Beginning of the Bournemouth training

So I have been in Bournemouth for a week and a half now, meaning I am well into the simulator sorties. The initial two days were ground school - going over any differences from both procedures and how things work in the UK. The radio calls vary quite a lot compared to New Zealand and time is even more precious than in NZ due to the busier airspace - we need to be as concise and accurate as possible.

The first four simulator sessions are pretty much to help get back into the swing of instrument flying, consisting primarily of various VOR, NDB and ILS procedures. We have used Cardiff, Bristol and Bournemouth airports so far, with Cardiff and Bristol both being potential IR test routes.

The next sim which I have tomorrow is an autopilot flight. We are going to try using the autopilot for things we haven't tried so far - approaches, for example. Hopefully will be a fun flight!

After this, there are four LOFT sims. LOFT is Line Orientated Flight Training - basically single pilot commercial operation flights. One includes taking off from Heathrow, which in a Twinstar could be a laugh! The flights will include various scenarios which will require us to make firm, 'Captain-like" decisions, such as diverting. They are going to be hard work, but also sound like a lot of fun!

Once these are done we are onto the IR routes, which means that we prepare to get back into the aircraft (which I cannot wait for!). It seems the IR exam will be here in no time...

CTC's Bournemouth training centre is great - it is a very professional environment and has many extremely experienced instructors sitting inside of it to help us! The traffic we get is great and I have yet to tire of seeing the companies private jets; seeing these and the other jets go past is still a novelty; I am used to Dash 8s and ATRs!

Also, I made a little video putting together my New Zealand flying - hope you enjoy!

Back in the UK

Another long gap between posts, I know, but I have had the busiest month of my life! Since my last post, I have returned to the UK - with my CPL flight test passed! I had the flight exam last Wednesday and as I passed was able to return to the UK as scheduled the following day.

So before taking the CPL, I had to finish off the New Zealand IFR flight phase of training. This mainly consisted of some more SPIC flights - I didn't go anywhere too exciting, as the weather deteriorated and it got to the stage where I just needed to get up, fly and make sure that I could learn something (instead of plan flights in order to see the scenery!).

Rotorua Airport from the circuit

The flights were pretty standard and each would contain VOR/NDB DME approaches, some asymmetric flight, various holds and the DME arcs. The final IFR flight in NZ is your PT2, for which I flew to Tauranga. I was asked to fly there, enter the NDB hold, before commencing the NDB DME approach. From there, I did a missed approach, had a simulated engine failure and entered the hold again, although this time flying on just one engine. Once established I was cleared onwards to Hamilton, where I started the VOR approach from the 12 mile arc, which was also done asymmetrically.

The flights after this all go back to VFR. There are three CPL profiles before the actual flight exam and CTC try to keep you with the same instructor for the three flights. For anybody who doesn't know the CPL test contains the following:

• Ground work: mass and balance/performance/aircraft type knowledge
• Departure: start-up/taxi/takeoff/exit from the control zone
• Navigation: there is a planned nav leg, before completing an inflight diversion which you are given a few minutes before your arrival at the first destination. 
• General handling: steep turns/stalls (in clean/base-to-final configuration/finals configuration)
• Circuits: normal, flapless and asymmetric
• Instrument flight: partial panel airwork/compass turns/inadvertent entry into IMC/unusual attitudes recovery/position fix using a radio navigation aid
• Emergencies
• Arrival: entry into the control zone/landing/shut down

Each profile covers as much as possible and they give you a good idea of what to expect on the day. Before the flight, you will be given your nav destination, which you then plan along with your mass and balance and performance calculations. The examiner comes in after a reasonable time period and will ask about the route, how you planned it/fuel requirements etc, before asking about other preflight procedures. During flight, the examiner must be treated as a fare paying passenger with no knowledge of flying (unless otherwise specified!). This means apron safety briefings for them before walking out to the aircraft and when onboard, an aircraft safety briefing on emergency exits/fire extinguishers etc. For my CPL, I was sent to Whakamaru for my planned leg and then diverted to Rotomahana; the destinations given are usually pretty remote, as they are really testing your navigational skills. Once this section was complete, I was asked to take the examiner to Rotorua Airport for circuits, where I completed a normal and a flapless touch and go, after which I was given an engine failure after take off. This then led to an asymmetric circuit followed by a go around at asymmetric committal height. I was then given both engines back and vacated the control zone headed for Hamilton to complete the rest of the flight. I was given an alternator failure en route which I had to complete the drills for, before being asked to put on the instrument flight hood. Inadvertent entry into IMC drills were then completed before doing some basic flying; turns, climbing turns etc. Following this, I was asked to do some compass turns and a position fix and mark where I worked out I was on the VFR chart. Once I had put a cross on it, I had to put on the autopilot to demonstrate basic use of it whilst I took off the hood and had to prove the the examiner using external references that my fix was correct (which, thankfully, it was!). I then completed the general handling section, with the steep turns being before the stalls. Once this was complete, I was told there were flames coming out of the right hand engine, meaning I had to complete the engine fire drills, which are checklist memory items. This drill includes a full engine shut down, a requirement in the test, potentially followed by an emergency descent. Once the situation is under control and the drills are complete, you are asked to restart the dead engine. When everything was back to normal I was told to please return to Hamilton, where I would complete an asymmetric landing. After what was possibly my best asymm. landing yet, I taxied back to CTC, shut down the Twinstar and headed back into the training centre, where I was told I had met the flight test requirements and had passed! I don't think I have ever been so anxious, excited or relieved! After a debrief I headed back to Clearways to pack for my departure the following day. 

Extremely relieved with my CPL aircraft, ZK CTL

Inbetween all of this I also completed by VFR single engine night solo circuits flight which was incredible. It was great to fly solo again and was a fantastic way to say goodbye to the Cessna which taught me to fly - video to come!

Safe to say the flight home was a relatively stress free one, with six very relieved trainee pilots on board looking forward to home comforts! We head down to our new accommodation in Bournemouth on Sunday, ready for starting the BOH phase of training on Monday. 

Trip to Bournemouth

G-CTCF - 'my ride'

Today I went to the CTC Training Centre at Bournemouth Airport to have a look around and see where exactly I should hopefully be in around a year's time.

We arrived very early (with a 5.45am start!) after being told that by getting there at that time we were more likely to be able to backseat a flight. After having a quick look around the building, which is made up mainly of briefing rooms and a couple of DA42 simulators and gawping and some of CTC's private jets, I was told that there was a seat up for grabs on a flight leaving in ten minutes - so of course I said yes!

After strolling across the tarmac sporting my sexy yellow jacket, I clambered into the back of the Twinstar, where the engines were soon fired up and the pilot began the endless checks. The cockpits of CTC's DA42 fleet in both the UK and New Zealand are the Garmin 1000, which looks absolutely amazing (just like being in an Airbus!). This high tech, 2 LCD screen flight deck is used mainly due to its similarity to the pointy ends of the airliners we will soon be flying.

The G1000 in a DA42

Not too long (considering the 80 odd checks to do before take off) later, we began out taxi to RWY26. On our way there we taxied past plenty of private jets, including a Boeing 747SP! BOH is full of these snazzy toys, as well as a fair few airliners such as B737s.

We were soon lined up on the runway, gained clearance for take off and the massive engines threw us forward until we reached Vr and shot into the sky. The cloud base was about 2000ft and we weren't clear of them until about 4000ft. After climbing just above the clouds, the aircraft was made to do some steep 360 degree turns to both the left and right, before climbing to 5500ft, where the pilot did some clean configuration stalls. Just after this were some landing configuration stalls, turning stalls, spiral dives and then stimulated engine fires, which consisted of plenty of checks as well as diving through the sky.

M-CHEM (a CTC Dassault Falcon 2000)

After the instructor was satisfied that these manoeuvres were done to the right standards, he asked the pilot to descend to 3000ft whilst being guided back to the runway for a go around. Due to the heavy cloud I couldn't see anything until we were very close to the airport and it became quite bumpy (which is always fun!). After going around, we did circuits, some of which were flaps up, meaning we came in very fast. The wind was pretty strong, so the Diamond had to fight some crosswinds which meant I was looking at a sharp angle out of the window to look down the runway!

After these, we landed and taxied back to the CTC ramp, where there was a crew change, as another pilot needed to do a single circuit to build up his hours by four minutes! So after taxiing back to the runway we leapt up from the runway to circle the airport, by which time luckily visibility had improved meaning there were some great views from up above.

All in all it was a fantastic day and am very grateful that I was able to do it. This has been a massive boost for me and I simply cannot wait to get out to New Zealand and start flying myself!

M-INOR, another CTC jet (a Hawker 900) which followed us in on approach to the apron