Completing Instructor's

I'm in the last throws of completing my NPL Instructor's course and today we spent 2 hours in the air north of Durban around the Tugela River mouth and Isithebe. We practiced a few simulated forced landings on the beach - the pics look like we were walking on the beach but the photo was taken a few seconds from a possible landing on the beach, then gave the engine full power and took off before a touch-down on the sand. We practiced this from several angles to ensure that I was comfortable making an emergency landing from any approach and would be able to successfully train a student to do the same.

We completed today's training doing similar "glide approaches" simulating engine failures around Isithebe airfield at random times.. closing my eyes whilst Brad manouvered the plane and then cut the power, then opened them to bring the plane down to a safe landing.

This could be a good landing. The wind was pumping up to 30 kts which means we could get the ground speed down to 30 kts before being in danger of connecting with the beach sand.

Brad (right) and I in the sky over Isithebe

Tugela River mouth and lighthouse up the north coast from Durban.

Brad has cut the power and we are floating down aiming for the stretch of sand on the other side of the river as it breaches the coastline

The glide takes us down close to the Lighthouse

Isithebe runway - an asphalt runway inland of the Tugela River mouth and suitable for practising emergency landings

On the way home past the Umhlanga Lighthouse

Coming in to land back at Virginia we tried an "Initial" - an approach towards and over the runway, taking a steep left turn and over to the beach then returning to land.