Ah, yes: the environment

Flying has been nonexistent lately due to a lack of funds. Anyone who lives in the UK will know that the economy is in trouble and that tax, electricity and fuel bills are all rising rapidly, the latter two by 30% per year. It's ridiculous. I have yet to find out if the rise in fuel costs will affect the price of flying lessons. The tax issue is what really annoys me though: without wanting to rant, how the government thinks that it is reasonable to send taxes on fuel and cars through to roof to encourage us to use public transport and yet still let NI's only bus company to charge me about £2.50 ($5) for a return journey to the City Centre (20 minutes away) and a truly disgraceful £9 ($18) for a return trip to Belfast International Airport (30 minutes away) is completely beyond me. Most likely they don't think it is reasonable but do it anyway for fear of upsetting Greenpeace.

I'm all for protecting the environment, the lengths some people will go to to make a profit are disturbing (for example various activities in the Amazon Rainforest), but arguably environmental pressure groups would be better off devoting their considerable resources to the research of alternative fuels, or picketing the head offices of Translink Northern Ireland to get the fares down, or something - anything but climbing on to the fuselages of planes at Heathrow Airport (which they seem to have done with relative impunity) or, and this is what really baffles me, protesting against the building of a third runway at Heathrow. I'm sure you have heard of Heathrow, one of the busiest airports in the world, which therefore has pretty long queues of planes waiting to take off. Hasn't it struck anyone that building a third runway would mean that there are less planes sitting on a taxiway with their engines on doing nothing but burning expensive fuel and emitting all kinds of nasties into the atmosphere instead of doing the useful and necessary work of transporting people from A to B in safety and comfort? But no, this sensible measure might destroy a field or two so Heathrow security must spend hours prising people off the tailfins of A320s...

This post was actually supposed to be about my ongoing search for a job to do with aviation to fund both my flying and life in general but that will have to wait because I seem to have gone on for a bit. Sorry. I'd like to hear your thoughts - from both sides of the fence - on the issues above.

Withdrawl Symptoms

I know I only really post when I've been flying, but I have some free time today so stand by for an update...

I'd love to go flying today (mind you I'd love to go flying any day) - the weather is beautiful with sun, few clouds and only the slightest hint of wind. Still, I knew I'd go a few weeks at least without flying so just have to sit it out.

My Duke of Edinburgh expedition in the beautiful Mourne Mountains is next weekend. I've been busy packing and worrying about missing something. I hope the weather is as nice as it has been this weekend, although rain is forecast. I will have another look over our route to check if there are any areas prone to becoming marshy on the 50km hike....if there are it'll give me something else to worry about. Still, whatever the weather spending a couple of days with close friends in the mountains will be good for me even if it is tremendously difficult. I can't wait.

Hopefully the weekend after that I will be flying, but if I can't book it soon I won't get a slot for that day, and it is doubtful if the money will be there to book it. Oh well, what's another week...

Right now though I am kicking back and enjoying having a relaxing weekend before next weekend which will be anything but. I'm reading some of my favourite aviation blogs too, Flight Level 390, FL250, Sulako's Blog, Aviatrix,... the legends of Blogspot that are a household name if you have a passion for flying or even just a passion for good reading. If I could work out how to put a blogroll on here they would be at the side, but for now the Links section will have to do. I'm also reading the student pilot's bible, pictured below, and the operating manual for the G1000 cockpit I'm using now which is even more complex than I thought. I love it.



Happy landings.

Dave

Straight and Level

I was flying again today. I met my instructor, Tony, who is a real comedian and a very talented teacher, at the flying club shortly after 10am. After a quick cup of tea we went out to the G1000 simulator which is really just 2 PC screens using the G1000 trainer software available from Garmin. He ran me through the basics, what knob does what and the normal startup procedure for about half an hour and then said he though I was ready to put what I'd learnt in the sim into practice on the real thing. Tony flies the Dornier 328 so he is no stranger to the glass-cockpit concept.

We taxiied out after a beautiful twin-engined Piper which was taking 4 business executives to Glasgow for the day. Interestingly enough it was being piloted by last week's instructor, Everett, and another guy who we'd seen in uniform earlier.

I taxiied out but will be the first to admit I made a mess of turning round at the end of the runway for a takeoff on 04, but oh well. I took off and lifted the Cessna into the cold but gusty air. I love taking off from runway 4 because it gives a really nice view of Newtownards. We turned and headed down the peninsula where I would do some straight and level training.

Like a lot of new pilots used to flight simulators, I suffer from "head in cockpit" syndrome - that is, spend too much time looking at the instruments and not enough looking out the window. Tony was good at stamping that out by covering the beautiful G1000 screens with his hand. The trick is to keep the dash the height of your fist under the horizon to fly straight-and-level, unless of course you have particularly big fists in which case you will eventually hit the ground and have a very bad day.

Next we practiced levelling out at selected altitudes which is a very important skill and one you keep for the rest of your aviation career. I made good progress on that but need a little more practice on using the trim effectively. I put the altitudes into the G1000 just for the practice to learn where the different knobs are.

It has to be said that it is an absolutely beautiful day here today. It's always such a pleasure to fly on a clear sunny day - we could see the shipwrecks under the sea in the Ards Peninsula. Someone told me there are 365 islands in it but I'm not sure if I believe them, although there are certainly a lot.

I flew in again for a rather exciting landing on runway 34. Like the takeoff we got an interesting view - this time of the sea wall which is right at the start of the runway. 34 is very short too so there was a fair old squeal from the tires. It was difficult to leave Charlie Juliet on the ramp as this is the last time I'll be flying for a couple of weeks at least due to a weekend in the mountains the weekend after next. Shame. Still, at least I'm ending on a high.

Thanks for reading.