Uncle Albert's Cafe and Ǽ-Theory Bistro

Thanks for the tips guys ..... :-)

Actually what really, really surprised me about flying was the level of concentration required during some periods. As a medico I'm used to maintaining interest over long intervals ( plus caffeine assistance ) and the intense focus of the occasional emergencies. But now I really feel particularly for our commercial jet pilots, who fly far more complex planes in very challenging surrounds and situations, quite 'routinely'. You can't pay them enough is my view. Not to forget landing on an aircraft carrier, that is an awesome skill. Plus the one shot you get with the Shuttle, no go-arounds .... who said pigs couldn't fly .... :-)

On the southern approach is a row of large trees on the west/left side. It routinely causes an unpredictable turbulent patch on the windier days at about 40 - 50 feet, quite bloody annoyingly just before you are about to level out before the flare. But we go 'round and round' practising on that runway rather than the easier one 100 feet to the east ( there are two in parallel, running north/south ). So when I go solo I will definitely have exceeded requirements for that benchmark !

We have undercarriage listed in the pre-approach checklist. My instructor has encouraged me to announce the items as I go through them. This isn't a requirement, and some students don't do that as they feel it is 'daggy' or embarrassing. But I found the subtle pressure of having to demonstrate my memory a very useful training tool. So once a circuit I say 'undercarriage is fixed'. That comes before 'mixture full rich'. And just after 'park brake is OFF ' ..... :-)

The deeper truth is that virtually every checklist item has a sad tale behind it. For instance on the pre-flight walkaround one has to inspect the intakes on the engine cowling. Simple blockage by a rag, rat carcass, autumn leaves, or suchlike has caused engine failure, through poor cooling of the piston fins, and on takeoff alas. And cracking of the exhaust manifold has caused carbon monoxide seepage, so you inspect that and so on. So really alot of safety is how you manage yourself and one's habits, as well as the hardware. **Paranoia Is King** .

My flying school is very particular about maintenance and inspection. Which is why they cost more, but I figure you get what you pay for. But their training prepares for flying outside their confines. I'm aiming for PPL : private pilot's license. Which allows unrestricted flying in Australian airspace, subject to various skill endorsements like night instrument rating. For our big DownUnda distances I reckon a twin engine rating is the go : faster and some redundancy.

Cheers, Mike.

( edit ) I routinely arrive more than 30 minutes early for lessons. I go around the plane thoroughly - three times. I know someone else has already done it that day. But it's practise. I then sit in the driver's ( pilots ? ) seat and run through all the checklists for all the flight phases. And even if I don't fly that day I've still run through the system ..... so if you have obsessive characteristics/mindset like I do then may I recommend flying to you ? :-)

I think Neil Armstrong is the obsessive character example par excellence ..... Oh, now that we're here, there's some rocks we never mapped and right in our landing zone too ..... well, we trained for that scenario ..... oh yes, let's scoot over sideways a bit and land over there .... :-)

That's an adorable image. :)

You can't roller skate in a buffalo herd...you can't roller skate in a buffalo herd...you can't roller skate in a buffalo herd...but you can be happy if you've a mind to.

And so it goes...Where did it go?