What did you learn last time you flew?

[Stephan van Tonder]

hehe - I learnt that if you fly for 2.3 hours from 06:15 on a week morning instead of the usual 1.3 you will be late for work..

[MILO]

Oh yes!
"hehe - I learnt that if you fly for 2.3 hours from 06:15 on a week morning instead of the usual 1.3 you will be late for work.."
I am lucky, where I fly I can make sure I am overhead the office before starting time, if its 2 hours early that qualifies as overtime, so I can arrive at work at 09:30 & everyones happy.... I am not sure the boss can do much

[Tumbleweed]

If you arrange an appointment to reduce your 'flip' list, the weather will turn crappy.

If however, should the normally irritating neighbour's k.. dogs wake you up by 5h00 and you go to buzz around the patch, you're to experience the most sureal smooth and clear conditions you could ever wish for.

[Cacofonix]

Hi Milo, if you are taking off at an airfield right hand out think of flying in a rectangle shape, then you will be turning into cross wind leg and then right hand down wind leg then base leg and ultimately you will come in on finals. That circuit flown would have the best landing posibilities on the down wind leg at the least it will give you time to do your down wind checks where you the can decide do i stay in the circuit, come in for a landing to check out any faults, or do i fly my plan if all is ok. The right hand down wind would also not be over the hangers or rough landing areas. So look to see if it is so. Now if the wind were to blow the other way you would then take off left hand out into cross wind leg and then you would turn left into left hand down wind then base and then come in on finals. Each air field has a set of rules. Find out what they are at your airfield. eg. Call 1 mile out, Join over head at 6000ft Call and state your intentions, join on a left hand down wind 21, or right hand down wind 03, circuit height 5500ft, Call on down wind leg and call on finals. Hope this helps to give you a general idea

[Nkwazi]

I learnt that you should never take off uphill at Que Sera

[Sukkelaar]

Hi Nkwasi

I have been there once before, fortunately took of downhill againt the wind.

What 's wrong with uphill if against wind?

Please inform

Regards

Sukkelaar

[Nkwazi]

The uphill is quite steep, you even need to have your brakes on at the bottom of the hill - a few low power/ telephone lines at the end of the runway makes it limit type stuff. Wouldn't try it again

[C205]

Went up on Saturday morning late-ish (around 08:00), landed at Benic's twice just for the practice before doing touch-n-goes at Witbank. No one else was flying.
Learnt that flying in turbulence and on crosswind runways is good practice. Got to be wide awake on cross-wind landings (and take-offs) when flying an aeroplane with mega dihedral. Still stays great fun!!!

[Cacofonix]

hi Milo, i got it all wrong, i learnt that the run up checks need not be memorised but that you can attach the checks onto the papagaai bar with clear tape. in my effort to remember the points i forgot to cancell the choke. as soon as i climbed out to circuit height i lifted my foot slowly off the power. a weired vibration kept me in the circuit coming in for finals full stop. what could it be i thought. i could not find the fault. why would i do the checks again? as i looked down i noticed the choke lever sticking out like a saw thumb My checks are now pasted on the bar and i go through each one loud and clear

[Wargames]

Last time I flew, I learnt that a pre-flight inspection, for every take off, can never be underestimated!!

[AndyG]

hi Milo, i got it all wrong, i learnt that the run up checks need not be memorised but that you can attach the checks onto the papagaai bar with clear tape. in my effort to remember the points i forgot to cancell the choke. as soon as i climbed out to circuit height i lifted my foot slowly off the power. a weired vibration kept me in the circuit coming in for finals full stop. what could it be i thought. i could not find the fault. why would i do the checks again? as i looked down i noticed the choke lever sticking out like a saw thumb My checks are now pasted on the bar and i go through each one loud and clear

Good check,

That choke lever can be nasty

Nice observation it will make pilots think again

[mcfly]

QUOTE TO BE REMEMBERED!

"If Nkwazi does not fly dont take off".

Yesterday we were planning to fly to Benics as part of a group from Petit ,takeoff was planned for 6:30. Only myself and two pilots were ready to take off at the pre arranged time,which prompted a phone call to Nkwazi(as he had arranged the flight) and I was very surprised that HE WAS STILL IN BED!!
He tells me "no fly today" Surprised I discuss this with my fellow pilots and we decide that the weather looks so good and quiet that we will indeed fly to Witbank.

Passing the Bronkhorstspruit dam we saw some cloud to the east which did not seem serious, halfway between Bronkhorstspruit dam and W/bank we see a huge formation of cloud and after a short discussion on the radio we make the call to return to Petit.THEN THE SH#T HIT THE FAN! we were suddenly surrounded by cloud which closed in so fast that myself and one other pilot chose the option of going above the cloud mass, with the idea that the formation will break further down the way. This was not to be, we were above a mass of cloud which seemed to stretch forever.Thank God that the other pilot had chosen to go below the cloud mass. We were in radio contact all of the time and he was able to give the two of us an indication at what height the cloud bank was. The cloud bank was ,at a quick calculation 1000ft deep. Which meant that if we wanted to get below the cloud, we would have to negotiate 1000 ft of zero visual.

I tried to go into the cloud in an attempt to get under the bank but I just could not do it! After pulling the bar and ducking into the cloud I pulled up above again. After a brief discussion I realised that if I did not get under the cloud I would have to suffer the consequences of the cloud getting thicker and the chances of not getting out alive would be so much greater.I steadied my thoughts and set my GPS to get a straight heading. I levelled the aerie and pulled back on the bar. I froze in this position with my eyes fixed to my instruments, looking for any deviation. Which seemed like an eternity and white cloud all around me I just had to keep telling myself that it will be fine. Suddenly as if by magic I was underneath this mass and I screamed with joy! We both made it through. I could not see the other guys,but we were in contact until we reached Petit and arrived there within seconds of each other from different courses.

Writing this now I get that hair raising at the back of my neck realising that it could have gone so wrong and that a Higher hand guided me(us) through that cloud. So many things could have gone wrong ie: colliding with the trike that was down below, not having one person below to give the height of clearance(the cloud could have extended to the ground).

The lesson that I learnt yesterday was not to fly out further than the cabbage patch when the cloud formations are dicey.

Thank you to my fellow pilots for being there and talking all the time.You know who you are.

(no names no packdrill)

[Tracer]

McFly,

Well done too you guys for making the best of this bad situation that you found yourselves in. The weather has been very dicey, the last couple of months.

Be careful out there guys.

[Nkwazi]

Eish Les, glad you okes made it through ok. Be careful

[Tumbleweed]

Guys, this Eastern Highveld gets a quick and sudden thick mist/ cloud bank early in the morning this time of the year and normally lasts for up to an hour.

Good advise I got was if caught in mist/ cloud, maintain same compass heading ( sometimes humidity steams up the visor and you battle to see the GPS) and just relax the bar and allow a natural slow descent. It wont go sideways and you just resist the temptation to 'correct' the stearing. You should monitor the Alt meter when you're getting to close.