UK Instrument Rated Private Pilot and Instrument Flight Instructor
I had completed my Night Qualification in January at Gloucester, but not used it since then. It is possible to fly from Lyneham after sunset, but first you need to be checked out by an instructor. Familiarisation with the local procedures and visual references is extremely useful for any night destination, and it also helped remind me of the differences. It’s also required to have approval for each trip
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Where to go for a Sunday afternoon? Unable to take off until 3pm on Sunday (due to family commitments), but with no hard stop on my return (apart from sunset at 8), I thought Dunkeswell would be a good choice. Although the airfield website quoted 5pm closing time, I rang to see what time I could arrive and depart. They are open for arrivals until 5pm, but you can leave
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Wanting to “stretch our legs”, Andy and I arranged to share a flight from Lyneham to Lydd. I flew there and he flew back, with both legs averaging about 2 hours. The longer flight time on the outbound leg was due to three reasons: Slight less direct routing – I planned our track to leave the Lyneham zone as quickly as possible, going East along the motorway before turning south
Continue readingThe IMC rating (Instrument Meteorological Conditions) is a UK only qualification available to private pilots. It’s much easier to get than the full IR (Instrument Rating), but confers the privileges of flying in cloud and instrument landings. Whether this should be used only as in exceptional situations purely for safety purposes or as a more regular part of general flying routine is highly debatable and a hot topic in the flying discussion
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I’ve enjoyed several flights from RAF Lyneham now. My first few were with other club members, and included a long Navex down to the south coast passing within sight of Popham, Goodwood (near Portsmouth), Bembridge and Sandown on the Isle of Wight. I also made a solo landaway to Shobdon, where I’d been during my PPL training including my Qualifying Cross Country. I’m still a very new PPL (“freshly minted”
Continue readingI’ve enjoyed several flights from RAF Lyneham now. My first few were with other club members, and included a long Navex down to the south coast passing within sight of Popham, Goodwood (near Portsmouth), Bembridge and Sandown on the Isle of Wight. This gave Andy and myself some ideas for future landaway destinations which we hoped to reach later in the year ahead. I also made a solo landaway to
Continue readingI’d been looking around for another club to fly from after completing my training at Kemble. The main options were: – Kemble, where I felt there wasn’t much of a club atmosphere. There was little activity other than the one flyout I had been on earlier in the year, despite this being a full cost club. – Compton Abbas, which I had enjoyed the lessons there. Having visited a few
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One of the next steps a private pilot can take is to learn to fly at night. This can extend your range by being able to depart a daytime only field close to dusk, then fly in the early evening back to base (assuming it is open and has lights). This is not a rating which needs to be revalidated and there is no test to pass. A course of
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Deciding to embark on PPL training At the start of each New Year, I try to make a few plans for the year ahead and set some priorities. This year, I was really pleased to have made the decision to learn to fly. I’d been hankering after doing this for a few years. Why now? Firstly, it costs a lot. But I’ve been saving up for several years and last
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