airjaime

Back For Round 2

2006-03-24T09:22:00.000Z

Hello everyone.
Long time no write. In case I haven't bored you to death with it all already, the NZ phase is well and truly over now, and I've just about started down in Bournemouth. In between we've taken the remaining 6 Commercial Theory Exams across in Silsoe- results came through yesterday: 94.4 % average a thank you very much, and had a whole 5 or 6 days holiday.
We're still moving in to our house at the moment, so when we're all set up I can post up some more interesting stuff. Till then, take care. . .

Cramming in Cheddar

2006-02-09T10:08:00.000Z

Hi all. Just a quickie update as I've probably seen most of you now. But just to give me something to do (work avoidance) : we're all officially back in England now (hurrah), and cramming for theory exams back in Bristol Ground School (booo). Not much else to say really except it's pretty much going to be the same story for the next 5 weeks, and then I'll actually get a fortnight or so off before it's back to the serious task of training. See you all soon. . . (ish). . .

Beaching About Exams

2006-01-22T21:09:00.000Z

Well it's peaking in intestity now. Only one flight left, then a(nother) Exam Flight, and then that's it for the New Zealand phase. Still, if you do have to cram in the work, there could be worse places to do it. Believe it or not I am actually studying on Raglan beach here. There was no flying on Sunday, so all that was left was cramming more theory in- and if you're going to spend all day with your head in the books, you might as well do with a good view. Especially since I hear there's the slight possibility that it may be a bit colder than this in the UK.

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Nearly Nearly. . . . .

2006-01-17T02:11:00.000Z

Not too long left now. One test was taken care of earlier this week, so that leaves six more sims/flights as from tomorrow, with a finals flight test at the end. All things being well (no planes braking down, first time passes etc.) I stand a very good chance of actually making it back to good olde England before the month's out. Roll on January.

Back to the Grindstone

2006-01-09T05:31:00.000Z

Hi all. Not too much to report here I'm afraid. Like all of you we're back to work, and it's all about cramming flights in so we can take our finals test here and come on home. At the moment it's looking like we're returning at the very very end of this month, but the situation is so fluid over here that it'll probably change a few more times over the next couple of weeks. So until then it's non-stop work and studious behaviour all the way.

Happy Kiwi New Year

2005-12-30T23:50:00.000Z

Well hello hello, and a happy 2006 to all. I know it's hugely cliched to say, but I swear each year goes faster than the last one- I mean, what happened to 2005? It only seems like yesterday that I arrived here, and all things being well, at the end of this month I'll be back in the UK. It's absolutely shocking to think about how fast it's all gone- and what a year it's been. I can honestly say that it's been the most crazy 11 months of my life, and 2006 only promises to raise the bar.
Anyway, enough of waxing lyrical. For all of you smug people sending me e-mails about roast turkeys and mulled wine, I've sent you back some pictures of what a Kiwi Christmas looks like- here at least. It all started off on Christmas Eve at CTC where we had (can you guess? Wait for it. . .) a barbe and a few beers. Then it was onto Maunganui beach for the big day itself, followed by a bit of a party round at Lynn's in the evening. (Lynn is our secretary/warden/surrogate mother- the lady in pink).
So if any of you ever get cold during the new year, you can just look at these pics to remind yourself of what hot looks like. How nice am I? I know, I know- call it a belated Christmas present.

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We are the champions, oh yes. (. . . and Merry Christmas)

2005-12-16T02:21:00.000Z

And so it passes that another milestone falls by the wayside, as yet another license is racked up against my ever growing list. I'm now rated on the twin-engined aircraft you can see behind me, and have since moved on to more of the sort of stuff I'll be doing commercially (instrument flying and procedures). Not much chance to celebrate though as I was back in the sim the next day, but I'm not complaining as we've got a massive amount of work to get done before I can return to England. So hopefully then it'll be work work work all day every day until Christmas, and then a teeny tiny bit of time off for superior behaviour.
I hope this finds you all well, and to all of you good good people reading this a have very Merry Christmas.
(I'll be thinking of you all sitting down to turkey when we're having our Xmas barbecue on the beach.)

Hot and Humid

2005-12-09T06:05:00.000Z

Well, we had a bit of sun last week and now the weather's decided to turn on us somewhat. This as usual has impacted on our flying progress, so still no Multi-Engine VFR Flight Test yet, although when the clouds do shift, I'll pretty much be straight into it. Then it's goodbye to looking outside of the aircraft, as all our future flying/training is done inside the cockpit on instruments, which will be different.

Quick Hello. . .

2005-11-30T09:38:00.000Z

Hi all. I hope everyone's well. I'm pretty busy at the moment over here. The training's been kicked up a gear and is getting very challenging to get through. It's been a very tough week, so it's definately a case of all work and no play. Hopefully I'll get through the next few flights in the not too distant future (all things being well), and then I've got (yet another) Flight Exam to Type-Rate me on twin engine aircraft. Roll on the holidays.

Final Fling

2005-11-17T10:13:00.000Z

Well, the single engine phase is now truly over. This week has been slightly more serious as we begin training for the twin craft, most of which has been spent indoors undergoing various briefings, and having mountains of paperwork thrown at us to learn.
But at the end of last week, before I moved on, I found I had to do another 2 hour trip to make up my captaincy hours (we need 87.7 solo- no idea why it's that particular number, but there we go). So I took up one of my CP and we went on a jolly round the coast and over Auckland, which was quite a nice way to finish things off before the proper work kicks in. (And say goodbye to the Cessna). Bless.

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You May Gaze In Awe (he said modestly)

2005-11-08T22:47:00.000Z

Yes yes I know, thank you, thank you very much. I agree, I can't praise me enough either.
And so another License bites the dust, another milestone passed. Infact it's the end of an era for me, as passing my Flight Test was actually my last single engine flight. Next week I start on the twin craft, which is going to be quite a different bag of tricks. The impression I get is that we've had it comparatively easy until now, and from Monday on in the work is going to pile on at a terrifying pace. Still it's nice to be here- back in March, this day seemed a very very long way away.
Below I've put in the photos from my Qualifier Flight. As part of the commercial license you have to have flown a solo flight which is at least 300 nautical miles long (although mine ended up being closer to 450 nm or 520 'normal' miles), landing at 2 airfields at least 50 nautical miles apart. It's something we do in between our Nav Test Flight and the License test which I've just done, and is generally seen as a bit of a jolly, because it comes in the middle of exam time and isn't marked. You still have to fly properly in terms of airspace, radio comms, control etc. but it's just a bit more relaxed so you don't have to be quite as precise, and with that kind of distance available, you can pretty much go and see anything you want to in the North Island. I chose to go over to the west coast, track it to the north tip of the island and then follow the East coast back. It was nothing short of breathtaking.

2005-11-08T21:38:00.001Z

Good morning, this is your captain speaking

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And so the trip begins properly- this is where I join the West coast, flying overhead an airfield called Limestone Downs.

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Approaching Kaipara Harbour just North West of Auckland

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Not quite sure what was going on in the sea here, but it looked good

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Lake Taharoa

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Passing a little shower just off the coast

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Rounding the North west corner at Tauroa point

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This is Ninety Mile beach which forms the tip of the North Island, so from here I landed at an aerodrome called Kaitaia, had lunch, and then went back down south following the east coast.

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Coming up to the Bay of Islands

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Flying over Cape Brett

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These are the Poor Knight Islands where we went diving a few weeks ago

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And this was coming back towards the end of my trip before I got to the areas that I've flown around in before. Here I'm flying over the Huraki Gulf with Auckland in the background (flying over the city having previously been pretty much the furthest I'd been north).

Poor Knights Road Trip

2005-11-01T01:25:00.000Z

Hello to you. I hope everyone's well.
Over here it's been very very busy. I've nearly finished the (single engine plane phase of the course having passed my Death Flight (Nav Flight Exam) last week, and am now merely a couple of flights away from the JAR License Exam Flight Test (drum roll if you would). The weather at the moment is being quite good to us, so touch wood, I should have it scheduled in for this week. So all fingers and toes as crossed as possible please.
That aside, on other less plane related news, we've had a bank holiday weekend since I last wrote (about 10 days ago before the work really kicked in). And as our group got a couple of extra dollars from CTC due our delays, a few of us decided not to spend it on beer as per norm, and go on a mini diving holiday up to a place called Poor Knights at the top of NZ. We stayed in a cabin on this campsite situated in a small valley called Tutukaka, beered and barbecued the night away, and then went diving and kayaking the following day. It was absolutely fantastic, the scenery underwater was amazing (as you'll see from the pictures).
Just what was needed before exam time.

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