Finally!!!!!!

[Hunhunter]

Well, as of 14:15 today (29/11/05) I am now officially a qualified Pilot!! Has taken just over a year and a half but after two and a half hours of fun with the CAA examiner I finally got the piece of paper with "Pass" on it

I was given a route to fly from Peterborough to overhead a small town just outside Norwich and from there to set course to Clacton. The first leg took me through RAF Marhams MATZ zone and flying with their radar guidence. The Nav part couldn't have been better, all calculated waypoints were reached within a minute of the estimated time and I couldn't believe how smoothly it was going. Marham couldn't have been more helpfull, the controller even advising me of "high speed traffic, three miles, three o'clock climbing" and looking out the window I saw a Tornado jet go whizzing past!!

The next leg wasn't so easy. I was handed over to Lakenheath zone which is USAF controlled. The examiner said he would make me carry out a diversion in a few minutes but to continue on track for now. Without thinking I keyed the mike and started to rattle off the standard radio call. I got about half way thru it when it suddenly dawned on me that I had no idea where I was heading. I was flying a course to clacton but had no intention of getting there as the examiner was going to make me dirvert!! The call went something like "Lakenheath zone, G-ABCD, Cessna 152, overhead Snetterton, 3000ft, 173 degrees on QNH1002....request Matz penetration for VFR flight to.....errr...Clac...ummm...no...umm....Peterbor.. .ahh...umm...request MATZ penetration!!" I could have died, I thought I'd blown it, especially when the examiner said he would tell them what we were doing. The examiner looked at me afterwards smiling and said " I was wondering what you were going to tell them!!"

I carried out the diversion, estimated the course, factored in the wind, estimated the distance and set off. I arrived over the waypoint right on time. I was so pleased I just showed the examiner my stop watch and pointed at the town he had nominated which was directly beneath us.

Well, to cut a long story short, we did all the stalling, practice forced landings, engine failures etc and headed back to the airfield. He asked me to position for a straight in approach and as I was expecting to do several circuits as per the test briefing I called "G-CD long final touch and go". The examiner said "No, make it a full stop landing". Thats when I was convinced I had failed, I must have done or why else would he cut the test short? I was passed caring now so totally relaxed and made one of the smoothest landings I have ever done. At least I finished in style!!

Taxying back to the parking area, the examiner says "well, that went pretty well!". "Really???" I reply. "Well it was good enough to pass" he says. "I've passed???" I ask him still not believing it. He went on to say it was one of the better tests he had done for a while but I think he was having a laugh!!

So there you have it, I now have a nice piece of very expensive paper that has 'passed' written all over it and a massive grin on my face. Cant fly again now until I recieve my licence back from the CAA and then it'll be Christmas. "Dear Santa, I have been very good this year so please can I have an airworthy P51!!"

[Vigilante]

Congratulations, Hunhunter - I love it when hard work and dedication are rewarded. I hope that you have many, many more flights before you and that, when all is said and done, the number of your takeoffs is precisely equal to the number of your landings!

[adlabs6]

Yahoo! Has it really been a year and a half?! I remember when you first mentioned it to me, but I didn't realize it had been so long!

Well congratulations on the accomplishment. I am grinning ear to ear reading that post. What a moment that must have been when you realized during the radio call...

All the best in your future flights, may they be many and enjoyable.

[Serval]

Congratulations!

Does that mean I have personal pilot for the flight Lelystad - Duxford coming july?

[turnipkiller]

Congratulations Hunhunter. Sounds like a nerve wracking test but worth it in the end.

[RAF_Loke]

Congratulations Hunhunter, I'm really happy for you. Well done mate .
I just hope that I one day will be able to get my license for a Microlight plane.

[SunDog]

Congratulations Hunhunter, That must have been the best feeling in the world to have passed remember to watch your SIX

[Hunhunter]

Thanks guys! It still hasn't quite sunk in. The fact that in a couple of weeks when the licence comes through I will be able to jump in a plane and go where ever I like, all on my own!! I also cant believe the aircraft types that can be flown on a basic PPL (subject to type rating)...would you believe I could legally fly planes like the Spitfire, P51, Hellcat.....or how about jets like the Vampire, Jet Provost, Bae Strikemaster, Gnat and I believe even the F86 Sabre falls into the weight category too

But waking from my dreaming I think I will have to make do with a good old Cessna 152 for a good few years yet I think I will be taking family and friends up for rides over the next few months and then hopefully I can do an aerobatics course next summer. Then I can take my boss up and ask for a pay rise while inverted at 5g!!

[RAF_Loke]

Then I can take my boss up and ask for a pay rise while inverted at 5g!!

You gotta do that in an open cockpit plane