Part One
Part Two
Enjoy!
Sam
Thursday, 3 November 2011
So here we go....
Well, where do I begin? It has been a while and I am sorry for those who check this regularly to see what I have been up to for keeping you waiting. I'm just having so much fun out here it's hard to find the time to write, what can only be called an essay due to me letting events that need to be reported, back up.
Firstly, I went on a road trip with four of my friends, Jai, Sari, Ashley and Matt to the Grand Canyon, stopping overnight in Flagstaff, continuing up to Williams and then on up to the Canyon. We hired a car, which was basically a tank with armchairs, a great sound system and such a smooth ride. The time in the car flew by, putting on songs, watching the temperature continually fall due to a continual climb in altitude heading towards Flagstaff. One thing we really noticed was how clear the sky was, it was just incredible. It was clear enough to see the milky way, which I have never seen before and would never get tired of seeing again.
We checked into the the hotel hassle free and went out to get some food. We stopped to eat at a place called the lumberyard which was so cool. Good food, fire pits and six mile trains rumbling past the front. Just the job.
The next day we headed out to Williams and Grand Canyon. Williams is a typical old style, almost wild western town which is so small, everyone knows each other and is on the world renowned Route 66. Everyone we met there were really friendly and when taking photos across a road, people stopped their cars so they didn't spoil your shot, which just blew my mind, you really wouldn't get that back home. We stopped at a diner there and got milkshakes and met a few locals, filled ourselves up before moving on towards the Canyon.
Driving from Williams en-route to Grand Canyon National Park, we came across a museum of vintage aircraft which, when a car full of student pilots approaches, is a must see attraction. Despite it being cheap, there was a multitude of all sorts of aircraft which would even keep the non aviation lover interested and inquisitive.
Firstly, I went on a road trip with four of my friends, Jai, Sari, Ashley and Matt to the Grand Canyon, stopping overnight in Flagstaff, continuing up to Williams and then on up to the Canyon. We hired a car, which was basically a tank with armchairs, a great sound system and such a smooth ride. The time in the car flew by, putting on songs, watching the temperature continually fall due to a continual climb in altitude heading towards Flagstaff. One thing we really noticed was how clear the sky was, it was just incredible. It was clear enough to see the milky way, which I have never seen before and would never get tired of seeing again.
We checked into the the hotel hassle free and went out to get some food. We stopped to eat at a place called the lumberyard which was so cool. Good food, fire pits and six mile trains rumbling past the front. Just the job.
The next day we headed out to Williams and Grand Canyon. Williams is a typical old style, almost wild western town which is so small, everyone knows each other and is on the world renowned Route 66. Everyone we met there were really friendly and when taking photos across a road, people stopped their cars so they didn't spoil your shot, which just blew my mind, you really wouldn't get that back home. We stopped at a diner there and got milkshakes and met a few locals, filled ourselves up before moving on towards the Canyon.
Driving from Williams en-route to Grand Canyon National Park, we came across a museum of vintage aircraft which, when a car full of student pilots approaches, is a must see attraction. Despite it being cheap, there was a multitude of all sorts of aircraft which would even keep the non aviation lover interested and inquisitive.
Me With an Ex-Blue Angels Aircraft
Once we had secured our fix for not being involved in anything aviation related for at least one day, we continued towards the 'main event'.
We arrived at the Canyon from the South and therefore parked up on the South Rim. We went to see the sunset, so we got to witness the breathtaking sights during day, dusk and night, which was definitely the best way to do it for sure! We were told that the best place to see the sunset was a point on the rim called Mohave. Sunset was at 17:43 and we reached it at approximately 17:30, taking pictures the whole way up and chatting with some Americans who had travelled to see the sights too.
If you have never visited the Grand Canyon, despite my boldest effort to try and master the description of emotions and sights, I really just can't emphasise how vast and overwhelming it is. I'll just let some pictures do the talking...
We ended up being the last people at the Canyon and we headed back towards the bus stop. There was a stage where I thought we had missed the last bus and were therefore stranded at Mohave point needing to walk about 5 miles back to the car, but luckily the last bus passed and picked us up! Phew, the black bears that live in the wild around the canyon were on my mind, wandering down an open road in the moonlight....at the Grand Canyon. Sometimes I really do need to pinch myself.
Overall, the trip was well worth all the driving and expense and I will never ever forget it.
The following day I flew in the morning, just performing emergency checks and practicing my circuits, which was just a normal flight. However, once I had finished my flying for the day, I headed to the Aeroplane Graveyard in Tucson. The museum there is unreal. It has all retired aircraft, including an SR-71 Blackbird, military, commercial, political and NASA aircraft. The phrase, kid in a candy store comes to mind. It's a really cool place to visit if you're ever out here!
Yesterday (1/11/11) I had my first solo flight. It was just one circuit out of Goodyear which only lasts five minutes or so, but it was the most awesome 5 minutes I have had out here so far. To finally get my first input in the 'Pilot in Command' column felt so good and all the hard work and revision all came together and was truly worthwhile. I have many more solo flights ahead however, I have put together a cool video of my very first solo and me having the traditional celebration at the end. I am having trouble uploading it to Youtube video site. I will upload it to here once I get it sussed and if it doesn't upload after trying as hard as I can to get it to work, I will burn it to a disc and send some home for Mum and Dad to show or distribute to anyone who would like a copy (e.g. Grandparents).
Pretty much all I have been up to, oh and I went to play trampoline dodgeball again tonight, which is basically what it says in the title... I told you life out here was tough.
Any comments are completely welcome. It will be nice to hear from anyone who reads this, I see I had a view in Saudi Arabia, which I can only put down to Google and Oxford Aviation popularity.
Stay safe everyone and I'll speak soon
Sam
P.S Happy Birthday Helen :)
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Sorry to keep you waiting....
...but my next blog post is going to be a big one and I will need time to put my weekend and beginning of this week into words. It was just incredible. I will aim to have it done by the weekend, just to let you all know.
Sam
Sam
Tuesday, 18 October 2011
VIDEO: Oil Leak, shortest flight ever!
We had an oil leak and I thought it would be easier posting a video of the air traffic control conversations which basically explain it all :)
I am away this weekend to Sedona, Flagstaff, Williams and the Grand Canyon. Will hopefully update this before then, but if not much happens inbetween then I may choose not to as I have a 1000 word essay to write!
Sam
I am away this weekend to Sedona, Flagstaff, Williams and the Grand Canyon. Will hopefully update this before then, but if not much happens inbetween then I may choose not to as I have a 1000 word essay to write!
Sam
Monday, 10 October 2011
Last Few Days...
Saturday saw my first early start, 4am to be precise. However, it wasn't difficult getting myself out of bed, ready and sorted cause I knew I was getting up to fly and despite it still being dark outside, it was nice enough to walk around in a short sleeved shirt, which I still find amazing.
I back seated the first flight, watched what my flight partner did and the beauty of it is, I can learn from his mistakes and he can learn from mine when he back-seats my flights. This flight on saturday morning was just amazing though as we took off probably, five minutes before sunrise and honestly, I am not one for appreciating scenery, but the view and colours of the sky were sensational. Unfortunately I didn't have any camera with me to capture the sight so you'll just have to take my word for it!
My flight went really well and all the practicing checklists and familiarising myself with the aircraft and it's features really paid off! We flew through the checks and took off from runway three with a left hand downwind departure heading out over an area in Rainbow Valley called The Greenfields. We practiced straight and level flight, climbing turns and descents and then moved onto the effects of flaps. All really interesting and it was a great flight!
I spent most of the day by the pool and managed to fall asleep, much to the amusement of some of my course mates as there is now a picture of me, face down on a sun bed fast asleep. When they have early flights, I will get my own back!
I was also trying to recharge my batteries as on Saturday night, the course ahead of us 322, threw our (323) initiation party which was a wholehearted messy affair and don't really need to go into it. Loads of games, loads of beer and loads of dancing. A lot of people ended up fully clothed in the pool and I think it is safe to say everyone had an amazing time. Thank you to everyone on 322 for the time and money well spent on a great night!
Yesterday, I went with six other guys and one girl out to lake pleasant and hired a speed boat for water sports and a day just bobbing around in the sun. It was so, so cool and really did make me realise how relaxed I was! We had wake boarding, water skiing and a big inflatable donut which caused quite a few laughs when people went flying off and head over heels into the water. The boat was also equipped with a pretty decent speaker system too, so flying across the water at 60mph listening to some music, was safe to say pretty awesome.
My next flight is tomorrow morning and I hope the conditions stay as perfect as last time, I'll keep this up to date with what I am doing over the next few days.
Sam
I back seated the first flight, watched what my flight partner did and the beauty of it is, I can learn from his mistakes and he can learn from mine when he back-seats my flights. This flight on saturday morning was just amazing though as we took off probably, five minutes before sunrise and honestly, I am not one for appreciating scenery, but the view and colours of the sky were sensational. Unfortunately I didn't have any camera with me to capture the sight so you'll just have to take my word for it!
My flight went really well and all the practicing checklists and familiarising myself with the aircraft and it's features really paid off! We flew through the checks and took off from runway three with a left hand downwind departure heading out over an area in Rainbow Valley called The Greenfields. We practiced straight and level flight, climbing turns and descents and then moved onto the effects of flaps. All really interesting and it was a great flight!
I spent most of the day by the pool and managed to fall asleep, much to the amusement of some of my course mates as there is now a picture of me, face down on a sun bed fast asleep. When they have early flights, I will get my own back!
I was also trying to recharge my batteries as on Saturday night, the course ahead of us 322, threw our (323) initiation party which was a wholehearted messy affair and don't really need to go into it. Loads of games, loads of beer and loads of dancing. A lot of people ended up fully clothed in the pool and I think it is safe to say everyone had an amazing time. Thank you to everyone on 322 for the time and money well spent on a great night!
Yesterday, I went with six other guys and one girl out to lake pleasant and hired a speed boat for water sports and a day just bobbing around in the sun. It was so, so cool and really did make me realise how relaxed I was! We had wake boarding, water skiing and a big inflatable donut which caused quite a few laughs when people went flying off and head over heels into the water. The boat was also equipped with a pretty decent speaker system too, so flying across the water at 60mph listening to some music, was safe to say pretty awesome.
My next flight is tomorrow morning and I hope the conditions stay as perfect as last time, I'll keep this up to date with what I am doing over the next few days.
Sam
Thursday, 6 October 2011
First in AZ
Today made me realise why I had slaved over what seemed like endless ground school material, hours and hours of work and having to bounce back from failing an exam. As you may have already gathered, I had my first flight in the PA28-161 aircraft (registration: N398H) out of Goodyear with a duration of 00:50 minutes.
We took off from runway 21 and headed out to Rainbow Valley, South of Buckeye. We performed general handling manoeuvres and the lesson was a basic familiarisation session. I controlled the plane in the air and on the ground however, my flight instructor landed us back on safe ground for me, especially with the variable crosswinds!
I also got to back-seat with one of my good friends, Sari, on his flight which consisted of right hand closed traffic circuits, whereby you take off, turn right at 90 degrees, fly for approximately 1 minute, then turn right 90 degrees and fly parallel to the runway in the opposite direction in which you have just taken off. Then repeat and descend at the end of the downwind leg so you are effectively flying in a circle, once you land flaps come up, full power is restored and you repeat.
Life out here is so much fun. The heat, the lifestyle and the planes are a recipe for fun, fun and more fun. There seem to be parties round the pool fairly often and the 323 initiation party is on this weekend. The organisers, 322, have been to Walmart and bought beer on what can only be described as an American scale. I know it's going to be a great night as I know how much time and finance has been put into the event!
Anyway, my next flight is on Saturday morning at 0745, however I will be back seating my Dutch flight partner's flight which takes off at 0600, so early night for me tomorrow I think!
I will sign off and leave you with a little video I took of Sari's circuits from this afternoon. Spot the strong crosswind on the first landing filmed inside the plane at the last minute, forcing him into a go-around also known as a missed approach!
We took off from runway 21 and headed out to Rainbow Valley, South of Buckeye. We performed general handling manoeuvres and the lesson was a basic familiarisation session. I controlled the plane in the air and on the ground however, my flight instructor landed us back on safe ground for me, especially with the variable crosswinds!
 |
| Map of KGYR Surroundings (Aforementioned Rainbow Valley approx due South of Buckeye) |
I also got to back-seat with one of my good friends, Sari, on his flight which consisted of right hand closed traffic circuits, whereby you take off, turn right at 90 degrees, fly for approximately 1 minute, then turn right 90 degrees and fly parallel to the runway in the opposite direction in which you have just taken off. Then repeat and descend at the end of the downwind leg so you are effectively flying in a circle, once you land flaps come up, full power is restored and you repeat.
Life out here is so much fun. The heat, the lifestyle and the planes are a recipe for fun, fun and more fun. There seem to be parties round the pool fairly often and the 323 initiation party is on this weekend. The organisers, 322, have been to Walmart and bought beer on what can only be described as an American scale. I know it's going to be a great night as I know how much time and finance has been put into the event!
Anyway, my next flight is on Saturday morning at 0745, however I will be back seating my Dutch flight partner's flight which takes off at 0600, so early night for me tomorrow I think!
I will sign off and leave you with a little video I took of Sari's circuits from this afternoon. Spot the strong crosswind on the first landing filmed inside the plane at the last minute, forcing him into a go-around also known as a missed approach!
Monday, 3 October 2011
American Ground School Finished
Today I have come to the end of the mandatory week of American ground school that is scheduled in the first week of the Phoenix phase. I cannot wait to start flying this week, my first flight I believe to be on Wednesday, with a 2 hour briefing with my instructor, Martha, tomorrow.
The weather is looking rather sketchy this week so I have everything crossed that it holds out enough so I can get my first flight done and get the ball rolling on that front!
However, for the time being, I'm just going to relax by the pool and try to comprehend just how lucky I am! This is the life!
Click on images below to open in full size
The weather is looking rather sketchy this week so I have everything crossed that it holds out enough so I can get my first flight done and get the ball rolling on that front!
However, for the time being, I'm just going to relax by the pool and try to comprehend just how lucky I am! This is the life!
Click on images below to open in full size
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