Knitting...The art of dealing with needles!!

I started the IFR phase 3 weeks ago withs 2 days of grounsdchool followed by the first 6 sims. What can I say about it except that there is a massive gap between VFR and IFR training. At the beginning I was struggling about the sequencing of what to do and when... Now it's getting better, but there are still a lot of stuffs to do. It's really hard, but in the mean time very interesting...Basically I'm enjoying it!

I'm really happy to do the IFR before the CPL, because as we need to be more precise with the checks, the paperwork and the actual flying of the aeroplane, I think it's a good way to reach the CPL standards.

The first sim has been design to get familiar with the Garmin 1000. No more conventional instruments, we can now watch the last episode of Game of Thrones on these two screens while flying!

DA42 cockpit fitted with G1000

So far, we learnt how to fly a SID, a STAR, a VORDME approach and a RNAV approach, adding on each flight something new like the checks, the radio calls...

The Standard Instrument Departure, or SID, is basically as we can guess, a published standard departure using a navaid. We can also see wich climb gradient we will have to use to stay clear of terrain... In Hamilton, the TAYLA 2 and BUDEN 1 departure are the most commonly used as they correspond to the active runway QFU, 176° and 356°, so we have to fly straight when airborne.

Hamilton SID

The VORDME and the RNAV approaches are pretty similar except that they use differents nav aids. In the first case it's a VOR and a DME and in the second case it's the GPS. All the approaches seem similar because obviously they've got the same aim, make the aircraft descending while clearing you from the ground and obstacles such as mountains, hills...

Because they are non precision approaches, they take you down to a certain altitude, the MDA (Minimun Descent Altitude) where you should be able to see the runway to finish the approach visually... 

If you're not you shouldn't go below this published altitude and initiate the Missed approach procedure (basically the IFR name for a go around, but following a specified track up to a certain altitude)

A STAR, or STandard ARrival, is the transition between the en route phase of the flight and the final approach. It's only a sequence of waypoints you have to fly by or fly through. I only practiced a RNAV STAR, and in this case the hardest part of it was to load it on the G1000 while flying the aircraft...

Rnav STAR for 18L

I still have a lot to learn, but I really like IFR. I don't know wich one I prefer between VFR and IFR, because there are too many differences, but when I remove the hood in flight to fly the aircraft visually for few minutes, it's like holidays...

Progress Test 1...

- What do you think about the flight?

- To be honest, I think it was crap!. I know I could have flown more accuratly!

- Well, it's good you're not the decision maker then, because for me it's a pass. No issues at all, but we will discuss of the flight in the briefing room. I'll meet you there in 5 minutes.

That was the discussion between my examiner and I while I was refuelling. 

The PT1 includes a navigation part, a diversion, some instruments simulated flight under the hood and some general handling...

The funny thing about this flight was my go around... I now have around 160 flying hours and this one was only my second one... Not because all my approaches are all the time spot on, but juste because it's still a hard decision to make, and I'd have thought specially during a flight test.

But yesterday, with the thermal activity of the paddocks on final it was hard to fly the correct profile and I didn't even think about it... I just went around.

When I was upwind after this go around I was pretty sure to get a partial for this flight because of this, but actually during the debriefing the instructor was almost happier of my go around than the other circuits I had flown.

Anyway, I passed this flight wich means that the single engine phase is finished. I'll continue to fly the Cessna for 6 more flights for the basic IFR training and then the twinstar DA42! I'm really look forward to it.

The end of the single engine phase also means the end of my challenge about the 30 airfield I had to land on... I failed it. I landed only on 22 of them. Three times the cloud base was not good enough to clear the terrain so I needed to divert from my initial route...

New aerodrome are going to be add to this map because I chose not to fly to certain aerodromes because I knew I would go there in Twinstar, so I prefered place I knew we wouldn't go on DA42. Either very narrow runways or grass runways...

Anyway, It was a great pleasure to flight VFR in this environement. I'm curently editing my last solo navigation video where I went to Great Barrier Island.

CPL Qualifying Cross Country Navigation

Finally I got the time to edit my 70Go rushs...

I did this long nav the 10th of February. My route was to fly from Hamilton to Cape Reinga with landings and touch and goes at Parakai, Whangarei, KeriKeri, Kaitaia, Kaikohe.

Cape Reinga is the Northest point of New Zealand. I wanted to go there because it's said that, from the air, you can see the line where the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman sea meet with each other...

Unfortunetly, CTC told me that it was too far. Actually It'd have added 1.2hrs to my 5.2hrs navigation, and as student I can't fly more than 6hrs a day...

Even if I didn't get there, this fly was great anyway because I flew over so many iconic scenaries like Bay of Islands, Ninety miles beach and Auckland City center... Flying at 900ft with the sky tower at my wing tip will stay in my mind forever!

The first progress test ( like a PPL) is not to far away as I have only 7 flights left before the exam. This exam will also be the conclusion of the single engine phase, as we will start to fly on the multis really soon. I'll try to keep flying with a single engine though, because I don't want to forget my VFR skills for the CPL...

Anyway here is the video of this flight!

Personal Altitude record

Mt Ruapehu

So far, my best flight ever...

I was supposed to do a classic 2.5hrs nav from Hamilton to Taupo, Turangi, Taumarunui and back. But that morning, the instructor in charge to sign me out for this flight, told me that it was a pitty that I haven't planned to fly over Mt Ruapehu only few minutes south of Turangi.

He suggested me to go there, because the weather was perfect. No clouds, almost nil wind...

He briefed me, gave me a survival kit and that was it...

Mt Ruapehu is the highest volcano on the North Island.  Its high is around 9,500ft, so I had to climb up to 11,000ft. This was an absolute amazing experience. The view of the lake was stunning. The lake is acid, and to be honest I don't know if I was hallucinating or not, but when I was overhead I could feel that my nose was itchy... 

Was it caused by the acidity of the lake or my imagination knowing that the lake was acid? I probably would never know!

Anyway, Lake Taupo, Mt Ruapehu and Kawhia Harbor were amazing from the sky. As soon as I landed I thanked the instructor for this amazing suggestion.

The next step will be my CPL cross country qualifier navigation. A 300nm minimum navigation. I've planned to go top north of the North Island to see ninety miles beach, bay of islands, etc...