Phase II has begun......

It's officially underway!!! I started the clear in process here in Southport again for the continuation of my training. We used up most of the morning with the welcome briefings and some paperwork admin. After that we were cleared off to finish getting settled into our new places. Our first day of lectures is on Tues 10 Aug, so pretty quiet until then. I'm all unpacked and all sorted with my new roommate Andrew Drummond. He's a great guy, so looking forward to sharing my space. It's only been a decade and a half since I last had a roommate....college years! He's on Phase II as well but on an earlier course.....actually he's almost done. He'll be doing his Helicopter course here starting later this month.



My road trip was alot less eventful this time. The only hang up yet again is the border crossing. Apparently James Brown is name to be on the watch list.......oh well, I've come to expect it so I just aim for the left most line so I don't have to cut over the other lines as I get pulled inside. After the 2.5hr wait to get to the booth I went in again. This time there was a take down at one of the other lanes while I was inside. Needless to say I was rushed through and clear quicker than normal, only about 20 mins this time. The rest of the drive was nice and quiet, held my breath through Kalamazoo though!!!

After I arrive and got all settled into the house, I went into work the next day to start our course. Low and behold, the course is delayed........yup, delayed. Apparently there isn't enough laptops for the entire class. The course is computer based training and requires you to do most of the training on your own time. Technology!!!!!!! Anyways the delay was until Monday (this was told to us on Thurs). As Monday hit, so did Tues, Wed and so on......no laptops....they were actually short just one......ugh!!! Delayed until the following Monday!!!!

With the first week behind me, I'm settling into a routine and life back as a student!!!!!

Phase 1 Complete

After a long few months away from Teresa and the kids, I found my way home again. My Final test went well eventhough it was on a Monday.......who really works well on Mondays? I worked hard on concentrated extra hard, being a Monday and all. Apparently my aerobatics were the best part of my test and the lazy 8, not so much. It took a day and a half to clear out and get on the road home. The drive was extra boring and very uneventful, just what I needed. I did hold my breath going through Kalamazoo though!!! The border crossing was yet a challenge again. Even the passport didn't preclude me from being pulled inside for an encore appearance!! I guess James Brown is in fact a common name that needs to be clarified who I really am each time!!! Oh well this time it was only 30 mins or so. I was very glad to be home and welcomed with open arms all around, not to mention the comfort of my own bed.

Thanks for reading and sharing my adventure for Phase 1. I start Phase 2 back in Portage the end of Aug. Hope you pick up my blog for the continuation of my training.

Loops Rolls and Coverleafs

Well the aerobatics are stepping up. I've being doing loops, rolls and cloverleafs (integration of a loop and roll). Lately I've had to put them all together in a sequence starting with a loop to a cloverleaf then finishing off with a roll, very cool!!! So far the best and most fun I've ever had flying!!! Still does not give me any interest in flying fighters though!!! Just the other day my instructor asked me to show her a loop, it went well, some debrief points. Then she asked for a roll, but I heard loop in my head (I was having a blast, like a kid with a new toy), so as I was pitching up for my loop...... which is the same start as a roll, I kept pitching (pulling back on the stick) for the loop. She was saying too much pitch, stop pitching, at this point I was thinking it was looking good for the loop.......but I stopped pitching to where we were perfectly vertical looking at the sky!!!! She said I have control after she realised I was doing a loop, not a roll but now I had stopped the loop and she was then left with the plane looking up vertical.......here comes the hammerhead turn, way cool. We both laughed!!!! She's a very talented pilot!!! After that I did a roll with little debrief.
My last flight was a solo flight out the practice area. So far to date the other 2 solo flights I've had have been in the circuit doing touch and go's. This time I was on my own with the plane out to the area about 20miles to the west of the airport. It was amazing experiencing the freedom and knowing that I can do it by myself. I practised my Lazy 8's and a couple other test items to get me ready for my Final Clear Hood Test (FCHT) that marks the end of Phase I. As of now I have just two days of flying left and I'll be heading home for the summer, back here end of Aug for Phase II.

Solo Pics

My Solo Pictures

Tyler's Solo Pictures

Post ICHT

Now I get into the truly fun flying and start doing aerobatics. So far I completed a couple Lazy 8's, Spins, and Wingovers. It has been a blast just putting the Grob through it's paces but as I'm being told this is really tame compared to what it's capable of doing. But it was great for me! Next flight I get to do Loops and Rolls followed by another short solo flight in the circuit. For the most part Portage has been a good stop so far. Winnipeg is close, making the weekends much more enjoyable and easier access to flights home. The long weekend I went home again to spend time with Teresa, Evan and Hannah, which was amazing. We went to the Metro Zoo while the weather was nice. Again, another great refresher in the middle of the course.

First Solo!!!!

WAHOO!!!!!

WAHOO!!!!!

What a feeling, grinning ear to ear and long into the night!!! I realise this is only the beginning of a long road ahead but the biggest hurdle of them all!!!! I had my ICHT (interim test) followed by my first solo......what a rush and shear exhilaration!!!! Now it's aerobatics and instrument flying!!! I enjoyed my 'bath' and will post the picks when we can download them!!!! After your first solo you get soaked, in this case we get carried from the Ops Desk after we sign the plane back in and get dropped in this bathtub on wheels!!! Luckily it was full of cold water, as it's been a hot and stressful day........need a nap soon! As you can tell that I'm still on my high from all the exclamation points I've been using.

Stand by for the pictures to be posted.

My second half instructor is Tyler's first half instructor. It's Cindy Klassen's sister!!!! Pretty cool, eh?

Landings

Ah yes, the hardest part of flying.......the landings!!! I've been working on those over the last flight or two, seems I land a little firm!!! Any of the flying I've done before has been with high wing aircraft like the Cessnas, where the wings are at the top of the body. The Grob has them on the bottom, making it a totally different landing technique!!! It's Monday and I'll be spending the day in the circuit just practising my landings!!!! Tomorrow is my practise flight for my test and my Mid-Flying test is Wednesday followed by 1/2hr solo time!!!! Once that is complete I can do up to 2 flights a day and try to complete this course as soon as possible. The second half is aerobatics, wahoo!!!

Well off to jolt my vertebraes some more!!!