Lesson 50: General Handling Preparation

Thursday October 4th 2012

On Thursday I headed up for some general handling with my instructor to help prepare for my skills test. Although it was only 1 hour 20 minutes I felt knackered at the end of it. Got knows how 3.5 hours is going to  feel like when the time comes. The long and short of it is I have booked the skills test for the 18th.

If I fly like I did on Thursday then suffice to say I will need to redo it. My position fix was a bit slow. My map size (250K) was cumbersome in this regard so I'll be better prepared with the 500K one next time. I went into my steep turns like a wet fish focusing too much on the nose of the aircraft and not doing a good triangle, nose, altimeter and lookout etc. My PFL while not great was probably passable - I would have made that field honest! Engine failure on takeoff drill would have been passable I think. Landing and short field stop was Ok following a low weather circuit. Slow flight went OK. Stalling was just about OK although the stall while banking took a  few times to get to stall as my airspeed was too fast.

My instructor rightly said something along the lines I need to get my head in gear quickly for each exercise. This means entering into the task that the examiner will ask me with confidence and executing it text book style.

I have just under two weeks to prepare so will be getting out the text book and making some laminated revision cards, I prepared well for all the exams and I'm not going to do anything different now. I will try and get into an a/c this coming week as well and go and practice some things solo over the Isle of Sheppey.

I am going to be very nervous and quite stressed come the big day I'm sure.

50. 04/04/12 C152 G-CEPX EGTO EGTO 14:40 16:00 1:20 Ex 10B (20 mins) Ex 15, 16 

HOURS = 42:10 DUAL + 13:10 SOLO