Today is my last day of Oxford Aviation before Christmas, well it should have been had the snow not dumped all 14 inches of itself all over Oxfordshire.
I came home on Monday (it is now Thursday) after hearing that all GS classes had been cancelled as not only students but instructors couldn't make it into the airport and it would have been highly unlikely that many people could get in, therefore completely time inefficient to teach these few and not the class as a whole. As we are the latest course to arrive at OAA, we were the lowest priority as we have no exams until the end of January and so were told just to make it home safely and we'll catch up on lost time in the new year.
I felt that the disruption was dealt with very professionally and sensibly by OAA and it was very nice of them to allow us an extended scope for celebrating Christmas! However, there is no escaping it fully, as AP321 has been introduced to CBT (computer based training) and can access the lessons, tests and homework from any computer in the world, so I don't think "Sorry sir, the dog ate my keyboard" would go down well if the work wasn't done either, however, it would only hinder the persons own progress if they chose to ignore it.
I had a mostly pain-free trip home and despite numerous and lengthy delays at Oxford and Birmingham New Street train station it was, so good to come back to my own bed again! Home certainly is where the heart is...
I would like to wish everyone reading and all of my fantastic new friends and coursemates at OAA the happiest of Christmases and a safe and prosperous new year!
Sam
Thursday 23 December 2010
Friday 17 December 2010
1/27 Weeks of Ground School Done
So the week has finished and the sun has set on the first week of GS for the 321. Infact, I cannot believe it has been a week! It has gone so, so quickly, however, I can physically feel my head is heavier with knowledge. Whether it relates to Meteorology, DC electrics, Aircraft Systems, Instruments etc, one week in GS packs a definite academic punch.
I have been trying to get myself into a routine whereby, I do my day at OAA, come home and have an hour to relax a bit and have some grub and then study from about 18:30-22:30, by which stage, I am most certainly ready to sleep to recharge my batteries for another day. I think this is the only way to maximise and make sure you digest all you can from the books in this early stage to get the basic understandings of the vital elements of each subject and their topics, so these basics can be built upon in later lessons.
Today was what is known as POETS day ( I don't know if that is a course thing or a general OAA term for Friday). Basically it means, 'P!5s Off Early Tomorrow's Saturday' so it seems the instructors are fairly chilled out on the final day of the week. Our Theory of Flight instructor was also off ill today so two of our periods were cancelled and we had it as private study. Which, was beneficial as I had planned on a night off tonight, so I utilised my free periods to the maximum by studying ToF and Human Performance.
The 321 will be heavily featured in The Black Horse tonight, sporting many decorations in the liquid form and singing modern day chart carols out in Oxford tonight.
A funny and successful week,
A night well deserved by everyone in the 321 :D
I have been trying to get myself into a routine whereby, I do my day at OAA, come home and have an hour to relax a bit and have some grub and then study from about 18:30-22:30, by which stage, I am most certainly ready to sleep to recharge my batteries for another day. I think this is the only way to maximise and make sure you digest all you can from the books in this early stage to get the basic understandings of the vital elements of each subject and their topics, so these basics can be built upon in later lessons.
Today was what is known as POETS day ( I don't know if that is a course thing or a general OAA term for Friday). Basically it means, 'P!5s Off Early Tomorrow's Saturday' so it seems the instructors are fairly chilled out on the final day of the week. Our Theory of Flight instructor was also off ill today so two of our periods were cancelled and we had it as private study. Which, was beneficial as I had planned on a night off tonight, so I utilised my free periods to the maximum by studying ToF and Human Performance.
The 321 will be heavily featured in The Black Horse tonight, sporting many decorations in the liquid form and singing modern day chart carols out in Oxford tonight.
A funny and successful week,
A night well deserved by everyone in the 321 :D
Monday 13 December 2010
Just a Spot of Light Reading
Today was the 321's first official day of ground school (GS) which involved us meeting at the lounge area in the Academy at 0845, then followed by a presentation introducing us to the course and outlining what we had ahead of us and also what is expected from both OAA and Airlines in the way of results to exams, both in GS and the practical flight exams in the latter stages of the course. We then had two GS lessons in the afternoon, Piston Engines (PE) and Human Performance and Limitations (HPL). I feel my blog will slowly and surely fill with acronyms...
We were also issued with our CRP-5 flight computers which was all rather exciting and something I had been looking forward to!
We were taken to our classroom, which will be unchanged for each subject for the first six weeks or so I believe, by Pete Pitcher (Chief Ground Instructor or CGI) who is a fantastically British ex-military man and was very funny and settled whatever apprehension I had about the following six months. "Whoever says they like or enjoy GS, quite frankly, is a pervert" was one of many.
We then had lunch until 1415 which was followed by a lesson on PE with Mr Terry Hulmes, which basically involved Newton's Law's, Boyle's Law, Combined Gas Law etc. So mainly physics and will definitely require some reciting and absorption. This was then followed by a lesson on HPL, with Mr Dave Hind, again, like Terry and Pete, he was ex-military and like the other two, funny and very engaging.
I can already sense that due to the fast pace of even our first lessons, this is going to be one hectic and intense first six months, but being back learning again, learning something I have dreamed of learning all my life, is absolute bliss.
Oh and this is what I meant about a spot of light reading, I have six months to cover it...
We were also issued with our CRP-5 flight computers which was all rather exciting and something I had been looking forward to!
We were taken to our classroom, which will be unchanged for each subject for the first six weeks or so I believe, by Pete Pitcher (Chief Ground Instructor or CGI) who is a fantastically British ex-military man and was very funny and settled whatever apprehension I had about the following six months. "Whoever says they like or enjoy GS, quite frankly, is a pervert" was one of many.
We then had lunch until 1415 which was followed by a lesson on PE with Mr Terry Hulmes, which basically involved Newton's Law's, Boyle's Law, Combined Gas Law etc. So mainly physics and will definitely require some reciting and absorption. This was then followed by a lesson on HPL, with Mr Dave Hind, again, like Terry and Pete, he was ex-military and like the other two, funny and very engaging.
I can already sense that due to the fast pace of even our first lessons, this is going to be one hectic and intense first six months, but being back learning again, learning something I have dreamed of learning all my life, is absolute bliss.
Oh and this is what I meant about a spot of light reading, I have six months to cover it...
Saturday 11 December 2010
First Course Night Out
So we're all settled in and thought it would be rude not to meet up as a group after enrolment.
We met up at The Black Horse in Kidlington and the night began.
A few hours later and it's fair to say that there are certainly some characters in AP321! After a fair few rounds at the pub we migrated into Oxford city, until around 4am, when we decided to hit the hay and go home, via the local kebab hut.
The group (excluding a few that couldn't make it) really enjoyed a great night out and everyone has definitely bonded to some degree! I really think that OAA are good for making everyone come down on the Friday before the Monday start, not only for uniform and admin purposes but also so the course can gel in one of the only weekends we will have during ground school (GS), socially.
So far so good, except for Liverpool being beaten 3-1. Grrrrrrrrrrrr
Sam
We met up at The Black Horse in Kidlington and the night began.
A few hours later and it's fair to say that there are certainly some characters in AP321! After a fair few rounds at the pub we migrated into Oxford city, until around 4am, when we decided to hit the hay and go home, via the local kebab hut.
The group (excluding a few that couldn't make it) really enjoyed a great night out and everyone has definitely bonded to some degree! I really think that OAA are good for making everyone come down on the Friday before the Monday start, not only for uniform and admin purposes but also so the course can gel in one of the only weekends we will have during ground school (GS), socially.
So far so good, except for Liverpool being beaten 3-1. Grrrrrrrrrrrr
Sam
Friday 10 December 2010
Enrolment Day
So finally the day has come where 27, yes 27 (rather full course), eager wannabe commercial pilots arrived at Oxford Aviation Academy to enrol on an integrated Ab Initio course. Collectively known as course AP321, we started at 9am, meeting in the lounge area where we were left to introduce ourselves to each other. This seemed to be fairly simple as the Facebook group I set up was fairly popular and so it was easy to recognise people and put names to faces.
We were then allocated uniforms and tested all of the clothing for size. This was good fun as I have been waiting to get my OAA epaulettes for some time and wear them proudly!
We were shown all the health and safety stuff and the do's and don'ts of the school and accommodation (for those in UH* and LH**). We had a visit from the local GP for blood pressure tests and to look over our applications for local medical centre, which was pretty simple and involved yet more paperwork, which I guess I should get used to!
I am now in my new accommodation with my new housemates, Sari, Laura, Priyesh, Sara and Tia the kitten. Everybody is lovely judging by first impressions and the like. Settled in to my room thanks to my fantastic parents and lovely girlfriend helping to move all my clutter into my shell of a room.
So far so good, here's to the next 16-18 months!
Sam
*UH= Upper Heyford, Oxford Aviation Academy student accommodation located on an old US Airforce base 11 miles from Oxford London Airport.
**LH= On site accommodation for OAA students
We were then allocated uniforms and tested all of the clothing for size. This was good fun as I have been waiting to get my OAA epaulettes for some time and wear them proudly!
We were shown all the health and safety stuff and the do's and don'ts of the school and accommodation (for those in UH* and LH**). We had a visit from the local GP for blood pressure tests and to look over our applications for local medical centre, which was pretty simple and involved yet more paperwork, which I guess I should get used to!
I am now in my new accommodation with my new housemates, Sari, Laura, Priyesh, Sara and Tia the kitten. Everybody is lovely judging by first impressions and the like. Settled in to my room thanks to my fantastic parents and lovely girlfriend helping to move all my clutter into my shell of a room.
So far so good, here's to the next 16-18 months!
Sam
*UH= Upper Heyford, Oxford Aviation Academy student accommodation located on an old US Airforce base 11 miles from Oxford London Airport.
**LH= On site accommodation for OAA students
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