Flying!
That’s me and my instructor in front of a Piper PA-28 Warrior II! We did a general external check, checked the fuel and then began the cockpit checks. Soon we were on our way out!
There’s so much more to learn beyond what we’ve done in groundschool so far. I’ve had 4 lessons so far – about an hour each and will soon be going solo in a few more hours! The first few lessons are just on the basics – knowing the effects of the controls, flying straight and level and climbing, descending & turning.
Preparation for each flight entails going through a computer based training (CBT) presentation, reading the reference manual that reinforces the points mentioned in the CBT and I then usually run things through in my head by memory, as I would do if I was in flight. The instructor then gives you a briefing before the flight which involves going through the theory, checks and what we are going to do in the flight. The flight then ends with a de-brief, which is a discussion of any errors, weaknesses and/or problems encountered during the flight. This part is particularly useful, as it gives me pointers to improve upon and work on.
Despite having to wake up at 6am to fly on Saturday morning, this part of the course is lots of fun… will keep this space updated with my flying adventures!
