I managed to do my BFR [Biennial Flight Review] today! I took up the Wellington Aero Club's Piper PA28-161, ZK-MBG since that is what I have been flying most recently.
Somewhat surprisingly, the weather was good enough [and that's surprising given the howling gales of the past few days!], although far from perfect. In some ways though a bit of turbulence, wind and rain just made for a better check ride.
As for the manoeuvres, it's fair to say I was put through just about everything the instructor could think of: Short field takeoff, slow flight, medium turns left and right, steep turns left and right, compass turn, basic and advanced stalls, FLWOP, low flying [including steep turns left and right, precautionary landings and coastal reversal turns left and right], return to Wellington for circuits including short approach, flapless landing, precision approach and an EFATO. The air was lumpy enough to keep me on my toes, and a wee bit of crosswind to keep me awake on short final.
Lastly, was a few pages of paperwork, including general and aircraft specific knowledge and decoding TAFs for Wellington and Nelson [why did I get the day with loads of "BECOMINGS" in it?? Arrgghh!!]. Lastly a few oral questions [yes, I know that Va increases with an increase in weight] and I'm done.
Now, if you don't understand all the aviation-geek terminology... never mind. Let's just say it was 1.5 hours of work, occasionally funny for the instructor and mostly fun for me! Now to find some fun places to fly to over the next two years. Ideas anyone? :-)
2 comments:
Rodney
Congratulations on being fit for another two years of flying.
Your question about new and interesting places to go is a good one, and developing a comprehensive response would help with the widespread "What do I do now I've got my PPL?" question.
One idea I like is the 'nearby airfields' directory on the Parakai (WestAuckland) site. Having one for WAC would help encourage members to explore more, fly more hours and keep interested in flying. This is worth talking about with other club members and the staff. I may be able to lend a hand (after Xmas) if a project like this gets off the ground (pun intended).
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
That's a really good idea! The Parakai site is very comprehensive - certainly gives the impression that there is a lot to see and do.
I'll definitely have a chat with the bods at the club (I've just sent a couple of emails off), but I'll also start with a look at what I can do on my own site... as a proof of concept.
I like the idea of a google maps display with some clickable info for a start - maybe links to detailed info.
Cheers,
Rodney
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