I’m now just over 30 lessons into the course and all is going well Recently, I sat my second exam and thankfully passed – but only just. Not bad when you consider that there wasn’t a single question on the test paper that related to what I’d been studying for the past several weeks! It was only after I’d completed […]
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Part 11 – Navigation
Following on from the success of now doing my first solo flight, the next stage of the process is to do more solo consolidation circuits, to build up the hours and confidence levels of flying on your own. However, the week after I went solo, the winds were too strong for a student to do such a manoeuvre – but […]
Part 10 – 1st Solo Flight
This was the moment I’ve waited for, all my life… I’ve been quiet since February as there’s not been a great deal to write about. When the weather allowed, I’ve been with my instructor doing endless rounds of circuits around the airfield. Power up, take off , fly in a circuit and land. Over and over again (71 times to […]
Part 9 – Progress report
8 months ago, when I started on this journey, I didn’t have a clue about how to fly an aircraft. All the knobs, whistles and bells that were laid out in front of me in the cockpit, seemed to provide as much of a clue as hieroglyphics written in stone. However, after 16 hours tuition with 11 take off’s, 4 […]
Part 8 – Time to Slow Down
When I was just seventeen years old, I took my first ever pleasure flight from Bournemouth airport. We flew over the Purbeck hills, across Poole Bay, over Brownsea Island and of course, Bournemouth it’self. I can remember clearly in the pre-flight briefing the pilot said he would be happy to do one or two aerobatics if time allowed. To which […]
Part 7 First Landing
Before the global pandemic began, I’d spent 38 years as a specialist technician within the world of Theatre, Film and TV. So, I have to say, it didn’t come as a massive surprise when my instructor said to me earlier today, I have to be a little less heavy handed! He was of course referring to using the controls. In […]
Part 6. Flight Delayed
For most of the time, the weather at Compton Abbas Airfield is like this. But occasionally, like anywhere else in the world, it can be like this. October for me has been a somewhat delayed month, and instead of doing weekly lessons, there have been a couple of last-minute cancellations and limited space availability for bookings. All of which are […]
Part 5. On the Turn
Well, where do I begin? This course is just getting better and better, and I highly recommend it! Each blog covers two lessons, and each section of the training so far is broken down into two parts. Last week was part two of ascending / descending, and this week we started to do turns. Now you would think that this […]
Part 4. On the level…
Photo Credit: Steve Alexander / temporarytemples.co.uk When you look at a view like this, who wouldn’t want to fly? This is Fovant Badges and site of the former Chiselbury Military Camp in Wiltshire, located not far from Compton Abbas Airfield. Lessons five and six comprised of more straight […]
Part 3. Take off…
Wow! Just four lessons in, and today I did my first ever take off…………. Sideways!!! At the start of each lesson, you have the pre-flight briefing. Here’s where you find out what you are doing for the day and have a chance to ask any questions. You then do the exercise and then once you land it’s back to the […]
