heuh

Hey, here is that blog I talked about so long ;)

Quit a lot going on down here in Adelaide.

Just did my general flying progress test (GFPT), which means I have some more privileges than before and can do some more stuff, like taking passengers with me.
The flight-check itself was quite straight forward. I had to show some basic manouvres like (steep) turns, stalls and basic intrument flying.
The check also included a practised forced landing (PFL) ie the examiner cut my power and I had to do the procedure for a forced landing. My power was cut at about 3000-2500ft. When that happens, you're gonna set up your aircraft for the best glide, check your engine parameters, configure your aircraft for a landing and offcourse look for a field in gliding distance. When my power was cutted, height and the ground nearby looked pretty well. I flew the pattern and managed to get the plane well configured for the forced landing. Since it was a practice, I had to Go Around at 500ft.
Straight after the go around at 600ft or something, the examiner told me there was a simulated cloudbase of 800ft and low visibilty, so had to do a precautionary search and landing (PSL). I had to look for a field nearby to land, the exercise was to do 3 slow and low passes to inspect the strip and check if it was suitable to land. I screwed up my first run, I told the examiner where the wind was coming from, how my circuit would be and what my strip to land was. However, when I got there I did it in the opposite direction, fortunately I corrected in time and it was all good. During my first pass the examiner told me she had seen enough and we were going back.
On return some touch and go's and a full stop landing. When I did my check, there was a crosswind, so I got the crosswind landings signed off as well.
This check was actually quite fun, I did all my things pretty well and it was one of my better flights, have done it worser :P GFPT is in the pocket.

Pretty nice office huh ;)

Now with the GFPT, I finished module 2. 5 more to go.

There are 7 modules here, 1 of them is 10 hours of aerobatics. However, module 7 (aeros) is to be done during all your other modules.

Module 1: Up to the first solo
Module 2: Up to the GFPT
Module 3: Conversion to the TB10 and Visual flight rules (VFR, flying and navigating on visual references) navigation check
Module 4: Instrument Flight Rules (IFR, flying and navigating on your instruments)
Module 5: Commercial Pilots Licence (CPL)
Module 6: Multi Engine(ME) class rating and Command Intrument Rating (CIR, that's how they call IR here in Oz ;) )

That's the flying. Currently I'm doing parttime flying and parttime groundschool. When we finish the HKTECH'S (Hong Kong technical aircrew examination or something like that :') -> what the rest of the world calls written-CPL-exams) in late April, we are gonna fly fulltime upto the CPL ME/CIR. Which will be in early September according to the planning, but like everything else in aviation this is probably gonna be delayed :(
When we get the CPL ME/CIR, fulltime groundschool again for the written ATPL exams until mid-November...
After the exams we will get the Line Orientated Flight Training (LOFT), where we learn to work in a multicrew environment. All this is gonna happen in a 737 full motion simulater :)
The LOFT will be a month or so and then graduation!


Now, I just started mod 3 and currently doing my conversion from the Grob G115 to the EADS Socata TB10 (yessss EADS, the same EADS as in Airbus, Eurofighter, Mirages :') aber nein! scheisse es ist Fransözisch!/mais non! merde c'est Francais!)
Now the differences between a G115 and the TB10; The most significant thing is the fixed pitch propellor in the Grob and the variable pitch propellor with a constant speed unit (CSU) in the TB10. It's a lot of aerodynamic shit involved, but you can compare the CSU with a gearbox in a car. Other things are different speeds, tb10 is a bit faster; handling, tb10 is less "fun" to fly, more stable, heavier and less manouvrable. Landings are easier though :p also some more advanced instruments in the TB10 (autopilots and that kind of things :P ) and the TB10 is just larger and 4 seater instead of 2 in the Grob. There are just more systems in the tb10 than in the grob, so just more to think of and more to do when flying it. More switches, more handles. The seatbelt is btw really like the 3point seatbelt in cars. The grob had a 4point harness, like those race drivers have.

The tb-10 Tobago Grob G115

The weather here is pretty crap for the past weeks and the coming. A serious bloody heatwave has been in Adelaide for weeks, bushfires everywhere and temperatures of 40degrees or more is quite often the case during midday. So let the winter begin here! I want some proper green grass, some proper temperaatures (like during the summers in the Netherlands! I mean the temperatures, not "grass" from Amsterdam :') )

First time since I'm here, I had a Dutch conversation :P or actually 2x half :') I have temporarily an other instructor who is South African so speaks Afrikaans, which sounds a lot like Dutch. Also, Q22, the new qantas course here, has a semi-German, who speaks quite good Dutch for a German ;)

Wawawiwaaa, I likeeeee

Parafield, with the campus.

0.99 aud at Woolworths, so a got myself a few with my cheap ass


Fokker F27! Dutch shit in Oz, sadly it's not flying anymore, has been here for quite a while without engines

Had to check out those new fancypants Cirrus SR20's with their glass cockpit and Airbus stylo sidestick. It smelled like a new car.

And another day at school ;)

Cap-10B, the aerobatics machine

There were/are some problems with the fancy new Diamond da42 twin stars. The FADEC (some computer flyguy shit) thinks that the engine isn't working corectly somehow because of the oil pressure. Has maybe something to do with the Ozzie heat. Happend a few times that the engine wasn't giving 100% power when the throttle was fully open. Heard of a case that the engine kind of shut itselfs down.

Whole twin star fleet grounded

laaats