Night Training - 3

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="045085a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Golf Mike Bravo going around...</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Golf Mike Bravo going around..."><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Golf Mike Bravo going around..."><U><B><IMG SRC="03b0e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="up" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>   </B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="14"><B>     </B><A HREF="id158.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Touch of HEVN"><U><B><IMG SRC="02f0e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="previous" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  </B><A HREF="id160.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="On to the 10"><U><B><IMG SRC="0300e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="next" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="046d2e83.jpg"> <div> <IMG SRC="76ea0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id116.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bembridge"><U>Bembridge</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id117.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Isle of Man"><U>Isle of Man</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id139.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Check outs and Bimbles"><U>Check outs and Bimbles</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id150.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Shobdon"><U>Shobdon</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id151.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="First Passenger"><U>First Passenger</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id154.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Back in the 40"><U>Back in the '40</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id152.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Flyer Magazine Bash"><U>Flyer Magazine Bash</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id153.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Kemble"><U>Kemble</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id155.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Shotteswell and Goodwood"><U>Shotteswell and Goodwood</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id156.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Night Training 1"><U>Night Training - 1</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id157.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Night Training 2"><U>Night Training - 2</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id158.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Touch of HEVN"><U>A Touch of HEVN</U></A></div> <div> <B>Night Training - 3</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id160.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="On to the 10"><U>On to the '10'</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id161.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Getting used to the 10"><U>Getting used to the '10'</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id162.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Abbeville"><U>Abbeville</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id163.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Duxford"><U>Duxford</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id164.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hazy Sunday Afternoon"><U>Hazy Sunday Afternoon</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id165.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Avranches"><U>Avranches</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id166.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A little Jodeling"><U>A little Jodel-ing</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id203.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sywell"><U>Sywell</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id204.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Compton Abbas"><U>Compton Abbas</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id205.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Back to Bembridge"><U>Back to Bembridge</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id206.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Rochester"><U>Rochester</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id207.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sleap"><U>Sleap</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id208.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A look at Leicester, more Jodelling and "><U>A look at Leicester, more Jodelling and back to Sleap!</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id210.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Bonus Bimble"><U>A Bonus Bimble</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#CCCCE4" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Night Training - 3</I></div> <bR> <div> Wednesday 1st March 2006</div> <div> As I mentioned last time, things have been conspiring against getting this finished for quite some while. It's now March, and Wellesbourne still closes at 7pm, making its usefulness for night training now rather limited. But Oxford is open till 8pm on weekdays, and so that's where we'll be finishing off the course. As has happened so many times, I thought that the weather would get in the way again -- Prob30 CBs and snow showers forecast on the TAFs, with temperatures down to -4<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >°</FONT>. But we decided to risk it. And so, after work I drove to Oxford Kidlington airport, all the while worrying about the large snow-laden CB ahead of me.</div> <bR> <div> We finished the last lesson (<A HREF="id157.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Night Training 2"><U>Night Training - 2</U></A>) with three full-stop landings to complete, and 0.1 hours needed for the minimum time requirement. However, I wanted to start the session with some dual circuits, since we were using a different aeroplane which I hadn't flown at night, at a different airport where I hadn't flown at night (or in fact at all), and of course it was 2<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >½ months since the last night session. </FONT> I met up with Alistair in Operations. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >We briefed in the plane and went through the pre-flight, all the while watching this CB looming nearby in the twilight. If it was moving, it was moving slowly, and we couldn't decide it it was coming toward us or not.</FONT></div> <bR> <div> We decided to proceed with the training, and if the cloud did turn out to be coming our way, we could always stop. It was 6:15.</div> <bR> <div> Oxford has full ATC, and you need to call for startup. Alistair already had the radios tuned, with the ATIS on com1 and Tower on com2. So we switched on the radio Master and listened to the ATIS. Information Lima... Runway in use 19 right hand... QFE 994...  After listening through a couple of times and making notes, I switched channels and called up.</div> <bR> <div> <I>"Oxford Tower, Golf Hotel Echo Victor November with information Lima, request start"</I></div> <div> <I>"Golf Victor November reading you five. Startup approved. Call for taxi."</I></div> <div> <I>"Startup approved. Wilco. Golf Victor November."</I></div> <bR> <div> Radio master off, and then go through the normal startup checklist.</div> <bR> <div> <I>"Oxford Tower, Golf Hotel Echo Victor November request taxi for circuits. 2 POB"</I></div> <div> <I>"Golf Victor November, taxi to hold Charlie for runway 19, crossing runway 27 and along runway 22"</I></div> <bR> <div> Read back the clearance, and we're off. It's a long taxi round to the hold, taking a good five minutes. There are green cats eyes marking the centre line of the taxiway, but as we turn onto runway 22, these disappear. Power checks at the hold and call ready for departure.</div> <bR> <div> <I>"Golf Victor November cleared take off. Wind 280 at 9 knots"</I></div> <div> I read back <I>"Cleared take off, Golf Victor November." </I>and taxi out onto the runway.</div> <bR> <div> Full power... 75kts... Rotate... The heading bug is set to the runway QDM, and its quickly obvious that we're being pushed to the left by the crosswind. We're pushed even further left by my inability to to hold the heading, and it takes a lot of effort and "encouragement" from Alistair to get back on to the extended centre line. The circuit at Oxford is high--1200ft QFE--with the first turn not permitted below 750ft. The circuit goes like this: Climb to 750ft, turn left to crosswind, staying outside of Yarnton village, level off at 1200 ft, turn again to cross over Kidlington (don't cross the A34); there are two white lites in the middle of the town, aim to fly over the top of them, fly downwind, Danger Area D129 (Weston On The Green) is active to 8000ft, so stay well clear. The Mercury satellite Earth Station is going to be our reference for turning final, so when we get near the two red lights we can turn base. Round the outside of the satellite station and turn final.</div> <bR> <div> <I>"Golf Victor November final for touch and go"</I></div> <div> <I>"Golf Victor November cleared for touch and go"</I></div> <div> <I>"Cleared touch and go"</I></div> <bR> <div> The runway at Oxford is long and narrow: 1319m by 23m, and it really looks it. The PAPI doesn't become visible until we pass the satellites and are about to turn final. I undershoot the turn to final and have to crab my way onto the extended centre line. Somehow I get fixated on following the lights down, don't hold off, and bounce. Full power, go around, try again. Very messy.</div> <bR> <div> The second circuit was better. Still drifting off track on the climb out, but the approach was good, and the flare and hold off too. An interesting observation: Due to the down slope at the far end of the runway, as you shift your attention to the red lights to hold off, they disappear below ground level. Ho hum! Back in the air Alistair says "Two more like that and I'll send you solo." The third was better still, and the fourth. Now Alistair says "lets make this one to land."</div> <bR> <div> Although there's a crossing runway at the mid point, it's grass and unlit, so after landing we fast taxi to the far end of the runway. Here blue taxiway edge lights lead us back to the apron. I can't help noticing that this new taxiway is actually wider than the runway! On the way in, Alistair advises the tower of the crew change coming up, and our plan for the rest of the session. ATC also agrees to let me backtrack after the landings, subject to the other circuit traffic (otherwise the taxi round will add 5 or 10 minutes to each circuit!).</div> <bR> <div> Alistair gets out, and I call up the tower.<I> "Golf Victor November request taxi for three full stop circuits"</I>. I get the same clearance as before, and follow the green cats eyes round to the hold. Pre-take off checks complete I call <I>"Ready for departure".</I></div> <bR> <div> <I>"Golf Victor November hold position." </I> There's another aircraft on final for a touch and go. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >It passes. "Golf Victor November line up". I taxi onto the runway, stop and apply the parking brake. Ahead of me, the other aircraft is climbing away.</FONT></div> <div> <I>"Golf Victor November cleared take off"</I>. We're off!</div> <bR> <div> The climb out went quickly.  300 ft: flaps up, set climb power and trim. Concentrate on maintaing heading... good. By the time I reach the Yarnton turn onto crosswind, I'm already at 1100ft, thanks to the lighter weight. 1200ft--circuit height--by the time the turn was complete. Turn again. <I>"Golf Victor November downwind"</I> </div> <bR> <div> <I>"Roger. Report final, number one."</I> Turn base... turn final... nicely lined up with the centre line, but the approach is high - four whites. No trouble though, just fly the picture. <I>"Golf Victor November final to land".</I> </div> <bR> <div> <I>"Cleared to land"</I>. Flare... hold off... Down. <I>"Golf Victor November cleared to backtrack 19. Report ready for departure." </I>Brake to a crawl, and full left boot to turn around on the runway. The other guy in the circuit calls downwind. No need to rush, but no time to hang about. I can't see the runway 22 intersection where I'd originally lined up, so continue to the threshold. Another 180 and run through the pre take off checks: flaps set, trim set... the other plane calls final, and is told to continue approach.<I> "Golf Victor November ready for departure"</I>.</div> <bR> <div> <I>"Cleared take off"</I>. Circuit number two. This time the plane  behind is closer. He calls downwind while I'm on base, and I fully expect not to be given another backtrack. But when I call final, <I>"Golf Victor November cleared to land. After landing cleared to backtrack 19 for immediate departure."</I> Down again, brakes, turn round, taxi, I try to estimate the intesection so I don't need to taxi so far--there's plenty of runway--but before I'm ready, the following aircraft calls going around. Oops, sorry.</div> <bR> <div> Turn round, call ready. <I>"Victor November hold position"</I>. A moment, then<I> "Cleared take off".</I> Circuit number three. Round again. I call downwind. I can see the other plane ahead on final. "Report final, number two". Base... final... down. The last landing is a bit hard; firm but fair. Fast taxi to the end of the runway and vacate. There's another aircraft coming in behind me, and as soon as I call vacated, he's cleared to land. I'm given clearance to taxi back round to the apron, and park up where I dropped off Alistair.</div> <bR> <div> Alistair came out to meet me and we put the covers on while debriefing the trip. All that now remains is for the paperwork to be filled in and signed off, and a cheque for £76 sent off to the CAA.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>