Helicopter-pilot.info - Lessons 26-30

Lesson 26 25/6/02 Third Solo!
A shorts and T-shirt day today. I am booked in at 10am for a lesson and then another after lunch, assuming I survive the first. Once again we are aiming for a solo but this all depends on my performance during the lesson.
Just for reference the third solo is the one in which most 'incidents' occur.
This will be the first flight of the day for this helicopter so I have to do a full check over before starting. I start up, do the radio call (these are all ok now) and hover over to the 'play area'. As always we start off with a couple of take off and landings, this is because at the moment landings are probably my 'weakest link'. The take offs are good and the landings are OK. We take off again and do a full circuit with all the checks and lookouts. This has been the same for all my solo's (all 2 of them), start with take off and landings then a circuit and if I'm good enough I go solo. Everything went well during the circuit so we did one more short circuit with an 'autorotation' and then back to land. My instructor gets out and asks me to do five circuits, each time coming either back into the hover or landing.
Before I start I decide that I will land on the first, third and last circuit. I started into my first circuit very carefully as I had just lost my instructors weight from the helicopter, which made the handling very different. Each circuit I did all the checks and made sure all heights and speeds were correct at the correct time. My third solo was fairly uneventful, the only slight problem was the second landing which was a little hesitant......again. When I had finished my solo and landed my instructor got back in and said, "take me home", taking off then seemed VERY strange as the weight was back in and I wasn't used to it. I'm not saying my instructor is heavy but.......
Back to the pad for some lunch and get ready for the afternoon lesson.
My Comments: My third solo went well and I didn't do anything wrong, well nothing that the instructor saw anyway.

Lesson 27 25/6/02 Navigation Exercise
A tuna and sweetcorn roll later and I am ready for my second lesson of the day. In the morning I had planned a trip from Wycombe airfield to a small airfield near Silverstone then to a disused airfield and back to High Wycombe. The journey should take about 45minutes. I had planned the route, the heading, times and then worked out the ground speed and actual heading. My instructor checked my calculations (just as well because we would have ended up in Bognor), pointed out a small error and then I did my calculations again.
We went straight into the circuit and then out on the first leg of the journey, which should take 26 minutes. On my map I had marked off points at half way and on the quarters so I could check my progress. After six and a half minutes (according to the map) I was expecting to see a rail track crossing our route (on the ground obviously) which, to my amazement, we did see. At the half way mark, the expected lakes were just where the map showed and the three quarter mark a disused airfield. On the first leg I was about 30 seconds off of my expected time. I'm sure my instructor was just as stunned as I was when the second and third leg went the same way as the first. Everything I was expecting to see I did see, I was where I was supposed to be at the right time and apart from a very short time at the wrong height (30 seconds ish) everything else was just about right.
And this wasn't a dream.
My Comments: Everything seemed to go very well. I reached all my target points at my estimated times and kept my height and speed fairly accurately. Most unexpected! Altogether a good day. No real problems with either lesson.
p.s. I've told mum that I have done my third solo. But as I knew that the third was the dodgy one, was I being extra careful ? If thats the case, does that mean the forth is now my one to watch ? It's getting far too complicated.

Lesson 28 28/6/02 Navigation Exercise
I had booked a lesson at 10am and then another for after lunch today. Due to my inability to do the simplest of tasks (navigate using the 'CraP' computer) I didn't have time for my second lesson. The idea was that we would start with my forth solo and then after lunch do a navigation exercise which I had half planned at home. I started by finishing off the planning with todays wind calculations. I thought I had got the hang of the 'CraP' computer, obviously not. I planned the route and then passed over my map and plan to my instructor for inspection.
WRONG!
I tried a second time, as I was sure I had the idea now.
WRONG!
Third time lucky.
By the time I had finished the planning, the wind was too strong for a solo, so we went and did the navigation exercise. With the route planned, we find a helicopter and start up. Today's navigation was from Wycombe to Northampton via a roundabout near a small town. The flying all went well and we got where we wanted to in about the time set. I didn't time each leg accurately this time but I know we reached each landmark on time. The radio call at Northampton caused a few problems, as I couldn't hear/understand what was happening. I know what to expect on the radio at High Wycombe now, but going to a different airfield and hearing different voices and requests changes things a little. When we reached Northampton, after paying landing fees, we stopped and had a cup of coffee and a sandwich.
How very civilized to fly to an airfield, have a cup of coffee and fly back.
While waiting for the sandwich I had my instructors full attention so I could find out what they thought about the CPL training and job prospects etc. After about an hour (making a tuna & sweetcorn sandwich and a baked potato in Nothampton takes a long time) we had finished and headed back. The journey back was fairly uneventful, I went off course once for a short while and had to search a little at one of my checking points but got back on track OK. Coming back to High Wycombe caused no real problems.
Each time things get a little clearer!
My Comments: An interesting lesson, the navigation was interesting and went according to plan......even if it was the third plan!

RAIN AND WIND STOPS PLAY FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS

Lesson 29 12/7/02 Forth Solo
Once again I have two lesson booked, one at 10.30 and another after lunch. The weather today is calm and very light occasional showers. Due to bad weather during the past two weeks this will be my first flight for 15 days!
The plan for the day is a check over flight (to see if I can remember how to fly) followed by a solo of about half an hour. In the afternoon, if all goes well, I will plan a solo trip out of the circuit. I go out and check over the helicopter as it's the first flight. The check over flight involves a few take off and landings and a circuit around the airfield. The take off and landings aren't too bad but I wait too long to descend and have to go around again. Apart from the 'slight lapse' everything else was good and I was happy. After the check over I took the helicopter back to near the pads and my instructor got out. After a full explanation of what was required/expected and the brief on how they would see everything I do, I started my forth solo. A nice smooth take off, taxi over the runway to the 'play area' and I do all the checks and a very smooth lookout turn (hoping my instructor is watching) and then move into the circuit. The first circuit was good and everything went well, half way around I could hear that other helicopters would be joining in the 'play area' so I was watching for them. Back at the airfield I picked my landing spot and headed down, and a nice landing. I took off again and went around again, three more times, each time doing all my checks. The second and third circuits I didn't land as there were three other helicopters at 'November'(the play area), so I flew around the next circuit. The last circuit went well and I landed, and then headed back to the pads to meet up with a happy instructor. Happy because the helicopter is in one piece, apparently helicopters are expensive but students come along all the time!
My Comments: A good lesson, a little scary when there are lots of other helicopters around and you are solo (you can't say "you have control" and give it back to the instructor!)

Lesson 30 12/7/02 Out of the Circuit Solo (that's all by myself mum!)
During my lunch break I planned a short trip (13 miles each way) which was going to be my next solo, and my first out of the circuit. I wasn't nervous, not sure why, I think I should have been.
Once again we took off from the pads and landed on the airfield ready for my solo. My instructor reminded me of everything I had to do and then, after a short prayer (not sure why but I'm the only student they pray for) got out to let me go. The take off was good as was the transition into the circuit. I let the tower know I was going and then left the circuit. This is when I realised I was in the helicopter on my own and I couldn't ask what to do next! It took a few minutes to get things how I wanted them.........usually I have a voice saying "left pedal" or "watch your heading" or "We're going to die" but this time I had to get into a routine of checking all these things myself. On the halfway point I was just where I was supposed to be (It suprises me just as much as it does you), but then I was looking at the map and trying to find a point that I had passed so I lost track a little. My heading was almost right so I knew I would be near my turning point soon, I looked out ahead and found my target.

Erik - 1 Total humiliation, loose bowels, death - 0

The trip back was completely different, everything was perfect. I had time for all my checks, I could see everything on the map at the time I expected and I even had time to admire the view. It was great, I think the confidence after getting to my planned route made the return trip better. Back into the circuit and onto the airfield for a good but hesitant landing.
My Comments: Fantastic, it felt right.
p.s. I found out after the lesson that it's the helicopter they pray for not me.

Lesson 31 - 35