Sunday 13 February 2011

Ground School - Human Performance

Weather grounded !!

Last weekend the airfield at Rochester was open but the high gusting winds prohibited any flying. This weekend (at least yesterday) the weather was OK but the runways were water logged.

Basically no flying then, and worse still, with the next couple of weekends taken up it may be another 3 weeks before I can get in the air again.

Any positive news on the aviation front ? Well yes, perhaps ...

1) Today, I completed the Human Performance Exam. This was my second exam following on from the Air Law one I did a few weeks back. This is a multiple choice paper consisting of 20 questions. I got 100% on this (apparently it is meant to be the easiest ground exam) and some congratulations from the nice people who run Skytrek. I immediately booked the next exam for March 5. This will be Meteorology.

2) Since the last blog, I took some advice and purchased my own headset. I opted for the David Clark 13.4s which are identical to the ones used at the flight school which I think work really well. In the end, I found a supplier of reconditioned ones and in doing so saved about £70. They look brand new.

Why get your own? Well, the sharing of headsets is something that can lead to ear infections, which will certainly put a stop to any flying for a while. Something I'm keen to avoid as the weather seems to be doing a pretty good job of that already.


3) The other advice I got was to get some good sunglasses. I did the research on that as well (it certainly seems to be a provocative subject amongst pilots and wanabee pilots of all abilities) and opted for some Serengeti Velocity 6692s (Gun Metal, Gradient Lens).

They arrived a couple of days after ordering them on-line and I have to say I am really impressed with the build quality and of course, the performance of the lenses. I wish I could have tried them in the air yesterday! For me they seem really crisp and clear in all light levels. Apparently they look good too!



I can't wait to fly again.