field but recognising the height from the ground for landings.

I have also been studying the aeronautical charts for the area and plotting the different airfields. My landings are coming along slowly but there is progress.

Chart of the Durban TMA

Noel takes a pic of me flying

Right downwind Runway 01

 Doing circuits at Light Flight I am now right downwind for Runway 01, trying to get my landings right in preparation for Tuesday's cross-country to Richmond, Ixopo, Fredenheim, Margate, Scottburgh and back to Light Flight. This also takes us into several frequency zones as we change from the uncontrolled general flying area in the Pietermaritzburg general flying area, as well as Margate controlled space and back out again.

The flight will take about 2 hours and I have been preparing my first flight log... drawing vectors for anticipated wind, ground speed, distance and flying time, as well as fuel consumption and anticipated totals and reserves.

Taking off from Light Flight 01

Final Approach Runway 19

I thought I was landing nicely on Thursday but with the cold front we have had since, the air was bumpy today and even on final approach was throwing us around. There was also a little crosswind so learnt about crabbing and lining up with the runway even though the nose of the plane was pointing a lttle off into the wind. Good experience weather I am told. My Instructor took the photo in case you were wondering how I was on finals and snapping away at the same time. Notched up 11,7 hours total so far by the end of the lesson.



First pics from the cockpit



Instructor Brad from Light Flight School practises stalls with me



I can multi-task but at this early stage of my flying asked Brad to take control as I took my first pics from the "driving seat"...ha ha. We practised stalls today.. no power, under power, no flaps and with flaps.. no problem. Must say that the little Foxbat handles them well. I was interested in knowing that there were available emergency landing strips below. Quite amazing how many private fields there are in this area. Landings were very shaky and Brad had to sort them out for me.. amazing these dual controls, although they can also be restricting if you are trying the get the feel of it and correct your own mistakes.

Clocked up a total of 8,7 hours as of today... and climbing.



Fear of Flying

I've always had a fear of flying, but at the same time an intense fascination with it. As a kid at Kloof schools, I used to "fly" my bicycle down the hectically steep Emolweni Hill just before school.

I spent many hours designing and drawing my bicycle with wings and pedal/cog driven propellers that would take me into the air half-way down the hill and land me triumphantly on the school fields below. That was never a problem.

It was the big commercial airliners that bumped and shuddered, and perhaps the engine fire on my first trip to London, aborting take-off in Nairobi, that was scary.... but nothing that a few double shots before boarding a flight couldn't cure. Maybe it's a control thing... when I'm on my own and in control, I'm fine. Jumping solo out of an aeroplane with a parachute was no real problem either. I think the scariest part was taking the step out of the plane by myself into the wind and clutching on the wing struts all alone. Letting go was easier. Floating down was glorious.

The wreck in the photo is my flying school's training plane that crashed into a local Church steeple killing the newly qualified young pilot and his father. I cry to myself when I look at the wreck and the photo. I hope there was some other sense or greater purpose in this tragedy. So scary! Air Crash investigations on TV are also fascinating to me.. I've watched them all and followed with great respect the care and attention to detail that takes place to unravel the darkest moments before the crash. I'm awed at the safety improvements introduced afterwards and usually retro-fitted to hundreds of aircraft to make flight safer in the future.

I'm conscious of the risks and responsibilities of a good pilot and am enjoying the challenge. Just teach me to land in one piece and level. I'm getting there!

5,5 Hours.. 12 landings

Dave with Pietermaritburg Air Traffic Controller Kim, and Light Flight Instructor Noel

First photo in the air over Camperdown

This is my first photo in the air flying the Light Flight School Foxbat 22 with Instructor Noel.

We had a hectic morning flying lesson inbeautiful weather conditions, visiting the neighbouring airstrips on farms in the area, as well as landing for brunch at Pietermaritburg Airport. I had my first tour of an airport Control Tower as well.

Then it was off to work for the rest of the day at my law office.

3,6 hours and climbing

So my 3rd lesson down and 3,6 hours flown .. and counting.. Did my first emergency landing without power today.. quite scary and thankfully my instructor Noel was totally in control.. wondering how I will be able to handle that when I am a little more experienced. It was hard enough to get the Foxbat steady and level on my flyovers over the runway.