Why proper? Well, in my opinion a navigation is a flight where you take off from A to fly and land to B. And so far, I had flown only solo navigations with turning points without any touch and goes or full stops.
But I'm now allowed to do so, since the last dual navigation, called "Triangle of death" by most of the cadets. The route is Hamilton - Rotorua - Tauranga, three D class airspaces.
The purpose of this last dual navigation is to make sure that the cadet is able to fly correctly the published arrivals and departures procedures with good radio calls. To make it harder, we are wearing a hood which allows you to see only your instruments. Obviously the hood is removed for all the joining procedures.
Thanks to my previous flying experience, I didn't find this nav really hard, as I had always prefered controled airfields than uncontrolled.
For my first proper nav, I've been up to Coromandel Peninsula to do two touch and goes at Pauanui Beach airfield and Whitianga airfield.
I was really upset because I had forgotten my cameras, and it was absolutely fabulous, specially Pauanui Beach. This strip is open for general aviation without permission of the operator, but it looks like a private strip as the short grass runway is stuck between to houses lines with many aircraft in their back gardens.
The airfield is located on a small peninsula, so on both approaches the final is over the water, simply amazing to fly in a such environement.
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| Coromandel Navigation - Pauanui Beach, Whitianga |
I also decided to challenge my self for my training here in New Zealand and I have decided to try to land on 30 differents aerodromes. It's probably going to be hard but still, I'll try.
So, during the nav preparation I was looking for aerodromes not too far, when another cadet suggested me Opotiki. I then decided to fly from Rotorua to Opotiki and back to Hamilton. Because Whakatane, was really close from Opotiki, I decided to do a Touch and go there, to improve my workload management.
There are only 10' or less, between these two airfields, so I thought it would be interesting, because you're quiet in a rush, for your arrival briefing, fly the aircraft, but you have to do it well...
Everything went well, and I flew back to Hamilton.
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| Hamilton - Rotorua - Opotiki - Whakatane - Hamilton |
The next step is another 2 hours navigation and then my 300nm cross country which is a requirement for the CPL. I'm still hesitating for the route of my cross country navigation between an Notherly route towards Bay of Island, Cape reinga, and a Southerly towards Wellington and its international airport...
